The long tradition of Tlaquepaque Mexican Presidents figurines

Last month a very good friend of mine and owner of one of the best collections on Mexican Folk Art asked me to help him complete his collection of Vintage Tlaquepaque Mexican Presidents figurines. In the past I had seen them on museums and books like "Ceramica Mexican pottery of the 20th Century" but I had never own one. My friend had in his collection 22 figurines dating fromt he 1930's and 1940's with presidents from the 1910's (Porfirio Diaz) to the 1940s's. So my task was to help him find the rest of the presidents from the 1940's to todays (that makes up another 33 Presidents!!!).
Making some research with my friends and contacts in Museums of Mexico, I was able to find the Nunez (Nuñez) family in Tlaquepaque Mexico. The main living artists of this family are Margarito Nuñez (80 years old) and Pilar Nuñez (daugther of Margarito Nuñez). Between the 2 of them have been keeping the tradition of making Mexican Presidents, a tradition that started Margarito Nuñez Panduro (father of Margarito Nuñez) back in the 1915. But this tradition of making figurines did not started with the series of "Mexican Presidents", actually the tradition started with Margaritos grand grand father Pantaleon Panduro (the guy in the black and white photo). Master Pantaleon (1830-1912) its a folk art legend from the late 1800's, and actually there it is a museum and a street with his name in Tlaquepaque Mexico. Pantaleon its father of Maura Panduro, Maura its the mother of Margarito Nuñez Panduro, Margarito is father of Margarito Jr and Margarito Jr its the father of Pilar.
Getting back to the "Mexican Presidents" Margarito Nuñez Panduro in 1915 started with the figurine of Mexican President "Benito Juarez" and as time went by he keep adding and adding more presidents till his death, the last Mexican President that he made was Adolfo Lopez Mateos. Margarito Nuñez Jr (now 80 years old) keep the tradition and he added the next presidents as time has gone from President "Ruiz Cortinez" to current Mexican President "Felipe Calderon". Pilar, daughter of Margarito saw that before Benito Juarez there where also many other presidents!, so she now completed the collection from the First Mexican Emperor once Mexico became independent from Spain adding up another 30 presidents and 2 emperors to the collection.
If you are interested on buying pieces of the Mexican Presidents collection, please get in touch with us at mexfolkarts@yahoo.com.mx, the Nuñez family has the originals antique and vintage molds of the same figurines that you see in books and museums.
Tha last photos show Margarito Nuñez with a miniature Tibor mold made by his grand grand father Pantaleon Panduro. The tibor shows that bust of current mexican President from those days "Porfirio Diaz".
Please remember to see our online store at http://losnaguales.com if you are looking for something in particular please do not hesitate to send us an email.

Ignacio Punzo, master of hammered Copper and Silver

Hello again!, this time I would like to write you about Ignacio Punzo Angel, the best artisian from Santa Clara del Cobre Michoacan in Mexico. The town is part of the Pátzcuaro region of Michoacán, and ethnically dominated by the Purepecha people. These people have been working with copper since the pre-Hispanic era, and led to this town’s dominance in copper crafts over the colonial period (1519–1821) until well into the 19th century.
Most of the town's population (82%) its employed on making copper crafts, there are 250 registered workshops but only 2 of them have been inducted in to the "Great Masters of Mexican Folk Art" collection by Fomento Cultural Banamex, one of them its the one own by Ignacio Punzo Angel and his sons.
Ignacio's studio its maybe the only one in Santa Clara del Cobre that also has pieces of Silver. This its because thanks to his level of craftsmanship he has developed a base of collectors and Museums that are able to afford such beautiful items just like the ones in the photos. If you would like to see the items that we have in stock by him please make sure to visit our online Gallery Los Naguales.

The new era of Patric Jars (Tiburcio Soteno)

Hi again!
As many of you may all ready know this 2010 in Mexico we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution and 200 years of the Independence from Spain!. Well over the year I will be writing about Mexican Folk art that Celebrates the Bicentennial and Centennial.
This time the subject for this post will be the "Patriotic Jars" many of them where made in the early 1900s as part of the celebration of the 100th years of the Mexican Independence. This first photo shows an example.

Many of this antique jars where made in Metepec in the State of Mexico, one hour away from Mexico City. Unfortunately now in modern days its impossible to find some one in Metepec that could make similar items, well that was until thanks to the idea of good friend, collector and customer Michael Ricker we commissioned Great Master of Mexican Folk Art Tiburcio Soteno to start making testes in order to recreate this old jars with great decoration. The result was a very impressive piece of folk art with a great composition and a great amount of work, much more sophisticated compared to the old ones.
The subject of this Patriotic Jar that Tiburcio Soteno made was the "Decena Tragica" a passage of Mexican the Mexican Revolution when in October of 1911 president Madero was betrayal by Victoriano Huerta and the American Ambassador Henry Lane Wilson, so the jar shows Huerta and Lane, below its the "Palacio Nacional" being fired by cannons, the people below represent the civil people that where killed as part of the battle.
If you want more information of Tiburcio please check my older post about his Trees of life, or write me to mexfolkarts@yahoo.com.mx, we can commission him special order items. Enjoy!!