High quality and handcrafted products most of all made of Mexican Ceramic Talavera, other products available are made of tin-brass, copper, wood and other rustic materials. We will complete custom orders upon request too!!

Our Handcrafts

The Mexican handcrafts figured in our website, the majority belongs to what is called Mexican Talavera which is applied to a special technique of hand decorated and high-fired ceramic products. This word comes from a region of Spain where high quality clay pottery was originally made. This technique was brought to the State of Puebla in Mexico in the 15th century in an attempt to compete with Italian, Chinese and Spanish ceramics, thought to be the very best back in those colonial days. As time passed, Mexican Talavera acquired its own characteristics, designs, refinement, style and recognition as some of the very finest products worldwide, a status that has certainly prevailed up to our current age.

In www.merque.com, all our items are hand made by artisans of supreme craftsmanship and experience. Our very talented handcraft artisans carefully and artfully make the product you receive at your front door. When you buy any of our products, you are producing benefits directly by means of your support to our hand-made ceramic and metal items craftsmen and their families. Whether it is in Talavera Pottery, ceramic tiles, hand painted sinks, tin-brass mirrors or any other Mexican handcrafts, traditional family businesses are directly helped, thus ensuring the continuing of the endangered but beautiful tradition of hand made and hand painted Mexican crafts.

By the very nature of this line of products, each and every hand-made tile, fire-glazed sink, handmade mirror or any handcraft from our store is a unique one of a kind item. Even in similar designs of these Mexican handcrafts, there’s a small chance to find differences that contribute to the exclusive character of our Mexican Talavera crafts and San Miguel tin brass mirrors.

What follows is a general description of the making process of our handcrafts:

Hand painted tiles: These handmade tiles start by molding by hand the clay paste that has been already mixed and amassed for the Talavera Mosaics. After each square is cut and dry by sun, each tile is individually painted by hand. Then these hand-painted Talavera mosaics are kilned for several hours, where the silica in the paint melts and gives to the tiles that fire-glazed finish to the hand made mosaics. Look at these beautiful hand painted Tiles, here!

Talavera sinks: These gorgeous ceramic sinks are made also by forming the shape of the sink with rustic molds, amassing the clay paste and pouring into the mold. Once the cast is taken out of the mold, it is carefully hand painted by the artisans. Each painter has its own signature; making these Mexican sinks uniquely personal. After the decoration is complete, the sink is kilned at high temperatures to achieve the lustrous sheen and fire glazed finish, characteristics of traditional talavera. See more of our Talavera hand crafted colorful exotic sinks.

Tin-brass Mirrors: These exquisite Mexican brass mirrors are individually hand made by folding, pounding and molding the tin-brass metal alloy into the desired shape. Some of the mirrors can be decorated with 2”x2” hand-painted tiles inserted into the frame, others have that elegant but eloquent hand-made mirror touch of the metal work; however, all of our rustic mirrors are certainly one of a kind items to have in one’s hallway, kitchen, bathroom or living room. Click here to see more of our Tin-brass Mirrors.

We are very proud and joyous to be able to bring to the world the finesse of our Mexican ceramics handcrafts, Mexican tiles, Talavera artwork and all our different products available in our store which are most representative of our country and culture. Add to your home any of our Mexican Ceramic artwork and you will surely receive many compliments from your friends and relatives. Nothing is as good and elegant as Mexican Talavera ceramics. The bonus is that with hand-made ceramics, you will always have a unique piece to look at, a piece which is also fully functional, durable and useful; that is the perfect beauty of Mexican ceramic handcrafts!!

We welcome you to our on-line shop, www.merque.com!!!

Characteristics of Talavera Tiles

Talavera tiles not all are square or completely flat

Talavera tiles can have small variations in size and thickness

Talavera tiles can have shade variations (even within the same tile) and cracks in the glaze, this doesn’t mean they are defective this is caused by weather conditions  

Talaveras have sandy backs (caused by dumping the wet tile from the mold onto the ground to be sun dried before before baking).