Mexico is rich in deposits of silver, and the trade of silver was important well before modern times. Most tourists to Mexico want to collect a piece of silver jewelry. The silver jewelry is sometimes inlayed with abalone, turquoise or semiprecious stones. It is sometimes difficult to judge the quality of the silver jewelry. Some is stamped "vintage Mexican silver", "sterling", "Taxco" (a location known for silver) or "Hecho in Mexico". Some is signed with a symbol or initials by the artist. However, many fine pieces are not signed. If you see a piece stamped "Alpaca" this is a white metal, which contains no silver at all. It may have fine craftsmanship and be a quality piece, but it should not be as expensive as silver jewelry.
The soil of some regions of Mexico is high quality clay which is perfect for earthenware products; the indigenous people of Mexico have produced clay tiles, pottery and sculptures for centuries. In the area of Talavaera, Puebla, in approximately 1531 AD, the Spanish introduced the technique of the potter's wheel and tin glazing. This made the pottery very similar to the Majolica ceramics. The blue glaze, which was the most expensive, was only placed on the finest pieces. Today fine Talavera pottery is still being produced; it is expensive and of excellent quality. It is always singed by the workshop that produces it and it must indicate that it was produced in Puebla. There are several cheap imitation forms of this pottery also available.
A more recent introduction occurred in 1953, by Rosa Real de Nieto, a potter of Zapotec Indian ancestry. She burnished the pot with quartz before firing it,which produced an interesting patina. The area that this pottery comes from is Oaxaca and the clay is charcoal gray. Through the firing process it becomes black. This pottery is available in the stores. It is advisable to buy it from a reputable dealer if you plan to eat from it.
Masks were commonly used in ritual dances in Meso-America. The masks often represent animals. With the Spanish colonialization, new customs and traditions mixed with indigenous ones to create an interesting new world of culture, dance and ritual of which masks were still a part. Mexican masks are made of anything from coconut shells and carved wood, to dried baked clay. Paper mache is a popular choice of material as well.
Many famous dances in Mexico utilize masks as part of the ritual. These include such dances as: Dance of the Old Men and Dance of the Christians and Moors. These masks are also used heavily during Carnival.
Paper art and paper mache in specific is quite popular in Mexico and takes on a multitude of forms.
The Mexican Piñatas are a Christmas tradition. The piñatas are filled with sweets, nuts, fruits and toys. Many popular designs include stars, fish, flowers, boats and animals. These are all made with paper mache. At the end of the feast, the piñata is broken and the sweets are eaten.
During Easter, Judas dolls are created out of paper mache. Toluca, Mexico has a juried, competitive contest where giant Judas dolls are created out of paper mache. Then fireworks are embedded within the dolls and the Saturday before Easter they are exploded.
Strings of small paper mache items are called ristras. These can be made to resemble almost anything, but fruits, vegetables, birds and other animals are common. They are usually brightly colored and used to decorate the home.
This is another of the Mexican paper art forms. In the most common form, colored tissue paper is cut from a pattern, somewhat like paper dolls, to make banners. These banners are hung for fiestas, birthdays or just home decorations. They come in many forms such as flowers, leaves, birds, angels and crosses. Currently they are popular with the Day of the Dead celebrations, which feature forms such as skeletons in many activities.
Papel picado originated as part of the traditional arts forms of the indigenous cultures of Meso-America. The images of deities were cut into their homemade bark paper, called papel amate. The indigenous Otoml use bark paper today, to continue this tradition. San Pabilto, Puebla is famous for bark paper cutouts. San Salvado Huixcolotla, Puebla is where the highest quality and most elaborate papel picado made from tissue paper can be found.