shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileMexico

in the high valley west of Mexico City

Toluca de Lerdo

Name: Toluca de Lerdo — on ceramic tile, by WenderVista
Brand: WenderVista

— — a city in the shadow of a sleeping volcano.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.

— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand

— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines

— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall

— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround

— a note from the studio

“The highest state capital in Mexico, lifted to 2,667 metres in a wide valley below the Nevado de Toluca. The Cosmovitral botanical garden holds the largest stained-glass mural in the world under a 1933 iron frame. Wednesdays and Fridays bring the Mercado Juárez, a Matlatzinca market trail that has run for centuries. The volcano sits forty kilometres south, snowfields some winters, dry crater the rest of the year.

from the studio

— bring it home

Toluca de Lerdo, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?

One tile — square or rectangle.

How big?

the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand

6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb

Surface finish

A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.

How it sits

A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.

$58

Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.

— size

6 × 6 in

15 cm

— weighs

1.6 lb

solid in the hand

— surface

ceramic, hand-finished

art rests beneath a thin glossy finish

— from

Knoxville, TN

our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies

— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Toluca de Lerdo

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.

— the place

Toluca de Lerdo is the capital of the State of Mexico and the highest state capital in the country, sitting at 2,667 metres above sea level. The 2020 census recorded the municipal population at 910,608, and the wider metropolitan area near 2.4 million, making it the fifth-largest urban area in Mexico. The city lies about 70 kilometres west of Mexico City on Federal Highway 15, with the Nevado de Toluca, a dormant stratovolcano peaking at 4,680 metres, rising directly to the south.

— informed by Wikipedia

— the light

The Cosmovitral Jardín Botánico occupies a former 1933 covered market designed by architect Manuel Arratia in Art Nouveau iron framing. Between 1975 and 1980, artist Leopoldo Flores led seventy-five glaziers in fitting 3,200 square metres of stained glass into the walls and roof, depicting the Hombre Sol, the duality of light and dark, and the cosmovision of pre-Hispanic Mexico. The interior holds more than four hundred plant species from across the country. Morning light through the eastern glass colours the floor red, gold, and deep cobalt for about an hour after opening.

— informed by Cosmovitral

— the air

At 2,667 metres, Toluca is colder than Mexico City across the year and carries a long highland winter. December and January nights regularly drop below freezing, with morning frost on the lawns of the Plaza de los Mártires. Daytime highs hold between 18 and 22°C across most of the year. The Nevado de Toluca, called Xinantécatl by the Matlatzinca, peaks at 4,680 metres about 27 kilometres south of the city centre, with two crater lakes named Sol and Luna sitting at 4,200 metres on its summit caldera.

— informed by Nevado de Toluca

— where

Mexico · Toluca de Lerdo, Estado de México

— elevation

2,667 m · 8,750 ft

— position

19.2826° N · 99.6557° W

— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.

at the lake

Cosmovitral Jardín Botánico

stained-glass garden

at the lake

Plaza de los Mártires

civic plaza

27 km S

Nevado de Toluca

stratovolcano

1 km E

Mercado Juárez

Wednesday-Friday market

at the lake

Catedral de Toluca

cathedral

Toluca de Lerdo

Cosmovitral Jardín Botánico

Plaza de los Mártires

Nevado de Toluca

Mercado Juárez

Catedral de Toluca

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Toluca de Lerdo — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

Toluca lies in the State of Mexico, about 70 kilometres west of Mexico City along Federal Highway 15. It is the state capital and sits at 2,667 metres above sea level in the Valle de Toluca.

At 2,667 metres above sea level, Toluca is higher than every other state capital in Mexico, including Mexico City. The Valle de Toluca is one of the highest sustained urban valleys in North America.

The Cosmovitral is a botanical garden housed in a 1933 Art Nouveau iron pavilion. Between 1975 and 1980, artist Leopoldo Flores fitted 3,200 square metres of stained glass into its walls and roof.

The Nevado de Toluca is a dormant stratovolcano peaking at 4,680 metres, about 27 kilometres south of the city. Two crater lakes called Sol and Luna sit at 4,200 metres inside its summit caldera.

November through April brings dry cool days with highs around 20°C and crisp nights. The rainy season runs June through September. Winter mornings can bring frost in the city and snow on the Nevado.

The Mercado Juárez is Toluca's traditional Wednesday and Friday market, descending from a pre-Hispanic Matlatzinca trade route. Stalls sell chorizo verde, queso oaxaqueño, alegrías, and the mole rojo Toluca is known for across central Mexico.

— about the piece in your home

Toluca holds a strong identity inside the State of Mexico, with deep Matlatzinca and colonial roots. A Small or Medium with a handwritten studio note carries well for displaced mexiquenses and their families.

The cool highland blues and Cosmovitral colours sit easily in Mexican Modernist, Jewel-tone Maximalist, and Warm Eclectic rooms. The piece reads well in a dining room or a hallway with deep wood.

Yes. Place-specific art rooted in the State of Mexico is a steady current in mexiquense and diaspora homes. This piece names Toluca rather than a generic Mexican motif, which gives a room a clear origin.

Above a sofa, a single Large at sixteen inches or a four-tile Mural at thirty-two inches reads from across the room. A nine-tile Mural suits a tall wall above a long console.

Yes. The Dura Satin or Matte finish handles humid and splash-prone walls, including showers and backsplashes. The colour stays in the ceramic surface beneath a thin protective layer rather than sitting on top.

A soft microfibre cloth with water is enough for routine cleaning. For heavier residue, a drop of mild dish soap on a damp cloth works. Skip abrasive pads and ammonia-based sprays.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is painted in our studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. No images are licensed in. Reid Wender is the curator and chooses each place that enters the line.

— if this one stayed with you

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