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Hands Around the World |
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Hands Around the World |
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Indian Cultures from Around the World
The Purepecha Indians are a very traditional tribe living in the Sierra Madre mountains of Mexico in the State of Michoacan. They still speak their native Indian tongue and adhere to many of the ancient customs. Today Purepecha descendants number over 120,000. They make charming sculptures from area clay which they hand paint. They combine Catholicism with their native beliefs resulting in wonderfully colorful and fanciful folk art.
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Purépecha Indians (Tarascans). The Purépecha Indians - also referred to as the Tarascans, Tarscos, and Porhé - inhabited most of present-day Michoacán and boasted a powerful empire that rivaled the Aztec Empire during the Fifteenth and early Sixteenth Centuries. As recently as 1990, the Purápecha numbered 120,000 speakers. This language, classified as an isolated language, was spoken along the southern fringes of southern Jalisco, adjacent to the border with Colima. (Text from History of Mexico - Indigenous Jalisco).
Photos property of Hands Around the World.
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The Purepecha often make various sculptures of vehicles with skeletons or devils riding on them. The idea is to warn about the perils of reckless driving.
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| 15" tall x 11" long.
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6" long x 6" tall.
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| 7 1/2" long x 7" tall.
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7 1/2" long x 6 1/2" tall.
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These skeletons and devils have a small cup as their body.
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| 4 3/4" tall. | 3 3/4" tall. |
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This Purepecha Nativity by Emilia Guiterrez Zacarias features 12 moveable figures with the largest being 6" tall. The Christ Child is depicted in the petals of a flower. |
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Purepecha Last Supper is a large fanciful piece that measures 24 inches long and 13 1/2 inches high. |
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This huge straw crucifix is hand made by Indians in the Sierra Madre mountains of Mexico. It is approximately 5 feet tall. |
The Purepecha Indians make charming folk art from area clay which they hand paint. Their imaginative sculptures often combine their native traditions with Christian ones.
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An excellent example of the combination of native and Christian beliefs, this extra large nativity combines the Purepecha Blackface ceremony with the Nativity. Note the two little devils climbing in the tree. A really wonderful folk art piece, it measures 16" high and 16 1/2" long. Signed by artist Antonia Cruz Rafael Calle. |
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This Nativity is placed on a large floral base shaped like a cake stand. With angels in front and a devil behind, this folk art sculpture by Victor Mateo Julian measures 14" tall and 15" in diameter. |
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Imaginative and colorful Last Supper - with bread, fish, and -- watermelon. By folk artist Victor Mateo Julian it measures 15" long and 6 1/2" tall. |
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Hand made and painted pottery nativity is a whimsical example of folk art by Teresa Raphael of the Purepecha village of Ocumicho. Tree of Life Nativity is 17" tall 13" wide and 5" deep. |
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These pottery nativities are hand made by Joaquin Victor of the Purepecha village of Ocumicho. They are shaped like a basket with colorful flower or leaves along the handle and the Holy Family inside. They are approx. 8" tall 7" wide and 5" deep. |
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Colorful plaques of the Virgin with a small angel and a hole at top for hanging are hand made by Audelia of the Purepecha village of Ocumicho. They are approx. 5 1/2" tall and 4" wide. |
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These crucifixes have a hole at top for hanging are hand made by Audelia of the Purepecha village of Ocumicho. They are approx. 5" tall and 3" wide. |
The Purepecha create wonderfully imaginative sculpture of local clay which are then hand painted in bright colors. Many times they combine traditional Indian and Christian motifs in their work. Much of their work is created for the Day of the Dead festival. They are excellent collectible examples of true folk art.
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| Mermaid - 10" long x 8" tall. | Devil and Woman on a motorcycle - 8" long x 10" tall. |
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Colorful, Purepecha clay crucifix may be hung on the wall. 15" tall x 13" wide. |
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"Peace to the World" is signed by Purepecha artist Antonir Felipe Cadelanio. It is a large 13 1/2" tall x 9 1/2" wide. |
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Large Purepecha Adam and Eve candelabra holds five candles. 16" tall x 16" wide. |
The Purepecha make wonderful folk art of wood hand painted in vibrant colors.
Hand carved and painted wooden mask measures 12 inches from tip to tip of horns and is 10 inches tall.
Hand painted clay mask measures 11 inches from tip to tip of horns and is 8 inches tall.
Additional Information
Tzintzuntzan, Mexico -- Purepecha (Tarascan) People; by Randy R ...
INDIGENOUS IDENTITY IN THE MEXICAN CENSUS
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111 E. Main, Jonesborough, Tennessee 37659
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