Green glazed pottery of Atzompa
Green glazed pottery of Atzompa is a style of glazed pottery, which originates in the Oaxaca, Mexico town of
Introduction
Atzompa’s pottery history extends to the 7th to 9th century, when the town was established as a satellite to the large Monte Albán Zapotec city. Pottery from this period is of the barro negro type found in other communities of the area, but artifacts from this era show more diverse shapes, including jaguar heads.[2] The glazing process was introduced by the Spanish in the 16th century, and the techniques from that time have changed little since.
By the mid 20th century, the green glazed pottery of the town was shipped to all parts of Mexico and exported to the United States, but concerns about lead in Mexican pottery deflated the market.[3]
There have been some innovations from the 1990s to help bring back the market for the green pottery, including the introduction of lead-free glazes,[3] a communal pottery market in Atzompa and the recognition of the innovations of a potter named Dolores Porras, who has introduced other colors and promoted the use of non-lead glazes.[1]
History
The town of Santa María Atzompa has been making pottery since the Monte Alban period of Oaxaca’s history, when the town was established as a satellite community between the 7th and 9th centuries. Objects found at the town’s archeological site show that the local pottery was of the barro negro type found in other communities in the region. However, the ancient pottery found here shows a wider variety of shapes, including jaguar heads, and eagle claws.[2] After the Spanish conquest, lead glazing techniques were introduced here by cleric Alonso Figueroa and have been practiced here with little change since that time, with green becoming the preferred color.[1]
By the mid 20th century, Atzompa had become the main producer of ceramics for the
Recently, several innovations have been devised to try to help revive the pottery market. In the 1990s, the Mexican government developed lead-free glazes to be mass marketed.[3] In the 2000s, a cooperative pottery market was created in the town,[1] and the efforts of potter Dolores Porra, who created new designs and colors, has been recognized.[4]
The making of the pottery
About 90% of the people in the town proper are dedicated to making pottery, making it the basis of the town’s economy. Most of this pottery is created for kitchen use such as for cooking, baking and serving.
Communal pottery market of Atzompa
The center of Santa Maria Atzompa has a rustic church, a main plaza, one school and a half-completed municipal palace. The houses here are humble constructions of adobe and boards and the sidewalks are not paved. All around town, one can see black smoke rising from the pottery kilns firing jars, pots,
Dolores Porras
While almost all of Atzompa’s pottery is of the traditional green-glazed variety, since the 1980s, a potter by the name of Dolores Porras has created the first glazed natural color and multicolored glazed pottery.[1]
Dolores Porras was born in 1937 in Santa Maria Atzompa into a pottery making family. She grew up poor and could not go to school, beginning to make pottery when she was 13 years old. When she was 17, she began to work on her own, but economic necessity forced her to work for a number of other workshops, including that of Teodora Blanco Núñez, considered to be the “first Oaxacan potter” and creator of a jar called “mona” or “muñeca.”[1] She was often hired to make vary large jars, which are difficult to create. Porras developed a white translucent glaze on which to paint colors such as bright oranges, blues, greens and yellows. Each of her pieces is done by hand and are decorated with figures such as borders, mermaids, flowers and iguanas. She has been invited to give workshops in the United States, where she learned about lead-free glazes and has applied these to her work. She was not able to work for the last years of her life due to Parkinson's disease and diminished sight. She remained poor and dependent on her family for support.[4] She died on All Saints Day, November 1, 2011.[6]
In 2010, a ceremony to honor her innovative work was organized by the Arden Rothstein of the Friends of Oaxacan Folk Art Association.[4] The homage took place at the Casa de Cultura Oaxaqueña, which Porra surrounded by examples of her work The audience consisted of foreigners, fellow potters, the municipal president of Atzompa and the director of the cultural center. She was toasted with mezcal, whose strong aroma dominated the room. She received a plaque for her work as well as flowers, while a local band played.[4][7]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j González Ramírez, Fabiola (February 1999). "Arte color verde (Oaxaca)" [Art color green] (in Spanish). Mexico City: Mexico Desconocido magazine. Archived from the original on July 22, 2009. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
- ^ a b "greenpots" [Ball court found]. India: Green Pots. March 24, 2019. Archived from the original on April 22, 2019. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e Preston, Julia (June 14, 1996). "Santa Maria Atzompa Journal;Pots That Poison, and Potters Facing Broken Lives". New York Times. New York. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Chávez, Georgina (January 25, 2010). "Extranjeros homenajean a Dolores Porras, pionera de la cerámica de Atzompa" [Foreigners pay homage to Dolores Porras, pioneer of the ceramics of Atzompa]. Crónica de Oaxaca (in Spanish). Oaxaca, Oaxaca. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
- ^ "Santa María Atzompa". Enciclopedia de los Municipios de Mexico (in Spanish). Mexico: INAFED. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
- ^ "Dolores Porras, Folk Potter Icon, Passes From Us on All Saints Day, November 1, 2010". Oaxaca Cultural Navigator : Norma Hawthorne.
- ^ Mejia, Gina (January 24, 2010). "Homenajean a Dolores Porras por contribución al arte" [Paying tribute to Dolores Porras for her contribution to art]. El Imparcial (in Spanish). Oaxaca, Oaxaca. Retrieved March 18, 2010.