A Black Pottery Storm

August, 2012 - We are traveling in the state of Oaxaca, in southern Mexico, looking for unique artisan crafts for Chiripa.  August is the rainy season in this mountainous area.

It is late afternoon when the old bus drops us at the village of San Bartolo de Coyotepec.  From the main road we walk to the Doña Rosa pottery workshop.  Doña Rosa, a Zapotec woman, created a special black pottery process for which Oaxaca is world famous.  Although Doña Rosa is long deceased, her pottery tradition lives on.

Dark clouds threaten as we enter the workshop, and thunder rolls through the valley.  The first raindrops splatter tentatively in the dust.  Then the sky gives way, and the rain pounds the earth. 

Rain Falls at the Pottery Workshop

We wander in comfort under the tile roof, sidestepping leaks and listening to the hypnotic splash of water in the courtyard.  We have the place to ourselves, and with the storm raging we are in no hurry to leave.  We take time to select our favorite pieces for Chiripa.  The prices are reasonable, as you will see.  We arrange for packing and shipping, then wait for the rain to relent.  When the storm lets up a bit, we make a run for the bus stop.

We try to jump the muddy stream that is now rolling down the street, but we fall short and go in over our shoes.  A bicyclist pedals downstream, leaving a wake behind him.  By the time we reach the main road we are drenched.  Fortunately, a bus from the villages to the south is just pulling up.  We wave it down, and straggle aboard.  We ask the fare, but the driver just waves us in.  We can pay later, he says.

Pedaling Downstream

Friendly passengers in well-worn clothing nod a greeting as we bump down the aisle.  The driver grinds through the gears, and the bus roars toward the city of Oaxaca.  A crucifix swings from the rearview mirror. - JM

Fine Food and Fantastic Crafts

From the log kept by JM on the Feb/March 2010 Chiripa buying trip.

March 2, 2010.  This morning we traveled south to the villages of San Bartolo Coyotepec, San Martin Tilcajete, and Ocotlan. We picked up a good selection of Oaxacan black pottery at the Dona Rosa workshop in San Bartolo, where Dona Rosa's son still presides. 

Dona Rosa was, of course, the woman who discovered the technique for making the famous shiny black pottery (you can find it at Chiripa) and a piece or two online.

In Ocotlan, we stopped at the tiny home workshop of the famous Guillermina Aguilar, where we picked out as many clay figures as we could carry. 

But the main event was in San Martin Tilcajete, where we met Jacobo and Maria Angeles for breakfast at their restaurant, Azucena Zapoteca (Zapotec Lily). The day was already hot, but there was a cool breeze under the veranda. Jacobo and Maria offered us a spectacular array of traditional Zapotec and Mexican dishes. The food was fabulous, and the presentation reflected Maria's artistic touch (Rick Bayless take note!).

 The restaurant, magical as it was, was just a prelude to the workshop. Jacobo and Maria are among the most highly regarded artisans in all of Mexico producing exquisitely carved and painted alebrijes that are in great demand by collectors throughout the world.

Jacobo and Maria with a lion in progress March 2010.

The carved wooden animals have an uncanny lifelike but abstract quality, and the painting--well, you must see it to believe it: elegant designs are executed in unbelievably minute and precise detail, using traditional Zapotec motifs and stunning natural colors. The colors are from natural ingredients grown in the Oaxacan countryside. You can see some beautiful examples at Chiripa. 

We also hope to bring Jacobo to Madison in October, so you can meet this great artist (and wonderful human being) in person.