Emilio Molinero Hurtado (April 1920 – October 10, 2013) was a Mexican potter, noted for his revival of pre Hispanic pottery designs. Molinro Hurtado was raised in

Tzintzuntzan, Michoacán Tzintzuntzan () is a town in Tzintzuntzan Municipality located in the north of Michoacán state, 53 km from the capital of Morelia Morelia (; from 1545 to 1828 known as Valladolid) is a city and municipal seat of the municipality of Moreli ...

and began working in clay with his father at age seven, making vessels for the storage of water and

nixtamal Hominy (Spanish: maíz molido; literally meaning "milled corn") is a food produced from dried maize (corn) kernels that have been treated with an alkali, in a process called nixtamalization ( is the Nahuatl word for "hominy"). "Lye hominy" is a ...

, or corn for

tortilla A tortilla (, ) is a thin, circular unleavened flatbread originally made from maize hominy meal, and now also from wheat flour. The Aztecs and other Nahuatl speakers called tortillas ''tlaxcalli'' (). First made by the indigenous peoples of Me ...

s. When his parents died, he decided to farm for a while. After he married his wife, Juana Huipi, he returned to pottery, beginning a career making pieces noted for their quality and design. His designs are based on the remains of pre Hispanic pottery he found in the fields, but are modified to be more contemporary. He worked with local clays, mostly reds and whites, using both molds and his hands to shape pieces. The pieces were then burnished and painted, generally with pre-Hispanic style designs, white on burnt orange. His work has won various awards in

Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo (; Purépecha: ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of ...

, such as two from the Domingo de Ramos event in

Uruapan Uruapan is the second largest city in the Mexico, Mexican state of Michoacán. It is located at the western edge of the Tarascan Plateau, Purépecha highlands, just to the east of the Tierra Caliente (Mexico), Tierra Caliente region. Since the colo ...

, four from the Feria de Mayo in

Morelia Morelia (; from 1545 to 1828 known as Valladolid) is a city and municipal seat of the municipality of Morelia in the north-central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. The city is in the Guayangareo Valley and is the capital and larg ...

and various from the Feria de Noche de Muertos in Tzintzuntzan. He was named a Great Master of Popular art by the Fomento Cultural

Banamex #redirect Grupo Financiero Banamex Grupo Financiero Banamex S.A. de C.V. has its origins and is the owner of the Banco Nacional de México or Citibanamex (formerly Banamex). It is the second-largest bank in Mexico. The Banamex Financial Group wa ...

in 2001, and in 2007 he received the Premio Estatal de las Artes Eréndira Prize from the state of Michoacán. He died October 10, 2013 at the age of 93.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Molinero Hurtado, Emilio Mexican artists Mexican potters 1920 births 2013 deaths