The mosaic technique using broken ceramic tiles that Gaudí popularized is trencadís.
The Catalan word trencadís means “broken up” and describes mosaics assembled from irregular shards of ceramic tiles, crockery, and sometimes other materials. Unlike classical mosaics, whose tesserae are usually cut into regular shapes, trencadís embraces fragments with uneven edges and varied colors.
Gaudí and his collaborator Josep Maria Jujol made the technique a defining feature of Catalan Modernisme. Its fragments were especially useful on curved or irregular surfaces, where whole tiles would be difficult to fit. Park Güell is its most famous showcase, including the colorful salamander and the long serpentine bench, while Casa Batlló also uses it across parts of its façade and roof.
A common confusion is calling every mosaic “trencadís.” The term specifically emphasizes broken, nonuniform ceramic or tile pieces. Pique assiette is a related, broader term for mosaics made from broken household ceramics, but trencadís is the canonical Catalan term associated with Gaudí’s work.