OUR COLLECTION — LATIN AMERICA — ECUADOR 29. MASAPAN BREAD DOUGH NATIVITY
Each piece of this Nativity scene was painstakingly hand-molded from bread dough and baked until very hard by descendants of one of the original families in Ecuador who began the tradition of giving these masapan gifts to neighbors approximately 150 years ago. This technique originated in Calderón, which is a pueblo just outside of Quito in the Andes Mountains. Each masapan Nativity is a one-of-a-kind piece of Ecuadorian art. This Nativity scene includes 21 pieces: Joseph, Mary, baby Jesus, a star, four angels, four villagers, four sheep, a cow, a donkey, and three wise men. María, José, and the angels are almost 3.5 inches tall.
There are many stores right in a row in Calderón that produce these little figurines out of bread dough. To create this art, the artisans boil the dough in water, add preservatives and bright coloring, and then run it through a pasta maker to flatten. Next they cut the dough, form festive shapes, and put the details together using glue. Finally, they add a finishing glaze and set the figures out to dry.
There are many stores right in a row in Calderón that produce these little figurines out of bread dough. To create this art, the artisans boil the dough in water, add preservatives and bright coloring, and then run it through a pasta maker to flatten. Next they cut the dough, form festive shapes, and put the details together using glue. Finally, they add a finishing glaze and set the figures out to dry.