• Originally, Mexican missions were built from clay found in the area. The Spanish artisans who came to the Americas from Talavera, Spain, in the 13th century improved the tile-making process with European methods. Mission tiles still go by the names Talavera, Saltillo, Alhambra and Terra Cotta. A modern artisan uses his body strength to make firm natural clay into a hard building tile. Shaping the tile impresses a lasting design upon the earthen clay.
  
  Traditional artisans begin with reddish brown Mexican clay. For work more incisive than the body's pressing, a tile maker uses simple tools that include a wooden board, rolling pin, wood slat, sharp knife and string.
  
  

Wedge the Clay

• The worker's hand strength and body weight reliably make clay solid enough for tiling floors, walls, fountains and stairways. On the wood board, the weak and porous parts in a clay mound collapse; strong clay forms when it is pressed. An artisan knows that any flimsy bonds or air pockets will break and even explode during firing in the kiln. With the clay under the body's press, the weaknesses are removed so that only strong clay that is ready for hardening remains.
  
  

Flatten

• Constant pressure from a rolling pin gradually flattens solid clay into a thick sheet. The repeated passes on the clay press weight across the clay mass until it firms up. Irregular clay becomes even and straight. Any remaining areas of light clay compact into a heavy clay.
  
  

Shape a Tile

• Strings slice out a basic form with fair edges. A simple wood slat enables the artisan to use the hand's abilities to move in lines and curves to create a geometric shape. Mexican artisans find squares the most basic. Hexagons and hexagons with diamonds are also traditional choices. The hand turns edge contours both out and in to form the pans and covers in the Mexican design. The knife's edge trims the tile edges exact. In the kiln, the elegant shape becomes hard and permanent under the heat. Even surfaces turn to a flush tile texture.
  
  

Glaze and Paint with Color

• Color gives the mission tile top an artistic design. Glaze makes the top smooth like enduring glass. When fired, the tile's surface becomes covered with a hard coat. Painting by hand gives the design a fine, detailed look. Traditional artisans choose designs, motifs and symbols from old Mexico and Spain to make tile patterns. With colorful designs, the tiles not only feel good under the foot's weight and to the hand's touch, but the shapes shine beautifully in the light.