Mexico is famous for its pre-Columbian folk art from the period between 1800 BC and AD 1500. Especially valuable is the clay pottery from the valley of Oaxaca and the Tonola village that dates back to this time period.
Pottery making is ancient and much elaborated handcraft in Mexico. Pottery has been used, and it is still used, in everyday life by millions of Mexicans.
Some Mexican housewives, and even some experienced and educated cooks, claim that one cannot prepare the authentic Mexican meal without using the Mexican pottery.
This is because in the process of making the Mexican pottery the main ingredients are Mexican water and earth both of which are very unique.
You should not be surprised with these claims because Mexicans consider cooking, and food preparation in general, to be an art. In order to prepare a good meal one must be an artist who combines all of the ingredients in such a way that produces a special, unique ad overwhelming taste and experience.
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Mexican Bark Paintings are one of the many interesting and original Folk Arts of the traditional Mexican culture.
This Mexican folk art dates back to around 1200BC and it is very colorful and elaborated due to its long history. The symbolism typically found in bark paintings are wildlife, village scenes, birds and other alike.
Bright colors as well as the mixture of many colors are one of the most famous trademarks of the traditional Mexican culture. Mexicans are known to mix colors that other nations wouldn't even think about, but still those color mixtures are very nice and joyful.
Typical Mexican color mix can be seen on the Mexican women's dresses and other types of traditional Mexican clothing as well as in the many forms of Mexican art, including: pottery, metal curving, painting and so on.
The making of the bark painting is not too complicated process and if you have any artistic talent or even just an adventurous spirit you should try making one yourself.
Making this painting can be a lot of fun for the entire family and kids tend to enjoy it very much. Also, it is a very good opportunity to teach children about Mexico, its history and art.
First you need a bark paper or something than looks like an authentic Mexican bark paper. The great choice, and very obtainable and cheep, is the brown paper bag.
Cut the paper bag so that you get two large sheets of paper. Then crumple the paper into a ball and flatten it back out.
Take a lighter and burn the edges of the paper to make it look like an old and authentic Mexican bark paper.
Sketch the design with the pencil. Once you are satisfied with your design you are ready to paint it.
Paint your design by using the acrylic paint and markers. If you want to make a true Mexican peace of art you shouldn't be shy with colors and you should choose as many different colors as you can. Of course this is just a suggestion because you are an artist and the choice is entirely on you.
In any event, the only mandatory thing is for you, and your loved ones, to enjoy the process of making the bark painting and admire your finished peace of art.
The art of customizing a stock car into a low-rider has been a part of Mexican urban culture for many decades.
In the past, the horse was a symbol of social status and prestige in Mexico.
Nowadays, it is a car, but not any car. If you want to be cool in a Mexican "hood", you got to have a lowrider.
Lowriders are very popular in Mexican cities and in the south of the United States, especially in California.
A lowrider is a car (in most cases it is a classic car from the 1950/60) which has had its suspension system modified in such a way that it rides as low as possible. No, it is not a practical car but it's cool, and that's the most important thing in "tha hood".
A side from the lowering the suspension system many other features are modified and accessories added.
Some of those accessories are: expensive and elaborate custom paintjobs, small chrome wheels (in most cases with whitewall tires); exhaust, engine, and performance modifications; neon or LED lights, cosmetic mirrors, special seats; doors (suicide doors, gull-wing doors, scissor doors); a loud audio system, video devices (miniature TV screens embedded into the headrests, game consoles, DVD` players); hydraulics, etc.
The part that really makes a lowrider a peace of art is its exterior. Most detailed lowriders have great exteriors that only can be done by true artists.
For example, the custom paintjobs are so complex that they can only be done by a professional that is not only a professional car painter but also a very talented and experienced artist.
The paintjob consist of several thin layers of different colors, murals, flames, scripts, pinstripes, pearl flake or any other hand pained graphics.
Many of these cars, a side from being unique, are also not street-legal vehicles due to their performance modifications.
A side from Mexican Bark paintings and world-famous pottery and food Mexico has produced many great painters, architects, actors and actresses, musicians, film producers, and many other types of artists.
Some of those Mexican artists are: Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Remedios Varo, Ruben Ortiz Torez, Rufino Tamayo, Pedro Meyer, Oscar Gonzales Loyo, Manuel Felguerez, Julio Galan, Miguel Conde, Carlos Santana, Gelsen Gas, and many others.
Mexican tattoo art is very developed and elaborated due to the fact that tattoos have been a part of Mexican life for thousands of years. Aztecs were using tattoos for different purposes during their rule of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica (present Mexico). However, the most popular Aztec tattoos were, and still are, the religious ones.
Nowadays many Mexicans have the Aztec tattoos such as the Aztec Sun God or the Aztec Calendar. Mexican flag tattoos are also very popular as well as the tattoos of Our Lady of Guadalupe and other religious symbols.
Mexican pride tattoos are one of the most popular tattoo designs in the United States due to the fact that almost 30 million of Mexicans and Mexican Americans live in the U.S. and that they are more likely to get a tattoo than other Americans.
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Mexicans are mostly very religious people and since great majority of Mexican people are Christians there are many religious motives in Mexican art, including the tattoos and graphics.
Mexicans are very proud people and they love and respect symbols of their nationality such as the Mexican flag, Mexican national colors, the Mexican eagle, and so on.
Mexicans are also very passionate people and Mexican men care greatly about hot, sexy and beautiful Mexican women (who can blame them) and soccer. Soccer is very big in Mexico.
It is so popular that you would have a lot of difficulty to find one Mexican man that is not a fan of one of many Mexican soccer teams.
Finally, Mexicans love to celebrate life. They love music, dancing, Mexican beer, Mexican traditional drink number one - Tequila and long and exiting Mexican fiestas!
It is for this reason that Mexican graphics usually consists of Mexican flag, traditional Mexican colors, Mexican women, Catholic religious symbols, Aztec symbols, Mexican eagle, etc.
There are also many funny graphics about Mexicans however some of them are fanny only to those that are not Mexicans. In other words, there are many graphics that are offensive to Mexicans and you should think twice before buying them.
A one very famous comedian said "It is very easy to make fun of someone but it is very difficult to be just fanny".