Mexican Toys

In Mexico, toymaking continues to be among the most fascinating of the traditional arts...to specify the characteristics which traditional toys share. Qualities which stand out are the simplicity of their manufacture, the ability of the artisan to balance refined techniques with unrefined materials, and the toymaker´s capacity to adapt foreign models to native resources. Traditional toys are also dintinguished by the harmony of their strong colors, and the variety of their forms. Beyond entertainment and recreation, play and playthings permit us to have fun: to follow another track, we might say. Removing ourselves, departing from what is considered pressing and neccesary, we can favor activities which are pleasurable in themselves, and free of specific purposes. All of us have played, and succumbed to the suggestive power of toys. None of us is a stranger to the joy of exercising our gift for playfulness, and each of us can talk about games and toys based on our own experience.