The renowned artisan from Chapala, Jalisco. Gilbertho Torres Herrera. Worked more than 60 years in the creation of pre-Hispanic replicas. His daughter, María Marta Torres Herrera, has spent her life following in his footsteps. For a time, María quit working in clay to take care of her seven children, but then she was widowed in 1978 and began working again to support her family.

This family is renowned for their replicas of ancient cultures such as the Olmec, Maya, Aztec and Toltec, among others. It is the goal of this family to show the richness that Mexico has in its culture and awaken the love and pride that all Mexicans should have for their roots and ancestors. Pre-Columbian refers to the time in the Americas before the 16th century - before Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492 with the first wave of European colonists and invaders. 

María's father migrated to other states in Mexico over his life due to the lack of support from the local, state and federal authorities. However, María continues their tradition in Chapala, Jalisco. They have sold work abroad, in countries such as France, all of Europe and other places throughout the world.

Each piece is one-of-a-kind, made by hand, not by using molds. The elaboration of the clay pieces gives María a way to express her passion for her craft and for the cultures it represents - a way of expressing her being and feeling alive. She works alone as a creator and director, but when her pieces are very large in either quantity or size, she will hire workers to help her.

The clay they use is from Tonalá. It is first ground into a very fine dust and strained to remove impurities. Next water is added to make the clay into a workable medium. Each piece is individually shaped by hand. First, she rolls out a large ball of clay, a smaller ball, four oblong pieces and then proceeds to put them all together to form a man or a woman. Carving and contouring completes the form and then it is set aside to dry. The last step before firing is applying natural earth pigments to add color. Once a piece has been formed, it is left to dry three to four days before it is fired in brick kilns. The paints are burned into the piece during the firing. 

Feria Maestros del Arte 2023, 2025

ARTIST INFORMATION

Carretera Guadalajara- Chapala #3005

Chapala   Jalisco                 

33 1465 7695 casa; 33 1465 7695  WA  

artesanías_torres@hotmail.com