Authentic Pasta Tiles in Yucatán

The floors are ubiquitous, and theory is that aside from the climate, which makes wooden floors impossible, they perform a yeoman’s task of decorating the otherwise simple cubes and boxes that make up the volumes of colonial homes in town.

 

 

 

 

Made from humble materials, a simple mixture of dry and wet cement is pressed along with a mixture of pigments poured into a mold. There’s no kiln process, but the extreme pressure binds the material together, and the slow drying as they’re stacked on their sides makes for an extremely hard and durable tile.

Whether you decide to polish them with kerosene to give them a wet look or just shine them to a high buff and let them acquire a subtle patina, they’re the Yucatán’s version of a Persian carpet. Did I mention they’re beautiful?

Create a pattern or design them in any color combination you can come up with. If you’re looking for a custom pattern, you’ll first need to have a metal mold made, after which you can then select your colors.

After a strike-off or two to ensure that the pattern and colors work in your space, you just sit back and wait for the tiles to be made. This can take a while, depending on the design’s intricacy and the vendor you choose to work with.

 

Fábrica De Mosaicos La Peninsular

While there are various factories scattered throughout the Yucatán, decidedly the most famous is Fábrica de Mosaicos La Peninsular. Renowned for their work, their tiles have been used in the Empire State Building. And they have an exceptional level of crispness, which is often lacking in tiles of this type.
    Calle 62 619, Centro, Mérida,  999-923-1196  mosaicoslapeninsular.com

 

 

Musaiko

Musaiko is a newer company specializing in more graphic and slightly more modern feeling tiles. They pride themselves on being a uniquely artisanal resource. Their colors are slightly different than what one might expect in traditional design with a chalky quality to the palette, as with all of the other companies entirely customizable. An interactive feature on their website helps customers come up with their own unique designs.
    Calle 1H 107 between 20 and 22 Col. México Norte, Mérida;    999-351 6502 musaiko.mx; IG: @musaiko.mx

 

Mosaicos Dzununcan

Hard-to-find patterns and borders have been Mosaicos Dzununcan’s specialty for more than 30 years. While tiles (a pattern called Cathedral is pictured) are most commonly found in the 20 x 20 size range, they offer tiles from 10 x 10 to a rectangle of 10 x 30.
    Calle 37 318 Col. Monte Alban, Mérida;   999-217-9326  mosaicosdzununcan.com      IG: @mosaicosdzununcan

 

 

Mosaicos Traqui

Another family-owned business, Mosaicos Traqui, always has most of its solid colors and popular patterns in stock. Being able to rely on their quick turnaround time is always nice, especially if you find that you need your tile in a hurry to meet a deadline.  Everything is made onsite in Ucu, just past Caucel on the highway leading to the beach.
    Calle 21 74 between 14 and 16, Ucu, (exit 18 on the Periférco toward Celestún),    999-956-9416  mosaicostraqui.com.mx

Tejas y Talavera

While less common than pasta tile in the Yucatán, Talavera is what most people think of when they say “Mexican tile” — highly glazed with a slightly raised texture. Talavera tiles are a bit more complicated to make. They need 50-90 days to dry and a kiln firing after being dipped, painted and glazed.
    Calle 6 118, Felipe Carrillo Puerto Norte, Mérida,  999-926-3816   tejasytalaveras.com

Ferco Cerámica

Another attractive alternative to pasta and Talavera is porcelain. Ferco offers a beautiful selection of imported tiles. My current favorite is a Roman brick that comes in a variety of colors. One could easily border and supplement these stylish tiles to create panels.
Avenida Líbano at Calle 29, Col. México, Mérida,   999-351-7219    fercoceramica.com.mx