The History of Silver in Mexico
The history of Mexican silver dates back to the Aztecs, with abundant mineral deposits in the area of Taxco, Mexico. In the 16th century, the export of silver helped to support the growth of Spain.
The 18th century brought the re-emergence of the industry with French prospector and miner, Jose De La Borda. He discovered a massive vein of silver under his home and thus began again a resurgence of silver mining in Taxco. He was so grateful for the discovery, that he built a beautiful cathedral in thanks to God for the great gift he received. More churches were constructed thereafter by other miners who also discovered lucrative mines and can be seen in Taxco today.
The current prosperity of silver jewelry making in Taxco is attributed to the New Orleans professor of architecture, Bill Spratling. He traveled in 1929 to Taxco to write a book. He so loved the area and culture that he decided to stay and train the local artisans in the craft of silver-smithing and handcrafted jewelry. The rich history of pre-Columbian artistry combined with the skills taught to the locals, has created an atmosphere of original and beautiful works of silver.
Each piece of Mexican silver is marked “925” which indicates the amount of silver in the piece. That means 92.5% of the metal is silver..the best you can get! The rich history of artistry can be seen in the creative and stunning pieces of silver jewelry created there today.