LACQUERWARE
Lacquer
is a shiny coating applied over wood or gourd for
protection or decoration. Applying lacquer is done
in two series. First, the surface is smeared with
vegetable or insect oils. Next, it is covered with
several coats of powdered minerals, which are dried
and polished before being painted. Lacquer is done
in three regions—Michoacán, Guerrero and Chiapas.
Three basic methods are used to create lacquerware:
inlaid (embutido) which is popular
in Michoacán; painted
(aplicado or dorado)
in Guerrero and Chiapas; or carved (rayado) in
Guerrero. For inlaid pieces,
a design is first laid down. Next, parts of the
pattern are cut out and the hollows filled in with
another colour. For the carved
technique, two coats of contrasting colours are
applied and the top coat is scratched away. For
painting, designs are simply painted with oil pigments
onto the lacquer surface. Lacquerware
often comes in the form of gourds,
as well as wooden trays, dishes,
and boxes. Decorations include flowers, leaves,
people, birds, and other animals.
BASKETRY,
GOURDS AND GLASS
Basketry
is another of the most ancient of Mexican
crafts. Basketry may be created for everyday
use or for decoration. In earlier times, baskets
were woven for utilitarian uses,
but now many villages rely almost exclusively on
the baskets they produce for tourists.
The
baskets are all woven by hand using
natural fibres found in the forest.
Several types of palm fibres are
used. The pigments used to produce colours are also
all natural and stem from various plants and earth
which they gather in the jungle or grow in their
gardens. The motifs for the baskets
portray life in the village, local animals, insects,
birds, plants, or just geometric patterns at the
whim of the weaver. Seldom, if ever, are two baskets
alike. Factors which influence the price are size
and quality (size, evenness, and tightness of stitching,
evenness of shape and pattern), and, of course,
the overall aesthetic impression.
Gourd
containers are another common craft that
was used as early as 8000 BC; the gourd
is a natural container. Many are left plain as bowls
and utensils; some are used for rattles, while others
are decorated for sale. In parts of Oaxaca, gourds are decoratively carved by Mixtec
Indians. Coconut shells
and other large seeds are carved in the same way
in Tabasco
and Veracruz.
Glass
was introduced to Mexico
by the Spanish. Puebla
was the first place glass was crafted, from which
it spread to Mexico City and Jalisco, where most
Mexican
glass is made today. While glass is
most common in the form of containers, it is also
popular in bead form for jewellery.
Mexican
hand-blown glass is noted for its rich
variety of colour.
