Page:Mexico of the Mexicans.djvu/105

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Art, Music, and the Drama
89

arch-enemy of the architectural art—the speculative builder, whose one idea, when at work, is to be economical with time and with materials has been allowed to ravage much of the business part of Mexico city, even there some imposing buildings have been raised of late, among them the National Bank and several offices in the Calle Cinco de Mayo, the Mexican Wall Street. These last, however, cannot be acclaimed as being among those perpetuating the bygone Spanish styles; but another structure, most certainly to be included in that honoured category, is a small church which, in 1909, the British residents of Mexico city caused to be built there for their own use, the site being in the British Cemetery.

Her large quota of artistic buildings notwithstanding, Mexico shows little bias towards decorating façades with sculpture; and such works in this art as she Sculpture. has produced in the last few decades, such as she is producing just now, are nearly all of the independent kind. As already observed, she is one of those countries where pottery and sculpture are still affiliated; and this holds good, in particular, of the potters working at San Pedro Tlaqueplaque, situate on a high hill near Guadalajara. For these men are not more preoccupied with making vases, and the like, than with modelling figures and groups, the subjects being invariably chosen from the life of Mexico to-day; indeed, there is hardly anything in that life which these artists do not represent on occasion, nearly all their work, moreover, being done in a finely downright fashion. This village of San Pedro is likewise the home of two brilliant Indian sculptors, Panduro père and fils, working exclusively with clay, and living almost in the manner of their remote forefathers, their studio being a primitive hut. Either the father or the son will do, in a matter of half an hour, and for a few dollars, a wonderfully lifelike portrait-bust, so that the services of the Panduros are much courted, alike by their own neighbours and by tourists. Indeed, their