Smithing in México

[Grafvitnir]

There is a TV show here in México called "Aquí nos tocó vivir" that loosely translated it may be "Here is where luck or whatever choose us to live" meaning something like 'being here I have to make a living in any way I can'.  About 6 years ago there was an episode called "La fragua y el yunque" (Forge and anvil) about one of the last smiths in México city.  The anchor usually asks questions more about the life and history of the person interviewed that that of which he does for a living.  This year is the 35 anniversary of the show and they uploaded 35 programs, one of which was this one.  Unfortunately there's no translation but as I said, they don't talk much about the processes.  This man was orphaned very young so they had to move from the state of Hidalgo to México city where his mother met a blacksmith and put him when he was 10 as an apprentice and that blacksmith was a very famous one for the stone cutting tools he made.  The important part I think is to see him and his sons work in their improvised anvils, making tools.

 

 

I don't know how long they are going to be online so I wanted to share this before it is gone.  There´s also one on copper working and in the first seconds you can see one of the bellows they use very similar to the ones on "Southwestern Colonial Ironwork: The Spanish Blacksmithing Tradition from Texas to California"

 

 

I hope you enjoy it.

 

Rubén

 

[john_zxz]

I can't see the video. It says that it is blocked for my country by the user who uploaded this video.

[Frank Turley]

I have an interest in Mexican ironwork and Hispanic ironwork in general. I have found out a little about Mexican work over the years.

I'm told that Sayula, Jalisco, is a center for working smiths. The Ricardez brothers are doing beautiful ornamental work in Oaxaca. Amozoc is a center of fine bit and spur making. My friend, Thomas Swain, was originally from Oklahoma, and now resides in Naolinco, Xalapa. He is a blacksmith and welder.

 

Where agave is harvested, there are coa (cutting tool) makers. Where cattle are prevalent, as in Chihuahua, there are branding iron makers. Sotol cutters are also in demand.

 

In Santa Clara del Cobre and environs, there can be found expert raisers of coppers vessels.

[nuge]

I was fortunate to spend a month centered in Santa Clara de Cobra, working in a bunch of the copper shops. Well, I mostly shoveled pine bark and looked over shoulders. The state of Michoacan is maybe my favorite place in Mexico. The craft scene around Santa Clara is intense, there's a town that makes guitars, the next one does woodcarving, another specializes in black pottery, on and on. Colonial architecture abounds and the landscape is beautiful conifer forest. Real nice place to be.

[Frank Turley]

I had a lady student who worked for a few months at a smithy near Santa Clara del Cobre, and the journeymen gave her a lot of hand hacksawing to do, among other things. She complained that the hacksawing was tiresome and fatiguing. The owner of the shop told her that hacksawing wouldn't be so tiring if she did it "con amor" (with love).

 

Sayings and Cornpone

"My name is Cisco, but they call me Crisco for shortening"

[nuge]

Here's a few pics of Santa Clara.

 

The drop hammer worked with a simple cam and what appeared to be leather wadding around the shaft.  

 

 

There was a pig pen about ten feet from this clamorous contraption, talk about animal cruelty.  

 

Another one of a youth class and one of a worker cheating..

 

[petere76]

No video access in the great PX, guess we will have to head to Mexico to watch it. As to the child labor, Mexico has nothing on the Mid East garden spots when it comes to exploiting kids. I have seen kids as young as ten working at pounding and polishing brass in pakistan. Over there, child labor is business as usual.

Peter

[nuge]

The picture of the children is during an after school class, they were enjoying themselves.