How did the Mexican bed come to Britain?
Perhaps one of the strangest events in furniture retail in Britain is the question of how Mexican furniture, from a country with no strong historical, geographical or cultural links with Britain should have become so immensely popular. In searching for answers to this mystery, perhaps one of the best places to begin is by considering the history of both countries. Mexico is the country immediately to the south of the USA was originally populated and governed by civilisations such as the Olmec, the Maya and the Aztecs (none of whom had what we would recognise as Mexican beds!). Then, in 1521, Mexico became a colony of Spain. This situation lasted for the next 300 years until Mexico became independent in 1821.
It is not surprising, after three hundred years of colonial rule, that Mexico had inherited many of its cultural influences from Spain. This included obvious signs such as language and less obvious elements such as a similarity in the style of furniture - perhaps even a strong Spanish influence on the design of Mexican beds. Studying Spanish Colonial furniture certainly shows many similarities to that of Mexican furniture. In Mexico, the styling was embellished and adapted with, for example, the use of large exposed metal fittings designed to show off the metalworking skills of local craftsmen.
In 1821 Mexico regained its independence. At this time its territories included Texas, California, Wyoming, Idaho, Oklahoma, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado but of course during the 19th Century these were all lost to the USA. The 19th Century must have been a bad one for Mexico (!) because then, in the 1860s it was once again invaded and colonised, this time by France.
Mexican, Spanish – or French-style furniture?
The relevance of this to our story is that it establishes a strong historical link between Mexico, Spain and other European countries. An interesting point is that the French influence may explain the fashion for Mexican furniture at one time to have been painted. Agreed, what we recognize today as Mexican furniture is not painted but, according to an American researcher, this might have come about due more to a misunderstanding than anything else.
During the 18th and 19th Centuries, furniture styles such as Rococo and Louis XIV meant that it was fashionable for furniture to be painted. Not just in white, but in a host of different colours including reds and blues. The American research shows that this style of painting furniture was also common in Mexico – possibly as a result of the now French colonial influence? It is feasible that Mexican beds at this time might or could have appeared in white, red, or even blue colour finishes.
With the passage of time however, the painted furniture grew old and was replaced. Many householders, like their counterparts the world over, simply put the old furniture in any convenient place, which was often just outside on a veranda or in a lean to shed. The dry Mexican climate would have preserved this discarded furniture (oh how different from our glorious British summers!) and the combined effects of sun and wind would have sandblasted off old paintwork and bleached the timbers.
As result of this, by the 1950s when American tourists began travelling in Mexico they would have found antique local furniture in a distressed, bare wood state. Believing to be the ‘traditional’ Mexican style, argues the researcher, they then bought it to furnish their own homes back in the USA.
This is a plausible explanation of how Mexican beds arrived in the United States of America although it still does not explain the popularity of the style in the UK. The external influences on Britain’s furniture styles would have come from its European neighbours and from its own colonies, dependencies’, protectorates and so forth. This would perhaps explain African or Indian influences on furniture but, apart from the Bahamas, British Honduras, British Guiana and the West Indies, Britain had almost no historical connections with Mexico.
The American cultural influence on Britain
There are at least two plausible explanations for Mexican furniture in Britain. The first of these is what might be termed American cultural influence. Ever since the GIs appeared in Britain during the Second World War, American products such as chewing gum, nylon stockings and Cocoa Cola were all enthusiastically adopted by British consumers. It is possible that, especially with the spread of television and film, that American-style furniture would have become a logical extension to the trend.
The other possible explanation involves the introduction of cheap air travel and the overseas package holiday to Britain in the 1960s. For the first time, many ordinary people could go abroad on holiday and many did, especially to Spain. It is not impossible to imagine that many found their exotic surroundings so appealing that they wanted to try and recreate the look in their own homes on returning to Britain.
Some credibility is lent to this theory by the fact that many British-built bungalows of the 1970s had features more in keeping with Spanish or Mexican architectural styles than British styling. Spanish furniture styles were similar to that of Mexican and any shrewd furniture importer would have taken matters on from there - hence a UK market for Mexican beds!