Traditional copper work in Mexico has its origins in the pre Hispanic period, mostly limited to the former Purépecha Empire in what are now the states of Michoacán and Jalisco. The reason for this was that this was the only area where copper could be found on the surface. After the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, the Spanish took control of copper production, introducing European techniques but still needed indigenous labor. Copper work, like other crafts, was principally organized in Michoacán under Vasco de Quiroga. It is not known when the town of Santa Clara del Cobre came to specialize in the production of copper items, but it was well established by the mid 18th century. Copper extraction remained centered on Michoacán during the colonial period but most of the production gave out by the 19th century. After the Mexican Revolution, copper smiths of Santa Clara were limited to working with scrap metal making pots, plates, casseroles and other containers. Today, it remains home to hundreds of copper smiths which work in ways little changed from the colonial period and is home to the annual Feria del Cobre (Copper Fair) in August.
Pre Hispanic copper working
Copper working has been done in central Mexico since the pre Hispanic period. However, it is not the first area in the Americas to begin working with the metal. The first evidence of copper work is in what is now the Midwest of the United States as the metal was found here fairly easily on the surface without mining. The next location was in the west coastal areas of South America into some areas of Central America, where it wasn't often mixed with gold. Copper working developed later in Mesoamerica because of the lack of surface copper and little to no contact with the copper cultures to the north or south. The one area in Mesoamerica which had developed copper work before the arrival of the Spanish was in west Mexico in what are now the states of Jalisco and Michoacán, mostly in the Purépecha Empire. Most pre Hispanic copper work occurred in what are now the municipalities of Churumuco, La Huacana, Nuevo Urecho, Tacámbaro and Turicato, with a percentage of this production paid as tribute to the capital at Tzintzuntzan . There is evidence that at least some of this copper and other minerals were extracted from shallow pits or tunnel mines. The Purépecha developed some techniques for extracting copper from rock as well as techniques for shaping it. The working of the metal had advanced enough that it was used for utilitarian objects as well as ornamental and religious ones. The Purépecha made a number of objects from the metal including axes, boxes, fish hooks, knives, small bells, necklaces, bracelets and earrings. Copper was first worked by cold hammering but as copper loses elasticity as it is worked this way, heating was soon discovered to recondition it. The creation of objects by casting was not common for copper but was used to make small delicate objects such as bells.
Colonial period
During and after the Conquest, the working of the metal by the indigenous was disrupted. Many of the villages of the Pátzcuaro area were abandoned in large part due to the abuses by conquistador Nuño de Guzmán. The Spanish were soon aware of the copper deposits of this region and the indigenous’ ability to work it. Since they were necessary to exploit this wealth, the Spanish worked to bring them back into the area into settled communities under their control. Vasco de Quiroga brought various kinds of craftsmen from Spain to the Pátzcuaro area to develop the region’s economy. Santa Clara founded by friar Francisco de Villafuerte and put under the direct protection of the Spanish Crown. Its foundation would later be attributed to Vasco de Quiroga, probably due to his work establishing copper smithing. The Spanish introduced European smelting techniques and organized the work by family owned workshops, passed down from generation to generation, which remains in effect to this day. Uses for copper during the colonial period was mostly for arms and for cooking utensils. It is not known when Santa Clara began to specialize in copper work as much of its records have been lost due to various fires over its history. The earliest surviving record is from 1748 and notes the working of the metal to be well-developed. During the colonial period, copper mining was most extensive in Michoacán, continuing the development of the metal started by the Purépecha. Main extraction areas included Tlalpujahua, Tzintzutzan, Charo, Santa Clara del Cobre and Ozumatlán . The copper which was worked in the early colonial period came from mine within a 50 km radius, in ore which was purified in the town. At first this was in Santa Clara itself but later records state that the copper being worked here was coming from Inguarán and Opopeo . The smelting of copper in the area ended by the mid 17th century as the mines gave out. When mining in Mexico waned during and just after the Mexican War of Independence, copper working survived here. Its prominence ebbed and waned during Mexico’s tumultuous history in the 19th century, with the last of copper mining ending at the end of this same century. Mexico still has large reserves of copper, mostly in the form of sulphides, which have not been mined because of cost.
Copper work in Santa Clara today
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