Cobre martillado
A pre-Hispanic Purépecha copper-hammering tradition in which red-hot copper is shaped entirely by hand with hammers and anvils into vessels and decorative pieces bearing fret, rhombus, floral, and zoomorphic motifs, nearly extinguished by the mid-20th century before a tourism-driven revival made the trade the defining livelihood of an entire town, whose 250-plus registered workshops now process an estimated 450 tons of copper each year.
Risk level: Vulnerable · Not currently inscribed on a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list; Mexico is a State Party to the UNESCO 2003 Convention (ratified 14 December 2005) and could nominate this technique in the future.
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