| Priceless frescoes and ceramic tile from 1850 and
earlier can be found in a number of buildings located in the central
historic district of Puebla, Mexico. Heritage Conservation Network,
working in conjunction with Pro Centro Zona Monumental, is producing
a series of hands-on workshops to assist with conservation efforts
in this World Heritage city. During this initial workshop participants
will be documenting historic frescoes and tile in a number of structures
and conducting condition assessments in selected buildings. Future
workshops will involve the actual conservation of the materials.
One of the city’s many buildings needing conservation work
is to serve as a materials conservation pilot project; it is hoped
it will serve as a model for other building owners wanting to preserve
their own frescoes and ceramic tile. The building, Casona del Alguacil
Mayor, is a three-story baroque casona, or city mansion, built in
the mid-18 th century. It was once the residence of the first sheriff
appointed by the King of Spain. Wealthy merchants, who were part
of the trade connection between Asia and Europe via a land bridge
across colonial Mexico, built many of these large mansions with
their profits from trade in silk, ceramics and other goods. Today,
Casona del Alguacil Mayor is the headquarters of Pro Centro Zona
Monumental, a non-profit agency working to preserve and revitalize
the historic district of Puebla. When restored, the building will
also house a university-sponsored theater and a resource center
where conservation information will be made available to the public.
The goal for this first workshop is to document frescos and tiles
in numerous buildings within the city center and begin condition
assessments. In Casona del Alguacil Mayor, the location of the pilot
project, there are 18 th century frescoes covered with several layers
of paint, and the building’s façade is covered with
Talavera tiles, a unique form of majolica tiles that reflect both
Asian and European influence. These tiles were originally hand painted
and glazed, but at some point in time were chemically stripped of
their glaze. During this workshop, participants will document and
assess the extant tiles and frescoes at Casona del Alguacil Mayor
as well as assist in sampling of these materials for testing at
the Smithsonian in preparation for eventual conservation and reproduction.
Pietro Mangarella, an art and architecture conservator from Italy,
will lead the work to document and assess the frescoes; Kevin Myers,
an artist and ceramics instructor from the U.S., will lead work
on the tiles, with input from Jin Zhilong from China.
Workers from the Puebla Talavera factories will demonstrate the
making of tiles using the same materials originally utilized. The
joint input at the workshop reflects the Chinese-Mexican-European
influence that originally inspired the style. Instruction will be
in Spanish, English and Italian.
In future workshops, participants will remove the layers of paint
and proceed with conservation of the frescoes, under Mr. Mangarella’s
guidance. Mr. Myers will lead participants in replicating original
tile patterns and designs and applying glazes to reproduction tiles
that will be made to replace those damaged beyond repair.
Puebla
is located about 80 miles southeast of Mexico City on Mexico’s
central plateau at an elevation of 7091 feet (2149 meters). The
town was established in 1531and is one of the oldest Spanish settlements
in Mexico with a population of approximately 1.4 million people.
The historic center of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The city is known for its distinctive colonial architecture, pottery
and Talavera ceramics as well as for being the home of Mexico’s
mole poblano sauce. Participants will be housed near the
worksite and will have free time on evenings and the weekend to
explore the historic district and other sites in the area. Additional
group fieldtrips will be planned.
The workshop will be two weeks in length and participants may register
for either one or two weeks. The cost is US$950 for one week and
US$1900 for two weeks, which covers lodging, breakfast and lunch,
insurance, workshop materials and instruction. The cost for area
residents not requiring lodging or breakfast is US$475 per week.
There are discounts for early registration; see the Registration
form.
Transportation to the workshop site is not included in the fees
and is the responsibility of the participant. Participants flying
into the Mexico
City airport will be met by one of the workshop coordinators
and will board a first class Estrella Roja bus for the 1 ½
hour ride to Puebla.
Bring attire that will be protective while working. Fresco and
tile work will involve exposure to chemical solvents and glazes,
so please be conscious that safety is an important issue as it is
at any work site. Additional details will be provided upon registration.
If you need additional information, please contact us at workshops@heritageconservation.net
or call +1 303-444-0128.
If you would like to help restore Casona del Alguacil Mayor and assist
in the revitalization of the World Heritage Site in Puebla, but are
unable to attend the workshop, you can still participate by supporting
our conservation efforts with a gift to HCN. Donations are tax deductible
and will be used in a variety of ways - to sponsor a participant,
to provide materials needed for conservation work, or to provide teaching
materials for participants, just to name a few.
We have partnered with Groundspring.org to make it easy and safe
for you to donate online:
If you would prefer to mail in a gift, please use our donation
form. |
