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Artemio Navarrete

Artemio Navarrete (???? – ????) A native of Iguala, Mexico, in 1931, he moved to Taxco to assist William Spratling (“The Father of Mexican Silver”) launch Spratling’s workshop, Taller de Las Delicias. Much younger than Spratling, Navarret began as the sole silversmith producing silver jewelry from designs Spratling created at his kitchen table.

Spratling, a silver designer but not a silversmith, created his business model based on the apprentice system. Navarret was joined in Spratling’s workshop by Alfonso Mondragon (also from Iguala.)

These two masters taught Spratling the basics of silversmithing. The jewelry was initially made using silver from melting silver peso coins. The Castillo brothers who were also Spratling apprentices learned their skills by observing Navarret and Mondragon make silver jewelry.

It was Navarret who began to organize the local, Taxco artisans. By 1933 Spratling had two maestros and more than a dozen apprentices in his up and coming business with Navarret one of the two jéfes.

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