Cast Iron Design In Mexico
There’s not only one Mexico to visit. There are several.
Today, some of the traditional features of small-town Mexico are its stairs- and window railing, bandstands, benches and streetlights that illuminate picturesque squares and parks. As said, a feature of Mexico that few people stop to wonder about their origins, and how they came to form part of what it means to be Mexican.
In the nineteenth century, the modernization of many Mexican cities and towns, particularly Mexico City, was accompanied by a desire to beautify them in a way that would denote progress. From parks to streets, all were adorned with cast-metal design and figured imported mainly from France.
While cast iron designs arrived also from England, Germany or the United States, Mexico‘s preference for the French culture since the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is seen in the cast-iron work around. In some cases these pieces have over a hundred years. Mexicans are so used to them today and consider them an integral part of their identity and urban landscape.
In the nineteenth century, the modernization of many Mexican cities and towns, particularly Mexico City, was accompanied by a desire to beautify them in a way that would denote progress. From parks to streets, all were adorned with cast-metal design and figured imported mainly from France.
While cast iron designs arrived also from England, Germany or the United States, Mexico‘s preference for the French culture since the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is seen in the cast-iron work around. In some cases these pieces have over a hundred years. Mexicans are so used to them today and consider them an integral part of their identity and urban landscape.
Contemporary Design: Museo Amparo, Puebla, Mexico
In 2010, the Amparo Foundation undertook an architectural renovation project by TEN Arquitectos (Mexico City), so that the buildings could be in line with the latest regulations in terms of museography, circulation and accessibility for people with disabilities. The main objective was to provide the museum with facilities to become a space for dialogue between its exhibitions and a new contemporary architectural language.
Hecha en México
Mole poblano is a sauce (or thick salsa) that has long been a staple of Mexican cuisine.
There are several delicious mole versions, not only the famous 7 moles of Oaxaca. There are dozens of regional variations — 3 in pic. Its complex flavor in all variations, is a combination of dried chiles, spices, and earthy notes made possible by more than 23 different ingredients all together, including chocolate.
These are the chiles for Mole Poblano (from a recipe in the city of Puebla, thus the name poblano), mole that my dear grandmother made from scratch!
Ancho Chiles: Ancho chiles are dried chiles found in Puebla’s markets with a mild heat. It ripens to a deep red.
Mulato Chiles: These are mild peppers, similar to the ancho pepper, but with a slightly different flavor. It ripens to brown, and then is dried.
Pasilla Chiles: Pasilla or “little raisin” are chilaca peppers, also known as pasilla bajio, or as the chile negro or “Mexican negro” because, while it starts off dark green, it ends up dark brown in color.
Chipotle Chiles: Chipotle peppers are dried smoked jalapeño peppers.
There are several delicious mole versions, not only the famous 7 moles of Oaxaca. There are dozens of regional variations — 3 in pic. Its complex flavor in all variations, is a combination of dried chiles, spices, and earthy notes made possible by more than 23 different ingredients all together, including chocolate.
These are the chiles for Mole Poblano (from a recipe in the city of Puebla, thus the name poblano), mole that my dear grandmother made from scratch!
Ancho Chiles: Ancho chiles are dried chiles found in Puebla’s markets with a mild heat. It ripens to a deep red.
Mulato Chiles: These are mild peppers, similar to the ancho pepper, but with a slightly different flavor. It ripens to brown, and then is dried.
Pasilla Chiles: Pasilla or “little raisin” are chilaca peppers, also known as pasilla bajio, or as the chile negro or “Mexican negro” because, while it starts off dark green, it ends up dark brown in color.
Chipotle Chiles: Chipotle peppers are dried smoked jalapeño peppers.
Marine Figures of Lily and Ixtle
Origin: La Antigua and Tantoyuca, Veracruz in Mexico.
Description: Veracruz basketry has a wide variety of materials; for these figures artisans used the ixtle fibres made by teenek artisans of Tantoyuca, and the water lily extracted from the banks of the La Antigua river, where the final pieces were also worn.
With both materials, soft and elegant colors and textures are achieved, with the skill of the artisans extraordinary figures are created like these that represent the marine fauna of Veracruz.
Description: Veracruz basketry has a wide variety of materials; for these figures artisans used the ixtle fibres made by teenek artisans of Tantoyuca, and the water lily extracted from the banks of the La Antigua river, where the final pieces were also worn.
With both materials, soft and elegant colors and textures are achieved, with the skill of the artisans extraordinary figures are created like these that represent the marine fauna of Veracruz.
That’s a wrap!
Another creative year ends for us successfully, this time, at Demo Eindhoven with our social design session on 29 November around an amazing crowd of thinkers and makers.
Time for the festive celebrations — see you again in a shiny new 2025.
Ocean Wearable Leg-wing (O. W. L.) blueprint for a smartly designed ecosystem and social sustainability proudly exhibited at Demo Eindhoven during Dutch Design Week 2024.
Viviana’s proposal involved an apparel softbotic leg-wing design to innovate our ecosystem and create custom accessories that require merging intelligent manufacturing and computer vision with current paradigms in materials. O. W. L. (2024) is both, a speculative softbotic scenario visioning a fashion accessory and soft machine with a moving robotic in smaller human scale that enables natural edibles and aquatic food sensing to aquatic animals. O. W. L. (2024) thereby enters aspects of the environment to provide new solutions that help solve the micro- and nanoplastic sea pollution problem in the apparel industry. This, to join efforts in advancing the science, technological translation, and societal impact of educational outreach.
Join us on Friday, 29 November as we will be joining the young creators and innovators of Demo Eindhoven PROJECT NEXTUP, with an Ideation Session platform to open discussion on social sustainability and soft skills.
HOME MADE
Our kitchen table is part of the heart and soul of our home in the Netherlands since Viviana and her husband are lovers of good food.
“We share the taste for great dishes and fresh food wherever we are. Here’s a recipe of a dessert my mother used to make and another from the Commemorative Edition of Mexican Cuisine by ‘Fondo de Cultura Económica’ —first published in France over 30 years ago — as I like to wrap up another year by celebrating my dear birthplace with food that continues to inspire my life.”
Viviana M. Calderon de la Barca.
Mexican cuisine is as diverse as its rich history and Viviana’s family where the indigenous, European and Oriental converge.
MUSHROOMS WITH PARSLEY
(4-6 persons)
Ingredients:
1k of mushrooms
150g of onion
1 spoonful of fresh parsley
50g of butter
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 lemon
Olive oil
salt and pepper
As the authors suggest “Mushrooms are never washed. They are cleaned and the soil is removed well with a brush or a clean cloth.”
Cut off the tip of the base.
Put the butter in a frying pan to melt with three teaspoons of oil. Slice the onion into strips and fry it in the butter until it is browned with the garlic. Slice the mushrooms lengthwise, throw them into the pan and stir them over medium heat, along with a teaspoon of salt, pepper, the juice of half a lemon and the equivalent of a tablespoon of chopped parsley; cover until they are well cooked (about ten minutes). To prevent them from burning, lower the heat and add a little water if they dry out.
CARROT PUDDING
(4-6 persons)
1 k of carrots
2 eggs
1 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of baking powder
150 g flour
125 g butter
100 g raisins
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
breadcrumbs
Peel and grate the carrots.
Put the butter in a deep bowl and beat it well with the sugar. Then add the eggs and beat again with a teaspoon of vanilla essence. Add the grated carrot and beat well again. Add the teaspoon of baking powder to the flour. Set aside a spoonful of this mixture to flour the raisins and the rest is added to the other mixture. Both mixtures are stirred together, the raisins are added and everything is poured into a baking dish that has been buttered and sprinkled with bread crumbs. Place in the oven, preheated to about 250°C, for thirty to forty minutes.
“We share the taste for great dishes and fresh food wherever we are. Here’s a recipe of a dessert my mother used to make and another from the Commemorative Edition of Mexican Cuisine by ‘Fondo de Cultura Económica’ —first published in France over 30 years ago — as I like to wrap up another year by celebrating my dear birthplace with food that continues to inspire my life.”
Viviana M. Calderon de la Barca.
Mexican cuisine is as diverse as its rich history and Viviana’s family where the indigenous, European and Oriental converge.
MUSHROOMS WITH PARSLEY
(4-6 persons)
Ingredients:
1k of mushrooms
150g of onion
1 spoonful of fresh parsley
50g of butter
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 lemon
Olive oil
salt and pepper
As the authors suggest “Mushrooms are never washed. They are cleaned and the soil is removed well with a brush or a clean cloth.”
Cut off the tip of the base.
Put the butter in a frying pan to melt with three teaspoons of oil. Slice the onion into strips and fry it in the butter until it is browned with the garlic. Slice the mushrooms lengthwise, throw them into the pan and stir them over medium heat, along with a teaspoon of salt, pepper, the juice of half a lemon and the equivalent of a tablespoon of chopped parsley; cover until they are well cooked (about ten minutes). To prevent them from burning, lower the heat and add a little water if they dry out.
CARROT PUDDING
(4-6 persons)
1 k of carrots
2 eggs
1 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of baking powder
150 g flour
125 g butter
100 g raisins
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
breadcrumbs
Peel and grate the carrots.
Put the butter in a deep bowl and beat it well with the sugar. Then add the eggs and beat again with a teaspoon of vanilla essence. Add the grated carrot and beat well again. Add the teaspoon of baking powder to the flour. Set aside a spoonful of this mixture to flour the raisins and the rest is added to the other mixture. Both mixtures are stirred together, the raisins are added and everything is poured into a baking dish that has been buttered and sprinkled with bread crumbs. Place in the oven, preheated to about 250°C, for thirty to forty minutes.
