During the Spanish Conquest, the Christian religion was brought to the New World and played a part in influencing ceramic figures and designs. The first evangelists taught with Pastorelas Plays, representing the birth of the Christ child, with characters representing
villagers as integral parts of the play. These Pastorals are still played out using masks and costumes throughout Mexico and the Hispanic southwest in the United States.

Nativity scenes, or nacimientos as they are known in Spanish, are sculpted from clay. The figures are portrayed as dark skinned villagers adopting the native dress of the region. The wise men and shepherds are all compesinos, or farmers. Viejitos, or old people, are displayed with these scenes as well, in order to pay homage to ones ancestry and heritage.

Figures of the devil in the human form are also made to represent the coexistence of evil in the world of everyday activities. This iconography representing the duality and coexistence of good and evil is also carried over from pre-Hispanic beliefs.

The clay figures are made entirely by hand. The clay material must first be prepared and kneaded to the right consistency and plasticity. The figures are sculpted by joining different pieces to form the character. The finished sculpture is dried in the sun and then fired in a kiln to a temperatures of 1500 degrees Fahrenheit. Finally acrylic paints are mixed to reveal tones and colors and are applied with home-made brushes made from cat, dog or squirrel hair.

This tradition is maintained to this day. The techniques are inherited from family members and the characters represented are passed down from past generations. In Tlaquepaque the ceramic sculptors that make these realistic figures are known as moneros. A mono is a Spanish expression used in Mexico to describe a figure representing a person or animal.

*Nahuatl- Language of the Aztec civilization

Translated from Pablo Paredes

The name Tlaquepaque is derived from the Nahuatl* word Tlalipác, which means lugar sobre lomas de barro, “place on hills of clay”. The inhabitants of present day Tlaquepaque can be traced back to pre-Hispanic times. The crafts produced can be attributed to the tribes that existed at that time, controlled by the Aztec empire. The abundance of very good quality clay in the soil has allowed the ceramic arts to flourish in the region. The arrival of the European culture changed the format of ceramic sculpture. The pre-Hispanic deities were replaced the Christian symbols. Ingenious artisans began depicting figures of people carrying out their everyday activities. In a sense they were documenting and celebrating their lives and preserving a tradition that to this day flourishes. Musicians, potters, water carriers, fruit carriers, woodcutters, etc., became the subjects for clay artists.

Pablo in his workshop in Tlaquepaque, Jalisco