Tinsmith family inherits tools of the trade

BY MARIA GALLUCCI
The News
Jan. 21, 2010

Ask Salvador and Mauro Rangel Rodríguez what the best part of their artisan tinwork is, and they'll repeat the same phrase over and over again like a mantra: It's handmade. 100 percent made by hand.

The father-son duo is part of a six-member and family-run tinsmith business that on a weekly basis churns out around 15 full-length mirrors and a handful of lamps, picture frames and angel statues from a humble workshop in Ecatepec, in the State of Mexico. The enterprise has already grown far beyond its small shop in Mexico City's Ciudadela crafts market and is reaching a high-end clientele in the United States, South Africa and Japan.

“This is the inheritance that our ancestors have left us, and that our families continue to work,” Salvador said from inside the Centro Histórico shop while standing in front of a wall shining floor to ceiling with embossed and hole-punched tinwork, or “hojalata.”

“Today, there are more machines and tools, but our work continues to be more rustic than that. We haven't lost our tradition, and our products have a higher value and uptake as a result of being handmade,” said the tinsmith, who was born in Houston and maintains business ties there.

Artesanías Rangel has been selling its wares at the Ciudadela since 1975, although Salvador said he had been honing his skills as an “hojalatero,” or tinsmith, for 10 years longer. As he learned the trade from his father, who learned the trade from his father, the tinsmith has passed the legacy down to Mauro, who said he would undoubtedly teach his own offspring the traditional tin artisanry.

“It's good that [my children] learn it so that the business can continue generation after generation, so that it continues to be 100 percent Mexican, and not China-made, and so that Mexico will always remain a country of artisans,” Mauro said.

The tinsmiths offer a variety of decorative touches made from sheet metal, bronze and copper, including sacred heart plaques, multi-pointed Moravian star lamps and glass-lined showcases. More utilitarian pieces offered in the form of bowls, platters and plates would bring an antique and homespun touch to any table.

The mirror, on the other hand, remains the family operation's pièce de résistance, with an infinite variety of free standing, hanging and smaller vanity mirrors offering a range of designs. Delicate etchings in smooth metal sheets create a puzzle-like look or an elegant floral design on the mirror frames. A meticulous series of punched holes or rough stamping can form tiny buttons or a widespread series of waves, curves and textures.

“Every year we put out new models. Our inspiration comes from our imagination. It starts by sketching, or sometimes you see a design in dreams and draw it when you wake up. Every piece is unique,” Mauro explained, adding that custom designs are also available.

Before the details, however, come the materials. The “hojalateros” begin by dipping thin sheets of iron into molten tin, a process that coats the sheets with a sleek corrosion-resistant shield. The lightweight tin can then be folded, cut, soldered and hole-punched into whatever the tinsmith's whims dictate.

Salvador noted that the biggest hardship the artisan family faces revolves around the rising prices of primary materials, as artisan work often requires large investment and capital, both financially and physically.

While Artesanías Rangel remains the only tinsmith shop in the Ciudadela, and in most of Mexico City, for that matter, the artisan tradition is flourishing in the state of Oaxaca and charming colonial cities such as Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende, where craftsmen have gained international acclaim for their tinwork.

The tinware craft first took off in London in the 1630s, and it became a reputable office in the Americas through British colonization in the 17th and 18th centuries. The popular folk art took off with the Spanish conquistadors across the northern Mexican territory, which today includes United States entities such as California, Nevada and Arizona, among others. The Museum of Spanish Colonial Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico today boasts an impressive collection of the metallic crafts.

Tinsmiths have since peddled their trade down into central and southern Mexico, where demand from international collectors and crafts fans has resulted in a lucrative export business for some artisans. Customers in general are increasingly seeking a one-on-one connection with artists and artisans, opting to shell out slightly more cash for higher quality and handcrafted goods, rather than purchase a cheaper, machine-made piece shipped in from some faraway country.

“In our business, there are families behind every single product, not just any odd worker,” Salvador said. “What has been missing [in society] is the value of getting to know the artisan, which is very important.

“This is the way of living for many of our families, so our responsibility is to keep moving forward, to give great service to our clients and to earn respect and acceptance within our market. This is what we have learned to do, and we're not going to leave it behind,” he said.