co ▁de ▁Qu iro ga ▁in ▁Mich o ac an ▁and ▁various ▁met als ▁by ▁Pedro ▁de ▁G ante ▁in ▁Mexico ▁City ▁. ▁and ▁eventually ▁ind igen ous ▁craft s men ▁competed ▁with ▁European ▁ones . ▁Most ▁of ▁Mexican ▁colonial ▁metal ▁work ▁copied ▁that ▁in ▁Spain , ▁which ▁was ▁Goth ic ▁in ▁style ▁and ▁later ▁Renaissance . ▁These ▁styles ▁eventually ▁defined ▁the ▁hand craft ▁work ▁of ▁areas ▁such ▁as ▁O ax aca , ▁Z ac ate cas , ▁Dur ango , ▁San ▁Luis ▁Pot os í ▁and ▁Gu an aju ato ▁. ▁▁▁ ▁However , ▁after ▁the ▁Con quest , ▁the ▁making ▁of ▁j ew el ry ▁in ▁Mexico ▁nearly ▁disappeared , ▁with ▁pre cious ▁met als ▁sh ipped ▁to ▁Spain . ▁Only ▁after ▁ 1 5 5 1 , ▁with ▁the ▁establishment ▁of ▁a ▁Mexican ▁upper ▁class , ▁did ▁this ▁return ▁slowly . ▁At ▁first ▁Spanish ▁craft s men ▁arrived ▁to ▁work ▁European ▁methods ▁including ▁fil ig ree , ▁rep ouss é ▁and ▁ch asing , ▁eng ra ving ▁and ▁the ▁inc rust ation ▁of ▁pre cious ▁stones . ▁But ▁during ▁the ▁colonial ▁period , ▁these ▁craft s men ▁never ▁reached ▁the ▁level ▁of ▁their ▁contempor aries ▁in ▁Europe . ▁Ind igen ous ▁craft s men ▁were ▁re leg ated ▁in ▁this ▁area ▁to ▁producing ▁che aper ▁j ew el ry ▁with ▁less er ▁met als . ▁ ▁One ▁exception ▁to ▁the ▁relative ▁lack ▁of ▁pre cious ▁metal ▁work ▁was ▁that ▁in ▁silver , ▁which ▁became ▁more ▁important ▁over ▁the ▁colonial ▁period