THE 5 MOST OUTSTANDING CRAFTS FROM PUEBLA - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The handicrafts of Puebla have turned this state into one of the richest traditions in terms throughout the Mexican nation. The artisan aesthetic is present not only in decorative objects, but also in buildings and murals.

The aboriginal character that the region once had has been maintained and has influenced artisan practices.

Currently there is a great variety of ceramics and textiles that follow the patterns and styles of centuries ago, when the first inhabitants of these territories made their own decorative and ceremonial objects.

The artisan manifestations include textiles, ceramics and objects of natural origin such as tree bark and worked wood.

It is also common to find more elaborate elements, such as mechanical clock systems and consumables such as cider.

Today, Puebla continues to create and manufacture ceramics that are unique at the national level.

The presence of these practices and the possibility of acquiring these products has become one of the tourist strengths of Puebla.

The 5 most representative crafts of Puebla

1- Clothing and textiles

It is one of the most popular artisan manifestations, since its variety can be perceived in almost any region of the state of Puebla. Each city and each town has its own traditional styles of dress.

These tend to evoke the colors and patterns used in garments of yesteryear. They are made with particular qualities, depending on whether their use is ceremonial or recreational.

Although the current production of textiles has been industrialized, you can still find corners where they are made by hand, which provides more value to the product.

Among the most popular garments in Puebla, quechquemitls and rebozos stand out, mainly feminine indigenous pieces widely used in the times before the Conquest.

They are usually made of wool and feature illustrated patterns with animals and flowers. Other feminine garments are colored shawls, sarapes and jumpsuits.

Some regions of Puebla feature traditional textiles and garments adorned with pearls and made with distinctive embroidery. In their patterns, animal designs and the presence of mythological deities prevail.

Accessibility to these clothes is very varied throughout the state of Puebla. They can be found in tourist centers or even on the highways and roads that connect the different towns.

2- Blown glass

The artisan work with glass is quite common in the towns of Puebla, whose most outstanding technique is that of blown glass.

Through this technique, picturesque vessels and containers are made, as well as striking figures of all forms. These products are often very popular as tourist souvenirs.

It has been claimed that glass practices began in Puebla before spreading to other regions of Mexico, including the capital.

Although before the work on pressed glass was much more common, over time there was a greater inclination towards blown glass, with the aim of making products much more attractive for tourists.

Currently, it is estimated that in Puebla there are more than 400 workshops that work hand-blown glass and a few factories that do it in an industrialized way.

The most common use of these products is as Christmas decorations. Puebla holds an annual fair where most of the products offered are blown glass confections.

3- Ceramics

Ceramic work was the most common manifestation of a large number of aboriginal cultures in the American continent.

From these remains it was possible to discover the type of material used and the expressive intentions of its pictorial manifestations, without forgetting the use that each object had within aboriginal life.

The colors, patterns and designs of these manifestations in ceramics have remained in force over time until they become a product that is currently marketed.

The commercialization of these elements is presented as a way of getting closer to the original cultures.

The tailoring work around these objects has sought to be kept as pristine as possible.

Puebla today has the exclusivity of being the only Mexican state that has continued to work with majolica.

Majolica is a ceramic decoration technique on earthenware that was previously produced in different regions nationwide. Due to this specific variant, Puebla attracts many people interested in ceramics.

The talavera is the most popular ceramic in Puebla. With this they have been made from pots and amphoras, to pots and other types of utensils both practical and merely decorative.

Mesoamerican civilizations always gave great importance to ceramics, and current Mexican society as well.

4- Amate paper

This is a vegetable paper that is still produced exclusively in the Sierra Norte de Puebla region.

It is estimated that the Aztecs used it to keep their records and make their codices. It is made by crushing the crust of jonotes, which are then cooked in water with lime.

Today it is an artisanal product of great commercial and tourist value, with different patterns that attract attention at first glance.

The current production of this paper is in charge of a few families who work the barks daily.

5- Watchmaking and working with minerals

Through the years, the inhabitants of the Puebla regions have offered mechanical confections of classic watchmaking in a traditional way.

It also highlights the realization of figures and other types of objects from minerals such as onyx, wrought iron and silver work. Different towns of the state have a greater inclination towards one practice or another.

These confections have had various purposes: from constructions and buildings, to simple decorations to adorn the home. In most cases they fulfill a souvenir intention.

References

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3. Gonzalez, W. (January 2013). Puebla handicrafts. Obtained from Mexico Destinations: mexicodestinos.com
4. Kandt, VB (1972). HANDICRAFTS AND COSTUMES OF THE CUETZALAN REGION IN THE SIERRA DE PUEBLA. The Sierra de Puebla, 107-112.
5. Padilla, YI (2006). Artisans of the Talavera de Puebla and San Pablo del Monte: Artisan Production and Designation of Origin in the Global Market.