stephani stephenson on wed 14 feb 07
have any of you traveled or studied in Puebla Mexico?
Puebla keeps coming up in the historical probings i am
engaged in at the moment.
i have been tracking some of the migration of Moorish
style and techniques in tile. one reference, the book
"Ceramica y Cultura" describes how Mudejar (Spanish/
Moorish) potters and tilemakers came to '"Nueva
Espana' (western hemisphere/ the Americas"... fleeing
Spain (they were Muslim..or Mudejar...had to convert
to Christianity during the reconquest after the fall
of Granada , etc in Spain..... finally .being expelled
from Spain in 1611, etc.)
so Moorish/Mudejar, as well as Italian and Spanish
potters, tilemakers,craftsmen came to
build Spanish colonies in New World
.Puebla , one of the early centers
(south of Mexico City) was one of the few cities built
from the ground up , i.e not on a preexisting
Aztec/Mayan/ native site.... built in the early 1500s
and producing tile in the 1520s....
so all the aforementioned European influences mixed
with indigenous influences....
then , and this is what is amazing.... Chinese pots
as part of the Asia trade were being brought
across the Pacific Ocean... hauled over from the
Philippines to what is now the Pacific coast of
Mexico, on the Manilla Galleons....
unloaded at Alcapulco on the Pacific coast , carried
overland
to the Atlantic port of Vera Cruz. Puebla was on the
overland route, and some of the Chinese pots stayed
there ... they were viewed and some of the decorative
characteristics of the Chinese ware were incorporated
into the already rich brew of European and native
Mesoamerican ware
this is fascinating to me
thinking that this 'outpost' was the confluence of the
richest veins of ceramic tradition from the world
over...
Puebla remains known for it's 'Talavera' pottery and
tile...but the story is rich ...Puebla was also still
a main center for tile production in the 20s..lots of
mural and tile work in California is from there
so...anybody been there? stories? have suggestions on
places to go, connections?
Stephani Stephenson
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Nan Paget on wed 14 feb 07
I was there in 1947 briefly. Visited a pottery. Still have a
tiny vase I bought, perhaps a tile also. Also visited an old
nunnery, which was hidden during the anticlerical regime in
the 1920s (?) when such were forbidden, churches were shut
or made into museums, only one priest was allowed per state,
etc. The nuns remained there, and when each one died, she
was buried under the floor.
Perhaps this was the nunnery where mole poblano (from Puebla)
was invented, in anticipation of the arrival of the bishop. They
wanted a special dish, so put in everything they had in the pantry.
Best, Nan Paget
--
Twin Dragon Studio
Mill Valley, CA, USA
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