One nice thing about living in a town that is becoming a sought out tourist destination is being able to watch as things begin to blossom. One example is La Ceiba Grafica, an art colony in Coatepec, Veracruz.

This art center is housed in a majestic home located on the grounds of an ex-hacienda now known as La Orduña. The land, which originally had 6000 hectares and included the whole town of Coatepec as well as outlying areas, was given to one of Hernan Cortez’s favorite soldiers, Pedro de Orduña around 1579. The original seals stamped by the Spanish king, Charles IV, still exist and tell us that at first it was called the Hacienda Zimpizahua. The land passed into the hands of the clergy and in 1781 it was sold to a Spaniard named Don Pedro Lopez Gomez de Herrera. This sale included a huge parcel which was divided in 1807 into the two haciendas known today as La Orduña and Zimpizahua (now operating as a hotel).
The manor house, which is now home to a group of artists, dates from the 18th century with major modifications in the early part of the 19th. It was originally a sugar cane plantation which gave way to the growing of coffee and citrus groves.
The rescue of this historic mansion is thanks to a group of young artists who have spear headed its restoration with a rather unique marriage of politics and art. The Veracruz legislature under the direction of Governor Fidel Herrera Beltran “gave” the building to this group with the caveat that it be restored using each of their talents and by this process is to be transformed into an art center. The transformation of the hacienda, which is now called La Ceiba Grafica, has been a successful labor of love. The restoration has not only included major structural reinforcements but also the sensitive adherence to colors common in the heyday of the mansion. I have been most amazed at the way they have been able to recreate the original mosaic tile designs used through out the mansion on the floors.
The logo of the center is a huge ceiba tree that graces the entrance and which gives it’s name and provides the symbolism for the groups objectives: the tree trunk stands for the concept of graphic arts upon which the center revolves and the branches are the many different means to achieve their goal of developing the site into one of the most important graphic arts center in all of Mexico. To date this group has achieved multiple objectives: workshops for children, an artist in resident program, workshops in lithography, bookbinding, fine arts carpentry, and tai chi.
A passion they have is to use only those raw materials that are locally obtainable. To this end they have designed and are using and producing for sale a wooden press that is an incredible work of art, marble stones for use in lithography and low cost fine, quality cotton art paper. All of their efforts are helping to create local jobs and instill a pride in re-discovering the talent that went into making this region one of the most beautiful in its heyday.
The Ceiba Grafica is open daily and the public is invited to come for a