News — pottery

Who makes this beautiful pottery? 

If you’ve ever bought a piece of pottery from Mexico By Hand and received a personal message from me asking how your order arrived…here’s why. We are emotionally invested in every piece we buy from Mexican artisans, so it’s a fulfillment of our vision and intent to get the pieces to you, and for it to be a great experience. Everything we bring in from Mexico is packed by us (Doug and me) and that takes a lot of doing right there. Over the years, acquiring packing material has been really challenging, believe or not. We’ve spent hours going to...

Almost every buying trip to Mexico includes at least one event that I couldn't have anticipated, no matter how much I prepared. Some are lovely surprises, and others are downright sad. When it was time to confirm my visit with the artisans of Capula, I received a message from Ines, the young woman who was making mezcal cups and cazuelitas for us. She told me she wasn't able to finish my order because her sister just died. Not only was the sudden and mysterious death of her 42 year old sister a shock and a tragedy, but Maria Georgina was...

Artisans in Capula sell thousands of quickly produced pieces like the ones in these photos every week (cazuelas, bean pots, plates and bowls) because it’s traditional and VERY inexpensive. What a lot of people don’t realize is that there are artisans in Capula who create similar pottery for cooking and serving food, pero es otra cosa--it's a whole other thing. Their work is definitely not ordinary, and “charming” doesn’t even begin to describe it.

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.