Breaking piñatas is not only a familiar element of many Mexican festivities, but a popular custom with deep historical roots. Some scholars link the practice with religious rituals of ancient Mesoamerica, while others trace it back to a Chinese custom associated with the start of the spring and the yearly agricultural cycle that was introduced to Europeans […]
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If you are planning a trip to the state of Morelos in central Mexico you’ll probably want to enjoy a fun day of shopping in the small colonia of 3 de Mayo. (Yes, they spell it with a real number “Three.”) Spending some of your time and money on any of the distinctive products for […]
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St. Lucia is the patron saint of eyes. The story is told that she was very beautiful, and had many suitors. One of them said that he had fallen uncontrollably in love with her eyes. She plucked out her eyes and sent them to him on a plate. He stopped pursuing her, and the virgin […]
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The pictures here were taken in the church in the old mining town of Real de Catorce, in San Luis Potosi. There is a side room of the church dedicated to exvotos. Photo Gallery of Exvotos Senor de Villaseca, Cata Saint Lucia, Guanajuato Exvoto Article Published or Updated on: December 7, 2007 by Richard Ferguson © 2008
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This is part of one wall of the church in Cata, near the town of Guanajuato. When I visited in 1996, the walls were completely covered with exvotos to a height of twenty feet. When I returned in 1999, the exvotos had been taken down for conservation. Published or Updated on: December 7, 2007 by Richard Ferguson © […]
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Exvoto is a Spanish word meaning votive offering. My English dictionary says that the word comes from the Latin, meaning “out of a promise or vow” and that these votive offerings are given or dedicated in fulfillment of a vow or pledge, or expressing a wish, desire, or vow. In Mexico, an exvoto is most commonly a personal […]
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Juan Mata Ortíz is a small village of potters, farmers and cowboys in Northern Chihuahua. About 30 years ago, an unschooled artistic genius, Juan Quezada, taught himself how to make ollas, earthenware jars, by a method used hundreds of years ago by the prehistoric inhabitants. Now, his works are known worldwide and over 300 men, women and […]
Continue ReadingJuan Mata Ortíz is a small village of potters, farmers and cowboys in Northern Chihuahua. About 30 years ago, an unschooled artistic genius, Juan Quezada, taught himself how to make earthenware jars in a method used hundreds of years ago by the prehistoric inhabitants. Now, his works are known worldwide and over 300 men, women […]
Continue Reading“When I walked into the museum and saw my ceramic sitting there beside the plaque for the Galardón, I was astonished. I had had no idea I had been awarded the Grand Prize.” José Quezada sat with his father, Nicolás, on the observation platform/roof of the Museum of the Northern Cultures in Nuevo Casas Grandes. […]
Continue ReadingJuan Mata Ortíz is a small village of potters, farmers and cowboys in Northern Chihuahua. About 30 years ago, an unschooled artistic genius, Juan Quezada, taught himself how to make ollas, earthenware jars, by a method used hundreds of years ago by the prehistoric inhabitants. Now, his works are known worldwide and over 300 men, women and […]
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