In the Historic Center of the heritage city of San Miguel de Allende there is a museum that permanently exhibits thousands of pieces of handmade toys made by the hands of Mexican artisans.
This is La Esquina, Museum of Popular Mexican Toys, a cultural institution dedicated to the preservation of toys. Since 2010, in the rooms of the museum located on Núñez and San Francisco streets, an extensive collection of toys acquired by the teacher Angélica Tijerina over more than five decades has been displayed.
Eduardo Berrocal, director of the La Esquina Museum, explained that this facility houses around 10,000 objects made by master craftsmen from all over the country, using traditional techniques and materials.
Eduardo Berrocal highlighted the importance of toys in the development of skills and abilities, as well as in communication and personal growth.
However, he noted that technology and the influence of large commercial companies are generating a change in children’s preferences towards more commercialized toys, away from popular Mexican traditions and toys.
The director of the museum mentioned that the evolution that occurs through changes in culture, the way of behaving, and the objects themselves that artisans prepare every day is inevitable.
The museum exhibits pieces from almost 30 states of the republic, made with a variety of materials such as plant fibers, metals, clay, and wood. You can find toys that date back to pre-Hispanic times, as well as those that have evolved with European and Eastern influences.
San Miguel Times
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