Nacimientos
By Mildred Boyd
December 2007 Guadalajara-Lakeside Volume 24, Number 4

     Whether we call them Nativities, Créches or Nacimientos, the entire Christian world celebrates the birthday of Christ with representations of the  Holy Family and assorted friends. Some are so minuscule they can use a walnut shel1, or even a tiny pistachio shell for their stable. Others are large as or larger than life and, in some cases, actually are alive. All include animals, shepherds and angels as well as Mary, Joseph, Jesus and the three Magi.
     In some areas, the entire group is set out at the beginning of the Christmas season. A visitor from those places, however, is usually surprised to find the scene beautifully displayed but with the manger empty and not a Wise Man in sight.
     Here in Mexico, the Christ Child does not appear before he was actually born and the Magi do not arrive until Twelfth Night as was recorded in the Gospels.
The actual day of Christ’s birth is unknown. December 25th was chosen because it is near or on the winter solstice and the returning sunlight symbolized Christ as the Light of the World. Within the Church, it was not celebrated until the 4th century A.D. and even then the Nativity Scene played no part.
     Saint Francis of Assisi is credited with staging the first such scene in 1223. He used a grotto near Rieto, where he preached, for a setting and enlisted living people and animals to play the various roles. Still, such scenes were not really a regular part of the Christmas celebration until the nuns of the Convent of La Encamation began making figures of wax and displaying them each year.
     Today, nativities are everywhere that Christianity has spread, ranging in complexity from a few basic figures to lavish landscapes including fields, streams, mountains and busy villages full of everyday people going about their everyday lives. Some are so complex that the Holy Family almost gets lost in the shuffle.
     They are made of every possible material from alabaster to zinc, including a few pretty unlikely ones, as we shall see. Whether of unpainted terra cotta or the silvery-sheened black clay from Oaxaca; whether plain beige lumps with crudely drawn features or elaborately painted and very lifelike figures, clay Nacimientos are a common sight all over Mexico. They can include only a simple group or expand to an entire village and its surrounding countryside. One example is a magnificent tree of life bearing not only sun, moon, stars, birds and flowers but featuring the Holy Family and a presiding angel. It is designed to serve as a candelabrum and comes from Metepec, State of Mexico.
     Young would-be carvers must hone their skills in creating nativities. Fall markets overflow with their works, ranging from crudely carved and/or garishly painted examples to true masterpieces. Many types of wood are used but, for obvious reasons, the larger than life pieces are often made of balsa wood. A camel- riding king, for instance would be virtually immovable if carved from teak. Some stone sculptors carve Nacimientos fit for a palace.
     The most common are of easily worked alabaster, but other stones, including snowy marble are often seen. Wax is also used and, though it seems a bit sacrilegious, they are sometimes equipped with wicks to serve as candles.
     Cheap and abundant plant materials are very often seen. You will find nativity scenes with everything and everyone made of bound grasses, cornhusks or woven palm fiber. Some Oaxacan artisans specialize in charming nacimientos with plants, animals and people made entirely of dried flowers, grass and moss. Even Baby Jesus wears swaddling clothes of white daisies.
     Metals are not neglected. Sometimes entire scenes are cast in lead and painted in bright colors. Sheets of copper are fashioned into stylized figures with copper balls for the heads. The features are often outlined with brilliant glass and costumes are lavishly trimmed with “jewels” of the same material. Shiny tin is embossed and painted with translucent colors to make charming one-dimensional figures.
     Found objects are often used creatively. In one case, shells, driftwood, coral seaweed and sand, all readily found on any seashore, were used to create a hauntingly beautiful masterpiece. Everything is there. The tiny shell baby lies in a blue shell manger in a driftwood stable while his coral, driftwood and shell parents look on adoringly. One angel carries a seaweed crook while the other sounds a fanfare on a seashell trumpet. The three shell turbaned wise men approach bearing shell gifts as the shell shepherds watch in awe. Snowy white beach sand and seaweed and coral trees complete the winter scene.
     Women who do fine needlework, and that includes most of the females in Mexico, lavish their talent on embroidered Nacimientos. Again these can range from simple, sampler sized works to huge wall hangings showing entire landscapes.
     If you would prefer not to have to store your nativity away for another year, you might consider something edible. No joke. You can purchase everything from cradle to angel molded from almond flavored sugar paste. These are often quite lovely with vivid non-toxic colors for the robes and accessories. They are also quite tasty, and children, especially, will be happy to help you dispose of them at, or maybe before, the end of the season.
     Finally, speaking of edibles, would you believe radishes? Yes, radishes! There are pictures to prove that some creative Oaxacan artists have taken advantage of the varying shapes and contrasting red skin, white flesh coloring of that tangy vegetable to create tasty nativities. The three-radish babe lies in a manger of curved radishes lavished with red and white radish roses. The stable is straight, thin radishes in a lattice pattern. Regally garbed in red and white robes decorated with thin, curling strips of white radish, Mary and Joseph stand by. She seems to be raising an arm in blessing while he thoughtfully strokes his red beard.
     The only thing you are not likely to find in Mexican markets is mass- produced plastic. Even the inexpensive molded plaster figures are lovingly, if not always skillfully, painted by hand. The production, sale and setting up of Nacimientos are all acts of devotion.