Pottery making in Mexico has an ancient and complex history. After many hundreds of years of development, the rich native traditions were changed and partially supplanted by Mediterranean techniques and styles brought by the conquering Spaniards. As a result, one can find all sorts of pottery traditions in today's Mexico, ranging from such aboriginal survivals as Tarahumara Indian pottery to the very Mediterranean ceramic tiles and vessels made in Puebla and Guanajuato.

Much of the pottery produced by non-Indians in Western Mexico involves a combination of techniques. The potter first forms his vessel into a half-round shape, using a convex mold. After it has dried sufficiently, he then places it on a potter's wheel (a Spanish introduction) and, adding clay as needed, proceeds to raise it to the desired height and shape. In this way, everything from casseroles to water jars and flower pots can be formed. After further drying, the pots are fired. If glaze is to be applied, they are fired, glazed, and fired again. Potters who use these techniques usually fire in large, round brick kilns, placing the wood beneath the kiln and covering the whole thing with a layer of broken bits of pottery.

This is the system that Heliodoro Jiménez uses. Although he had started working in a slaughterhouse as a young lad in Hermosillo, his mother wanted him to learn a craft, and apprenticed him to a potter. This man was from the famous pottery making center of San Pedro Tlaquepáque, near Guadalajara. Heliodoro was reluctant to change jobs, but was obedient to his mother and started in. At first he mixed clay and watched. Then he was given molds to work with, and slowly acquired a proficiency at his craft.

He eventually moved to Nogales, Sonora, where he now lives. He makes flower pots, roofing tiles, bricks, and even clay water pipes to order, as well as demonstrating here at Tumacácori. He also makes a wide range of decorative objects, including urns, sun faces, and one remarkable three-legged animal he described as "a Martian pig" (un cochíno marciano). Some winters he goes south "like the ducks" and works in Hermosillo or Guaymas, where the cold does not affect his hands as much.

Heliodoro Jiménez has a strong sense of the history and traditions of his craft. He tells a story of how Miguel Hidalgo, the Father of Mexican Independence, taught pottery making to the Indians of his region. By his own account, he is never bored or tired of working with clay. He uses local clays, mixing them until he gets the right consistency. He brings to his work an inquiring mind, and can explain the process of making pottery better than many professional teachers. He composes poems and songs, which the visitor might find him humming as he works with the clay. We at Tumacácori National Historical Park are pleased that the ancient tradition of Mexican pottery making is represented here by Heliodoro Jiménez, potter, storyteller and poet.