Black clay items have been made for a long time, with pre-Columbian peoples such as the Zapotecs, the Mixtecs who displaced them around 200 B.C.E., or the Aztecs who conquered the central valleys in the 15th century. “Barro Negro” or “black pottery” is a kind of artistry that is unique to Oaxaca, a coastal state in Southern Mexico. It can be traced back to the Monte Albán period of 500 B.C.E., but Oaxaca wasn’t founded until 1824, when the Mexican Republic formed free of colonial Spanish rule. Oaxacan clay firing, also used in the regions of Chihuahua and Jalisco, is done by placing clay vessels in a kiln, then blocking the kiln opening to reduce oxygen inflow and give it a signature black color. 

Pottery has been a large part of the creative experience for women in Mexico throughout history, as they have often been responsible for gathering the materials and hand-making such items themselves. The woman who took barro negro to international prominence was named Doña Rosa Real. Barro negro pottery had already been present in her town of San Bartolo Coyotepec, Oaxaca, but starting in 1950 she transformed the art, pioneering a new style that gave the barro negro a shiny, reflective quality and made it more fine and fragile. Her work has spread throughout the world, with the mirror-like black pottery harkening back to an ancient tradition. These bells in our collection were unlikely to have been made by Real, since they are matte in texture and quite thick.