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The History of Silver in Taxco, Mexico
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The history of silver in Taxco is a fascinating combination of legend and fact. Located in
the hills between Acapulco and about 100 miles Southwest of Mexico City, Taxco in the
state of Guerrero is one of
the oldest
mining sites located in the Americas. It has retained its natural charm with its colonial
ambiance, red-tiled roofs, cobble-stoned, narrow winding streets and the towering,
impressive 240 year old Santa Prisca Catheral. It's natural wealth of silver attracted
early Conquistadors.
Before the Spanish arrived the native Indians called it Tlacho meaning the place of the
ballgame. According to local legend the Aztecs had the locals pay tribute to them with
gold bars. Hernan Cortes arrived and the Spanish conquered the Aztecs in 1521.
A year afterwards Cortes staked his mining claim in Taxco. By the end of the
century, silver from Taxco had spread across Europe, and remote Taxco was reknowed for its
wealth of silver. It had become Spain's primary source in the New World of precious metals
and had become a busy mining area. Mining gradually decreased in the Taxco area as
other richer and more accessible mining areas were discovered and developed, and
eventually faded out for almost 200 years.
In
1716 Don Jose de la Borda (a Spaniard of French descent) rediscovered silver
in Taxco, when as legend has it, he was riding and wandering in the hills of Taxco
and he spotted a rich silver vein. He struck a fortune in Taxco and in gratitude built
among other things (schools, roads, houses) the beautiful and now famous Santa Prisca
Catherdral, an ornate catherdral with lots of gold trim in the Spanish Baroque style (Don
Jose's son served as a priest in this church). The church can be seen from all over Taxco,
glitters in the sunlight and has become a focal point for the pueblo. Don Jose is still
considered the "father" of Taxco, although he eventually left the area when he
became over-extended, and left his mines unworked.
Thereafter more than a dozen other beautiful churches were built in this small town from
other successful miners.
Between the 1600's and the 1800's Boliva, Peru and Mexico grew to produce about 85% of the worlds silver production.
During Mexico's 19th century war for Independence the Spanish barons destroyed their mines rather than lose them to the revolutionaries, and the art of silver work died out in Taxco for quite some time.
In the late 1920's the highway from Mexico City finally reached Taxco and in 1926, William Spratling, a U.S. citizen and associate architecture professor from Tulane University arrived in Taxco to study Mexico and its culture. In1929 he moved to Mexico and was welcomed into the influential artistic circles of Mexico. In 1931 U.S. Ambassor Dwight Morrow commented to Mr. Spratling that Taxco had been the site of silver mines for centuries, but unfortunately had never been considered a location where jewelry and objects of silver were designed and made. This seemingly insignificant comment changed the course of Taxco's artistic and economic history.
Mr. Spratling discovered the potential talent in the locals and motivated the community artisans to create designs and rediscover the craft of silversmithing. With his own designs he created an apprentice system of training young silversmiths with artistic talent and gave them the opportunity to develope their skill. He brought in from Iguala a highly regarded goldsmith to teach the art of working precious metal. The great beauty and craftmanship coming out of Taxco earned worldwide recognition and fame once again for Mexico. Over time many of these artisans opened workshops and stores of their own- all encouraged by his unwavering support. Now considered the great old masters of Mexican Silver, Mr. Antonio Pineda along with former fellow apprentices the Castillos, Ledesma, and Chino Ruiz have produced and continue to craft some of the most highly regarded, collectable pieces of art, vases, serving sets and jewelry. Their work continues to inspire the next generation of silversmiths and artisans who now number in the hundreds.
William Spratling passed away in 1967 due to a car accident just outside his beloved Taxco. Throughout Mexico Spratling is widely regarded as "The Father of Mexican Silver". A silver bust of Mr. Spratling resides in the town's silver museum, alongside images of Don Jose de la Borda, and The Spratling Museum behind the Santa Prisca Catherdral, houses the Spratling Collection of silver and Pre-columbian figures that he left to the town of Taxco. For more information about Spratling visit the www.SpratlingSilver.com website.
Each November, during the last week of the month, Taxco honors its source
of wealth and fame with the world
famous Silver Fair (or Feria Nacional de La Plata in Spanish), when the craftsmen,
artists and silversmiths show their work and a national prize is awarded to the best
silver artist of the Fair.
When in Taxco you may want to visit the Spratling Museum, the Museo
Virreynal de Taxco (3 stories divided into sections showing different periods of
time and people in Taxco's history, many artifacts displayed were recently
found in a hidden chamber of a local church during restoration), and of course don't miss
the Santa Prisca Cathedral. Visit the www.taxco.com
website for more about what is going in Taxco today, and learn more about the
interesting history of silver in Taxco.
Floramex - Sending Sterling Silver from Taxco Mexico, and Flowers worldwide
Telephone Toll-Free in Mexico: 01-800-714-7841, Tel. +52-322-224-9181, Fax: +52-322-224-8966
