MUFUNGO

Company Description

Mufungo Enterprises is the wholesale division of Mufungo.com. One of the leading Talavera importers since 2003. MUFUNGO have the high quality authentic handmade Talavera Products available from Mexico.Certified hand made and includes certificate with product.Our gaurantee is 100% authentic or your money back.The Talavera Pottery Story It was early in the morning as I crossed over the mighty Rio Grande into Mexico as I had many times before. As I drove down the quiet and dusty main street of Progresso, I glanced at my watch to see just how early it was. It was an hour earlier than most of the small family businesses along Progresso&＃039;s only main street would open. Again, I had forgotten to adjust my watch from its normal East Coast time. No worries, I thought to myself. I&＃039;ll park the car and go for a walk. As I walked down the street, I couldn&＃039;t help but notice that without the normal scurry of people and street vendors set up along the sidewalks, everything was the color tan. The dusty street, the adobe buildings and even the roofs were tan. Just then as I turned a corner, that all changed. The sidewalk was ablaze with color. There a little old woman was stacking brightly painted ceramic pots, plates, bowls and planters along the edge of the walkway. They were beautiful. Each one brightly painted with intricate designs I had never seen before. I walked up to the busy woman and asked her, in my less than perfect Spanish, "���¿Cu���¡l es esta cer���¡mica hermosa?" ("What is this beautiful pottery?") She looked up, stopped what she was doing and with a big smile said, "Se llama Talavera." ("It is called Talavera.") I picked up a piece and was amazed at how smooth and glossy the glaze was. The painted design was amazing as well. "Se pintan a mano." (They are painted by hand.) she said, as I picked up piece after piece for closer inspection. "Usted est���¡ sosteniendo una monta���±a en sus manos." ("You are holding a mountain in your hands.") she said with a big smile. Now I was curious. "What do you mean?", I said to her in Spanish. Then she began to tell me the story of Talavera Pottery of Mexico. Thirty years earlier, her family&＃039;s ranch had been sold. Her goal was to improve the lives of her children by starting a pottery business using the money from the ranch. She had five girls and three sons. Together the her family started a small pottery business making single color, small round pots. Her sons were only 10, 11 and 12 years of age. After five years, her sons were sent to school in Dolores Hidalgo. This is where the art of making Talavera pottery was handed down from the Senor Cura Miguel Hidalgo Y Costilla family in 1810. It originally came from Spain where it is known as Majolica. Today, her company is much larger. They have grown from 5 workers to 62. But the process of making Talavera has stayed the same. The process starts by first making a mold. Once clay is placed in the mold, it is then fired for 9 hours at 1100 degrees. After removing the piece from the mold, it is cleaned and smoothed. Next the piece is glazed and dryed. Then it goes to the designers for painting. The first designer decides the basic design by painting outlines on each piece. Then the other designers fill in the out lines with colors. Then back to the kiln for another 8-12 hours of firing. "But why do you say I&＃039;m holding a mountain in my hands?", I asked her. "Ah...", she says smiling, "the clay used in making each piece is made by grinding up boulders brought down from the mountains." "Wow", I thought to myself, "I truly am holding a piece of Mexico in my hands." And now...you can too. It is with great pleasure I bring you this beautiful hand painted and formed Talavera.