Los Reyes Metzontla: Reflections of a World in Pottery Pieces (part 2)
The burnished pottery of Los Reyes Metzontla has become a symbol of the encounters between centuries-old techniques and the contemporary world.
Los Reyes Metztontla: Reflejos de un mundo en piezas de alfarería 1 by Jonathan LabastidaCocina Cinco Fuegos
Ceramic processing is one of the oldest industries of humanity. In every corner of the world, human groups learned how to use the earth to form with their hands the necessary tools for preparing and eating their food.
Los Reyes Metztontla: Reflejos de un mundo en piezas de alfarería 2 by Jonathan LabastidaCocina Cinco Fuegos
The indigenous peoples of America are no exception, and each culture generated its own way of making pottery.
Los Reyes Metztontla: Reflejos de un mundo en piezas de alfarería 3 by Jonathan LabastidaCocina Cinco Fuegos
Double chamber furnaces are a technological contribution of the cultures of the old world. In Metzontla, furnaces of this kind are used. It is usually cylindrical in shape, constructed with dividers or adobes joined with mud that is open-air. The dimensions depend on the quantity and size of the pieces to be cooked. These furnaces are built with an arc-shaped opening, just like the support for the grate. This makes up the combustion chamber.
Los Reyes Metztontla: Reflejos de un mundo en piezas de alfarería 4 by Jonathan LabastidaCocina Cinco Fuegos
Our ancient history is littered with examples of the ceramic industry that at different times and in different regions our previous civilizations developed.
Los Reyes Metztontla: Reflejos de un mundo en piezas de alfarería 5 by Lilia Martínez y TorresCocina Cinco Fuegos
Traditionally, firewood is used as fuel to burn ceramics, but in the natural environment of the region there are no forests. Here, the "popote" (Gymnosperma glutinosum), a kind of shrub with a resinous stem that generates blazing fires, is used.
Los Reyes Metztontla: Reflejos de un mundo en piezas de alfarería 7 by Jonathan LabastidaCocina Cinco Fuegos
The Mixteca people of Puebla brought to the world a kind of polychrome pottery with a style that was greatly appreciated in Central America and recognized in the world as a hallmark of pre-Hispanic cultures. This same region is the cradle of burnished pottery of Los Reyes Metzontla.
Los Reyes Metztontla: Reflejos de un mundo en piezas de alfarería 6 by Lilia Martínez y TorresCocina Cinco Fuegos
The furnaces of Los Reyes Metzontla are open-air, however, some are covered with a plate. In many furnaces the load is protected with dry Mesquite logs (Prosopis laevigata), which can also be used as fuel.
Los Reyes Metztontla: Reflejos de un mundo en piezas de alfarería 8 by Jonathan LabastidaCocina Cinco Fuegos
Heiress of old stylistic and technical traditions, the production of this earthenware sustains the economy of a community that has combined shapes, colors and functions from the old and new worlds with the practicality and taste of the kitchen and table of the modern world.
Los Reyes Metztontla: Reflejos de un mundo en piezas de alfarería 9 by Jonathan LabastidaCocina Cinco Fuegos
The pottery of Los Reyes Metzontla
The production of burnished earthenware has a long tradition in pre-Columbian America. One example is the Texcoco pottery in the Mexican Empire. Wax treatment of this type of vessel ensures that they are "cured" and ready to contain liquid foods.
Los Reyes Metztontla: Reflejos de un mundo en piezas de alfarería 10 by Jonathan LabastidaCocina Cinco Fuegos
Its surface color is due to the wide variety of minerals contained in the rocks of the mountains. The colors of this earthenware can have spots caused by the air during cooking, a seal of its authentic artisan origin.
Los Reyes Metztontla: Reflejos de un mundo en piezas de alfarería 11 by Jonathan LabastidaCocina Cinco Fuegos
Nature has given to the ceramists of Los Reyes Metzontla plastic clays of inestimable quality. The artisans perform magic tricks with their hands that give material existence to an endless range of objects needed for everyday life.
Los Reyes Metztontla: Reflejos de un mundo en piezas de alfarería 12 by Jonathan LabastidaCocina Cinco Fuegos
Los Reyes Metzontla produces crockery of different shapes and endless uses. The shapes are reminiscent of the gourd bowls, earthenware pots and jugs that archeology reveals to us from the pre-Hispanic cultures, mixed with pitchers, bowls and plates from external influences accumulated over the centuries.
Los Reyes Metztontla: Reflejos de un mundo en piezas de alfarería 13 by Jonathan LabastidaCocina Cinco Fuegos
Patojo vessels, tureens, pitchers and salsa dishes, the continents and history merge into the burnished earthenware of Metzontla. Its beauty and versatility harmonize ancestral esthetics and utility with the taste and practicality of contemporary life.
Los Reyes Metztontla: Reflejos de un mundo en piezas de alfarería 14 by Jonathan LabastidaCocina Cinco Fuegos
The evocative beauty of the Metzontla crockery as well as its functionality, have earned them an exceptional place at the tables of Puebla. In addition to being used to prepare and serve food, they bring an element of good taste and distinction to the presentation of any kind of cuisine.
Los Reyes Metztontla: Reflejos de un mundo en piezas de alfarería 15 by Jonathan LabastidaCocina Cinco Fuegos
These pieces can be found in prestigious galleries and shops in the cities of Puebla and Mexico. The ideal place to acquire burnished clay is the Popolocan community center of artisans and potters in Los Reyes Metzontla A.C.
Los Reyes Metztontla: Reflejos de un mundo en piezas de alfarería 16 by Jonathan LabastidaCocina Cinco Fuegos
This site, built with resources from a national award and self-managed by the community, offers local production. All shapes, colors and sizes are possible in the hands of this creative community.
Los Reyes Metztontla: Reflejos de un mundo en piezas de alfarería 17 by Jonathan LabastidaCocina Cinco Fuegos
Artisans produce and market their own goods. The work of a workshop can support up to ten families in the population. They are simple humans, women and men who with ingenuity and pride offer us a reflection of the world in the brightness of its burnished clay.
Curator: Arnulfo Allende Carrera
Photographers / Creators:
Jonathan Labastida
Lilia Martínez y Torres
Potters: Adela Cortes, Julián García
