EMPIRES children: THE PEOPLE OF TZINTZUNTZAN FOSTER 



91 



cing out most of the rest of the chalk. Finally, 

 the sack is compres,sed in cottage-cheese fashion 

 to squeeze out any remaining dust, thoroughly 

 soaked, of course. By turns the remaining balls 

 are put through the sack, leaving a small residue 

 of grit which would be harmful to the glaze. 

 Actually, a little grit finds its way through the 

 cloth; to eliminate it the water and tizar mix- 

 ture, of the consistency of cream soup, is care- 

 fully poured over the edge of one tray into an- 

 other. The fine powder remains in suspension, 

 and the grit sinks to the bottom of the first tray, 

 to be thrown out. After a thorough hand stir- 

 ring the tizar is mixed with the lebrillo of 

 glaze, and the glaze, of the consistency of house 

 paint, and quite orange in color, is ready to be 

 applied. Twelve to fifteen libras of glaze mixed 

 with a corresponding number of handfuls of 

 tizar are sufficient for 3 pesos of pottery. 



Black glaze is made by grinding together and 

 washing the glaze proper, hormiguera, and atd- 

 slmkua, and then grinding and adding a small 

 quantity of copper crystals. Usually the black 

 glaze is thinned by mixing it with red glaze. 



Two or three persons have spent a half day 

 preparing enough glaze to apply to the pots that 

 will fill their kiln for the second firing the same 

 evening. While the women were preparing the 

 glaze — and it is almost exclusively their 

 work — the men have unloaded the kiln, wip- 

 ing each pot with a rag to remove any dust 

 particles which may cling to it. It is now 1 

 o'clock in the afternoon, and there is a pause 

 for the main meal of the day. Immediately af- 

 terward the family gathers in the patio to apply 

 the glaze. The scene is interesting. In the back- 

 ground is the round oven, shaded by its rough 

 shingle roof. To one side are several stacks of 

 firewood. To the fore, spread over an area of 

 perhaps 20 sq. m., is an array of pottery, giv- 

 ing off a warm, red-brown glow in the sun. In 

 the center of this field of pottery are two or 

 three large lebrillos, three or four large wooden 

 trays, and often a small herring tin. 



The red glaze is used to completely cover the 

 insides of all pots, for water-proofing purposes. 

 It also serves as the base for the black glaze. 

 This latter is applied in small quantities to the 

 lips of most pots, to give a harder, more resist- 

 ant finish. Especially on chocolateros, and on 

 a few pots of each firing it is put on the top 



half of the entire outside. In such cases the 

 entire outside of the pot is also covered with 

 red glaze. At the time of the glazing slightly 

 cracked pots are "cured." This may be done 

 by making a paste in a potsherd of the basic 

 mixture of red and white clays, and applying 

 it with a small stick to cracks. Black glaze it- 

 self is also used, a thickened mixture being ap- 

 plied with a twig or leaf. Small cracks are thus 

 completely repaired, although the pot, because 

 it is patched, has a lower value. 



The sight of a family applying the glaze re- 

 veals well-established motor patterns, developed 

 over a period of years, which permit an aston- 

 ishing amount of work to be done in a short 

 time. Dona Andrea is the dominating person 

 in her household, the master of all steps of the 

 work. She kneels like a proud matron, sur- 

 rounded by her pots and her offspring, shaded 

 from the sun by a man's battered straw hat. 

 The small cazuelas, chucherias, and tiny pots 

 come first, because they are the most time con- 

 suming. In her right hand she holds the object 

 over a large lebrillo filled with red glaze. With 

 her left hand she splashes a little of the creamy 

 mixture inside the pot, turns it upside down to 

 drain off any excess, and lays it to one side. 

 The work is so rapid, and so much splashing is 

 inevitable, that streaks of glaze run down the 

 outsides of all vessels. Gabino stands by, mov- 

 ing new objects within her reach. 



A minute behind her on all steps is Faustino, 

 who dips his hand into a pot of black glaze, 

 smears a little around the rim of each object, 

 and splashes a few drops in the bottom of the 

 cazuelas for decoration. From time to time she 

 stops to add a little water to the mixture, to 

 pour a little more red glaze into the black, to 

 keep her mixtures at the proper consistency at 

 all times. Next come the largest ollas and cdn- 

 taros. Gabino or Faustino picks one up, holds 

 it over the lebrillo, and Dona Andrea scoops a 

 herring tin full into the bottom. The boy, with 

 a quick circular motion, swishes the mixture 

 around, turns the pot over and allows any sur- 

 plus to curl out. This process calls for swift dex- 

 terity; since the glaze dries rapidly and tends 

 to cake, patching is difficult. Nevertheless, 

 an occasional small dry spot remains inside 

 the pot, to which a little more glaze is added. 

 For the smaller pots Dona Andrea herself holds 



