moon stone

One of Mexico's most highly-prized ceramics is the Talavera produced in the eastern state of Puebla. Guadalajara-area artisan Monica Vazquez, inspired by the designs of this tradition, creates these crescent-moon shaped earrings painted like Talavera pots.

Working in the traditional Oaxacan art form known as barro negro, Fernando and Magali Pedro create this wonderful small ceramic wall accent. The unique dark color and slightly metallic sheen of barro negro are obtained by polishing the clay's surface with a quartz stone before the piece is fired in the kiln.

Perfect for keeping small treasures safe, this petite box is created by Fernando and Magali Pedro in Mexico. They work in the Oaxacan craft known as barro negro to make the box. The unique dark color and slightly metallic sheen of barro negro are obtained by polishing the clay's surface with a quartz stone before the piece is fired in the kiln.

Artisans from the Angel Cerón Artisan Association handcraft a ceramic replica of an Aztec calendar that will make an intriguing conversation piece wherever it is displayed. A replica of the Piedra del Sol, the "sun stone," found in the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City, the images in the calendar represent the legend of the fifth sun. According to Mesoamerican cosmology, there were four suns before our current sun, all destroyed, along with the people of the time, by the wrath of the gods. Faithful to the original, the replica is full of intricate detail and painted in warm, earthy orange, red, green, and beige. A sueded leather cord makes a loop at the top for easy hanging.

Working with ceramic, artisans from the Angel Cerón Artisan Association depict an Aztec tlapitzcalzin, a priest dedicated to honor the gods with music, songs and dance. This drummer wears a jaguar headdress and pounds a rhythm on a tall huehuetl, a percussion instrument. To one side is the Aztec sun stone, discovered in Mexico City and on display in the National Museum of Anthropology and History.