The traditional crafts in Andalusia owe their heritage to all people from different cultures that have settled here over the ages. The legacy of the Tartessians, the Phoenicians, and the Greeks, Romans and Arabs covers a vast spectrum of techniques and styles that are still alive in Andalusia's traditional crafts.

Many local artefacts have fallen out of use, due to the development of synthetic materials and mass production, and are in danger of disappearing altogether. However, efforts are being made to lovingly restore and conserve these traditional skills and keep them alive. There is also a growing trend among craftsmen who make ingenious use of traditional techniques and styles to develop their own designs.

The sturdy, rustic, traditional Andalucian furniture is slowly disappearing, while today's cabinetmakers are now producing more stylish, luxurious and ornamental pieces. The two styles are currently produced throughout the region, as well as classic types of furniture. Local techniques and woods give these pieces their own unique personality. The craftsmen of the town of Ronda, in Malaga Province, have created a contemporary line of classical Spanish furniture as well as a style of semi-rustic furniture that is sober and elegant in design. Craftwork in Granada is famous for the combination of gems and incrustations of noble materials such as ivory and bone.

The taracea inlay technique is part of the region's rich Arabic heritage; ingeniously combining tiny chips of differently coloured wood and other materials, and is one of Granada's most distinctive art forms. Lucena is the most famous town in Andalusia for furniture. Local cottage industry craftsmanship does still exist but you are more likely to find modern factory showrooms selling direct to the public at very reasonable prices.

The pottery of Malaga is famous for its metallic tones. The Sevillian quarter of Triana has long been a centre for pottery, as, in the Province of Cordoba, the towns of Lucena and La Rambla. In Granada, the ceramics of the quarter of Fajalauza are legendary. In Almeria Province, thereis the town of Jimena, and in Huelva Province, the town of Trigueros produces fine jugs.

Jaen Province is famous for the pottery produced in the towns of Bailén and Andújar. Perhaps the loveliest designs are from Granada, with their Moorish style, and the replicas produced in Seville of 16th, 17th and 18th century tiles. The potters of Cordoba are famous for their reproductions of pieces from the Moorish period of the Caliphate.

Traditional pottery has lost much of its importance in daily life due to the advent of plastic and aluminium, although tiles and bricks are still widely used, as well as water pitchers and flower pots, glazed earthenware jars and bowls, all of which are produced with skill and originality. Current production covers a wide range of techniques, including traditional glazes and modern finishes, most for decorative purposes, such as adornments for houses: water spouts and tiles with letters for composing street names and business signs.

In the middle Ages, the leatherworkers of Cordoba made the city universally famous for the high quality of their tanning and embossing techniques. Some workshops still survive which use the ancient methods, in both Cordoba and Granada, while leather, goods are made all over the region (purses, wallets, belts etc.). One of Spain's best places for leather goods is Ubrique, in the province of Cadiz, world-famous for the quality of its fine purses and travel bags.

Andalusia's saddlers are also highly regarded for their tooled leather fittings. Andalucian leatherworkers are also famous for their saddlebags, although this production has declined in recent years. However, leather articles for hunters, such as game bags, gun cases, chaps and bags, are very popular. Special mention should be made of the handmade boots produced in the town of Valverde del Camino in the province of Huelva, excellent for riding. A wide range of handmade footwear can also be found in Almeria, Antequera (Malaga Province) and Montoro (Cordoba Province).

Crafts of Almeria

The golden age of craftsmanship in Almeria occurred between the 7th and 15th centuries under Muslim al Andalus. Almeria as part of the Kingdom of Granada, provided marble from the quarries at Macael for countless buildings, in particular the Alhambra. Macael area now holds the principal concentration of quarries and workshops in Spain and few crafts have the historical tradition and prestige that the marble coming from this area has. Macael is the main centre for a large variety of objects and ornaments although the Olula del Rio, Cantoria and Vera areas are close behind. Pottery is also an important inheritance from the Muslim times with the same kilns that were being used eight centuries ago still baking pottery today at Albox, Nijar, Sobras, Alhabia and Almeria.

The method of making pottery is the same and the more traditional objects are ewers, jars, large bowls, casseroles, pitchers with spouts and plates and are much in demand for purposes of decoration. The Jarapas are associated with Nijar and are light carpets made from woven leftovers of cotton, sometimes used as blankets or hangings. Woodcarvings can also still be found and during the Easter processions splendid images can still be admired.

Crafts of Granada

Granada expresses its craftsmanship in what today remains of the Christian assimilation of Nasrid art. Marquetry is probably the craft that is most identified with it. We must also add the incrustation of different materials from bone to mother of pearl, from amber to ivory. Some parts of production have been modernised to streamline auxiliary steps such as cutting and sandpapering, but the most of the processes are still done by hand. Boxes, decorated cabinets, frames, chairs, tables, chess sets, chests trays, etc. are made.

Capileira is known for its cabinet making in the Mudejar style and in Bara for its Renaissance fashion. The art of gliding is intimately connected with Granadan furniture particularly cornucopias, frames and consoles. The turner is frequently also a carver. The largest number of tapestry workshops devoted to restoration and repair work is in Granada. Guitars are also widely made in Granada who are well known for the quality of their instruments. Pottery producers in Granada still use the traditional models and manufacturing systems, some still only use kilns built in the last century. In Guadix potters, wheels can be found sunk in the ground. Here they make the ornamental Accitan jar (Acci the Roman name for Guadix). Modern pottery has inherited the techniques and decorations of Nasrid times, such as the Andalusia metallic lustre type, "cuerda seca" (painting in manganese mixed with a greasy medium and most typical of Granada or Fajalauza, where greens and blues are mostly used).

In El Albaicin, Purullena and Las Alpujarras is where the tiles, ewers, plates, jugs are traditionally made.

In Guadix the important use of vegetable fibres stands out, with small workshops with a long history for making rush bottomed chairs of traditional styles and Lanjaron that produces all kinds of wicker baskets.

Crafts of Cadiz

There is such a clear distinction between traditional and updated crafts in few provinces. The latter being because of strict transformation in production, equipment and distribution processes. In Ubrique there are fine examples of a wide variety of leather goods which are ordered and distributed all over the world and in Prado del Rey they have developed similar lines. In Jerez, Alcala de los Gazules and Villamartin, harness making is still one of the main crafts of the province and are made for coaches as well as for riding.

In Jerez, Sanlucar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa Maria wine making is the main industry, which also provides a market for the making of casks. Traditional English furniture made of mahogany, where the joining and decorating is done by hand by the excellent cabinetmakers in Sanlucar de Barrameda and San Fernando.
Saddle making is also one of the crafts in Prado del Rey where the saddle is made from beech wood and vegetable fibre, in El Bosque and Benamahoma where pine, beech and eucalyptus is used.

There are still a good number of forges in the province devoted to the craft of iron goods the main centre being Arcos, which has five workshops, followed by Cadiz, Chiclana, Olvera and Sanlucar.
Other significant crafts in the province are blankets and ponchos made in Grazalema and the dolls from Chiclana.

Crafts of Jaen

The history of culture and art in Jaen is conditioned by its situation on the frontier between the Moors and Christians. Some of the crafts have disappeared such as silk. The best-known craft now is the pottery of Andujar that its grotesque jugs and objects in white and blue. Ubeda pottery is also well known with the handsome ewer being one of its most representative objects and the items that are decorated with white oxide. Bailen is known for its water ewers, jars and large bowls.

Jaen is renowned for its crafts using vegetable fibre. There are records dating back to the 11th century showing the use of fibre crafts at Ubeda, and nowadays wicker and other fibres are used at Los Villares. Artistic wrought iron work is done at Alcala la Real, Belmez de la Moraleda, Jaen, Martos, Mengibar, Ubeda and Torredonjimeno. Some of the products made are handrails, lamps, and grilles, apart from some brilliant embossing. Ubeda are known as the lamp makers who make lanterns with tinplate and glass.

The guitars of Marmolejo are widely known and the leather goods from Andujar and Porcuna that are made for farmers and hunters.

Crafts of Cordoba

In this province, craftsmanship has had a long historical evolution. Pottery comes from two main areas: the north mainly Hinojosa del Duque and Pozoblanco where the clay has a high content of iron and grains of mica which give the pottery a reddish colour with small metallic grains and the south where the loam has a high content of calcium. After baking, the vessels are a pinkie yellow that, if salt is previously added, would be a brilliant white.

Particularly remarkable are the small ewers from La Rambla; the earthenware vats from Lucena, the pitchers and earthenware scoops used in waterwheels from Baena and the flowerpots from Alcolea del Rio. Potters are now using the designs, techniques and decorative motifs once used by the caliphs. Plates, bottles and bowls are made decorated with geometrical, vegetable and animal forms and words in Cufic.

Cordoba now has the making of jewellery as one of its mainstays of the economy where silversmiths work with both gold and silver, in the many workshops in the town and their designs go from the most classical earrings and rings to the more modern contemporary creations sometimes using new materials.

Leather goods are also well known in Cordoba and are handled in family workshops in the town itself where the old embossing techniques are still used. The last pack saddlers in the province work in Baena where a variety of things are made for the horses such as headstalls, cinches etc. Almodovar del Rio is known for its saddlers. Montero is famous for its handmade shoes, boots, bags, pouches, cartridge belts and gun cases. In Cordoba, gold as well as silk and silver embroidery on velvet is still available which is also well known for its guitars.

Lucena is the most famous town in Andalusia for furniture. Local cottage industry craftsmanship does still exist but you are more likely to find modern factory showrooms selling direct to the public at very reasonable prices.

Crafts of Seville

The historical and cultural assimilation of the heritage that the city and its surroundings have received has resulted in varied crafts, often with distinctive features that make it unique. This is because of the very close relationship between craftsman and women and the celebrations of Holy Week. Seville may be the principal centre for traditional religious image-makers.

Inspiration is still based on the models created by the main schools of Martinez Montanes, Pedro Roldan, Juan de Mesa and Alonso Cano. A small number of workshops still produce religious embroidery working for fraternities, using gold and silver thread, silk and velvet for all their handmade work. Traditional workshops usually situated near churches and convents carry out their work related to religious feasts.

Traditional potters and tile makers come from Triana. There are workshops that make the typical pottery from Seville who specialise in blue, yellow, orange and mauve tiles. At Sanlucar la Mayor, Hispano-Arabic designs with metallic lustre have been recovered, as well as Renaissance designs where yellow and blue, are predominate. Traditional pottery such as jars for dressing olives, ewers, plates, flower pots etc., are made at Carmona, Lebrija and Loro del Rio. Not to be forgotten is the centuries old table ware with its Chinese design and characteristic grey, pink and green shades from Pickman-La Cartuja de Sevilla.
Harness making has always been important in Seville and is done in workshops in the centre of town that make saddles etc to order. Harness making for horse carriages is also flourishing in Carmona and Ecija.

Flamenco

Flamenco is an individualistic, yet structured folk art from Andalusia, which is often improvised and spontaneous. The song, dance and guitar are blended together by the passionate rhythms of southern Spain that is flamenco's geographical birthplace.

Gypsies say it's in the blood, but Spain's famous poet and writer Fredrico Garcia Lorca, called flamenco one of the greatest inventions of the Spanish people. Some dare to disagree. Yet, the tragic lyrics and tones of flamenco clearly reflect the sufferings of the gypsy people. Flamenco is an individualistic, yet structured folk art from Andalusia, which is often improvised and spontaneous. The song, dance and guitar are blended together by the passionate rhythms of southern Spain, which is flamenco's geographical birthplace. Gypsies say " it's in the blood", but Spain's famous poet and writer Fredrico Garcia Lorca, called flamenco one of the most gigantic inventions of the Spanish people. The tragic lyrics and tones of flamenco clearly reflect the sufferings of the gypsy people. It is thought that the gypsies who ended up in Andalusia travelled from India and Pakistan acquiring the name "gitano" from Egiptano, the old Spanish word for Egyptian. Apart from the Indian and Jewish influences, the Arabs made an immense contribution to the moulding of the form and content of the flamenco song of today, which is not surprising since they ruled Spain for seven centuries. Yet, flamenco in its present form is only some two hundred years old.

The source of flamenco lies in its singing tradition, so the singer's role is very important. The flamenco guitar was used originally as an instrument of accompaniment. Today solo flamenco guitar has developed as a separate art. Whilst some purists disapprove of the fashionable attempts to blend flamenco with jazz, blues, rock and pop music, it is no wonder that so many young people embrace it wholeheartedly.

Apart from songs delivered from different regions such as fandangos from Huelva, Alegrias from Cadiz, there are broadly speaking two main styles in Flamenco: the "jondo" - profound and serious, the cry of people oppressed for many centuries; and the "chico" - happy, light and often humorous. The song "el cante" is most important as it is considered the source, which gives inspiration to the guitar playing "el toque" and the dance "el baile".

Flamenco dance is by nature oriental, so differs fundamentally from other well established European dance forms. Complex rhythmic patterns are created by a sophisticated footwork technique, so the flamenco dancer wears special shoes or boots with dozens of nails driven to the soles and heels.

The ladies wear long costumes often with many frills and practice for hours their elegant arm and hand movements. The upper body must emphasis grace and posture. In much of the more serious flamenco, there is a release of pent up hatred of persecution and often an evocation of death (particularly in "Seguiriyas"). The dancers job will be to project the mood of the song within the strict time signature, but not interpret the meaning of the song with specific gestures, as would the Indian Katak dancer. Perhaps the best way to become familiar with the complexities of flamenco singing and sentiment is by going to a "tablao" (flamenco show), a flamenco club (peña) or to one of the countless festivals that are organised every summer. The Sacromonte gypsy caves at Granada, though very tourist-orientated, provide an unforgettable experience and there are many flamenco meetings and associations (peñas) throughout the region.

Together with Corpus Christi, Granada is said to hold the oldest flamenco festival in Andalusia. In summer for example, there are singing contests in many towns, such as in Estepona, Fuengirola and Rincón de la Victoria, or Carchelejo, Vilches and Linares, and the "Gazpacho Andaluz" at Morón and the "Muestra de Cante" at La Línea. Some of the most important festival events are held in September, such as those of Adra, Villanueva del Arzobispo and the Velá de la Fuensanta in Córdoba; at the time of the famous Goyesca bullfights, Ronda holds a "Festival de Cante Grande" for real connoisseurs. The "Fiesta de la Buleria" at Jerez (Bulería is a type of dance and song), the "Potaje" of Utrera and "La Caracolá" at Lebrija are some of the important occasions of gypsy "cante". Cádiz hosts "Los Jueves Flamencos" (flamenco Thursdays) overlooking the bay throughout each summer. In addition, every other year, the most famous figures of flamenco are heard in Seville at the "Bienal del Arte Flamenco". Cordoba also hosts a prestigious national flamenco competition.

The traditional crafts in Andalusia owe their heritage to all people from different cultures that have settled here over the ages. The legacy of the Tartessians, the Phoenicians, and the Greeks, Romans and Arabs covers a vast spectrum of techniques and styles that are still alive in Andalusia's traditional crafts.