Black clay
Encyclopedia
Barro negro pottery is a style of pottery from Oaxaca
, Mexico
distinguished by its color, sheen and unique designs. Oaxaca is one of few Mexican states which is characterized by the continuance of its ancestral crafts, which are still used in everyday life. Barro negro is one of several pottery traditions in the state, which also include the glazed green pieces of Santa María Atzompa
; however, barro negro is one the best known and most identified with the state. It is also one of the most popular and appreciated styles of pottery in Mexico. The origins of this pottery style extends as far back as the Monte Alban
period and for almost all of this pottery's history, had been available only in a grayish matte finish. In the 1950s, a potter named Doña Rosa devised a way to put a black metallic like sheen onto the pottery by polishing it before firing. This look has made the pottery far more popular. From the 1980s to the present, an artisan named Carlomagno Pedro Martinez has promoted items made this way with barro negro sculptures which have been exhibited in a number of countries.
Another important person in the development and promotion of barro negro is the work Carlomagno Pedro Martinez. He was born in San Bartolo Coyotepec into a pottery-making family. He was named after Charlemagne
by his grandmother, who was an admirer of the king. From a young age, he showed talent in fashioning figures in clay. When he was grown, he attended the Fine Arts Workshop of Rufino Tamayo
in Oaxaca city
. He has become the first potter/sculptor in the medium, winning his first recognition in 1985 for his work. His fame increased with his development of human skulls made of barro negro in the years that followed. Each piece Carlomagno makes is unique in some way, but certain themes such as oral histories, indigenous legends, certain Christian themes and death, called "our grandmother." In Mexico, he has exhibited his work in dozens of expositions and has won three national level awards. His work has also been featured in five published books. Martinez’s work has also been exhibited in countries such as the United States, Colombia
, Argentina
, Lebanon
, Germany, Spain and Japan, with one of his latest exhibits in New York in 2008. In that same year, he created a mural in barro negro at the Baseball Academy in San Bartolo Coyotepec sponsored by the Alfredo Harp Helú
Foundation.
, with about 600 families in the area dedicated to the craft. In addition to a number of family workshops, including Doña Rosa's, the Mercado de Artesanias in an important attraction which brings visitors from many parts of Mexico and other countries. A group of fourteen people exhibit and sell barro negro objects. Some of these products include vases, animal figures and jars. Demonstrations of pottery making are held as well. In 2005, the Museo Estatal de Arte Popular de Oaxaca
(State Museum of Popular Art) was opened here. It has one of its three halls dedicated to barro negro, with pieces from the Monte Alban era to the present day. In 2009, San Bartolo Coyotepec held its first Feria Artesanal de Barro Negro (Crafts Fair of Barro Negro) with the participation of over 150 artisans.
s from San Bartolo Coyotepec to age and store mezcal
at many distilleries. These large jars are not polished and retain the ancient gray matte, which allows them to be resistant to liquid. Another quality the gray matte version has is that it can be struck similar to a bell, and the cantaros are also used as musical instruments. The sound produced is crystalline.
Another famous barro negro object is the "mezcal monkey" (chango mezcalero). This is a vessel created for the alcoholic liquor mezcal
in the shape of a monkey. It is made to hold between 700 ml and 1 liter of the liquid with a cork or corncob stopper. It is either painted in bright colors or left grayish with detailed etchings. Valente Nieto, the sole surviving progeny of Doña Rosa states that his family created the mezcal monkey and no one else. He claims that his father was a gifted sculptor, and mezcal owners came to their property requesting novelty bottles for the alcoholic beverage. The monkey as well as other animal shapes were created. However, another family, that of Marcelo Simon Galan, also claim to have created the container. His surviving granddaughter says that he made the shape at the request of a customer. An example of Galan’s work is on display at the Museo de Arte Popular de Oaxaca in San Bartolo Coyotepec.
Traditionally, the clay is molded on plates balanced on rocks to that they can be spun by hand. Modern potters’ tools are not used. Large pieces, such as cantaros are fashioned from the bottom up adding clay as the piece grows. After it is shaped, the pieces are set to dry in a well-insulated room to protect them from sudden changes in temperature. Drying can take up to three weeks. If the piece is to be polished so that it turns out shiny black when finished, it is polished when the piece is almost dry. The surface of the piece is lightly moistened and then rubbed with a curved quartz stone. This compacts the surface of the clay and creates the metallic sheen and dark color during firing. This is also the stage when decorative accents such as clay flowers or small handles are added. The designs of barro negro objects are unique to this area.
The pieces are then fired in underground pits
or above ground kilns, using wood fires that heat the objects to between 700 and 800 °C. When they emerge, the polished pieces are a shiny black and the unpolished ones have a grey matte finish.
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
distinguished by its color, sheen and unique designs. Oaxaca is one of few Mexican states which is characterized by the continuance of its ancestral crafts, which are still used in everyday life. Barro negro is one of several pottery traditions in the state, which also include the glazed green pieces of Santa María Atzompa
Santa María Atzompa
Santa María Atzompa is a town and municipality located in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, about five km from the state capital of Oaxaca.It is part of the Centro District in the Valles Centrales region. The town was founded between the 7th and 9th centuries as a satellite of the ancient Zapotec city...
; however, barro negro is one the best known and most identified with the state. It is also one of the most popular and appreciated styles of pottery in Mexico. The origins of this pottery style extends as far back as the Monte Alban
Monte Albán
Monte Albán is a large pre-Columbian archaeological site in the Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán Municipality in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca...
period and for almost all of this pottery's history, had been available only in a grayish matte finish. In the 1950s, a potter named Doña Rosa devised a way to put a black metallic like sheen onto the pottery by polishing it before firing. This look has made the pottery far more popular. From the 1980s to the present, an artisan named Carlomagno Pedro Martinez has promoted items made this way with barro negro sculptures which have been exhibited in a number of countries.
History
The origins of barro negro pottery extend over centuries, with examples of it found at a number of archeological sites, fashioned mostly into jars and other utilitarian items. It has remained a traditional crafts of the Zapotecs and Mixtecs of the Central Valleys area to the present day. Originally barro negro pottery was matte and grayish. In this form, the pottery is very sturdy, allowing it to be hit without breaking. In the 1950s, a woman by the name of Doña Rosa Real discovered that she could change the color and ****** of the pieces by polishing the clay pieces and firing them at a slightly lower temperature. Just before the formed clay piece is completely dry, it is polished with a quartz stone to compress the surface. After firing, the piece emerges a shiny black instead of a dull gray. This innovation makes the pieces more breakable, but it has made the pottery far more popular with Mexican folk art collectors, including Nelson Rockefeller, who promoted it in the United States. The popularity stems from the look, rather than wearability, so many pieces are produced now for decorative purposes rather than utilitarian. Doña Rosa died in 1980, but the tradition of making the pottery is being carried on by Doña Rosa’s daughter and grandchildren who stage demonstrations for tourists in their local potters' workshop. The workshop is still in the family home, where shelves and shelves of shiny black pieces for sale line the inner courtyard. Despite being the origin of black polished clay, pieces at this workshop are much cheaper than in other parts of Mexico.Another important person in the development and promotion of barro negro is the work Carlomagno Pedro Martinez. He was born in San Bartolo Coyotepec into a pottery-making family. He was named after Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
by his grandmother, who was an admirer of the king. From a young age, he showed talent in fashioning figures in clay. When he was grown, he attended the Fine Arts Workshop of Rufino Tamayo
Rufino Tamayo
Rufino Tamayo was a Mexican painter of Zapotec heritage, born in Oaxaca de Juárez, Mexico. Tamayo was active in the mid-20th century in Mexico and New York, painting figurative abstraction with surrealist influences....
in Oaxaca city
Oaxaca, Oaxaca
The city and municipality of Oaxaca de Juárez, or simply Oaxaca, is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of the same name . It is located in the Centro District in the Central Valleys region of the state, in the foothills of the Sierra Madre at the base of the Cerro del Fortín...
. He has become the first potter/sculptor in the medium, winning his first recognition in 1985 for his work. His fame increased with his development of human skulls made of barro negro in the years that followed. Each piece Carlomagno makes is unique in some way, but certain themes such as oral histories, indigenous legends, certain Christian themes and death, called "our grandmother." In Mexico, he has exhibited his work in dozens of expositions and has won three national level awards. His work has also been featured in five published books. Martinez’s work has also been exhibited in countries such as the United States, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, Germany, Spain and Japan, with one of his latest exhibits in New York in 2008. In that same year, he created a mural in barro negro at the Baseball Academy in San Bartolo Coyotepec sponsored by the Alfredo Harp Helú
Alfredo Harp Helú
Alfredo Harp Helú is a Mexican businessman of Lebanese origin, and as of 2011, with a net worth of $1.0 billion, is according to Forbes the 1140th richest person in the world...
Foundation.
San Bartolo Coyotepec
The craft is made in San Bartolo Coyotepec and a large number of small communities in the surrounding valley, where the clay that gives it its color is found. This community is located 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) south of the city of OaxacaOaxaca, Oaxaca
The city and municipality of Oaxaca de Juárez, or simply Oaxaca, is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of the same name . It is located in the Centro District in the Central Valleys region of the state, in the foothills of the Sierra Madre at the base of the Cerro del Fortín...
, with about 600 families in the area dedicated to the craft. In addition to a number of family workshops, including Doña Rosa's, the Mercado de Artesanias in an important attraction which brings visitors from many parts of Mexico and other countries. A group of fourteen people exhibit and sell barro negro objects. Some of these products include vases, animal figures and jars. Demonstrations of pottery making are held as well. In 2005, the Museo Estatal de Arte Popular de Oaxaca
Museo Estatal de Arte Popular de Oaxaca
The Museo Estatal de Arte Popular de Oaxaca or MEAPO is a small museum located in the municipality of San Bartolo Coyotepec just south of the city of Oaxaca in Mexico...
(State Museum of Popular Art) was opened here. It has one of its three halls dedicated to barro negro, with pieces from the Monte Alban era to the present day. In 2009, San Bartolo Coyotepec held its first Feria Artesanal de Barro Negro (Crafts Fair of Barro Negro) with the participation of over 150 artisans.
Objects made with barro negro
Many different kinds of objects are made of barro negro including pots, whistles, flutes, bells, masks, lamps, animal figures with most being of a decorative nature and not for the storage of food and water. One exception to this is the use of cantaroCantaro
The cantaro is a percussion instrument. It is a clay pot that is struck in its outer surface or mouth with a hand, creating different effects. Water can be used to pitch the instrument to a desired sound....
s from San Bartolo Coyotepec to age and store mezcal
Mezcal
Mezcal, or mescal, is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from the maguey plant native to Mexico. The word mezcal comes from Nahuatl metl and ixcalli which mean 'oven cooked agave.'...
at many distilleries. These large jars are not polished and retain the ancient gray matte, which allows them to be resistant to liquid. Another quality the gray matte version has is that it can be struck similar to a bell, and the cantaros are also used as musical instruments. The sound produced is crystalline.
Another famous barro negro object is the "mezcal monkey" (chango mezcalero). This is a vessel created for the alcoholic liquor mezcal
Mezcal
Mezcal, or mescal, is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from the maguey plant native to Mexico. The word mezcal comes from Nahuatl metl and ixcalli which mean 'oven cooked agave.'...
in the shape of a monkey. It is made to hold between 700 ml and 1 liter of the liquid with a cork or corncob stopper. It is either painted in bright colors or left grayish with detailed etchings. Valente Nieto, the sole surviving progeny of Doña Rosa states that his family created the mezcal monkey and no one else. He claims that his father was a gifted sculptor, and mezcal owners came to their property requesting novelty bottles for the alcoholic beverage. The monkey as well as other animal shapes were created. However, another family, that of Marcelo Simon Galan, also claim to have created the container. His surviving granddaughter says that he made the shape at the request of a customer. An example of Galan’s work is on display at the Museo de Arte Popular de Oaxaca in San Bartolo Coyotepec.
Process
The color of barro negro is due to the properties of the clay, and is not colored. The earth used to extract the clay is cleaned to remove impurities, which can take a month of soaking and settling out the clay from the rest of the soil. After this process, each piece takes about twenty days to complete.Traditionally, the clay is molded on plates balanced on rocks to that they can be spun by hand. Modern potters’ tools are not used. Large pieces, such as cantaros are fashioned from the bottom up adding clay as the piece grows. After it is shaped, the pieces are set to dry in a well-insulated room to protect them from sudden changes in temperature. Drying can take up to three weeks. If the piece is to be polished so that it turns out shiny black when finished, it is polished when the piece is almost dry. The surface of the piece is lightly moistened and then rubbed with a curved quartz stone. This compacts the surface of the clay and creates the metallic sheen and dark color during firing. This is also the stage when decorative accents such as clay flowers or small handles are added. The designs of barro negro objects are unique to this area.
The pieces are then fired in underground pits
Pit fired pottery
Pit firing is the oldest known method for the firing of pottery. Examples have been dated as early as 29,000–25,000 BCE. Kilns have since replaced pit firing as the most widespread method of firing pottery, although the technique still finds limited use amongst certain studio potters.Unfired...
or above ground kilns, using wood fires that heat the objects to between 700 and 800 °C. When they emerge, the polished pieces are a shiny black and the unpolished ones have a grey matte finish.