EMPIRE S CHILDREN: THE PEOPLE OF TZINTZUNTZAN FOSTER 



99 



that of Ladislao Alonso, the tinaja ware is poor- 

 ly and clumsily executed, of no artistic merit 

 whatsoever. These two potters are thorough 

 masters of their art, and though their design 

 combinations vary within narrow limits only, 

 their work is sound and attractive. Natividad 

 Pefia is, however, the only potter who may prop- 

 erly be called an artist. Entirely on her own 

 she began playing with new designs which had 



Figure 19. — Loza blanca vase. Height, 30 cm. 



occurred to no one in her pueblo, and with a 

 little outside encouragement has gone far be- 

 yond these original attempts. Each visit to her 

 house reveals a new attempt — a copy of a jar 

 excavated from the ydcatas, a new dish shape, 

 a new bird or animal painted on her plates, or 

 a different modeling of a human figure, just 

 for the joy of modeling. Her painting is, of 

 course, entirely from memory, and perspective 

 and proportion often play strange tricks. Her 

 designs are simply — even crudely — exe- 

 cuted, but at the same time show a strength 

 which unqualifiedly marks her as the primitive 

 artist. 



Her artistic and financial successes, the latter 

 very relative, shed an interesting sidelight on 

 the mentality of the community. Several other 

 women, envying the increased monetary reward, 

 have asked to be instructed, and Nati, the soul 

 of hospitality, not only instructed them but sold 

 them the white earth for the slip so that they 



would not have to make a long trip to obtain it. 

 For several days they worked with her, and then 

 returned home to do it themselves. Apparently 

 the technique of slipping is so delicate that only 

 the most practiced hand can do it, and on this 

 point the others fell down; so much breakage 

 occurred that, discouraged, they returned to 

 their utilitarian ware. The nature of Nati's 

 work has meant that tourists and other out- 

 siders come to her home more frequently than 

 to other homes, to buy or simply to watch. This 

 is the perfect opening for envious townspeople, 

 who calumniate her for hobnobbing with the 

 outsiders, selling out to them, charging too much 

 for her pottery, and generally bringing shame 

 to the pueblo. Nobody in Tzintzuntzan can 

 stand to see another person successful, and 

 Nati's worst detractors are those whom she tried 

 to teach. Not a single person, either to Nati 

 directly, or to me, has ever expressed pride 

 that the town has a unique potter, who makes 

 things unknown in other towns, so lovely that 

 people come from great distances to see and 

 buy. 



Nati herself is far from the stereotype of the 

 artist. Temperamentally she is the most stable 

 of persons, and her home life is exceptional in 

 the mutual understanding and companionship 

 which exist between her and Vicente. Her chil- 

 dren are far better cared for than the average, 

 and their politeness and manners are outstand- 

 ing in a village where most children dart out 

 of doors to hoot after strangers. Nati is pleas- 

 ed that outsiders like her work, and is always 

 delighted to show how she does it. Vicente, who 

 was a rescaton and farmer before he married 

 her, has learned the simpler phases of this work, 

 and almost invariably will be found working 

 with her, as pleased as she when the uncovering 

 of the kiln reveals little breakage. 



MOLDS 



Two potters are specialists in the making of 

 molds: Jose Maria Huipe, the old reliable, and 

 Magdaleno A., who provides comic diversion. 

 Magdaleno has a semiannual cycle of living. 

 For 3 months he works constantly, building up 

 a cash reserve. Then he goes on a continual 

 binge which lasts 3 months, spending his money, 

 then selling his clothing and other possessions 



