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Los Amigos Del Arte Popular is a national, non-profit organization comprised of collectors and aficionados of Mexican folk art. Practiced by Mexico’s indigenous people, and melding both originally Mexican and Spanish colonial art, Mexican folk art has a rich tradition which we invite you to explore here. Our website showcases the popular art of Mexico including danced masks, lacquer ware, clay pottery, paper mache and more.  You will also find Pre-Colombian art and Spanish Colonial art as well as art inside the small museums of Mexico.

Spotlighting Mexican Artisans – Angelica Delfina Vasquez Cruz

photo of Angelica Delfina Vasquez Cruz

Angelica Cruz was born September 20, 1958 in the municipality of Santa Maria Atzompa, on Los Valles Centrales just outside of Oaxaca, Mexico. At the age of 7, Angelica began playing with her parent’s tools sculpting small clay figurines such as bowls, animals, and jars. Around the age of 10 she began helping her father with more difficult tasks and the pieces were being sold for money. When Angelica was 16 she was married but continued to sculpt. Her father-in-law would sell her pieces as his own and accept awards that she would have been given. Continue reading →

Spotlighting Mexican Artisans – Herlinda Morales and Family

photo of Herlinda Morales

Herlinda Morales works with her parents, Guadalupe and Gilberto in their family workshop in Santa Fe de la Laguna, Michoacan. She was taught the craft by her mother since she was a child. The Morales family creates black glazed candelabras which are used in important holidays and celebrations such as Day of the Dead and Holy Week in Santa Fe de la Laguna. The candelabras are an expression of the contemporary indigenous spirituality that continues to combine both Purepecha and religious symbols.

Herlinda Morales forms part of the Purepecha womens’ organization, Uarhi. It was difficult for Morales to convince her mother that lead posed a significant health threat and that production and cooking areas could not be shared. Continue reading →

Spotlighting Mexican Artisans – Marcela Hernández Mendez

Photo of Marcela-Hernández-Mendez

The handmade stuffeed wool animals made by Marcela Hernández Mendez are from the village of San Cristobal de las Casas, in the central highlands of Chiapas, Mexico. Though Chiapas boasts the three largest hydroelectric dams in the country, it is the poorest state in Mexico, and most of the state’s inhabitants live without electricity or running water.

Despite this extreme poverty, this area is rich in indigenous culture, natural beauty and traditional crafts. Each item is unique and made with natural, hand-spun wool shorn from local, sustainably raised sheep. Weaving and embroidering textiles is a tradition in this region that decends from the ancient Mayan people. Most traditional clothing worn in Chiapas today is still made from wool. Continue reading →