Process of making the Talavera pottery

In the old calle de Mesón de Sosa Nº 13, in the year of 1824, the story of Uriarte Talavera begins, when Don Dimas Uriarte buys a workshop of white earthenware known then under the name of La Guadalupana. 

Almost two centuries have passed and the tradition of making authentic Talavera de Puebla, as it was then called to distinguish it from the earthenware from Spain, still continues. Neither time nor technology has affected Uriarte Talavera's concern with preserving the delicate and laborious process of making this beautiful and valuable Mexican tradition, declared by UNESCO in 2019 Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The shapes of the pieces are obtained through two fundamental processes: the lathe and the molds. Using the technique of pastillage and with the clay with the consistency of a flexible masa dough, the pieces are shaped.

The Talavera pottery with blue on white decoration is most likely considered the most traditional, even though other colors have been used historically.  This fact has much to do with the most typical decoration since its origins, since the reason for its production was to imitate Chinese porcelain.

Cobalt oxide is used as a pigment in the Puebla Talavera pottery and tougher handling of the materials is given by simplifying the tracing.

Enamel is a mixture of silica sand, tin and lead, with viscosity and vanilla color. In this mineral solution that must be constantly moved, the pieces are immersed, not without first having soaked with water with a brush, the parts where the enamel tends to accumulate. In this way the enamel layer is uniform and of a thickness that does not exceed a fraction of an inch.

As they dry at room temperature, the yellow turns matte white. All parts must be checked for proper enamel application and to eliminate minimal surface imperfections.

The team strives to outline and paint the graphic motifs of the pieces, knowing that the natural pigments will react with the enamel during the fusion of the second oven and will acquire their final color and shine.

The pieces come out of the oven at 1150 ° and for a long time they crackle, "they sing", as they gradually cool down. Each will be carefully reviewed to ensure its quality: those requiring paint retouching will go through the corrections laboratory, the others will go to their final destination, many of them will be discarded and destroyed.