Juan made his very first wood mask when he was 10 years old, as he wanted so badly to take part in his hometown Pastorela (a Christmas celebration where masks take relevance each year). That deep, innocent wish took the young Juan Horta to one of his uncles, a peasant who made masks only as a hobby for his own family and friends. Who was to say then that Juan's perseverance would make him one of the best mask makers in the world?

Juan Horta has exhibited his art throughout Mexico. His masks were selected by the "Ballet Folclorico de Mexico", always featured in their world-wide performances. He is also a multiple first prize winner of Mexico's Mask Maker Competition. Among his many achievements, he has been a featured artist at the school of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Field Museum of Natural History.

Don Juan works primarily in wood, usually painting and lacquering the finished mask.

Nowadays his five sons , residing with he and his wife in Tocuaro, Michoacan, Mexico work alongside Juan to preserve the heritage of this fine craftsmanship for many generations of Horta sons to come.

Each mask is unique, a collector's item with gallery owners and individual collectors traveling from all over the world to his taller in Tocuaro, Michocan to buy his masks.

learn more about masks

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go to Juan Horta gallery

CATRINA

This exceptional and highly prestigious painter and sculptor, born in Michoacan, has always been fascinated by Death. Death is a constant in his work, it appears everywhere in the shape of symbolisms or skeletons and skulls. In 1982 Juan discovered the wonders of clay and starts creating "Catrinas".

What is a "Catrina"? (conceited lady)
In the 19th century, a famous engraver and newspaper illustrator named Jose Guadalupe Posada, as part of a political satire, invented the " La Catrina", a female dandy mocking the european-influenced ruling class of Mexico during the autocratic rule of Porfirio Diaz. Throughout the years the catrina has been reproduced by many artists, but never with such talent as Juan Torres, the catrina maker. His catrinas are unique, never two to be the same. Don Juan's work has been imitated by many, always without success.

Nowadays Don Juan doesn't make many Catrinas in his workshop. Just a few are made by him and his five pupils, who are under constant supervision by the master. EACH CATRINA MADE BY JUAN TORRES IS A COLLECTOR'S ITEM.

EMILIANO ZAPATA SCULPTURE

Emiliano Zapata was born in the Mexican state of Morelos in 1879. This legendary hero grew up to become the most famous leader of the Mexican Revolution.

Raised in extreme poverty, Emiliano's family hut was surrounded by impressive "haciendas" (estates) owned by squandering masters. "Dueños de vidas y haciendas" (owners of lives and estates). In those times, the life of a cow was more valuable than the life of a peasant, the life of an "indigena".

Each lavish estate used to have its own "tienda de raya" (grocery store). The purpose was to retake the petty cash earned under extremely harsh conditions by the peasants. This was not only unfair, but bluntly cruel. The system was such, that rural people were indebted for life with the "hacienda" store.

Since money was never enough to cover even the most basic needs of the laborers, they were forced to borrow from the land owners in order to be able to continue buying staples at the "tienda". The result, a father could die of an illness, then the debt was directly passed on to his son, turning the lives of each subsequent generation into never-ending nightmares.

In 1909 a bitter and courageous Zapata began recruiting an insurgent army even before the beginning of the Revolution which officially started in 1910 to overthrow the dictator Porfirio Diaz.

The "Zapatistas" demanded "tierra, justicia y libertad" (land, justice and freedom) for their people.

Zapata remained in opposition, fighting against terrible repression until 1919 when he was lured to attend a meeting with the government troops at the Hacienda de Chinameca in his native Morelos where he was ambushed and gunned down. Since then, little has been done to improve the lives of the poverty-stricken.

Nowadays, a hero to the suppressed, his memory is an inspiration and source of "hope". The Zapatista Army of National Liberation under the leadership of the "Subcomandante Marcos" is still struggling against the social injustices that prevails in this country as well as in other Latin American countries.

Quoting Emiliano Zapata…

" PREFIERO MORIR DE PIE QUE VIVIR SIEMPRE ARRODILLADO " (Better to die on my feet than to live forever on my knees. )

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go to Juan Torres gallery

Rocio belongs to one of the most respected and prestigeous families of Patzcuaro. When you walk into "La Casa Grande" gallery, located in the Plaza Don Vasco de Quiroga in Patzcuaro, it is immediately apparent that this distinguished lady fuses her exquisite taste and eye for novel beauty in her gallery selections. Every objecte 'd arte in "La Casa Grande" is a piece of La Sra. Rocio, a piece of the finest regional Mexican art.

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go to La Case Grande gallery

Almost 30 years working in the fine art of wood sculpturing, and striving for excellence have created an unparalled reputation in Michoacan for the late Don Salvador Tera and his four surviving sons as the best fine art, wood sculpturers in Michoacan.

Once a mask-maker from the famous mask-making town of Tocuaro, Michoacan, Don Salvador saw the opportunity to integrate and build upon his mask-making art form into the fine art of wood sculpturing. To achieve excellence in his trade, Don Salvador applied himself for five years at the workshop of wood sculpturing in Bellas Artes, Mexico City. A devoted father, he passed on this knowledge of the wood sculpturing art form to his four sons. The respect his four sons have for their father is immediately evident when you walk into their "taller" (workshop) and see the alter created in reverence to their this forward-thinking, talented, hard-working man.

Today, the works of art of the Taller de Don Salvador Tera e Hijos is a team work. These four talented artists each take part in the completion of their exquisite creations applying their unique, individual talent. The Tera brothers have works of art that are permanently exhibited in churches throughout Mexico as sacred art. Even in the Vatican, a masterly sculptured Madonna of Lourdes by the Tera brothers can be found.

Their marvelous replicas of renowed artists such as Michel Angelo and Leonardo Davinci, among others, will in time become keepsake treasures of increasing value from generation to generation for those sensitive enough to recognize the beauty of this exceptional long lasting art form.

Red cedar and mahogany from the coasts of Mexico and Central America are the primary woods that become some of the most amazing works of art.

The Tera brothers accept custom orders for hand-carved wooden doors and busts made from your photographs. Contact us for more information.

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go to Tera I gallery

The Tera brothers also display their Santos art collection in The Art of Mexico, Gallery 4-II.

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go to Tera II gallery

Felipe Ortega is well recognized as an art historian. He attended the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico and culminated his studies with a diploma in anthropology.

Carlos Vazquez has 30 years of experience in prehispanic art. He attended the Academia de San Carlos which is one of the most prestigious schools of art not only in Mexico, but in Latin America. There he completed his career as a ceramist. He went on to get a diploma on the ancient and modern techniques of prehispanic art.

Most of the pre-Hispanic inspired art pieces in their gallery are from western Mexico.

learn more about Carlos' clay technique

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go to La Mojiganga gallery

Roberto Castro Hernández is by himself one of the biggest names in Santa Clara del Cobre, his place of birth. This well known town has gained international recognition for its fine artisans in copper.

The trade has been around for centuries, but in 1907 Roberto's grandfather on his mother's side passed on his teachings to his family members. Roberto's cousins have also followed into the tradition, but only to preserve the forever existing designs.

This amazing artist started playing and working with this beautiful metal at the tender age of 10. Roberto's talent pushed him to challenge himself to break away, to become an original. In time, he started experimenting with different techniques. As he gained experience, he became the creator of his own pieces aiming to change copper forever. His copper pieces are among the most unique made in the region.

His excellent work is often requested and cherished among architects and interior designers of the new current known as Mexican contemporary construction. This new architectonic expression is based on preserving the "Mexicanidad" in its designs, but at the same time, it is about constant innovation. Roberto's pieces are exposed in hotels all over the country.

Just to mention a few, the following are among the many exhibitions in which Roberto has participated and his works of art in copper have been admired and awarded.

1998.- Mexico City - Casa de las Artesanias
1999.- Boca del Rio, Veracruz - Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes
2000.- México City - Colegio Mexicano de Arquitectos
2003.- Madrid, Spain - Muestra Artesanal Latinoamericana

learn more about Roberto's techniques

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go to the Copper Collection gallery

Born in Mexico City in 1959 Ma. Teresa was a curious child, attracted to "tiny things". Being a talented artist, later on in her life she attended one of the two most prestigious schools of art in Mexico, "La Esmeralda" Escuela de Artes Plasticas. Between 1983 and 1988 she became officially a painter and a sculptor.

As an adult, she relocated to the state of Hidalgo. Watching the joy of children playing with those Mexican "tiny things" that she used to love so much as a child, and being surrounded by the Nahuatl women and the atmosphere of the provincia, in 1991 she created her first retablo using Mexican miniatures. It took her a year to complete her first retablo, and every one who saw it wanted to buy it from her. She had discovered the joy of sculpturing in miniature, and for the first time she opened her eyes to "la mexicanidad del color", the explosion of color.

Since then, she has known nothing but success. Her miniatures are cherished all over the world as collector's items. The following are just some of the exhibitions in which she has participated.

1992- Museo de Arte Contemporáneo - Monterrey, Nuevo Leon
1993- Exhibición de Artesanias Nacionales - San Miguel Allende, Guanajuato
1993- Concurso "Europalia" - Belgium
1994- Concurso Nacional "Las Manos de México" - Estado de México
1994- "Amor por el Arte Popular", Museo Franz Meyer - México City
1994- Museo de Culturas Populares (with 31 permanent pieces) - México City
1995- National Museum of Malmitalo - Finland
2001- Museo de Arte Mexicano - Chicago, Ill.

learn more about Ma. Teresa's technique

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go to the Kiosco gallery

What was their motivation to open a gallery? Mercedes loves shopping! Do you know a better way to keep on buying all those things that you love? Mercedes found one, her business is her hobby.

Every artisan in the region knows her. Her gallery is now one of the most important galleries in the region. She has a very special taste and it shows in her store selections. Objects have to be unique, and when it comes to quality she knows how to get the best.

She and her husband travel to other places in Mexico, and sometimes, they travel abroad in order to always have what you don't find in any other stores in Patzcuaro.

The Art of Mexico features a selection of Mercedes' Cubist Paintings on canvas.

Mercedes studied public relations, and truly loves interacting with people.

learn more about the showcased Cuban artists and Huichol art

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go to the El Mexon gallery

For many years Nacho and his family were exclusively mask-makers for the prestigious government institution FONART (Fondo Nacional para el Fomento de las Artesanias). Unfortunately, FONART is not a fair player when it comes to compensating the artesanos for their work and Nacho and his family, like many others, in spite of the prestige that comes with exhibiting at FONART were economically forced to find other means of exposure for selling their art pieces . Today, Nacho and his wife Paula, a student in archeology, travel throughout Mexico selling the Martinez family masks.

Nacho Martinez has participated in numerous exhibitions and contests, always with great success.

1988 De Guerrero para el Mundo - Los Angeles, USA
1992 La Mascara Como Expresion Cultural - Santiago de Chile
1998 Feria Artesanal Iberoamericana - Munich, Germany
2001 Encuentro Artesanal Dos Culturas - Madrid, Spain
2004 Viaja a lo Extraordinario - San Jose de Costa Rica

learn more about Nacho's patina finish.

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go to the the Mascaras de Guerrero gallery

They majored in painting and have been in the art business for fifteen years. The couple is well known across Mexico. They are often hired to decorate the walls of impressive "haciendas" (estates).

Eight years ago, looking for a better place to raise their little daughter Yunuen, they left Mexico City and moved to Patzcuaro, Michoacan. When they were not traveling, their experimentation with gourds which are plentiful in the state of Michoacan, turned into more than just curiosity. Well-versed in different media and art techniques, the couple added some interesting artistic elements that set their gourd art apart. Wonderful gourd art abounds in the world, but what Moravia and Ulises make is truly unique. The couple recreates Mexican stories and famous characters in their gourds.

Why gourds? Because a gourd is a very noble and versatile surface that allows for a diversity of art expressions. It is ecological, therefore no deforestation comes into the equation, and gourds of all sizes and shapes are available in the state of Michoacan where they reside.

Moravia Miranda and Ulises Garcia are not attracted to exhibitions, (most of the times they decline) believing that the only proof they need to feel successful, is to be successful. However, we still want to mention some of their appearances.

1999 Las Manos de Mexico - Madrid, Spain
2001 Proyecto De Facto - México City
2003 Feria Artesanal Iberoamericana - Munich, Francfort, Paris, Florence

A funny anecdote:

Once Moravia and Ulises received a rather peculiar request from a restaurant in Morelia. They were asked to make a St. Anthony from an elongated gourd. They found out that this particular gourd would be part of a St. Anthony collection, and that it would be displayed in one of the corners of the restaurant, which is fondly known as "the spinsters' corner".

In the Mexican Catholic faith, it is believed that if a woman is facing spinsterhood, the remedy is to turn St. Anthony upside down for a week and devotedly say a special prayer every night to St. Anthony.

The piece Moravia and Ulises created was unique and immediately stood out in the restaurant's St. Anthony collection. Later, they learned that the gourd was available for rent, and ladies of all ages were renting their Saint Anthony gourd and taking it home for a week in the hope of getting a husband.

learn more about the SAMU gourd art technique

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go to the SAMU Gourd Art gallery

As a little girl, Julia's mother used to tie her to the loom to prevent her from wandering around. When she turned five, her parents realized that she was already learning the trade. Thanks to her tireless work and attention she became one of the greatest weavers of rebozos in all of Mexico.

Some years ago, women among the Purhepecha communities were faithfully dedicated to this labor. It signified a responsibility to the community and a strong commitment to their husbands and children. Women of true selflessness, they were called.

Julia had twelve children, four of them died almost at birth due to the lack of doctors in Paracho. Eight are still alive, five sons and three daughters who have made her very proud. Julia is the mother of five extraordinary musicians, one of them, a renowned violinist educated in Paris, France. Javier and his four brothers have traveled world-wide with their traditional Purhepecha music.

Julia is also the mother of Placida Bautista Ramírez, one of today's finest rebozeras, who inherited the talent and skill from her mother. As Julia still endures, Placida remains living with her mother preserving the authenticity of the art of weaving rebozos on a back-strap loom with fringes meticulously worked by hand. In their production, hand-woven rebozos made of fine cotton and those made of silk stand out.

Dona Julia Ramirez Rios, chosen by Banamex in 1995 as one of the "Great Masters of Mexican Folk Art", fringe braiding thread-by-thread at age 93.		Placida Bautista Ramirez, carries the "flame" as nationally acclaimed, concurso-winning rebozera.

"Smile", I said.	"I will smile if you tell me a joke", Dona Julia replied.	She smiled.

learn more about rebozos

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go to Julia Ramirez gallery

Orlando was born in Tocuaro, Michoacan. His father is the famed Juan Horta traditional mask maker. Orlando is an Horta but without the "H". When he was registered as a baby, the secretary preparing the birth certificate mistyped the last name omitting the "H" in the final document, so Orlando grew up being Orta instead of Horta. Omissions like that still happen in his hometown.

As one of the Juan Horta's sons, like his four brothers, Orlando inherited from his famous father the extraordinary talent for carving Mexican traditional masks. As a child, he started making miniature replicas of his father's pieces. Orlando's amazing ability took him, let's say, to other dimensions.

His father would say "Orlando impresses me, but I want all my children to have a career". Orlando was sent the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo in Morelia to become a Civil Engineer. Even during his university years Orlando never quit making miniature masks. Total perfection was his consuming goal.

In time he returned from Morelia to his native Tocuaro to present his father with a prestigious university certificate. Orlando decided to stay in his hometown to make a name for himself, but not as a Civil Engineer, but as a miniature mask maker.

For 15 years he has been making miniature masks during which time he has received numerous personal satisfactions and awards. Here we mention some of them.

• 1997 Concurso Nacional de Artesanias - Tlaquepaque, Jalisco
  3th. Place (nationwide competition)
• 1998 Concurso Nacional de Artesanias - Tlaquepaque, Jalisco
  2nd. Place (nationwide competition)
• 1999 Concurso Nacional de Artesanias - Tlaquepaque, Jalisco
  1st. Place (nationwide competition)
• 1999 Centro Museo de Bellas Artes Mexicanas - Chicago, Ill.
• 1999 Muestra Artesanal Iberoamericana - Madrid, Spain
• 2000 Secretaria de Comercio y Fomento Industrial - México City
  Special award and recognition from the Mexican government
• 2000 Fundacion Espanola para la Artesania - Madrid, Spain
  Honorific mention
• 2001 Feria Artesanal Iberoamericana - Munich, Francfort, Paris, Florence
• 2002 Año Internacional de la Artesania - Buenos Aires, Argentina
• 2003 Lazos México - Japón - Tokio, Japan
  Special invitation from the Japanese government
• 2004 Art Institute of Chicago - Chicago, Ill
  Orlando Orta was invited by this institution to visit several schools and
  cultural centers to expose some of his pieces and to talk about his work

learn more about Orlando's miniature mask making technique

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go to the Orlando Orto Miniature Masks and Demons gallery

Mexican Mask-Making
For centuries mask-making has been a tradition in Mexico. During pre-Hispanic times, the Aztecs and other native civilizations used masks as part of their religious ceremonies. After the Spanish conquest, Christian traditions were incorporated into the folk art of mask-making.

Mexican masks are usually made of wood, with pieces of leather attached. Some of them have natural animal hair and genuine cow horns. The masks can be painted, lacquered, or left in a natural state (cruda).

The art of mask-making not only demonstrates imagination, but a great deal of fantasy, as well as decorative and creative talent.

Masked Dances
Mexican Christian masked dances primarily dramatize the triumph of Christianity over paganism. These dances are usually performed on the feast day of a village's patron Saint or on celebrated religious holidays such as Carnival or Christmas. Dancers often perform in fulfillment of personal vows or as members of dance societies. Masks are usually worn only by men who impersonate female characters as well. Women may occasionally participate in certain dances, but they do not wear masks.

The community masked dance performances require huge expenditures of time and money. The successful presentation of masked dances is usually the responsibility of a community's "mayordomo". This is a voluntary civil-religious position held by a man or a woman, an outstanding member of the community.

The work of the mascarero (professional mask-maker) may more strongly reflect native traditions and dances. It is likely that the mascarero inherited the trade from his ancestors. In the region of Michoacan, masks are usually carved in woods from the copalillo, colorin and aguacate trees.

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ROBERTO'S COPPERSMITHING TECHNIQUE
Each piece you see in the COPPER COLLECTION gallery is crafted using the centuries-old bonfire method, just the furnace to heat the copper and a hammer to give it the shape. Each pieces is made from one sheet of copper (there are no welded joints). No sophisticated tools are used.

The raw material is culled from waste copper that is purchased in a number of places where copper is being constantly disposed of in the form of automobile parts and cables.

The process begins by placing the selected scrap material that has been cleared of impurities, into the center of the forge to be heated at high temperatures. The material is then covered with pine briquettes which produce an intense fire of even temperature.

Roberto shown in his "taller" with son Gustavo, who shows early signs of following in his father's footsteps.

After melting, the metal is left to cool in the forge. At the same time and with great ability and long tongs, portions of the incandescent copper are removed and placed over an anvil where it is beaten with mallets and hammers in order to achieve the desired size and form. This process of heating and hammering is repeated as many times as necessary. Once Roberto finishes shaping the piece, he reheats it only to sink it in very cold water in order to achieve those reddish oxidized tones. Then he proceeds with the decoration. The embossing is elaborated from the original piece of material by hammering and using other tools as well. A great amount of tools are used in this form of art. Chisels, pliers, tongs, scissors, shears, punches, mallets and hammers of all types and weights which Roberto uses to shape and emboss the pieces. The metal is beaten in a forge, which is a hole in the ground filled with "charanda" stones and compressed layers of ash from burnt oak. Charanda = red soil from the region. Since the copper in Roberto's pieces is left in its natural state, the care required is minimum: The patina protects the surface from oxidizing, so polishing is not necessary. If the piece gets dirty, wash with soap and water avoiding abrasives.

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CARLOS' CLAY TECHNIQUE
Technique: "Reduccion al negativo". The piece is completely modeled by hand. A traditional firewood furnace is used to cook the clay.

After the initial firing, the designs are drawn on the piece; then the artist proceeds to paint it with natural dyes, mostly from different kinds of soil.

Once the piece has been painted, it is isolated in clay sand or wax. After a few hours, it goes back to the high temperature furnace. When taken out, it is removed from the isolating material.

Only then the piece is thoroughly burnished with cobble stones in order to achieve the desired look.

Carlos Vazquez enhances his pre-Hispanic inspired ceramic pieces combining iconography from Nayarit, Michoacan, Colima, Jalisco and Teotihuacan.

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MA. TERESA'S RETABLOS OF MEXICAN MINIATURES
The artist gathers all the miniature objects that go into the piece. These miniatures are not made locally, but come from all over Mexico.

The box is made using only the finest selected pine wood. Once it is perfectly cut and sand smooth, two coatings of primer are applied in order to seal it. Right after that "POLITEC" acrylic paint is used.

On the cover she paints the motif that will determine the theme of the retablo. There are many themes, but Ma. Teresa never repeats herself on the same theme. She can make "la boda", the wedding, many times; but never a copy -- each "la boda" is very different, unique.

Ma. Teresa applies two coatings of basic white. Then she proceeds with a Mexican explosion of color. After several coatings of each color, she writes what could be part of an old Mexican song or a "refran" (popular saying) allusive to the theme.

Painting the tiny furniture that go inside the retablo is a lengthy process. After this, all the miniatures are glued in what becomes a real ingenious work of art.

Every retablo is an original piece and comes signed by the artist.

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EL MESÓN GALERIA
JULIO ANTONIO MENDEZ H., Cubist Artist

This outstanding painter was born in Guanajay, Cuba in 1953. He talent in art was evident at a very early age, and in 1968 his talent was discovered by the Cuban government. He was summoned to attend formal art education at the prestigious Academia Provincial de Artes Plasticas "San Alejandro", which he attended for four years. After graduation he was assigned to Moscow for military duty during which time he continued his art studies. It was in Moscow that he found his unique style as a cubist painter.

Cubism is a highly influential visual arts style of the 20th century that was created principally by the painters Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque in Paris between 1907 and 1914. The Cubist style emphasizes the flat, two-dimensional surface of the picture plane, rejecting the traditional techniques of perspective, foreshortening, modeling, and chiaroscuro and refuting time-honoured theories of art as the imitation of nature. Cubist painters were not bound to copying form, texture, colour, and space; instead, they presented a new reality in paintings that depicted radically fragmented objects, whose several sides were seen simultaneously.

Julio has participated in many exhibitions, private and colletive. To mention a few --

1975 Galeria de Arte Flora, "Las Doce Sillas de Lam" - Habana, Cuba
1982 Museum "Bonas Forza" - Genova, Italy
1990 La Casa de Africa - Madrid, Spain
1995 Proyecto Horizontal - Lisbon, Portugal
1998 Galeria de la Concejalia de Cultura del Ayuntamiento de Ajalbir -
Madrid, Spain
2000 Museo Pablo Picasso - Cataluna, Spain
2003 Muestra Internacional de Cubismo Tropical - Buenos Aires,
Argentina

TAO-M COMMENT: We choose to showcase Julio's unique paintings as they stand out among all others as truly colorful, uninhibited cubist-style expressions of Caribbean Island Art, so popular today.

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MASCARA'S de GUERERRO
Learn more about Nacho's patina finish --

The patina finish used by the Martinez family is the process used not only to enhance the piece, but also to get rid of any bugs in the wood.

• PATINA ON NATURAL WOOD.- Once the mask has been carved, a mixture of basic lead carbonate and granulated plaster is applied. Permanganate acid is heated to its boiling point. The mask is then soaked in the acid bath until the desired brownish hue is obtained. Then, the piece is taken out to dry under the scorching sun. To finish, a coat of specially formulated wax is applied to the mask to preserve the finish.
  
  
• PATINA ON PAINTED WOOD.- Once the mask has been carved and painted with mate acrylic paint, some basic lead carbonate is mixed with dry sifted dirt in order to pollute the carbonate. Water is added to the mixture and a brush is used to coat the mask. Then, the piece is taken out to dry under the scorching sun. Once it is completely dried, the excess of the mixture is removed to reveal a mask with an ashy appearance. It is soaked in permanganate acid to age the piece and once the mask has the desired antique affect and is completely dry, a coat of specially formulated wax is applied to preserve the finish.

Adding the final touches after the piece has been carved and the lead carbonate and granulated plaster applied.	The piece is then soaked in the acid bath until the desired brownish hue is obtained
The desired brownish hue is obtained.	The piece is taken out to dry under the scorching sun before the specially formulated coat of wax is applied to preserve the finish.

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• Cotton: dyed, woven on a back-strap loom. Fringe work by hand.
• Silk: dyed, woven on a back-strap loom. Fringe work by hand.

Julia and Placida utilize back-strap looms that were fabricated by them. This type of loom consists of various implements -- Two bars to sustain the warp, one or more heddles of wood or reed clipped into place to separate the even from the odd warp threads.

The heddles permit the movement of a predetermined number of warp threads and a bar or rod is inserted in order to form the opening through which the weft is also inserted by means of the shuttle. After this, a spade bar is utilized to compact the weave. This tool must be heavy in order to be able to compress the threads and obtain a tight rebozo of fine quality.

For these authentic rebozeras the elaboration of a traditional rebozo begins by washing the thread and dyeing it with indigo (a permanent natural dye extracted from tropical plants). The indigo is first diluted with water and then set to boil in large clay pots. The thread is left in the dye for a few hours to assure an even color. Afterward, it is allowed to dry and then attached to the warper. The warp is arranged in the old-fashion way where the threads are placed in the exact position that they will be occupying on the loom. Mother and daughter place the warp on the loom and attach each of the ends to its respective bar (leaving one attached to the weaver's waist and the other tied to an object such as a tree). The extra lengths of warp threads at each end of the panel will be used to create the fringes. The women tie the threads one by one in accordance with a special technique that forms a sort of grid over which they knot the different colors used in a particular rebozo. Once the knotting has been finished, the threads are trimmed to an even length, taking care that the fringe hangs properly. (Pictured here is the fringe before it is hand-tied, thread-by-thread.) back to top

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SAMU GOURD ART TECHNIQUE

A gourd is a pumpkin that had the misfortune of sprouting in hot climate. The fact is that the pumpkin does not reach maturity, therefore it dries while taking a capricious form. When this happens, it is not a pumpkin anymore, it becomes a "guaje" (gourd). First, the exterior of the gourd is meticulously scrubbed in order to obtain a smooth, blemish free surface. Then, the gourd is carefully cut open in a fancy manner. The seeds are removed and the inside of the piece is burnished followed by the application of a very thick special paint. As a base coat, "guesso" is applied to the exterior of the gourd. Guesso is available at the art supplies stores, but Moravia and Ulises discovered a better formula, so they prepare their own guesso. More than two types of paint are then mixed with natural pigments and a natural adhesive. The motifs are designed always taking into consideration the shape and the size of the gourd. Large gourds allow for an expanded motif of multiple scenes on the different sides of the gourd. Behind Frida the famous Mexican painter, for example, there could be a picture of beautiful colonial streets in Patzcuaro, or some fruits and wine. No matter where the piece is displayed, it looks original and richly decorated from every angle. Sometimes a gourd takes the shape of something other than the shape of the gourd itself. The "viejito" (Michoacan old man) showcased in the SAMU gallery is such an example. Moravia and Ulises are not willing to disclose the details of their advanced technique, only to say that it is achieved by adding a diversity of materials.           back to top

A miniature mask starts with the selection of the finest Copalillo wood. The primary material from this unique tree found in the Michoacan region has not only great quality and resistance, but it is also extremely light weight.

Once Orlando has a perfect piece of wood in his hands, he knows it is only the beginning of a very lengthy process. His inspiration comes from his fond memories of growing up immersed in the traditional celebrations and festivities of Tocuaro. Nevertheless, inspiration comes in drops. Every piece is his very own private conception of a particular traditional character or state of mind. A unique piece.

Orlando can spend, let's say, a month carving a miniature mask. The sculpture has to come from a single piece of wood. There is no patching or fixing. If he makes the slightest mistake, the painful laborious effort invested can be lost in a second. The elaboration of one single piece could take months. After the piece has been carved, the decorating process starts. The process does not allow for mistakes.

The use of automotive lacquer painting on such miniature, delicate objects is not an easy procedure. Since the masks are so tiny, the brushes used for this purpose are also extremely small. For fine details such as dots, a one single natural animal hair brush is masterly used.

We can only conclude that it is Orlando's extraordinary talent, skill and fantasy that makes his "miniaturas" so precious and valuable for collectors.

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