A Brief History of the Talavera Tradition

Historical Context
Talavera pottery first appeared in the late 15th century to become a bright spot on the dark history of the Spanish conquest of the Puebla region
in what is now known as, Mexico. As Spain seized more control over the region, the country’s artistic traditions, tools, and techniques made their
way into the new-forming culture in the Puebla region. Because the indigenous people living there were no strangers to ceramic craftsmanship, the introduction of Spanish methods and traditions would inevitably result in the evolution of new styles of pottery from the joining
together of two very different cultures.

Cholula, Puebla, Mexico, 12.8 cm high (© Trustees of the British Museum)
Map of 15th Century Iberian Peninsula

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic Ocean, stood the Iberian town of Talavera de la Reina, a melting pot of artists and craftsmen from all over the globe. This town was internationally acclaimed as La Ciudad de la Cerámica, The Ceramic City, and would eventually become the main protagonist in the origin story of Talavera Pottery.

Talavera is Born
In 1571, forty years after the town of Puebla was founded (and just fifty years after the conquest of the area) artisans from the Ceramic City were commissioned to cross the Atlantic ocean and come to the town of Puebla to build and decorate the Church of Santo Domingo. This event brought about a marriage between the already evolving styles of the Puebla region, and the styles and techniques of the world’s finest artisans from The Ceramic City, eventually birthing the beautiful ceramic tradition of Talavera that we see and admire today.
How It's Made

The clay is gathered from the local hills in Dolores Hidalgo, where the talavera is made.


The clay is then ground down and liquified to be poured into molds
each piece is baked, de-molded, and then dipped into a white base.


When the white base is completely dry, the artists can finally work their magic!!!
Once the artists have finished, the Talavera is baked again to bring out the fullness of color in the paint, and voila!!!
