Tree of Life (Mexican pottery)

Tree of life at the Museo de Arte Popular in Mexico City, by Oscar Soteno

A Tree of Life (Spanish: Árbol de la vida) is a type of Mexican pottery sculpture traditional in central Mexico, especially in the municipality of State of Mexico. Originally the sculptures depicted the Biblical story of creation, as an aid for teaching it to natives in the early colonial period. The fashioning of the trees in a terracotta sculpture began in Izúcar de Matamoros, Puebla but today the craft is most closely identified with Metepec.^[1] Traditionally, these sculptures are supposed to consist of certain biblical images, such as Adam and Eve, but recently there have been trees created with themes completely unrelated to the Bible.^[2]

The tree is assembled while soft unfired clay from a large number of pieces formed separately.

^ Ávila, Wilfrido (2008-12-08). "Las manos mágicas en el barro del árbol de la vida". El Sol de Cuernavaca (in Spanish). Cuernavaca, Mexico. Archived from the original on 2012-10-09. Retrieved March 5, 2010. Magic hands in the clay of the Tree of Life
^ Gonzalez, Maria de la Luz (1996-07-16). "Representa en barro historias y leyendas" [Stories and legends represented in clay]. Reforma (in Spanish). Mexico City. p. 23.

[wavila-1] Ávila, Wilfrido (2008-12-08). "Las manos mágicas en el barro del árbol de la vida". El Sol de Cuernavaca (in Spanish). Cuernavaca, Mexico. Archived from the original on 2012-10-09. Retrieved March 5, 2010. Magic hands in the clay of the Tree of Life

[representa-2] Gonzalez, Maria de la Luz (1996-07-16). "Representa en barro historias y leyendas" [Stories and legends represented in clay]. Reforma (in Spanish). Mexico City. p. 23.

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