THE FINE ARTS AND INDUSTRY

In the school of San Jose, the Indians soon learned Latin; the teacher was Armando de Bassaico of French origin. Friar Juan Caron gave singing lessons as he played the organ even though he was very old and didn’t speak Nahuatl. As time passed, the school became a real academy from where singers graduated and moved on to sing to all the churches of the Franciscans, to which pupils from the small towns attended. In the same school, Friar Pedro de Gante instituted a department of Fine Arts where images to decorate churches were created. With the help of Friar Samuel, a secular ignorant Italian and first teacher the Indians had the art of embroidering and working with feathers, a new industry was established. Also the young men practiced in the common jobs, mechanical arts shops were established, were the following people worked; stonecutters, shoemakers, ironworkers, tailors, carvers, carpenters and many more.