As a perfect amalgamation of fact and
fiction, the history of Mexico Sterling Silver Jewelry is a highly
fascinating one. Taxco is a small town in the
state of Guerrero, geographically located about 100 miles Southwest of Mexico
City.
The beginning -
The history of silver
mining dates back to the year 1521, when Hernan Cortes arrived and the Spanish
conquered the Aztecs. It did not take long for the silver from this Mexican
town to spread across Europe, and the town soon became known all across the
globe for its silver metal reservoirs. However, with time the reservoirs
started to get depleted because of excessive mining, and within the next two
centuries the trade was almost finished. It was in the year 1716 when a a
Spaniard of French descent named Don
Jose de la Borda rediscovered the metal again in Taxco.
The tale -
Borda discovered a vein of
silver while wandering in the hills of Taxco. To show gratitude towards the
nature and the city, he built various schools, roads, houses in the region, out
of which many are now popular and famous as cathedrals in the region.
Between 1600-1800 -
As time passed, Mexico
along with Peru became the biggest producers of silver in the world with more
than 85% of the metal being produced by these two countries. It was in the year
1926, when William Spratling, a U.S. citizen came to study Mexico and its
culture. Getting impressed with the local artisans who crafted beautiful Mexico
sterling silver jewelry, he decide to create designs and rediscover the
craft of silversmithing to the natives. He put forward an apprentice system of training
young silversmiths with artistic talent.
His efforts included
bringing highly regarded goldsmiths from Iguala to Taxco and help the
silversmiths with the art to work on the metal. Regarded today as The Father of Mexican Silver. Mr. Spratling passed away in
1967 in a car accident in the town of Taxco itself. To commemorate his efforts
the Spratling Museum, the Museo Virreynal de Taxco was created, which is a must
visit place if you are coming to this part of the world.
It was efforts
of Mr. Spratling that led to the rise of Mexico silver stores, and reinvention
of the Mexican handmade silver jewelry which at one time had become a
dying art. Today, stores like Mexico Sterling are doing their bit to preserve
this art.
