King of the Fruit: The History of Ceramics in Tangacìcuaro
Susana Ordovás explores the history of a fruit coveted for centuries by kings for its scarcity and rarity: the pineapple aka 'The King of Fruit'. She discovers how this royal reverence has led to some extraordinary contemporary ceramics in Mexico.
Kings and aristocrats pined to possess a pineapple in the 17th century: the fruit was coveted for centuries for its scarcity and stately appearance. That desire is now given shape in some remarkable contemporary ceramics from Mexico. 'Discovered' by none other than Christopher Columbus on the island of Guadeloupe in 1493, the pineapple was called piña de Indes (pine of the Indies) due to its resemblance to a pinecone. While the term piña stuck in Spanish, the Portuguese gathered pineapples from Brazil and named them ananás after the Tupi word nanas, meaning “excellent fruit.” The pineapple became a worldwide obsession at the beginning of the 16th century and Europe’s royal houses paid what would be thousands in today’s money for just one fruit to put on display. It was the ultimate symbol of wealth and was christened the “King of Fruit."
Now, near Tangancícuaro, a remote village in the region of Michoacán in Mexico, men extract clay from the ground with picks and shovels. They then put the clay in sacks and transport them to the village on the backs of donkeys. The clay is molded into elaborate pineapple shapes by skilled crafts - men and fired in makeshift kilns at extremely high temperatures. Green pottery, or barro verde in Spanish, is the name given to the traditional ceramic pieces hand-crafted by the Purépechan indigenous artisans of San José de Gracia, Michoacán. Although these pieces now come in a range of colors, up until a few decades ago they were coated in a distinct green veneer, hence their name.
The ceramics produced in this isolated area of Mexico were historically simple, everyday utilitarian objects such as jugs, pots and pans, until in the ’70s the Alejo family, who had been crafting green-glazed ceramics for many generations, created a punch bowl in the shape of a pineapple. Punch laced with tequila or mezcal is a popular drink in Michoacán and commonly served during traditional celebrations. The pineapple ponchera that came out of the Alejo family workshop became so sought-after that ceramic pieces emulating pineapples are now widely produced throughout San José de Gracia and have become the staple design from this region of Mexico.
Cristobal Gurría and José Bañuelos are the driving force behind Ananas, an innovative design studio and workshop in Tangancícuaro that creates unique, hugely intricate ceramics with traditional techniques that require great skill and mastery to produce. Ananas was born in 2019 after Gurría came across barro verde pieces on a road trip through Michoacán. Gurría’s family own pineapple plantations in Costa Rica, so he was immediately drawn to this particular style of ceramics.
Bañuelos joined him at the helm of Ananas a year later and took over the creative direction of the enterprise. Ananas pieces, which are all inspired by pineapples, can take up to six weeks to complete and have become notorious for their outstanding quality and size, some in excess of one meter in height and weighing over 50 kilograms. The production process in Ananas is long and arduous. First, two types of clay are mixed together to form a mass that will ensure the piece is sturdy enough. One of the clays used is called tepetate and it has heat-resistant properties that prevent the pineapple from cracking or exploding in the oven.
The other is called barro fuerte, or strong clay in English, and it keeps the shape from caving in on itself. Once both clays are mixed together, the shape of the pineapple is formed with a mold. The decorative elements, such as the crown and shell of the pineapple, are then shaped and fixed by hand to the original piece. Afterwards, the piece is left out to dry, a process which can take many days and depends solely on the weather and the level of humidity in the environment.
Once it has sufficiently dried out, a layer of claylike substance, colloquially referred to as pasta blanca, is laid on top. This paste forms a base for the colored glazes applied later in the process. After the paste is spread, the pineapple is fired in the kiln for five hours. It is left to cool and then bathed in a glaze of lead oxide or copper oxide to give it its rich color. Silica is also applied, giving the piece its signature glossy shine. The pineapple is then placed back in the kiln for a second firing for an another five hours. The final result is an intricately detailed, smoothly-glazed ceramic pineapple, which is highly decorative and more coveted than ever.
Words by Susanna Ordovás
Images from Rafael Lührs
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