From China to Mexico: A Journey of Decorative Arts

Mexico/New Spain in the 17th and 18th centuries was an area that enjoyed enormous economic prosperity. Each year trading ships from China brought goods to Mexico in exchange for New World silver. Stylistic features and design of many trade items influenced artists and designers working in Mexico. Mexican ceramics displayed the impact of galleon trade most vividly, and Manila shawls display Chinese silk motifs and decorative techniques which later inspired the decoration of Mexican textiles. This presentation traces the history of Mexican talavara design, Manila shawl (Mantones de Manila) surface embroidery and the transformation of both to become uniquely Mexican decorative arts.

Brenda Brandt has a Ph.D. from Florida State University. She is a published author who has held faculty positions at the University of Arizona and Colorado State University as a researcher and educator. Past museum experience includes curatorial and education responsibilities in history and cultural museums in the Valley. Her study of the social and personal relationships that people have with material culture through artifacts, as well as the design, meanings and significance of objects worldwide, led her to open a consulting business, BMB Artifact SERVICES in Phoenix in 2011.