Handcrafts and folk art in Mexico City
The most important handcraft in the city is the working of a hard paper mache called cartonería, used to make piñatas and other items related to various annual celebrations.
The school did not last long because native artisans had a well-developed handcraft tradition that allowed them to adapt European technologies such as the potters wheel and the pedal loom, quickly.
The Mexican Revolution prompted a migration into the city, which continues to this day, bringing craftsmen with new products and/or techniques.
[3] However, according to Museo de Arte Popular director Walther Boelsterly, the working of crafts is disappearing in the capital as the pay is too low for many to continue, and raw materials becoming scarce or too expensive.
[3] Federal, city and private organization have worked to preserve and promote handcraft making of various types for both cultural and economic reasons.
[4][5][6] One private initiative was the Miss Lupita project, with the aim of revitalizing a type of doll making that has all but disappeared.
[7] Mexico City has a long tradition of making objects from a hard kind of paper mache called cartonería, generally for the various festival and celebrations of the year.
Designed to represent Judas Iscariot as the personification of evil, traditionally these are in a form of a devil and exploded by lighting the various fireworks attached to the figure.
[9][11] These are amalgams of parts from various real or fantastic creatures, often using wire frames to support the body (especially for large pieces) and/or delicate protrusions.
[2] The working of fine metals and (semi) precious stones is still important here and has its origin in the pre Hispanic period when the city became powerful enough to receive these goods as tribute items.
[2] Textile production techniques generally come from other parts of Mexico, brought by indigenous peoples who have migrated to the city.
This has allowed certain activities such as stone hewing and artistic wrought iron to survive, reinforced by the desire to preserve heritage.
[12][1] The finest of Mexican handcrafts, usually produced for collectors, are found in specialty shops and government sponsored outlets such as those operated by FONART, which has received famous shoppers including Bill Clinton in 2012.
[12] One exception to this rule is the availability of handwoven baskets from various states in central Mexico at the La Merced Market.
The Secretaría de Educación Pública runs a number of training programs for those interested in traditional handcrafts and other trades.
[4] A city-run institution is the Fábrica de Artes y Oficios Oriente, which is dedicated to training poorer city residents mostly in marketable skills, which does include some traditional handcrafts, such as cartonería, carpentry and metal working.
Its purpose is to serve as a reference for Mexican crafts as well as promoting them through workshops, and other events to both Mexico and foreign tourism.
