Mosaic In Mexico; An Ancient Tradition

 

Stone mosaic by Juan O'Gorman in Taxco, Guerrero, MX

In the mosaic community, it is widely held that the art of mosaic is an Italian tradition. In fact, many artists trained in the Ravenna or Spilimbergo methods consider the Italian approach to be the only valid way to make, or even define, mosaic. 

To be clear, I did not come to mosaic through classical training. My journey as a mosaic artist was scrappy and mostly self-taught, and I learned the Roman "rules" of mosaic placement reluctantly. I've never been a fan of rules, and I started making mosaic because it was fun. It wasn't my goal to study it or turn it into work. (Yet, here I am, and happy for it.)

I have never been to Italy. I have yet to see the amazing masterpieces my friends visit and share with me. However, I have traveled in Turkey, where the oldest mosaics have been unearthed, and these follow the same general rules as those in Italy. Seeing them in person is truly profound, realizing I am standing in places once occupied by earlier civilizations, imagining the process of the artists as they chopped and sorted and carefully placed these pieces of stone into a remarkably sophisticated composition.

These are in Istanbul.

Thailand is also chock full of mosaic. Their temples and palaces are covered with it. Thai mosaic is typically ornamental, characterized by repeating patterns featuring a lot of mirrored glass and relief tiles. 

My spouse is half Mexican and we have been exploring Mexico for about 12 years now, visiting at least once per year. At first, the mosaic work that caught my attention was very contemporary, mainly made of handmade tiles that had been chopped into smaller pieces. Talavera tiles are the colorfully patterned terracotta tiles typical of Mexico, especially in northern areas. However, in recent years, I've become more aware of the ancient art of mosaic that existed in pre-Hispanic America, separately from Europe. 

Shrine in Valladolid made of Talavera tile, pottery and shells.

Detail

Mayan and Aztec cultures both created funerary masks that were covered in stone mosaic; jade, turquoise, obsidian, etc. With each museum I visit in Mexico, I am struck by the examples of mosaic, many unearthed from ancient times. Most artifacts even use pieces cut into quadrangles and set in the same fashion as ancient Roman mosaic, but many just make use of the natural shapes of the stones or shells.

These are from a disk excavated in Mexico City, believed to be from the 1400s (CE)

Jade mosaic mask - OLD.

This is super old.

This is a mosaic fragment I spotted in a museum in Zacatecas.

This mosaic is in a ruin in Zacatecas state. It is ancient.

This is the only ruin I've come across in MX that is covered in stone mosaic patterns.

 

These are just a few examples of old a.f. mosaics in different parts of MX. 

I had been familiar with the work of Diego Rivera, but until traveling in Mexico, I didn't realize he worked in mosaic, a huge oversight. With every trip, I discover another mosaic made by Diego, often by accident. Plus, I learned that his colleague, Juan O'Gorman was a master of stone mosaic and his work can be found all over MX. 

This is an entire building covered in stone mosaic honoring the deity Tlaloc by Juan O'Gorman. It's on the UNAM campus in Mexico City and is absolutely jaw dropping.

I couldn't photograph this whole mosaic by Diego Rivera in Chapultapec Park, CDMX, so I took a picture of the plaque.

 

This is me with the above sculptural mosaic commemorating water.

On my most recent trip, we found the Otomi Ceremonial Center in Temoaya, MX. That center medallion is stone mosaic.

The structures at the Otomi Ceremonial Center are all covered in mosaic (though it could do with a bit of a scrub.)

I have files and files of images of Mexican mosaic, ancient and modern. On my last trip, we visited the Perdomo Smalti facility in Cuernavaca, which is a 70-year-old family-owned business that makes small-batch, hand-rolled glass for mosaic. They also fabricate custom mosaic.

This topic has been swirling in my head for a few years, so I thought I would finally sit down and begin sharing my thoughts and I hope someone out there finds it as interesting as I do. Thanks for reading!