empire's children: the people of TZINTZUNTZAN FOSTER 79 



second firing in the kiln; packing pots, carrying 

 them to market, selling them. 



POTTERY CLAYS 



they enjoy a good standard of living, as measur- 

 ed by local standards. 



POTTERY 



It is perhaps surprising to many anthropol- 

 ogist readers that no temper is used in making 

 this pottery; in fact, the idea of a temper can- 

 not be grasped by the potters. Instead, two 

 different earths are mixed, which together have 

 such a consistency that a firm, hard-baked clay 

 results. Basically, a red earth, tierra Colorado, 

 and a white earth, tierra blanca, are combined.* 

 Several minas, or quarries, for each type are ex- 

 ploited: 



Mines of white clays 



La Capilla, "the cha])el." so called because the 

 clay is taken from a site near the old chapel of the an- 

 cient barrio of San Pedro. This mine is also called La 

 Cueva. '"the cave," because of its proximity to a large 

 sandstone cavern from which part of the stone used 

 in the kilns is taken. A 10-minute walk beyond EI 

 Rincon, somewhat up the side of Tariaqueri, La Ca- 

 pilla is probably the most commonly exploited of the 

 white-earth quarries. 



El Panteon, also called La Pera, is a small site near 

 the cemetery. 



Santiago is to the east of El Panteon, up the hill- 

 side, near the boundary between the ancient barrios 

 of San Pablo and Santiago. 



Pi'ilicho is a small site to the west of the cemetery. 



El Madroiio is a site above Santiago. 



Mines of red clays 



De la Mesa is a site about 15 minutes' walk over 

 the first ridge of Tariaqueri above Tzintzuntzan. 



1 The most commonly used clays, and the ingredients used in glazing and artistic pottery show the following chemical 

 analyses. I am indebted to Ing. Antonio Rodriguez L., of the National Department of Irrigation of Mexico, and his assistants, 

 Ing. Miguel Brambila and Ing. C. A. Navarro, for these analyses. 



At the time of the conquest Tzintzuntzan was 

 already a famous pottery -making town which 

 supplied many other villages by means of the 

 aboriginal markets. Through Colonial times to 

 the present this preeminence has been maintain- 

 ed. New techniques, new firing methods, and 

 new measures have been acquired, but the basic 

 system of the family workshop has remained 

 with little modification. For without the cooper- 

 ation of a number of individuals, each with 

 specific tasks, the efficient production of pot- 

 tery is almost impossible. 



The basic steps are as follows: mining the 

 clays and bringing them on mules or burros to 

 the home; drying the clays in the sun; crush- 

 ing the clays first with heavy rocks, and then 

 either grinding them on a metate or passing 

 them through a sieve to obtain a fine powder; 

 mixing the clays in the proper proportions; 

 kneading the clay to the consistency necessary 

 to form pots; preparation of tortillas, flat pan- 

 cakelike forms of clay; placing the tortillas in 

 the molds; drying the roughly molded pots in 

 the sun; alisando, or polishing with stone, rag, 

 and water; placing of the handles; placing of 

 the pots in the kiln; firing; grinding on the 

 metate of the several rocks used in the glaze; 

 mixing of the glaze and application to the pots; 



The glaze is a natural litharge (PbO> containing 16.58 percent humidity and impurities. 



