The tile makers and the history of Mexican tiles

The hand made tiles have distinct characteristics, the tiles are slightly convex or concave. When installed this creates a pillowed effect. The light bounces back of the tiles at slightly different angles creating a surface with a broader range of tones than machine made tiles. The surface is glazed and has a natural crackle, which can be enhanced or made to disappear depending on the grout colour. A surface can be tiled in a single colour, a pattern or a grouping. The tiles look good in both traditional and contemporary settings.

The Mexican hand made ceramic wall tiles are made in a family run workshop in Dolores Hidalgo. The whole process from digging the clay to firing and decorating the tiles is carried out by individual workshops. The hand made tiles are made using a mixture of three different types of clay and an ingredient that adds flexibility to the mixture. The clay is rolled out and cut by hand. The Mexican tiles are fired in a kiln. They are then glazed and fired again. Variation in colour and size is created by the position the tiles are in the kiln, the length of time they are in the kiln and the composition of clay. The different prices of glazed tile are reflective of the difficulty in achieving those colours. For example orange and red are harder to achieve then blues and greens.

Mexico has a history of making hand made tiles. The techniques were introduced to Mexico by the Spanish 500 years ago. Hand made tiles were first used for architectural decoration in 400 BC in Egypt. In Mesopotamia there was little stone but clay was abundant. The use of clay for writing and for decoration was encouraged. The technology for creating clay tiles was passed to The Persians, then to the Arabs who brought it to Spain. The technology moved through Europe and then to the New World. Dominican Friars eager to tile their monasteries brought Spanish ceramists to the New world. Monks taught the indigenous people how to make tiles. Three centres for making tiles were established Puebla, Mexico City and Dolores Hidalgo. These tiles are made in Dolores Hidalgo.