Arboles Blog

La elaboración de árboles de la vida en cerámica, comenzó aproximadamente 100 años atrás en Metepec, estado de México. Basados en los árboles bíblicos originales que explican los orígenes de la vida (historia de Adán y Eva), éstos pueden incluir escenas biográficas y pasajes históricos y deben ser “leídos” de abajo hacia arriba . Pueden estar pintados con anilinas, pinturas acrílicas o esmaltes. También los hay sin pintar, luciendo el color natural del barro.Están elaborados en un estilo “naif”, con gran sentido del humor y utilizando todo tipo de elementos, como flores, frutas, personas, animales, soles, lunas, calacas (esqueletos) y un largo etcétera. Las piezas se unen al cuerpo principal por medio de hilos de alambre. Los hay de todo tipo de tamanos y precios, teniendo como único límite la habilidad creativa del artesano. A mi me parece un tema que da mucho de si para ser realizado en otras técnicas. Personalmente intentare con collage y aprovechare todos las sobras de materiales que tengo y que no alcanzan para otros proyectos.

Margarita Cabrera

Arbol de la Vida
Presented by Sara Meltzer Gallery
February 16, 2008- March 15, 2008
Reception: February 16, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Margarita Cabrera

[Image from Arbol de la Vida (Margarita Cabrera)]
Margarita Cabrera
John Deere Model #790 (2007)

Sara Meltzer Gallery is pleased to present Arbol de la Vida, Margarita Cabrera's most recent body of work. Cabrera is best known for soft sculpture in vinyl that she painstakingly constructs and sews by hand. In her new series, Cabrera has employed clay to create life-sized facsimiles of agriculture and construction equipment.

The "Arbol de la Vida" dates back to the ceramic traditions of ancient Olmec culture, and is today among the most well known themes of Mexican folk art. For over 100 years, Metepec, Izucar de Matamoros and Acatlán in Mexico, have been known for their distinctive "Arbol de la Vida," which explains the origins of life - the biblical story of The Garden of Eden. Made of clay with symbols such as fruit, animals and biblical figures attached to the tree by wire, this depiction of the "Arbol de la Vida" embodies narratives ranging from Mexico's history to individual autobiography.

For Cabrera's Arbol de la Vida, she has replaced the traditional tree form with a life-sized replica of a John Deere tractor in clay. This symbol of the agriculture industry is accompanied by a series of tools: a hammer, shovel and wheelbarrow, all embellished with the traditional elements of the "Arbol de la Vida." The dissipating presence of Mexican craft is at the core of this body of work. The rapid rate of Mexican immigration and the influx of products made in China has forced many young Mexicans and craftsmen to abandon a legacy of craft traditions, many of which serve as cultural documents. Cabrera traveled in Mexico to research the rich and diverse history of Mexican crafts and to learn some of the techniques. The process involved many communities, with clay castings taking place in Juarez, Mexico; molding, firing and welding in El Paso, Texas and mechanical work in Mesquite, New Mexico.

Metepec

Metepec: un mundo de artesanías

Desde hace muchos años, Metepec tiene una bien ganada fama de centro productor y comercializador de cerámicas y artesanías, y es cuna de un motivo que le da significación y personalidad únicas: los árboles de la vida. Aquí les presentamos una panorama de lo que van a encontrar, y de alguna pequeña frustración que nos llevamos.

Los árboles de la vida, de barro rojo de baja temperatura, son bien conocidas: tienen el aspecto de un candelabro de brazos (aunque no siempre tienen soporte para velas) y sólo poseen un frente, que es donde se construye la arboladura y se trabajan los relieves y la ornamentación. Por la parte posterior son planos y casi siempre ásperos.
Básicamente hemos distinguido dos tipos de árboles. Unos relativamente sencillos, de no más de 25-30 centímetros de alto y otros tantos de ancho, con adornos de hojas del mismo barro insertadas o sujetas al cuerpo con pequeños trozos de alambre. Pueden estar pintados con engobes o acrílicos, o bien con algún barniz brillante, verdoso o café, de baja temperatura. Estos árboles "sencillos" son los que habitualmente tienen bases para dos o más velas, y se suelen usar para este fin.
Los árboles de la vida que más llaman la atención son los que están adornados muy profusamente con figuras humanas, como una especie de "árbol genealógico" que en realidad es una alegoría del Edén o el Paraíso. En el centro del "tronco" y a los lados, en lo que serían las ramas, los artesanos incorporan muchas figuras, animales y naturalmente decenas de aquellas hojas ya mencionadas, pegadas al sustrato con alambres. Como las piezas se queman a baja temperatura, esta inserción no tiene problemas ya que el barro resiste el objeto extraño sin romperse (como el alambre sigue siendo flexible, se pueden mover ligeramente las hojas y acomodarlas al gusto de cada quien). Algunos artesanos, en lugar de colocar a Adán, Eva, la Serpiente y los personajes asociados, han dedicado árboles a los muertos, y entonces todas las figuras son esqueletos, o calacas como se conocen en México.
Estos árboles de la vida, que pueden medir más de un metro de altura y quizá lo mismo de ancho, se venden pintados o sin pintar. Los primeros llegan a ser simpáticos y coloridos (siempre al borde de la cursilería o lo naïve), y los otros, con su discreto rojo a la vista, austeros pero impactantes. Pueden costar entre 200 y más de 1,000 pesos (a principios de 1999, esto es entre 20 dólares y más de 100).
Sabemos que en Metepec se han hecho concursos de árboles de la vida, y nos explicaron que un conocido artesano, famoso por su talento y creatividad, se llama Adrián Gutiérrez y se puede encontrar en su taller de la calle tal, pero no tuvimos oportunidad de visitarlo. Es una deuda.

Metepec es más que árboles de la vida
Nuestra reciente visita a Metepec son dejó una visión algo confusa, diríamos frustrante. La calle Comonfort es sin duda la más indicada para la visita y las compras, porque a lo largo de cuatro o cinco cuadras se alinean, una tras otra, decenas de tiendas de artesanías, básicamente cerámicas. Curiosamente no hay muchos árboles de la vida, y en nuestro recorrido más o menos minucioso encontramos sólo dos dedicadas exclusivamente a este motivo, y con piezas que valieran la pena. En otras tiendas puede ser que haya algunos árboles pequeños pintados con acrílicos, pero nada de mucho interés.
El visitante no debe pensar que se encontrará aquí con un rosario de coquetas boutiques para turistas. Muchos de los negocios no son más que grandes almacenes dirigidos al medio mayoreo, desordenadas, mal presentadas y oscuras, donde van a surtirse pequeños comerciantes y minoristas de los mercados, y las tiendas de la ciudad de México y los alrededores. Sin ir muy lejos, delante nuestro alguien llenó la cajuela de su automóvil, hasta el tope, con platos, soperos y otras piezas de vajilla, lo que obviamente no iba dirigido a su casa sino a un comercio o revendedor. Claro, no todo es igual, y entre estos feos negocios hay otros mejor presentados y con una selección de productos más interesante.

Si no hay árboles, entonces veamos otras cerámicas
Aquí, nueva frustración. ¿Si no hay tantos árboles como uno esperaría, entonces qué venden? Venden de todo, pero verdaderamente de todo, incluso manufacturas que obviamente no son de la región sino que vienen de Guanajuato, de Morelos, y de otras áreas del estado de México. Quizá el tema recurrente son las vajillas de barro rojo, bastante rústico pero muy popular, que antiguamente venían de Michoacán y que ahora, nos dijeron, se hacen ahí mismo. Su decoración es muy típica y se basa en pequeñas guardas de flores hechas a base de gruesos puntos de pincel, con un esmalte verde o blanco, alrededor de un centro negro: como si fuera una margarita de pétalos redondos.
La guarda está pintada como un cintillo por todo el interior, en el caso del tazón para sopa o pozole, y en el ala o borde del plato, las fuentes y demás accesorios. Nunca se pintan las partes exteriores de las piezas, salvo en el caso de las ollas o cacerolas altas y cilíndricas, para el arroz por ejemplo, que no tiene caso pintar por dentro. Para poner una idea de su costo: el platón sopero cuesta entre 5 y 6 pesos la pieza, 30 pesos (3 dólares) la media docena.
Esta cerámica es muy vistosa y en los últimos años ha tenido una enorme difusión en el Valle de México. Se vende prácticamente en todos los mercados callejeros. Si uno busca con cuidado o tiene suerte de encontrar un proveedor serio, tendrá piezas primorosas en su sencillez. Por desgracia, y como ocurre con otras artesanías mexicanas, la producción masiva en decenas de talleres anónimos produce una especie de corrupción que destruye todo el valor. Las piezas salen chuecas, rotas, manchadas o mal esmaltadas, sin el encanto por el que la gente y los turistas estarían dispuestos a pagar un peso más. No es que uno busque cosas perfectas, faltaba más, pero definitivamente una cosa es una artesanía y otra una chapucería.

Más allá de las vajillas de florecitas
Aparte de esta vajilla, en Metepec se pueden comprar muchos otros tipos de cerámica, pero en nuestra opinión, ninguna vale gran cosa. Había diseños francamente grotescos, mal hechos, ridículos, pintados con pinturas fosforescentes, como si alguien se dedicara a probar y probar, y todos sus fracasos y fallas las pusiera a la venta en lugar de destruirlas. También aparecen esos engendros supuestamente graciosos o humorísticos, como los tarros cerveceros que simulan un pecho de mujer, digamos una teta, y que despiertan más pena que simpatía. Y vuelvo a la carga: no es que tengamos una actitud elitista o conservadora. Creo que sabemos reconocer cuándo hay un producto de valor, que merece seguirse haciendo, y que se compra y se usa con gusto, y cuándo estamos frente a productos comerciales, hechos al vapor y sin ningún cuidado.
Resumen: Metepec es sin dudas un lugar muy interesante para los aficionados a las artesanías y las cerámicas populares de México, porque dentro de su bullicio y diversidad es posible distinguir las grandes tendencias, los mitos y los avatares de estas artes. Una opción que recomendamos, sobre todo durante la semana, es tomarse tiempo para visitar algunos talleres de las inmediaciones (hay decenas). Es muy interesante visitar a quienes fabrican la vajilla roja o los árboles, y casi siempre reciben gustosos a quienes los visitan, mejor todavía si muestran algún interés de compra. Nosotros no lo hicimos ahora y no tenemos nada que recomendar, pero lo haremos en cuanto podamos regresar con algo de tiempo.

Para el almuerzo y de regreso a casa
Basta de cerámicas por hoy, que ya dijimos mucho. Con nuestras vajillas, y platos, y un bonito árbol de 200 pesos, comimos en el centro de Metepec, a unas tres cuadras de Comonfort y cerca del zócalo y la iglesia construida en la falda del cerro. Hay varios restaurantes y cafeterías, sencillos y de precios razonables. Si se desea otro menú, en la carretera de regreso a México, por la lateral derecha, hay un par de restaurantes lujosos, y hoteles como el Holiday Inn, que tienen comedores y bares. Más adelante, en la zona boscosa y alrededor del parque La Marquesa, hay un área de restaurantes mexicanos típicos, con carnes, truchas frescas y antojitos.

Cómo llegar a Metepec
Para llegar a Metepec desde la ciudad de México se toma la autopista de cuota a la ciudad de Toluca (por la continuación del Paseo de la Reforma); al concluir esta carretera y a partir de la glorieta con la estatua ecuestre de Emiliano Zapata, comienza el llamado Paseo Tollocan, que tiene vías centrales y laterales. Se avanza por el centro hasta la salida "Pilares" (hay un letrero y una flecha a la derecha), se abandona el carril central para tomar la lateral, y en el primer semáforo se dobla con cuidado a la izquierda. Pasamos por debajo de Tollocan y seguimos de frente por esta calle Pilares, que después de unos 15 minutos, con algunas curvas y topes, termina en la mismísima Comonfort y su centro de artesanías. Son unos 65 kilómetros de distancia, y se recorren en no más de una hora. El regreso es por la misma vía.

Por el paseo y la frustración: Dino Rozenberg

Metepec

In Metepec, State of Mexico, the ceramic tradition has been influenced by Christian beliefs. Here they create the well-known arboles de la vida, trees of life, which are made to look much like tree.
Wire is used to attach the clay leafs and figurines to the "tree". It is called de la vida because it explains the origins of life. Usually there are figures of God, angles and Adam and Eve, as well as the serpent and some fruit are represented by special figures.

Day of the Dead trees are also made using skeletons, and images related to the festivity.

Some are made in terracotta, without glaze; others are painted in every imaginable color.

For the Soteno brethren of Metepec in the State of Mexico, creating the sculptures known as árboles de la vida (trees of life) is more than an art form - it is a family tradition.

It all began in the 1930s, when Modesta Fernández - wife of Darío Soteno - began making clay sculptures. According to her grandson Oscar Soteno, Modesta started out with whistles and molded them to look like a variety of animals - horses, lions, rabbits and the like.

"I try to make stories - stories in each one of my trees," Tiburcio notes. One of his sculptures on display at La Casa del Arte Popular Mexicano in Cancun, for example, traces the life of a skeleton that is ironically named Tiburcio. This sculpture represents "the everyday life that is going on in Mexico - going to school, going to parties, all of that," the artist explains. In this arbol de la vida, the skeleton Tiburcio is shown in various stages of his life, which include scenes of him getting baptized, goofing off in class, getting married, acting like a ladies' man, becoming a bullfighter, dying in the hospital, and then popping out of his casket when he realizes that a friend is flirting with his widow. After his life has ended, Tiburcio is shown being judged in the afterlife and is depicted as a man instead of a skeleton in this final scene.

When it comes to his árboles de la vida, Tiburcio has delved into a wide range of subjects, having focused on everything from the religious to the erotic. He has portrayed Mexican icons like the Virgin of Guadalupe and Frida Kahlo, but also told the stories of everyday people who have ordered personalized árboles de la vida from him.

Tiburcio is always open to exploring new themes, as many of his pieces are commissioned by clients who have specific ideas in mind. When he receives a specialized order, Tiburcio thoroughly researches the topic before he begins sculpting the arbol de la vida. When it came to his interpretation of Mexican author Laura Esquivel's novel Como Agua Para Chocolate, for example, he read the entire 256-page book on which the sculpture is based. "I had to really study that book in order to make a tree measuring 60 to 70 centimeters," Tiburcio notes.

The duration of time it takes the artist to complete an arbol de la vida varies, then, according to the amount of research involved. Size and complexity of the sculpture are also factors, as Tiburcio explains.

"I can make a tree in one day - not a very complicated tree, but a good quality one," he says. Other times, the artist can take up to two months of 15-hour workdays to create one of his sculptures.

And the measurements of each arbol de la vida vary according to what the client orders. "We make all different sizes," Tiburcio comments, explaining that his sculptures measure from as small as 20 centimeters to as large as a meter or more.

Tiburcio's árboles de la vida are comprised of relatively few materials, including clay, water, and the tule flower that is also known as plumilla. The sculptures are fired in either a gas or a wood-burning kiln and painted with anilines, acrylics or at times, enamel.

"We try to be a complete workshop," Tiburcio notes. "People come and they order something, and one of the virtues of this workshop is that we say yes to everything."

The workshop has long been a family operation, as Tiburcio's wife Amelia helped him back when their three sons were young. Now that the children have grown up, they sculpt alongside their father. "All three of them have a lot of ability," Tiburcio says of his sons.

The youngest, 19-year-old Saul, currently molds flowers, leaves and other decorative details that adorn the árboles de la vida. He will soon begin working on more complicated sections of the sculptures, as Tiburcio notes. "We are training him to start sculpting bodies, hands, faces and all of that."

The oldest, 27-year-old Carlos, "is doing excellent work," according to Tiburcio, who explains that his son is creating diverse árboles de la vida that range from mermaid-themed pieces to sculptures that recount the history of Zapata.

And Israel, at 23 years old, "also has a special gift," notes Tiburcio, recounting that he and his middle son were recently honored for an arbol de la vida that they entered into a contest together. "We won a prize and they held us up as an example because we are following the tradition of a father teaching his sons," Tiburcio says.

Tiburcio himself started sculpting when he was only six years old, following the lead of his older brothers and sisters. "We were 12 siblings - of which two died and the other 10 of us dedicated ourselves completely to pottery," notes 53-year-old Tiburcio.

And now, the tradition has been passed on to a third generation, including Tiburcio's nephew Oscar Soteno. Oscar is the son of Alfonso Soteno, who is one of Tiburcio's older brothers.

"My father taught me," comments 34-year-old Oscar, who said that he began sculpting as a young boy, just like his uncle. "From childhood, I started playing with the clay, with the paints," Oscar notes. "And then, in 1988, I began dedicating myself full-time to árboles de la vida."

Oscar and his wife Maria work together in a family-run workshop. "I make the trees and she is in charge of painting them and decorating them," Oscar explains. "(And) I have three other family members that work with us."

The árboles de la vida that Oscar and his family produce in their workshop usually measure one meter high and 85 centimeters wide. However, the artists do produce much smaller or larger pieces, depending on what a client wants.

And just like in Tiburcio's workshop, Oscar and his team use clay, plumilla and water as the materials for their árboles de la vida. They mainly paint with acrylics, but do use anilines upon request.

Oscar, like Tiburcio, has branched out from the traditional type of árboles de la vida. "Each of us has our own style," Oscar comments about the trees that he, his father, his uncle and other Soteno relatives sculpt.

One of Oscar's distinctive pieces is an arbol de la vida dedicated to Mexican dance that is on display at La Casa del Arte Popular Mexicano. "I presented the most important dances of Mexico (in this tree)," Oscar says. The piece is comprised of more than 20 different figures captured in various dance poses. The representations depict everything from el jarabe tapatio (Mexican hat dance) to the dance of the voladores de Papantla (Papantla flyers).

Another of Oscar's unique trees is one that he created in honor of his grandmother Modesta, who died in 1987. The focal point of the prizewinning sculpture is a figure that represents Modesta, sitting in a chair and painting a tiny mermaid figurine. A man is standing alongside her, holding a miniature animal sculpture. The rest of the tree is filled with scaled-down versions of typical Mexican handicrafts, such as a nativity scene, animal whistles and an arbol de la vida scene of Adam and Eve with the serpent. This homage to Modesta "represents everything that she started off making," Oscar notes. "In the beginning, she made mostly whistles and piggy banks… the tree represents all of the designs that she made in those years."

The artistic tradition that Modesta began in the 1930s lives on seven decades later, as many of her children and grandchildren are still sculpting árboles de la vida. The Soteno artists have garnered acclaim both at home and abroad, as their sculptures are part of museum collections in Mexico, the United States, Canada, Europe and South Africa.

On 12 different occasions, Tiburcio has been invited abroad as a representative of the Mexican art world. And on five of those trips, Carlos was selected to accompany him. "We give exhibits and we give lectures," Tiburcio says. This upcoming year, Tiburcio and his sons Carlos and Israel will travel to Spain, where they will sculpt a six-meter arbol de la vida featuring the story of Moctezuma and Hernán Cortés.

Oscar has also exhibited extensively in national and international museums. He, along with Tiburcio, is part of a select group of Mexican artists who were chosen by the Fomento Cultural Banamex to participate in the organization's folk art program. Founded by the Banco Nacional de Mexico in 1971, the Fomento Cultural Banamex promotes Mexican art and culture.

Despite their national and worldwide fame, the Soteno family remains close to their roots, as they have all chosen to keep living in Metepec, where Modesta created her first arbol de la vida.

Oscar hopes that his nine-year-old daughter and three-year-old son will someday follow the same artistic path that Modesta carved out for her family. "It would be my biggest dream that they would carry on with the tradition."

Tiburcio echoes this sentiment, saying that he hopes the Soteno legacy is passed down to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. "One of the ideas that I have always had is that my work will continue on (through them)."

Izapa Stela 5

Leading Mormon scholarly apologist William J. Hamblin has taken a "wait and see" position in Review of Books on the Book of Mormon:

This is perhaps the best known pre-Columbian monument that has been associated with the Book of Mormon by Latter-day Saints. In dealing with this stela it must be emphasized that the interpretation of iconography is extremely difficult and complex. The same symbols or combinations of symbols can have radically different meanings in different times, places, societies, or to different groups within a single society. We will never know for certain what Izapa Stela 5 meant to its creators. To me the connection with the Book of Mormon is possible, but tenuous. But even if Izapa Stela 5 has absolutely nothing to do with the Book of Mormon, the fact that some Latter-day Saint have misinterpreted it provides no evidence against the Book of Mormon." Now the highlights of Clark's item, which notes the advances of interpretation of Mesoamerican monuments since Jakeman and Norman:

* IS5, among the stela at Izapa, is "the most complex scene" in the collection, and perhaps in all of North America from before Christ. Clark notes Norman's report that the scene contains "at least 12 human figures, a dozen animals, over 25 botanical and inanimate objects, and 9 stylized deity masks."
* The 12 "roots" of the tree, which one popular Mormon apologist identifies as perhaps representing the 12 tribes of Israel, is actually "the elongated teeth of a crocodile or earth monster," and the tree trunk "doubles as the crocodile's body..." This is the crocodile upon whose back the earth rested, and who in turn floated on the primordial sea.
* Two of the six human figures, including the woman, hold pointed objects. The woman is using her object to "jab a hole in her tongue to extract blood for an offering to the gods..."
* The study of Irene Briggs in the 1950s is cited, in which comparisons were made for thematic and other parallels to Near Eastern themes and art. She found only five general thematic parallels and showed no connection in terms of artistic style.
* For what it is worth, Clark notes that a connection of IS5 does not correlate with BoM history and geography as it is presently understood, and adds that there is no indication in 1 Nephi that Lehi or the others shared the dream of Lehi with anyone else. He adds that the scene in Nephi tells nothing of who was present and whether incense was burned. "...only two elements mentioned in the text, a fruit tree and water, can be recognized on the stone without resorting to guesswork."
* Jakeman and later writers identified the old man character as Lehi based on a glyph next to the character supposed to be a jawbone (matching with the jawbone hefted by Samson when he called his place "Lehi"). However, what is next to the old man is a skull, and it is "noticeably jawless."
* Fish and hummingbirds in the scene, which one popular apologist states are symbols of resurrection and eternal life, are not: the fish at least Clark says "do not make sense" and we need to check other monuments to clarify their meaning.

Clark ultimately concludes that the Jakeman's work is "too speculative and is based on too many weak points of logic to be accepted" and that the IS5 scene probably has something to do with the king as intercessor for his people, offering no specific BoM connection, though he suggests IS5's art may have a link to the Jaredite peoples of the BoM.

Mesoamerican World Tree

A tableau from the Western Mexico shaft tomb tradition, showing a multi-layered tree with birds. It has been proposed that the birds represent souls who have not yet descended into the underworld,[1] while the central tree may represent the Mesoamerican world tree.[2]