News

QUESTION: What do you give the person who has everything?

ANSWER: Something beautiful made by some who has next to nothing.

When that gift you purchase helps to sustain a family, a culture, and the Earth, then we can all smile. I'm talking about sustainable crafts made by indigenous Mexican artisans.

Mexico By Hand has been buying hammered copper vases in Santa Clara del Cobre, Michoacán since we started in 2004. But it wasn’t until a decade later that we received our first order for a copper cazo. In case you aren't familiar, cazos are essentially large cooking pots with handles and without a lid-- very traditional in Mexico for cooking a variety of foods over an open fire. Cazos are most known for cooking carnitas, but they’re also good for making candy and jam because copper conducts heat so well. It turns out that some farmers in the U.S. (as well as Australia) have discovered...

It’s been raining gatos y perros in California, or as they say in Michoacán— lloviendo a cántaros (raining buckets). We’re very lucky at my house to have views of trees and ferns, so it’s not a totally gray scene as we gaze out our windows in search of blue skies. But now during this wet winter I especially appreciate our colorful walls and Mexican folk art that have created a cheerful space— despite the dreary weather. As someone who is happier when the sun is shining, I understand that many people feel depressed or lethargic when experiencing weeks or months...

A new children's book by Mexico By Hand's founder Peggy Stein. Mila's Mask/ La Máscara de Mila is the story of a little girl in the United States who spends a great deal of time at her grandparent's house which is full of colorful Mexican folk art.