Mexico, or "New Spain", as it was referred to by the Spaniards who colonized it continues to be home to many craftsmen specializing in pottery making. The region itself is well-known for its clays. One of the most breath-taking products coming out of the town of Puebla, today, is the world-renown Talavera pottery.

There are two claims as to the origins of Talavera pottery. One of them is that monks sent from Spain, upon realizing that there was an abundance of clay in the area, brought in craftsmen from the town of Talavera de la Reina. The other version is that the monks themselves were the ones that taught the local Indians how to work the clay using a potters' wheel - which they had never seen before. They were also taught the process of tin-glazing. Whichever story is the right one the end result remains magnificent to this day.

Talavera pottery consists of two types of clay which are mixed together. In the "olden days", the Indians performed the mixing with their feet. Once the mixture is completely dry it is shaped by hand on the potters' wheel.

A more modern method is to shape them in molds and set out to dry. This first drying stage may take anywhere from seven to twelve weeks. In total, the pieces must be left to dry for a total of up to 24 weeks. It takes the larger pieces longer to dry. The piece of Talavera pottery is then fired up on a kiln at 850 degrees Celsius ( 1562 degrees Fahrenheit). It is here that the pottery acquires a color commonly referred to as "jaguete", which is simply the typical color of the clay.

After the initial glazing is completed, the pieces are then hand-designed and painted with special brushes made of mule hair. The paints used are mineral-based, to allow the pottery to be exposed to the environment. The last firing is at 1050 degrees Celsius (1922 degrees Fahrenheit). This last firing is responsible for bringing out the highly coveted "Talavera gloss".

The predominant colors in the early Talavera pottery are blue or white with blue detailing imitating the early "Majolica" blue and white pottery of Majorca, Spain. In the 17th Century, the colors black, yellow and green were introduced by Italians. These colors, to include the reddish pink, were all obtained from natural minerals.

The Talavera pottery designs are a sort of history and art classes, all in one. The patterns and designs depicted show Arabic influence from when the Moors conquered Spain. They also show a distinct Chinese influence imitating the goods that were being imported from the Orient, at that time, into Mexico.

In the 18th Century there was a decline in the production of Talavera pottery. This may be attributed to the Mexican War of Independence, which at the time took precedent over everything else. In the early 20th Century, almost 200 years later, there was a resurgence effort spear-headed by artists and collectors alike. In the late 20th Century, the Mexican government established a law requiring an "Origin Denomination" ("Denominacion de Origen del Talavera"), which is a sort of authenticity certificate which accompanies the individual pieces. Also, new designs and vibrant colors such as copper green and manganese purple have been introduced in an effort to revive the craft.

Due to its beauty and cost many try to imitate the original Talavera pottery. The name "Talavera" is only used for jars, religious figures, and "azulejos" (tiles), which have been manufactured in the town of Puebla. To ensure the authenticity of each particular piece of Talavera pottery each artisan is required to sign his finished product and to state the origin of the piece. Other pieces of Talavera pottery which are available are plates, serving dishes and vases.

Today, there is no need to visit Mexico to purchase Talavera pottery Mexico. Thanks to the internet you are now able to purchase these beautiful pieces of functional art which will be a topic of conversation amongst your friends for a very long time - because that is how long they will last you!

Tin-glazing is a process that involves giving ceramic things, like Talavera pottery, a glaze with tin additives. This glaze is unique in that it's very shiny, white and opaque and is usually applied to buff earthenware.

The earliest use of tin glaze was in the ninth century in Mesopotamia. Old fragments were excavated during World War 1 from Samaria. From there, it spread outward to places like Persia, Spain and Egypt before it hit Italy during the Renaissance. Afterwards, it hit Holland around the 1600s and then stopped around England and France. Unfortunately, tin-glazing fell out of style in the 1800s after a man named Josiah Wedgwood created a very white earthenware substance to replace it. Luckily, a revival had been instated in the early twentieth century by such artists as Picasso.

The tin-glazing utilizes a compound called tin oxide (IV), which makes the glaze more transparent. Tin oxide is also expensive so many people have found alternatives to use such as zircon, or lime, soda and potash (used as fluxes in conjunction with silica or sand by the people in the early Middle Eastern ages).

A usual, modern day glaze recipe includes:

1. Lead bisilicate frit: 74%
2. China clay: 10%
3. Whiting: 2%
4. Flint: 4%
5. Tin oxide: 10%