Los Castillo Taxco
LightNews LightNews
loscastillotaxco.bsky.social
Los Castillo Taxco
@loscastillotaxco.bsky.social
97 followers 90 following 110 posts
The works of the Los Castillo taller in Taxco, Mexico - including the works of the four founding brothers, and their children, and close relatives.
Posts Replies Media Videos
loscastillotaxco.bsky.social
The present generation at Los Castillo, the children of Antonio Castillo: Emilia, Lily, and Wolmar.
(English translation of the below in Alt notes)

#loscastillotaxco #emiliacastillo #lilycastillo #wolmarcastillo #taxco #mexicansilver #metalsmith #mexicandesign #handmade #metalarts
Heirs to a silversmithing tradition that has brought worldwide renown to Taxco, the children of Antonio Castillo Terán, one of the three great silversmiths of Taxco, have kept the essence of the family workshop alive. Lily is dedicated to preserving traditional techniques, Wolmar tends toward more contemporary creations, while Emilia has innovated by combining pure silver with porcelain. Furthermore, all three work with ancestral techniques such as repoussé, die-cutting, and lost-wax casting, as well as innovative processes that include alloying and disabling metals. Their dedication and skill have ensured that "Los Castillo" remains synonymous with excellence in Mexican silversmithing.
November 17, 2025 at 4:13 PM
loscastillotaxco.bsky.social
A silverplate Peacock pitcher by Los Castillo of Taxco inlaid with malachite and azurite stones circa 1980s.

#loscastillotaxco #antoniodesign #vintage1980s #mexicansilver #peacock #pitcher #hollowware #mexicandesign #hechoenmexico #plata
November 14, 2025 at 3:57 PM
loscastillotaxco.bsky.social
An exceptional Los Castillo Taxco sterling silver and amethyst necklace circa 1950. NFS.

#loscastillotaxco #loscastillojewelry #vintage1940s #vintage1950s #handmade #mexicansilver #necklace #jewelrydesign #margotdesign #sterlingsilver #amethyst #mexicanjewelry #mexicandesign #hechoenmexico #taxco
November 14, 2025 at 3:39 PM
loscastillotaxco.bsky.social
A large set of vintage 1990s handmade sterling silver brooch and earrings with lucite dangles by Brenda Schoenfeld, a cousin to the Castillo family, and a successful jewelry designer in her own right.

#brendaschoenfeld #loscastillotaxco #taxco #silver #hechoenmexico #jewelry #mexicansilver #art
November 6, 2025 at 1:48 PM
loscastillotaxco.bsky.social
A spectacular no doubt one of a kind Los Castillo Taxco 'metales casados' Mexican modernist necklace with a pre-Columbian jade 'bird head' carving at center front!
Designed by Chato Castillo circa 1955.

#loscastillotaxco #chatocastillodesign #oneofakind #necklace #precolumbianjade #mexicansilver
November 4, 2025 at 6:34 PM
loscastillotaxco.bsky.social
A big vintage 1940s handmade sterling silver floral motif fur clip designed by Margot Van Voorhies for Los Castillo in Taxco - design number 621, measures 5" tall by 3"!

#loscastillotaxco #handmade #floral #margotdesign #taxco #mexicansilver #furclip #vintage1940s #sterlingsilver #wearableart #art
October 21, 2025 at 3:09 PM
loscastillotaxco.bsky.social
A medium size Los Castillo Taxco handmade 'metales casados' (married metals) abstract modernist tray - no doubt designed by Chato Castillo circa 1950s - measures 14" by 9.75".

#loscastillotaxco #handmade #metalescasados #marriedmetals #tray #chatocastillodesigner #mexicanmodernism #midcenturymexico
October 11, 2025 at 4:16 PM
loscastillotaxco.bsky.social
Stella Popowski design for Los Castillo circa 1955 - a brooch and a pendant - the pendant measures about 3" tall - primarily made of sterling silver with 'metales casados' (married metals) sections at front, and with turquoise inlay.

#loscastillotaxco #stellapopowski #mexicanmodernism #taxco #plata
October 2, 2025 at 3:35 PM
loscastillotaxco.bsky.social
A very large Los Castillo Taxco sterling silver black onyx turquoise and azurmalachite inlay Mexican modernist pendant designed by Stella Popowski circa 1950 - measures 3.75" tall!

#loscastillotaxco #stellapopowski #pendant #mexicanmodernism #mexicansilver #wearableart #art #modernistjewelry #dance
Stella Popowski was a Polish emigree who left Poland with her parents and siblings in the late 1940s for Cuba, where they lived during the war years. After the war, Popowski studied art in Paris before moving to Taxco where she designed for Antonio Pineda and Los Castillo. Around 1960, she opened her own business in Taxco, but it was short-lived. In the mid-1960s, she moved to California where she spent the rest of her life. During her years in California, she concentrated on her art and design projects. This is one of her designs for Los Castillo. Made in sterling silver with black onyx (onix negro), turquoise inlay, azurmalachite inlay, and malachite inlay. A very time-consuming technique, this 'onix negro' design would have been very expensive to produce, and of course that was reflected in the asking price when it was being sold in the Los Castillo showroom. It's marked design number "014P" which makes it one of her earlier designs at Los Castillo. The early Eagle mark is also present on it which places this piece from 1948 to about 1952, I'm saying circa 1950. The design is of a stylized figure who looks to be doing some kind of ritualized dance. Probably based on a pre-Columbian model, this is a very loose modernist interpretation. It measures 3.75" tall including the bail at top. Marked "Los Castillo Taxco" in a circle, "Hecho en Mexico" and "Onix Negro". A very rare design that I have only seen this once!
September 20, 2025 at 2:17 PM
loscastillotaxco.bsky.social
An early 1950s Chato bracelet design for Los Castillo created in ‘metales castillo’ (sterling, copper, and brass) and centering a large vividly colored azurmalachite cabochon.

#chatocastillotaxco #loscastillotaxco #taxco #metalescastillo #azurmalachite #mexicanmodernism #midcenturymexico #bracelet
An early 1950s Chato design that has had endless permutations by Los Castillo over the years - basically a concave setting at top centering a large stone with a wide band bracelet below - the concave setting has taken many shapes, and centered many different cuts and types of stones, and the band has tapered or not, and been constructed of various metals, but basically the same design nonetheless - this is one of the earliest examples, created in ‘Metales Castillo’ (sterling, copper, and brass) and centering a large vividly colored almost ‘painterly’ azurmalachite cabochon - no doubt a one of a kind and possibly the prototype for all the later variants by Los Castillo.
September 18, 2025 at 5:22 PM
loscastillotaxco.bsky.social
A Chato Castillo 'cubist musician' design sterling silver brooch for Los Castillo Taxco circa 1955 - measures 2.5" tall, marked "Los Castillo Taxco Hecho en Mexico" with design number 104, and the Eagle 15.

#chatocastillodesign #loscastillotaxco #handmade #mexicansilver #cubistmusician #brooch #art
September 7, 2025 at 3:08 PM
loscastillotaxco.bsky.social
Wolmar Castillo
the son of Antonio Castillo of Los Castillo
metales casados (married metals)
coffee pot, creamer, sugar
circa 2000

#wolmarcastillo
#antoniocastillo #loscastillotaxco #mexicandesign #disenomexicano #handmade #hechoenmexico #oneofakind #coffeeset #metalescasados #marriedmetals
September 5, 2025 at 4:26 PM
loscastillotaxco.bsky.social
A Chato Castillo prototype sculpture version of the very rare Parrot design salt and pepper shakers from 1940 - the prototype on the left - one of the shakers beside the original sketch by Chato on the right.

#loscastillotaxco #handmade #parrot #perfildeperico #chatocastillodesign #taxco #sculpture
A one of a kind sculpture by Chato Castillo - a three dimensional version of his iconic ‘perfil de perico’ aka cubist parrot jewelry design that won him the first prize in the Taxco Silver Fair in 1952 - this sculpture was also a prototype for salt and pepper shakers later made by Los Castillo - the shakers are quite rare, I’ve only seen one example and they didn’t come with a stand like this sculpture - and are extremely work intensive thus expensive, and no doubt very few were ever made - techniques include metales casados (married metals) using silver copper and brass and mosaica azteca (aztec mosaic) stone inlay, in this case malachite inlay - the gilt brass ‘feet’ of the sculpture have prongs that stick down into the wood base to hold it in place - this sculpture measures 5.75” tall including the wood base which is 3.25” by 3.25” square by 1.25” thick, and weighs almost 12 ounces - marked on the underside as shown in my last photo with his most common signature “Chato Castillo” and “Taxco Mexico” on either side of his cubist parrot logo mark.
September 1, 2025 at 4:28 PM
loscastillotaxco.bsky.social
A classic Chato Castillo design for Los Castillo in Taxco in married metals with black onyx 'eye' - original design from 1943!

#chatocastillodesign #loscastillotaxco #taxco #metalescasados #marriedmetals #bird #tray #mexicanmodernism #metalsmith #midcenturymexico #mexicansilver #taxcosilver #plata
First created by Chato Castillo in 1943, this design is a perennial favorite of fans of Mexican modernist design and of Los Castillo. I've seen examples of it in many different sizes and with many different color stones for 'eyes', and from every decade from the 1940s to the 1990s!
September 1, 2025 at 3:26 PM
loscastillotaxco.bsky.social
The Mexico City storefront for Los Castillo of Taxco circa 1955 - it was located on Avenida Juarez.

#loscastillotaxco #mexicocity #cdmx #loscastilloshop #circa1955 #vintagephotograph
September 1, 2025 at 3:18 PM
loscastillotaxco.bsky.social
A Chato Castillo modernist brooch design for Los Castillo circa 1955 - measures 2.25" by 1.75", and weighs 29 grams - marked "Los Castillo Taxco" in a circle around the Eagle 15, and design #162.

#loscastillotaxco #chatocastillodesign #mexicanmodernism #wearableart #brooch #art #modernistjewelry
September 1, 2025 at 2:52 PM
loscastillotaxco.bsky.social
A Los Castillo Taxco married metals and pre Columbian green stone ear-spool bracelet with dangles - designed by Chato Castillo for Los Castillo circa 1960.

#handmade #metalescastillo #metalescasados #marriedmetals #precolumbian #mexicansilver #mexicanjewelry #loscastillotaxco #chatocastillodesign
Chato Castillo was one of the four founding brothers of Los Castillo in Taxco, Mexico, in 1939. He was a silversmith, a designer, and a technical innovator who invented many unique metalworking techniques including: 'metales casados' (married metals), 'mosaico azteca' (mosaic stone inlay), the 'pluma azteca' (feather inlay), among others! His techniques were widely copied by other silversmiths and designers throughout Mexico, and became emblematic of the Mexican mid-century modernist style! Although many other designers in Mexico used pre-Columbian artifacts in their creations, Chato found new and unique ways of doing so, and this bracelet is an excellent example! Composed of metales casados (copper and brass) over sterling silver, and centering a pre-Columbian green stone ear spool at center top from which drops a triangular metals casados plaque with size copper and bronze drops. This particular design was made in many variations over the years by Chato, and his brother Antonio after Chato's death, but each was unique - no two were exactly the same!
August 31, 2025 at 3:22 PM
loscastillotaxco.bsky.social
An iconic pair of mid-century Mexican modernist cufflinks designed by Stella Popowski for Los Castillo in Taxco - handmade in 'metales casados' with 'onix negro' (black onyx) and turquoise inlay - a fish, a star, and a black sun!

#loscastillotaxco #stellapopowski #mexicansilver #taxco #cufflinks
A large pair of Los Castillo cufflinks at 1" diameter, and the pair weighs 28.8 grams total. Marked at back "Los Castillo Taxco" in a circle around the Eagle 15, also "Hecho en Mexico", "Onix Negro" and design number "06P". In pre-Hispanic Mexican cultures, the black sun symbolized the beginning and end of cosmic cycles, representing transformation, death, and rebirth. It was not a symbol of evil, but a powerful emblem of the unseen forces that drive both creation and destruction. This symbolism is most prominently associated with the Aztec sun god Tezcatlipoca and with solar eclipses.
August 25, 2025 at 2:20 PM
loscastillotaxco.bsky.social
Salvador Terán sterling silver brooch design at Los Castillo circa 1950s - two pre-Columbian athletes at play!

#salvadorteran #loscastillotaxco #taxco #mexicansilver #mexicanjewelry #handmade #sterlingsilver #brooch #jewelry #jewelrydesign #mexicanmodernism #midcenturymexico #modernistjewelry #art
Salvador Vaca Teran (1920-1974) was first cousin to the Castillo brothers, and joined them at the start of Los Castillo in 1939 - several of his designs at Los Castillo became classics and continued to be produced after he left to open his workshop La India Bonita in Mexico City in 1952 - this is one of those designs - design number 111 - a handmade sterling silver overlay pre-Columbian revival design of two ball players - sport was an important part of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican societies throughout ancient Mexico, and the Castillo brothers and their cousin Salvador Terán were greatly influenced by the many examples of pre-Columbian art and architecture still being discovered in Mexico in those days - measures 1-7/8" diameter, and weighs 24 grams total - marked at back as shown in the second photo - the brooch is composed of two layers of sterling silver, the upper layer is cut-thru, and the bottom layer is oxidized black to make the cut-thru design contrast strongly with the polished silver surfaces surrounding it. The marks on Salvador Terán design brooch from Los Castillo circa 1950s - design number 111, "Made in Mexico", "Los Castillo Taxco" in a circle around the Eagle 15 mark, and "925" for sterling silver.
August 21, 2025 at 3:03 PM
loscastillotaxco.bsky.social
Handmade vintage 1980s silver-plated brass box with rosewood interior and 'metales casados' decorated top set in a 'mosaico azteca' surround - designed by Antonio Castillo. NFS

#handmade #silverplate #box #metalescasados #mosaicoazteca #precolumbian #indigenous #loscastillotaxco #hechoenmexico #art
This box was made in the last two decades of the long career of Antonio Castillo, one of the four founding brothers of Los Castillo in Taxco. Made circa 1980s, the box was hand fabricated in brass, then silver-plated. The inside has Mexican rosewood lining. The top is decorated with two techniques first invented by Chato Castillo for Los Castillo in the 1940s; 'metales casados' (married metals), and 'mosaico azteca' (Aztec mosaic stone inlay). Metales Casados is the seamless joining of different colored metals using little if any solder to produce a design. In this case, a group of indigenous peoples of Ancient Mexico are shown in what is likely a market scene with a vendor selling fish and flowers to her customers. The scene is set in a mosaic of thin stone pieces inlaid to create a quilt-like effect, but in stone. Both 'metales casados' and 'mosaic azteca' were based on metal and stone working techniques of the ancient peoples of Mexico, but were re-invented by Chato Castillo and first used by Los Castillo in Taxco. Their work was a great success, and soon copied by many others throughout Mexico (and beyond!) to this day! Chato Castillo died in the mid-1970s. His brother, Antonio, revived his techniques, and used them in this superb creation of metal and stone! Truly a luxury item, it was probably first sold by Neiman Marcus in one of their stores in the US. Though Antonio made a number of these boxes over the years, each was a unique work of art, and uniquely Mexican!
August 15, 2025 at 12:45 PM
loscastillotaxco.bsky.social
Two trinket boxes by Los Castillo featuring an Aries the Ram design - upper example in brass inlaid with azurmalachite - bottom example in sterling inlaid with black onyx inlaid with sterling - both designs by Chato Castillo circa 1960.

#loscastillotaxco #chatocastillodesign #box #taxco #aries #ram
August 9, 2025 at 4:35 PM
loscastillotaxco.bsky.social
Los Castillo was founded in 1939 by four brothers who were all talented designers and silversmiths, but there was also a famous sister, Tachi, who had a long and illustrious career as a fashion designer.

#loscastillo #taxco #tachicastillo #fashion #designer #mexicanfashion #handmade #hechoenmexico
Tachi (Luz Maria) Castillo was born in Mexico City in 1918. In 1930 her family settled in Taxco, because her father, a military engineer, was overseeing the installation of a telegraph system in that part of Mexico. She enjoyed the companionship of four brothers and one sister, all of whom soon established impressive, and often international, reputations for their accomplishments. Tachi Castillo's brothers were soon renowned for their distinctive silver jewelry designs and Tachi was the first to introduce hand-embroidered dresses in Taxco, despite having been advised not to pursue any career other than designing or working with silver. The first two dresses she designed and created were sold from the silver shop the same morning she put them there. Around 1937 Tachi Castillo opened her eponymous store in Casa Borda and sometime before the end of the 1940s she married Alphonso Ramirez-Mendoza, a textile designer who later managed her business. In 1944 Tachi Castillo and her husband opened a store in Taxco and named it Gracias a Dios (thanks be to God), across the street from her family home. Her fashion designs caught the eye of a vacationing Hollywood actress, Joan Fontaine, who brought many of Tachi's dresses back with her. Soon Tachi Castillo was dressing other Hollywood stars, such as Brigitte Bardot and Lana Turner. Non-Hollywood celebrities could be seen in Castillo designs, too, such as Princess Anne and Frida Kahlo. Her feminine and romantic designs of cotton pintuck peasant blouses and wide swirly skirts skillfully paired the wonderful designs of her native Mexico with modern, hand-painted, and hand-embroidered designs. She is credited with having created the popular "Mexican wedding dress" while she also specialized in colorful evening apparel. Tachi Castillo never retired and worked until she died in 1999. Her family home is now a popular, charming, and historic hotel named Hotel Mi Casita (Hotel My House), owned and operated by her family.
August 2, 2025 at 2:51 PM
loscastillotaxco.bsky.social
Antonio Castillo collected pre-Columbian relics for most of his life, and over the years created several pieces of jewelry housing some of these relics - here is a sterling necklace centering an approx 1000 year old clay seal - measures 24" wearable.

#loscastillotaxco #antoniocastillodesign #taxco
July 31, 2025 at 2:09 PM
loscastillotaxco.bsky.social
An 'onix negro' (black onyx) and turquoise mosaic inlay set in sterling silver Mexican modernist brooch designed by Chato Castillo for Los Castillo in Taxco circa 1950s - measures 1-5/8" diameter.

#loscastillotaxco #onixnegro #mexicanmodernist #brooch #wearableart #mexicansilver #jewelrydesign #art
July 23, 2025 at 2:42 PM
loscastillotaxco.bsky.social
A photo of Santa Prisca church in the distance at the heart of old Taxco.

#taxco #taxcosilver #santaprisca #church #cathedral #oldtaxco #mexicansilver #lilycastillo #loscastillotaxco #mexicanjewelry #mexicanart #photography
July 19, 2025 at 2:56 PM