Handcrafts of Guerrero
Today, much of the production is for sale in the state's major tourism centers, Acapulco, Zihuatanejo and Taxco, which has influence the crafts’ modern evolution.
The most important craft traditions include amate bark painting, the lacquerware of Olinalá and nearby communities and the silverwork of Taxdo.
[1] The Aztecs conquered much of the region, with some handcraft production becoming important tribute items, for example, gold worked into pieces for nobility and priests.
[3][2] Many of the colonial period handcrafts, such as palm frond, metal and basket making, continue to the present day, buoyed to a large extent by tourism.
[4] Modern handcraft production in the past decades has been strongly influence by sales in the state's three main tourist centers, Acapulco, Zihuatanejo and Taxco.
Because of the mix of cultural influences, past and present, some crafts, such as pottery, show a wide range of styles and decorative motifs.
[4] One of the state's better known crafts is the painting of images onto amate (bark) paper, done in Nahua communities such as Ameyaltepec, Maxela, Xalitla and San Agustin de las Flores.
Believing that the handcrafting of silver should be done where the metal has a history, Spratling convinced two young gold smiths in Iguala to move to Taxco to help him open a shop.
These new generations of silversmiths have also rescued a forgotten technique of combining different metals, which has a pre Hispanic origin, called “wedded metals.”[4] The craft remains important in Taxco, buoyed by the town's status as a tourist attraction, as well as the National Silver Fair (Feria Nacional de la Plata) and competition in the last week of November.
[8][4] Gold is worked in several locations such as Iguala, Ciudad Altamirano, Cocuya de Catalan and Arcelia Ometepec, generally shaped into traditional colonial period designs.
[2] In addition to palm fronds, reeds are worked in several parts of the state to make baskets, toys, roofing for homes, bird cages and more.
Many are utilitarian items such as water coolers, utensils, plates, bowls, candle holders but decorative pieces such as animal and human figures.
The potters of Ometepec are noted for the creation of unglazed cantaro storage containers decorated in white lines and floral patterns.
[2][8] Most pottery is low-fire ware, which is traditional, but catering to the tourist and international markets has put pressure on artisans to incorporate more modern techniques.
[8] Many Mixtec, Amuzgo and Nahua women still wear traditional dress, often made with hand woven cloth, with the finished product hand-embroidered.
[8][7] The most distinctive indigenous clothing garment is the huipil (a kind of loose blouse or dress), which is produced by several cultures, such as the Mixtec, Tlapanec and Amuzgo.
Backstrap looms are used in Mixtec and Tlapaneca communities to make sarapes and gabanes (a kind of overcoat) which are somewhat crude, dyed with natural or commercial dyes in contrasting patterns.
Another distinctive garment is the enredo nahuatl (a kind of wrap belt), made of cotton dyed blue with three white stripes, over which there is embroidery with floral, religious, patriotic human and animal motifs.
In Ometepec they create white blouses embroidered with sequins, with designs depicting fantastic animals, vegetation, geometric patterns and even people.
[4] Precious and semi-precious stones are worked, often with pre Hispanic motifs in location such as Taxco, Chilpancingo, Ixcateopan and Buena Vista de Cuellar.
Leather working in the state includes cattle, pig and goat hides to make shoes, jackets, coats, bags, holsters, belts, wallets and more.
However, there is one artisan, Gilberto Abarca Galeana, who has taken this work to a higher level, noted for creativity and craftsmanship, making masks, jewelry, tortilla holders, picture frames, key chains and more.
