Ticul is one of the most visited cities in Yucatán due to its great production of shoes, this being the main economic activity of its inhabitants, but this is not the only thing that occurs in this place, as another of its activities is the creation of real ceramic and clay sculptures.
Ticul artisans make various figures in two different types of clay, depending on what they want to create, since the mixture is not the same for making a vase as for a refractory pot; To form pitchers, pots and jars, pottery called men-p'ul is used, which is clay mixed with water and white earth, known as saskab.
In the case of refactory pieces, the white sand is not mixed, but an element called Hib, this is extracted from the mines, very common in this area, the production process is very similar to that of the first method, the difference is in the wood for baking, since for this it must be thinner, in addition to the paint.
To paint the saskab it is necessary to first capture the design on manila paper, then apply them to the figure and reproduce when it is bathed with the red clay; in the case of the Hib, the impression is made directly in the mud.
In Ticul you can find a variety of workshops dedicated to working with these materials, some specialized in just one, others that cover both styles.
Their dedication and effort is such that they have even managed to reproduce accurately some Mayan sculptures, which have been taken to different museums around the world.