Lacquer is a pre-Hispanic art, thought to have been brought to Mexico by the Chinese, who visited Mexico long before the Spanish conquest. The techniques and the materials for making lacquer objects differ between the locales of Uruapan, Olinalá and Chiapas but in general, they involve using seeds of the salvia plant, and a local worm called aje, to make the laca hard. The designs can be cut into the piece or painted on top. Some artisans in Olinalá use a turkey quill to incise the designs and use a fragrant wood, called olinalau to make boxes, trays and decorative objects.
