Mexican
Trees of Life or Arboles de la Vida
are one of the most popular expressions of Mexican
folk art. For more than 100 years Metepec,
in the State of Mexico, has been known for its
unique ceramic creations, mainly the Arbol de
la Vida, tree of life, a clay sculpture
covered with flowers, leaves and biblical figures.
In essence it is a multi-decorated candelabra.
Trees of Life used to have
as a central theme the Garden of Eden. Nowadays many
other stories are recounted through this splendid
clay sculptures…Mexico’s history, the Day of the
Dead, The Nativity, Noah’s Ark, and some are even
autobiographical, telling the potter’s or the
customer’s own story.
Mexican Arboles can
be traced back to the early colonial period when
Spanish Friars commissioned the indigenous potters
to create candelabras with biblical figures such as
Adam and Eve. It was a way of evangelizing or
teaching the Catholic faith to the New World
incorporating elements of their own culture, such as
their ceramic traditions.
This magnificent expression of
Mexican Folk Art is thought to
have begun either in in Izucar de
Matamoros in the state of Puebla
or Metepec in the
State of Mexico . Nowadays there
are three localities where these fabulous works of
art are created: Metepec, Izucar
de Matamoros and
Acatlan.
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Day of the Dead
Tree of Life |
Nativity
Tree of Life |
Noah's
Ark
Tree of Life |
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