Rediscovering the Negative or Resist Decoration Techniques: Last Step of a Millenary Tradition at the Hernández Cano Workshop, Zinapécuaro, Michoacán

Summary

The history of the negative or resist technique decoration on Prehispanic ceramics is very long and complex. It begins at the El Opeño site and appears in many Mesoamerican western regions through time, to the Purepecha culture. Because of the beauty, iconography and complex technology of these ceramics, it is important to understand the diverse decoration processes. This paper presents research results about the rediscovering experimentation of the negative technique at the Hernández Cano workshop, located in Zinapécuaro, Michoacán, and examines the potters’ challenges related to the creation of these ceramics. The potters experimented decades in order to obtain a negative decoration result, similar to that of the Prehispanic vessels. Though struggling with competition and economics challenges, their workshop has been able to successfully start a new chapter of a millenary pottery technique.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• Advances in the archaeology of West Mexico and the surrounding areas

Keywords

Spatial Coverage