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The pottery features animals, boxes, plates and bowls beautifully painted with colorful birds, deer, flowers and scenes that represent the artists' life and culture.History
In the 1950's foreign tourism began coming to Mexico; Taxco, Acapulco and Cuernavaca, became outlets for the Balsas crafters. Soon painting styles became colorful, decorative, featuring fantasy animal figures, some nonrealistic humans and plenty of floral and geometric designs.
In 1962 the use of Amate paper changed the Mezcala folk painting. Artisans became chroniclers of their culture representing their life and traditions on their artwork.
The painting style developed by Amate painters was soon used in the pottery.
Story fish plate
Religious and cultural events; farming, fishing, hunting and crafting scenes filled the pots, plates and boxes in a style known as pottery with stories or barro con historia.
The Balsas folk artists became internationally known for their painting.
In a few years artisans looking for new styles began painting wooden fish and rabbits.
Most of the pottery used by the Balsas painters comes from Tuliman one of the villages in the region. The clay pieces are shaped with molds, fired on wood firing kilns and sanded.
Sometimes the clay piece is white coated first. Next the piece is drawn with a pencil. The drawing is filled with acrylic paintings. When the paint has dried the piece is varnished with an acrylic lacquer.
The craft making is alternated with the harvesting, the livestock grazing, the domestic work and the town celebrations.
Some pottery is painted with flowers, birds, deer and rabbit while other is decorated with the community celebrations or their everyday activities.
Story clay Cacatua
Oapan has a pre-Hispanic pottery tradition and was the first place where painted clay was made.
Xalitla a small village located next to the federal highway from Mexico City to Acapulco, became a producing and selling center for many Guerrero folk art styles.