There are only a certain number of amber mines in the world. They have come about because there are certain conditions that must be right in order to form deposits. […]
Read more
Author: Leigh Thelmadatter
Beyond Copying
In the United States, handcrafts are few but those that exist are done by those who are enamored by the process and/or the product (think quilting). The vast majority of […]
Read more
Pine needles in Mexico
The craft is called ocoxal. Baskets are made of all kinds of materials in Mexico, based on the plants that are locally available. Many are similar to those made in […]
Read more
Creative Hands column:Mountain mermaids
It is a strange sight, mermaid figures defining formerly small mountain town just west of Mexico City over 500 km from the nearest coast. They are locally called Tlanchanas, a […]
Read moreCreative Hands: My first book!
Please forgive the obvious self-promotion here, but it is hard not to be jumping up and down! Three-plus years ago, I began this blog (Creative Hands of Mexico) as well […]
Read moreCreative Hands of Mexico: The value of beads…
Most of us from north of the border associate beadwork with the indigenous peoples of the United States and Canada. If we are more aware of Mexico, we may know […]
Read more
Creative hands of Mexico: Handcrafts and the president
In Mexico, unless you live in a cave, you know that Mexico’s new president Andrés Manuel López Obrador (colloquially called AMLO) was inaugurated on December 1 of this year. Now this is not […]
Read more
Creative Hands: Taming emotions with alebrijes
Unlike the cute creatures featured in Disney’s Coco, the original alebrijes (al-ah-bree-hays) have inspired a range of emotions. Amalgams of various creatures, both real and imagined, decorated in bright colors, […]
Read more
Creative Hands of Mexico: From Brushes to Clothing
Ixtle (sometimes spelled istle in English) is a term used to describe various fibers that have been obtained from native plants in Mexico since long before the arrival of the […]
Read more
From Living Animals to a Jaguar Woman
Mexico’s ever-changing economic conditions has brought in unexpected new artisans.
Read more