"Centli" Hand-made Book and Codex with Corn Paper

Book Title:

CENTLI – Corn in the Nahuatl language

A limited edition of two handmade books on the theme of corn.

Artwork and bookbinding by Eduardo García-Villada.

Dimensions:

Book - 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 x 1 1/4 inches

Box - 4 1/2 x 6 x 1 1/2 inches

Binding:

Book I - Keith Smith's Buttonhole Stitch.

Book II -Long Stitch Variation.

Sewn with waxed linen thread on black book cloth.

Cover boards covered with marble paper and colored Japanese itajime (fold and dye) paper.

Text Block:

End sheets of dyed purple Mexican amate paper.

Signatures of handmade natural corn paper alternated with dyed blue Mexican amate paper.

Artwork:

Decorative applications of corn husks, paste paper, dried flowers, crash linen, and pheasant feathers.

Illustrations from "Design Motifs of Ancient Mexico" by Jorge Enciso (Dover Publication, New York, 1953) drawn with tempera, black markers, and acrylic paint.

Written Text:

Poem fragments by Pablo Neruda (1954) "Oda al maíz."

Calligraphy in Foundational hand with white zinc gouche.

Date:

April 2010

Ames, Iowa

USA

Restoration of the book "The Tabernacle in the Wilderness"

 

 

 

 

Visit to the Public Library of the State of Jalisco

I haven't been blogging here for almost three years, but I wanted to come back and share photos of my amazing experience visiting the Historical Archives of the Juan José Arreola Public Library of the State of Jalisco in Guadalajara, México.  It took a year to do the planning for the visit, and I couldn't be more pleased.  Thanks to Ms. Carolina Bueno and the Tec. de Monterrey people who made possible this glance at the history of Mexico through the printed book. Gracias!  Here are some highlights:

1. We saw on display selected titles from the Treasure of the Mexican Indigenous languages collection.

2. We had access to the "Book Cemetery" and a brief presentation on book conservation.

3. We were shown a beautiful collection of artistic bindings of the "Don Quixote" book. Thanks to Prof. Ana María de la O Castellanos, Coordinator of the Historical Library.

4. Last but not least, a 1569 Bible printed in Latin and Hebrew. Imagine! A book printed 77 years after Columbus' Discovery.

This library is amazing, and I'd like to go back to conduct research on calligraphy and paleography now that I have my library user card and researcher credential.