| At one time the United States had hundreds of pottery
companies scattered across the country. As Japan, China and other
countries from Asia got their manufacturing back functioning after World
Wars One and Two and shipping to the larger and more wealthy countries
the pottery companies in the US could not compete with the lower prices
of the imports even with a better product by far. The companies started
disappearing, Hull, Roseville, and Shawnee are a few that closed because
of higher wages and cheaper imports. One country that goes unnoticed and
is in our backdoor is Mexico. Pottery making has been a staple industry
for hundreds of years. For many years it was a cottage industry,
employing family members. Now is it exporting to the world while still
remaining a family run endeavor. Although it is increasingly getting
harder and harder to keep the next generation in the family grown
industry. The future generations may be leaving the industry but it is
still the most practiced craft in Mexico.
There are several regions in
Mexico that produce different styles of pottery. Some produce pottery
that has a purpose instead of just decorative values. Some regions
produce Majolica style pottery. Which is mainly produced in Talavera and
surrounding towns. The pottery I like to collect comes from Tonala and
is the center for ceramics in Mexico. I collect only the figurines such
as the birds produced there.
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