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About
Hondurean Artisanry Set in the heart of Central America, Honduras is a multiracial, multiethnic country with a wide diversity of geography, biology and culture. In Pre-colonial times, it was the meeting place between Mesoamerican and the peoples of the tropical rain forests, who were related to the Caribbean’s and Chibcha. It was one of the places where the Spaniards first set foot on American soil. It was a land of freedom for African slaves and later for European and Asian immigrants. This diversity is reflected in the rich traditions of its crafts, rooted in an ancient indigenous and colonial heritage and transformed through history to meet socio-cultural changes as well as consumer demands. Sometimes these traditions hold surprises; often they require attention to the subtle grace of daily items, such as the beauty interwoven in a cross-stitch or hidden in a religious offering. Historically, the country’s most important handicrafts have been the production of pottery and objects made of twisted, knotted, spun and woven plant fibers, especially ropes, baskets, textiles, and mats. The Mesoamerican peoples that lived in the Honduran territory at the time of the Spanish conquest, the Chortis, Chorotegas and Lencas, developed a highly sophisticated level of pottery, ranging from the simplest products for daily use to the most intricate ceremonial objects. Fixed in clay, these people detailed their astrological observations and aesthetic tastes as well as left recordings of their daily life. Other ethnic groups, such as the Tawahkas, Pech and Tolupanes, were experts in working with plant and animal materials to produce houses, containers, mats, adornments, musical instruments, and hunting tools. They also made tree bark linens, which they used for blankets, clothing, and ceremonial purposes, as did the Maya. Spanish colonization meant the introduction of new ethnic and cultural elements, which transformed and sometimes replaced the existent material cultures. Above all, the indigenous population stopped producing and using those objects of great symbolic and artistic ceremonial value. New
ethnic groups, such as the Misquitos and the Garifunas, arrived
in the area. In addition, colonization introduced Mesoamerican elements
from the plains of Mexico. Ranging from Language to the material
culture and customs imported fashions spread among the local population.
The construction of churches and other colonial buildings as well
as the material needs of the Spaniards introduced new arts and new
styles, products of the Iberian -Arab mix. These required new crafts
such as the manufacturing of roof an glazed tiles and bricks; the
sculpting, fretwork and rounding of so forth. Other occupations
and skills were perfected, such as tanning, blacksmithing and gunpowder
manufacturing, the production of oil paints and tempera, textiles,
and many others. When Independence came, it meant further changes in the production of crafts. Some arts declined; new techniques appeared. With the spread of dyes and synthetic varnishes, the production of indigo dyes and many lacquers and plant essences disappeared. During this time, there was an expansion in the production of reed hats in the province of Santa Barbara. The craft of cigar manufacturing was developed in the provinces of Copan and El Paraiso in accordance with the ancient tradition of cultivating and smoking tabacco. Nowadays, this is a flourishing industry. Some of the most important traditional crafts practiced in Honduras today include pottery, basket weaving, hat-making, rope spinning, carpentry, saddlery, jewelry, stone and wood sculpture, cigar making, house building, musical instrument making, cooking, and the textile production of hammocks, mats and bags. The production of crafts in Honduras is important for economic as well as socio-cultural reasons. It reinforces the national and ethnic cultural identity. In addition, it provides an important source or rural employment, especially in low-income areas. Crafts benefit the family and community, and help prevent migration to overpopulated urban areas and the disintegration of family, ethnic and social groups. They also present many women and mothers with a source of revenue that allows them to remain at home.
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