Some used beans, others seeds, and some used wild grasses, but most of the artisans at the Mexican Artisans Fair at the ITEC this week had one important thing in common — keeping alive the art forms that have been in their families for generations.

Martha Patricia Garcia Aguilar remembers when she was 6 years old and her mother taught her the art of popotillo de escoba, which uses thin reeds of straw grown near the volcanoes of Mexico City to make colorful framed scenes. The grasses are held in place with the gum paste from tree bark.

“I keep gluing it down. With my fingernail, I cut each piece so that all of them fit perfectly,” she explained, working as she spoke.

Garcia Aguilar says, just as she learned the art of popotillo de escoba from her mother, she has taught her own children and grandchildren.

“This is a family tradition. There have been several generations making this art,” she said. “Each piece of art takes 2½ to three days to make — about 8 to 10 hours. I create each design, and you’ll notice I make a lot of scenes typical of Mexico.”

Keeping the artistic tradition alive is also important to Alberto Martinez and his family, who specialize in glazed pottery.

Martinez, who also traveled from Mexico City for the fair, has made sure his children have learned how to make intricate pieces.

“My wife makes the designs on the pottery, but my whole family works at making this type of art,” he said.

He, too, was 6 years old when his father taught him how to work the clay.

“I’ve already taught my children the art, and some of the pieces we have here are things that they have designed, that they have created,” Martinez said.

He is hoping that one day he can open a store or have someone sell his products, so others can appreciate the family’s art.

Diana Morales Europa has taken some common foods and transformed them into one-of-a-kind jewelry. Like the others, she learned her craft from her mother.

Morales Europa uses natural seeds available in Mexico, like ojo de venado , dried corn and coffee beans to create necklaces and bracelets that are crocheted with delicate thread.

Since her daughters are still children, she said, passing on the tradition is still years away. But it is in their future, she says.

The Mexican Artisan’s Expo II is sponsored by the Mexican Consulate in Brownsville, in cooperation with the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce, the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College, and the cities of South Padre Island, Harlingen and Brownsville.

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