Tin  Decorations.

The tin decorations are hand made in Mexico from a family of tinsmiths.

The decorations are inspired by the Milagros that adorn the church walls of Mexico. Milagros are the small silver of gold votive offering that come in the shape of body parts, animals, foods, houses and plots of land. Milagros would have traditionally been given to the preferred saint in the hope of a pray answered or to give thanks for a pray answered. Hearts would represent a romantic connection.

The objects are made from tin, a metal that is light, has strength and has similar visual qualities as silver.

In the 1824 Cornish tin miners left England for Mexico to mine the tin. There is one particular town, Pachuca in Mexico where the residents have blue eyes and a passing resemblance to their Cornish ancestors. They introduced the Mexicans to the Cornish pasty, which has since become a delicacy. The miners would have taught their Mexican wives how to make Cornish pasties. Over time the pasta, as is called in Mexico, has been adapted to a Mexican pallet and is now considered a delicacy. The pasties are filled chicken, tuna, beef, sausage, beans and pineapples all served with a salsa. Aside from introducing the Cornish pasty they also introduced football, which has since become a national obsession.

Tin has traditionally mined in Mexico since Pre- Cortes. The Aztecs used it for possibly as a form of currency. The Spanish although primarily interested in gold and silver also found tin to mines. The Spanish needed tin to make bronze armaments with their continued war efforts in Europe so tin was exported to Spain. Before modern mining methods the tin in Mexico was found in river deposits, which made it labour intensive to mine. The quality was described as being as good as English tin. Tin was initially imported into Mexico from England in sheets. It was with the advent of modern mining methods that a significant tin enterprise developed in the late 18th Century to early 19th Century. Prior to that he had been used for bells, armaments, scientific and industrial apparatus and equipment.
Tin is lightweight, it has strength and is cheap and has similar visual qualities to silver, it not toxic and has a low melting point. It is highly resistant to corrosion and friction. Therefore it was initially used for functional, utilitarian items such as containers, lamps. Candlestick, toys, trays. These items have an ephemeral quality and were quickly replaced.

It was only in the 1930’s that intellectuals and artists collected these items. There was a surge in the popularity of tin and folk art. Tinsmiths who had initially just made functionally tin objects expanded their repertoire. In the 1960’s with the advent of tourism tinwork expanded further. Ideas for new tin products came from all areas of the globe and the tinsmiths happily tried out new designs.