“ ARTS AND CRAFTS OF MEXICO ” 1961 EDUCATIONAL FILM MEXICAN POTS, POTTERY & WEAVING XD80384

Join this channel to get access to perks: Want to learn more about Periscope Film and get access to exclusive swag? Join us on Patreon. Visit Visit our website This film “Arts and Crafts of Mexico Part I“ shows viewers the cultures, colors and crafts of the Mexican people. It was released in 1961 by Encyclopedia Britannica; a prominent film production company and distributor of educational films during the years of the 1940’s to the 1990’s. It opens as a woman settles down onto a woven straw mat in the village of Amatenango del Valle (:15). This woman is of the Tzeltal tribe whom are known for making a specific type of pottery for hundreds of years (:20). The completed jar is to be used for cooking and drinking water (1:07). Markings are etched to the outside of the jar to show its individuality (1:56). Villages across Mexico bring their handicrafts together (2:10). A bird’s eye view of Mexico’s mountain country follows (2:14). Women move through the market carrying goods (2:19). Clay pots litter the market grounds of assorted sizes and colors (2:29). A Mexican woman holds up a set of dolls (2:52). Some of the work has Spanish influence (3:02) and each region has its own style and specialty. The black ware featured here was created in Coatepec (3:19). Senora Rosa; a particularly skilled potter (3:35) beats a chunk of clay into shape. She takes the pot into the house in order to dry (4:41). A few days later a design is scratched onto the pot’s surface (4:50). The pot is set into a pit to be fired (5:12). A large amount of clay oxide in this region is what leads to the black tone in the pottery (5:47). Talavera pottery is made in Puebla, Mexico (5:59) since the 16th century. A local family works on this intricate and difficult to make pottery (6:19). This pottery is shaped on a potter’s wheel (6:45) and it is made from a blend of three different types of clay. Completed pots are displayed (7:47). The city of Tonala follows (7:54). The pottery which is created here is considered to be the most typically Mexican (8:05). A mug is produced (8:35) and painted (8:44). The Zapotec people are filmed sitting in front of serape (9:15) in the village of Teotitlan. Many of the residents here produce serape (9:21). A family works to pull apart wool (9:54) which will later be washed. At the spinning wheel, wool is spun into yarn (10:27). The wool is dyed (11:03). The upright loom was introduced by the Spaniards (11:18). The female shawl is known as the ribose (11:52). The art of creating these is encouraged by the government and the craft is taught in schools (12:01). A young woman works with a loom (12:27). The film begins to wrap up and leads to the second portion of the feature (13:10). We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example: “01:00:12:00 -- President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference.“ This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit
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