Pottery and Alebrijés

Today we are with the Aguilar family to see how they make pottery in their home. Her only tools are; the clay she dug up out the ground this morning, some sand, water, an old corn cob and broken piece of dried gourd to help shape it, an old piece of leather to help smooth it, and a big fire as a kiln.
The guys in our group are such charmers with the ladies. Michael is speaking Spanish to the daughters of the Aguilar family who a first peered at us from behind railings, then after a few cookies from Celeste, they were coaxed down. They followed us to the bus to say good-bye.

One of our professors, an anthropologist from University of Oregon took us to a town she knew. The families make COMALES. A flat open plate that you cook on. When they have more time they make other fanciful creatures, bowls plates, vases etc. As we drove by all the people in the fields were elderly. There are no men in the town in their 20's to 60's. One of the sadder things about Mexico is the men have all left to go look for work in America. In Mexico there are whole towns without men, or towns without anyone at all. While we were at the market of Tlacolula, we saw all the women waiting on line at the bank window to pick up money sent from America. So back home here, they do what they can to help make ends meet.

Well by now you know we don't drive on paved roads. We are going to a little village outside of Tlacolula, which is a small town outside of Oaxaca.
Here's the shed for cooking and storing the clay, it's in the main courtyard of the property. Angie has to duck to get out, the mule is to the eft, chickens and dogs are running around. A lovely domestic chaotic scene.
Dr. Stephanie Wood, our fearless leader tries to communicate with the woman under the bundle of we-don't-know-what. Every shot in this town makes you feel like a photographer for National Geographic.
A sample of the Aguilar family pottery.
Always a tough decision to get home again, Shall I take the bull...
or shall I take the bus? Notice the paving on the road, it's only in front of the church. If you scroll back to where the lady is walking with the big green bundle and whee the bulls are, that is the end of the paved road, a few feet away.

Pottery has been around for millenia, but alebrijés has been around only since the 1950's. There have been arguments on both sides, "is it art?". My stand is if someone made it and they call it art, then it's art. However, if 150 families in Arrazola make it and they all make the same turtle with a day-glow daisy on its back then it's not art, it's a souvenir. Today we did see one family who in my opinion were beating their own drum. The colors were earthy and muted, the designs were of pictographs and glyphs. The animals were more indigenous. I have to say penguins and giraffes in the Oaxaca Valley...I don't think so! I asked where they get their inspiration and he answered from tv and books. If it is not coming from themselves and their own experience they are missing the point of being an artist.

Of course you start with a macheté on a green piece of Copal wood. The people in this valley have over farmed the wood and had to go to a neighboring area. Those people were not happy about this. A botanist came recently and taught them how to reforest. If the wood is green it's soft to carve, the older the wood (once it's cut down) the harder it gets.
Bandolin is now whittling. He uses a regular mat knife to work on the wings for his "Day of the Dead" flying angel.
I'm holding his flying angel. There are 15 families involved in this non-profit co-op to make and sell alebrijés. 5% of what they earn goes back to planting more Copal trees. It's a total family affair. Men carve, women paint the designs and children help out where they can also.

Here's a collection from one family.