After Mexico’s revolution of 1910–1920, intellectuals sought to forge a unified cultural nation out of the country’s diverse populace. Their efforts resulted in an “ethnicized” interpretation
of Mexicanness that intentionally incorporated elements of folk and indigenous culture. In this rich history, Rick A. L籀pez explains how thinkers and artists, including the anthropologist
Manuel Gamio, the composer Carlos Ch獺vez, the educator Mois矇s S獺enz, the painter Diego Rivera, and many less-known figures, formulated and promoted a notion of nationhood in which previously
denigrated vernacular arts—dance, music, and handicrafts such as textiles, basketry, ceramics, wooden toys, and ritual masks—came to be seen as symbolic of Mexico’s modernity and national
distinctiveness. L籀pez examines how the nationalist project intersected with transnational intellectual and artistic currents, as well as how it was adapted in rural communities. He provides
an in-depth account of artisanal practices in the village of Olinal獺, located in the mountainous southern state of Guerrero. Since the 1920s, Olinal獺 has been renowned for its lacquered boxes
and gourds, which have been considered to be among the “most Mexican” of the nation’s arts. Crafting Mexico illuminates the role of cultural politics and visual production in Mexico’s
transformation from a regionally and culturally fragmented country into a modern nation-state with an inclusive and compelling national identity.
