The Philippines’ most active volcano is showing signs of 41 . Mount Mayon, located in the eastern Philippines, has been sending huge chunks of lava 42 down its slopes in a gradual eruption that could soon turn colossal. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has warned that a “hazardous eruption” of the volcano is possible within just a few weeks. Mayon has erupted 50 times in the 43 500 years. An eruption in 1993 caused 79 deaths, 44 subsequent eruptions forced thousands of people in nearby villages to evacuate. The most 45 volcanic eruption was in 1813, when the entire town of Cagsawa was wiped out. “We are praying that it would not be the worst-case scenario,” said Herbie Aguas, mayor Santo Domingo, one of the villages closest to the volcano.

     In general, the influence of Anglo patrons has been much less pronounced on Hispanic arts than on American Indian arts. The art forms practiced by the early Hispanics were shaped largely from resources they found in their natural environment. Using native woods such as aspen or pine, paints derived from natural pigments, and other local materials, they created utilitarian goods and religious objects to adorn their homes and churches. The Hispanic crafts revival was confined to a much shorter period of time: beginning in the early 1920’s, reaching its peak in the late 1930’s, and dying down by World War II, less than 20 years. During this period, in spite of the enthusiasm of the wealthy Anglo patrons in northern New Mexico, Hispanic crafts never “caught on” nationally in the way American Indian crafts did. Interest was fairly well limited to the Southwest and Southern California, the areas in which the Adobe hacienda revival was taking place. The major interest in Hispanic crafts was as furnishing for these comfortable Southwestern-style adobe homes. These crafts were not, as were American Indian crafts, viewed as valuable art objects in themselves purchased with an eye for speculation. Hispanic arts to a great degree have been ignored by the speculative Anglo art market.

     A beneficial consequence of this oversight is that the artisans have been freer to work according to their own standards and within their own traditions. Ranging from carved images of saints, furniture and textiles, to works in tin, iron, silver and straw, the art of the Spanish colonial era remains the art of many families who have practiced the traditional techniques for generations. Meanwhile, other contemporary Hispanic artists have carried the artistic legacy of their ancestors to new levels of excellence by working in more modern media including sculpture, photography, painting, jewelry, literature and more that reflect the ongoing evolution of Hispanic arts and culture. Though modern and contemporary, their work has not been “emptied of previous vital meanings” and become a meaningless revival, as has so much ethnic art of this day. Rather it has remained as an object of cultural pride and identity and not simply the product of the tastes and demands of art market.