Later, when the Spaniards reached America, they brought new craft-making methods and new forms of organization. Native art was nourished by the European influence; originating a mixture that today results in the craftwork we admire so much.
The vast majority of crafts are made by hand or with the help of very simple tools: a hammer and chisel, a rudimentary loom, a kiln for baking clay pieces.
Handicrafts are produced by small groups of people who generally work in their homes, meaning that the entire family takes part in the process.
Sometimes, as in the case of silverwork, the father casts and makes the large pieces and the children produce the smaller pieces, consequently, they learn the trade when they are very small and learn to do it, usually to help out with the family economy, and later on, a their own trade. Thus, the tradition is handed down from generation to generation.
Sometimes, it may take a family of craft artists several weeks to produce what we find in a market, since the manufacturing processes are slow.
They generally work during the week, and on the weekends, they go to the markets to sell their small production.
Craftsmen are patient individuals who love their work. Endowed with great imagination and ingenuity, their work is the result of an extraordinary creative capacity and their own experiences of daily living.
Handicrafts are not just decorative objects with a great attraction for tourists; rather, they are actually articles that serve in carrying out daily tasks: clay pots and large wooden spoons are used for cooking, glasses and plates for eating, embroidery and weaving for dress; sombreros are used to shade one from the sun, and almost all tools for working the earth. And naturally, artisan-made toys are especially popular among children!