Gaze at a Talavera pottery urn, vase or platter, the finest ceramics of Mexico, and behold the art of a Spanish colonial period rich with old world design and a colorful heritage. The rich Talavera pottery heritage was introduced to Mexico by Spanish guild artisans of the Colonial period. Commonly called “majolica” in Spain, Mexican Talavera draws its name from the 16th century Spanish pottery center, Talavera de la Reina. While the intricate polychrome and more typical blue and white designs show their Old World legacy, native floral and animal motifs claim these colorful ceramics as classically Mexican.