A crowd of people gathered outside a white and red church with a bell tower, under a partly cloudy sky and surrounded by trees.
A crowd of people wearing face masks outdoors, some wearing hooded clothing.
Houses built on a hillside, framed by leafless tree branches, under a mostly clear blue sky with some clouds.
Crowd of people wearing cowboy hats and other head coverings at an outdoor event, with trees and a blurry background.
Group of women sitting outdoors, wearing masks, and dressed in traditional clothing, participating in a community gathering.
A group of people wearing face masks gathered outdoors in a discussion or protest, some holding papers.
Electrical utility pole with tangled wires, trees, and overcast sky in background.
Close-up of a woven circular pattern made from natural straw or grass, with a person's hand holding the woven piece. The background is dark and blurry.
An elderly woman with dark hair tied back, wearing a brown shawl, weaves a palm frond in a dimly lit hut with thatched roof walls, surrounded by bundles of similar plant materials.
A person wearing a black and white patterned headscarf and garment, looking downward, sitting against a textured brown wall.
Landscape of lush green mountains with a winding road and small water bodies, under a cloudy sky.
Interior of a rustic shelter with drying plant material hanging from the ceiling, a wooden chair, and scattered objects on the ground.
A woman with dark hair in a bun, wearing hoop earrings and a black and red floral shawl, looking downward against a blurred, light-colored background.
A woman kneeling inside a rustic room, holding a woven basket filled with long palm leaves, with beige fabric and stone walls around her.
Road leading into a hillside town with a green sign reading Tlamacazapa, surrounded by dry bushes and sparse trees.
An elderly woman is holding a block of yellow soap in a rustic kitchen with a brick wall, while a young girl in an apron pours liquid from a jug into a basin in the background.
An elderly person with dirty fingernails holding an open magazine with black and white photographs and text, standing near a table with more magazines.
An elderly woman with gray hair and a blue polka-dot dress stands behind a table filled with decorated Christmas candles, holding her hand over her chest and looking thoughtful.
Close-up of hands cutting a large block of white cheese with a knife, with additional cheese blocks in the background.
A potted cactus plant outside a building with sunlight and shadows. Inside the dark doorway, a person is working or organizing items.
An elderly woman standing outside on a cobblestone street in front of a textured wall and a wooden bench, wearing a dark blue polka-dot blouse and a blue apron.
A barren desert scene with two leafless thorny bushes covered in large white shells, and broken wooden furniture on sandy ground.
Hands washing a large brown object, possibly a root or vegetable, in a blue plastic bucket filled with water. There are other buckets nearby, one black and one green, with water and vegetables inside.
Close-up of several dark-colored pipes hanging upside down. The background looks like a brick wall.
A row of black incense sticks hanging from a wooden rack against a brick wall.
An elderly woman smiling while holding a tall stick with a large cluster of colorful artificial roses attached to it. She is wearing a dark blue patterned blouse and a blue skirt, standing in a supportive background with yellow and metal bars.
An elderly woman with gray hair standing behind vertical strings, with a contemplative expression indoors, in a rustic setting with wooden walls and various household items in the background.
Three large, tall candles hanging from the ceiling in front of a brick wall, two orange and one white.
Stacks of large blocks of yellow cheese stored on wooden pallets inside a rustic cellar or storage room.
An elderly woman smiling and holding a melting coconut shell bowl with liquid, pouring it through a metal rod structure.
An elderly woman with gray hair, wearing a dark shirt with blue polka dots, is raising her arm while holding a string or thread. She is inside a rustic room with blurred background items and brick walls.
Close-up of a person holding a shell cup with dark liquid, wearing work clothes with paint stains, standing near vertical strings or threads.
A smiling woman in traditional Mexican attire holding a terracotta bowl in a craft shop with shelves of pottery behind her.
A desert landscape with rows of agave plants, dry soil, and a mountain range in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
A smiling woman in traditional Mexican attire holding a clay olla outside in front of a brick wall.
A purple house with two arched windows, one with curtains, and a clothesline with a black shirt hanging, under a clear blue sky. There is a large pile of firewood on the roof.
Hands of a person shaping clay on a spinning wheel, with a colorful cloth nearby.
A woman wearing a colorful floral face mask and traditional blouse grinds ingredients into a stone mortar and pestle in a kitchen with purple walls.
An elderly woman with a blue headscarf sitting on a blue plastic chair inside a small room, looking at her phone, with red brick walls visible outside the doorway.
Stacks of dark ceramic bowls, cups, plates, and mugs in a pottery workshop.
A man wearing glasses and a blue work shirt pours liquid ceramic into a mold in a workshop.
A man wearing glasses working on a dirty, round object in a workshop.
A tabby cat curled up and sleeping in a wooden bowl on a rustic wooden surface.
An outdoor brick and concrete fireplace with a chimney, shaded by tree branches, with ash and debris at the base.
A person shaping a clay bowl on a spinning pottery wheel, with hands covered in clay.
Hands working with clay or pottery on a molding wheel, with ceramic bowls in the background.
Line of clay pottery bowls with dark rims on a long table in a workshop setting.
Collection of colorful clay sculptures of various people, including women and men, some with traditional clothing and accessories, arranged outdoors with trees and a partly cloudy sky in the background.
Two clay pots with carved faces, one male with a mustache and the other female with detailed hair, sitting on a light surface with a textured background.
Elderly man with a mustache and beard, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, purple shirt, and red sash, holding a small piece of bread in his hands.
An elderly man with a gray mustache and beard, wearing a large brown wide-brimmed hat, a purple shirt, and a black scarf. He sits on a blue chair, holding a piece of bread in his left hand, with a thoughtful look, gazing upward. The background is rustic with sacks and wooden structures.
Multiple clay pots with narrow necks and small spouts arranged on a floor or table.
Person holding a large, unfinished ceramic vessel with multiple spouts, resembling a mold or sculptural ceramic piece.
Woman standing inside a cluttered workshop or storage room, looking at her phone, surrounded by bags, pottery, and various objects.
A woman stands in a pottery workshop with shelves of clay pottery and dishes around her, wearing a black apron and a green shirt, with hands in her pockets.
Mexico
Growing up, Mexico was what I now know as a place that is completely misunderstood. Any American or Canadian will tell you it’s paradise, but in a overblown shopping mall kind of way. Fancy bag and shoe stores cut along a strip of god-awful chain restaurants and bars filled with debauchery and delirium. I broke that curse when I set foot to Oaxaca and Chiapas in 2014.
It’s a lot to unpack - a narrative you’ve known your whole life from afar that ends up being this toxic legacy that is quintessentially a 90s American trope. And now after experiencing it for some time, it will always remain in my heart. I might move there someday.
BIENVENIDO. The sign that greets you at every airport. As I broke through the storefront displays into the country I immediately discovered Mexican people are exceptionally warm. They open their homes and hearts to you as if it’s in their nature to do so, and you feel it. During a post-covid bout, I was lucky to travel with Obakki to witness these wonderful artisans across multiple regions do what they do best - make - with their hands. In Guerrero, palm is stripped and woven into all kinds of beautiful baskets and vessels. In Querertero, gorgeous woven chandeliers and wall hangings show incredible intricate detail. And in Oaxaca, where all the ceramic magic happens we were introduced to some fascinating characters, including Jose Garcia, a blind ceramacist who’s famously made his wife’s face on a planter for 20 years to remember what she looks like.
Lastly, one of my favorite artistans we encountered is Vivanna, an 87 year old candemaker who has been doing it since she was 16. Everything she makes is by hand. She cares about the craft, and not money and her story is remarkable. Read about her in depth here.
When you see all the heart and soul poured into pieces like this there’s no question that the epitomy of culture is created out of circumstance and often that craft is passed down from generation to generation. To me, this is why Mexico is such a misunderstood part of the world - now run off and see it for yourself!