2" x 4.25" Terra Cotta Shell - Talavera Mexican Tile

Mexico is world reknown for its skillful artisans in a wide variety of fields. Mexican writer Alberto Ruy Sanchez Lacy called Mexican tile a "chosen skin". Tiles have embellished numerous public and private spaces thoughout Mexico. A glimpse anywhere in Mexico, particularly in the central states, shows the widespread use of talavera tiles decorating a broad range of spaces from kitchens, fountains, facades, interiors of luxurious hacienda homes to churches. It is through traditional artifacts, such as handcrafted tiles, that one can perceive an artisan’s sensibility, and creativity. Handcrafted ceramic tile is a rooted cultural heritage in Mexico, since its practice of making it began in the late sixteen century, around 1570 and 1573. Mexican ceramic tiles have actively played a distinguished role as an important utilitarian and decorative element in Mexican architecture.

Mexican tile is functional, beautiful, and practical, it provides a long lasting wall or surface that is easy to care and maintain. You can install Mexican tiles in virtually any area you want to enjoy their warm and beauty.

The tiles are made from clay dug out of the ground and fired to a temperature at which the clay undergoes chemical changes and becomes permanently hard. Then the tile is glazed and decorated by hand, and fired once again to give it its final and lively finish. Its physical characteristics make Mexican tiles particularly attractive and distinctive. Mexican tiles are concave (not perfectly flat). They are characterized as unique, irregular, functional, and expressive.