MEET THE ARTISANS

Enedina Vasquez Cruz

Awards September 2014 -1st place in the State Award Benito Juarez given by the Government in Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca. July 2013- National Pantaleon Pan Duro Award, given by the Government of ...

Eduardo Sanchez Rodriguez

Born and Raised in: Tierra Nueva San Luis Potosí. Birthday: October 13th 1970 I have always been interested in arts in general, but it was since I started to look for my own identity that I decided to start ...

Genoveva Perez Pascual

Genoveva’s main product is this famous doll, which is from Santiago Mexquititlan in the Amealco Municipality, but it is important to note that she is from San Ildefons...

Fidel Martinez Martinez

Fidel Martínez Martínez was born July 26, 1970 in San Bartolo Coyotepec, Oaxaca. He has had his hands in the clay of Oaxaca since he was a young child. He studied under his father and Sra. Ines Martinez Barranco when he was just five years old....

Jessica Yazmin Fuerte Alejo

She was born in Francisco Villa, municipality of Zinepecuaro, Michoacan. She was raised with her grandparents, who taught her traditions and values. She began to create with Feather Work more than 10 years ago, by the means of a workshop that a...

Agustin Cruz Prudencio

Agustin Cruz Prudencio detailed woodcarvings have won him various awards in his home state of Oaxaca, Mexico His work carries on a centuries-old tradition of giving a baby a small carving of their spirit protector. For hundreds of years, woodca...

Agustin Cruz Tinoco

Agustin creates an enormous variety of fanciful figures and objects: saints holding scales of justice, nativities (mounted on a tortoise or placed in a car), seated fishing animal figures, carts, carousels, ferris wheels, and mermaids whose tai...

Manuel Cruz Prudencio

Oaxaca is one of the entities with a wide cultural diversity and rooted traditions that represent the different indigenous groups that inhabit the state, inheritance of a deep and millenarian history. In 1987 the UNESCO declared it cultural herita...

Manuel David Reyes Ramirez

Santo Domingo Yanhuitlan is a small Mixtec pueblo located about an hour-and-a-half north of Oaxaca City, off the Carretera Nacional toll road to Mexico City.      Ceramic artist, sculptor and painter, Manuel Reyes, lives here with his wife ...

Magdalena Pedro Martinez

Dark mud dressed as a proud tehuana, elegant tuxtepecana, smiling mixteca dancer or china oaxaqueña in the hands of Maria Magdalena Pedro Martinez, exceptional ceramic artist of San Bartolo Coyotepec. Coming from an outstanding family of...

Carlomagno Pedro Martinez

Very near San Bartolo Coyotepec, Oaxaca, lies a deposit of clay from which the artisans of the region extract the raw materials of their craft The Zapotec people have worked with burnished clay pottery here for more than 300 years. Carlo...

Roxana y Jesus Hernandez

Jesus Hernandez Torres is an artisan from the village of San Martin Tilcajete Ocotlan, Oaxaca, Mexico; He was born on October 15th of 1977, his parents were Juan Hernandez Cruz and Zoila Torres Perez, he was the 6th kid in...

Maria del Socorro Madrigal ...

I have 28 years working this particular kind of art figures made out of bee wax. My first lessons were in a little course in my hometown, I worked 10 years creating and innovating by myself in my workshop. I decided to improve my techniq...

Taller "Manuel Jimenez"

Oaxaca has kept the tradition of woodcarving since before pre-Hispanic times. The Zapotecs used to carve religious totems and ceremonial masks. Woodcarvers began making religious pieces and masks following the Spanish conquest. The masks were u...

Marco Antonio Miranda Razo

The smell of wax comes from the mud utensils and with heat contact invades the space; it remains in time and arrives at a workshop of a man that found in this material essence the reason of his masters:  Marco Antonio Miranda Razzo, one of the ...

Martin Diaz Manjarrez

Florencia Espinal Ramirez

Florencia Espinal Ramirez was born on February 3rd of 1972 in Santa Cruz, a small town in the state of Guerrero. She decided to move to Olinala, Guerrero when she was just 11 years old. She took that decision driven by her desire of going to Ju...

Vicente Castillo Dionicio

Vicente Castillo Dionicio was born in Olinala, Guerrero, on July 9th of 1967. During his early years, his family had many financial issues, they had a really low income and they were supported by their parent's artisan career, same that he lear...

Leandro Castillo Espinal

He was born on February 27th of 1988, in the small village of Olinala, Gro., Being the oldest of 3 kids in the Castillo Espinal family, one of his first memories are the artesanias (Mexican folk art) and the smell of the linaloe wood. Due to th...

Eustacia Antonio Mendoza

Sitting in a petate (bedroll) or in a small wood bench, with a mecapal (a strip of ixtle fabric to load bundles on the back) on her waist and a loom held on a tree or pole, counting threads and designing diverse clothes in a multicolor mosaic, ...

Josue Eleazar Castro Razo

Josue Eleazar Castro Razo is an artisan that lives in the city of Salamanca, Guanajuato. His taste for cardboard work started in 2011, when he began to take lessons with the master Osvaldo Ruelas Ramirez, this along with his studies in Mechanic...

Osvaldo Ruelas Ramirez

Known artisan and teacher of the city of Salamanca. I started my career as artisan and teacher in 1996 participating in courses and programs, as well as with the government of Salamanca, rescuing public spaces and in the youth attention ...

Pedro Joaquin Beltran Aban

I was born and raised in the municipality of Tekax, Yucatan. For the last 5 years I have fully dedicated myself to the making of artesanias (Mexican folk art) of black mud, lek (Natural small woody container), bones, and nickel silver filigrees...

Rossana Regina Ramirez Pacheco

My name is Rossana Regina Ramirez Pacheco, I was born and raises in Oxkutzcab, Yucatan. I started this business 5 years ago and since I was a little girl I loved to create new, original pieces. I started working with seeds, from making n...

Pedro Mendoza Gutierrez

The master Pedro Mendoza Gutierrez was born in May 4th of 1975 in a small tradition filled community called Teotitlan Del Valle, in Oaxaca Mexico. Pedro Mendoza inherited form his family the fabric tradition, due to this he considers tha...

Arnulfo Xochitiotzin Cocoletzi

He is a great master of the Mexican Popular Art Arnulfo Xochitiotzin Cocoletzi (1969), whom in their natal Contla de Juan Cuamatzi, in the state of Tlaxcala, have been fruit and root of an old cloth tradition of the community. His family...

Gabriel Isidro Perez Rajon

Gabriel Perez Rajon (1978) is a young artisan born in the village of Izamal, Yucatan. Since a few years ago he works passionately with wood: He carves it, polishes and paints it with dedication and effort until he creates perfect pieces, imprin...

Luis Guillermo Olay Barrientos

Art: Straw Art and feather work. Age: 63 years old. Birthday: 02.22.54 Civil Status: Married. Family (Sons and Daughters): Eng. Luis Gerardo Olay Blanco, Eng. Jerzain Antonio Olay Blanco, CPA. Gabriel Esteban Ola...

Omar Fabian Canseco

He was born in the city of Oaxaca, in San Bartolo Coyotepec, pottery town with an important tradition in the prehispanic era. His grandparents were potters and his parents are potters, so he has been involved with the mud trade since he was a l...

Olegario Hernandez Ramirez

Olegario Hernandez Mendoza is from the Pinotepa de Don Luis Distrito de Jamiltepec, Oaxaca. He is dedicated to his craft and to him a gourd is like a sheet of paper where he can draw and let his imagination take flight. Olegario began doing tra...

Alejandro Diaz Nava

My name is Alejandro Diaz Nava, I was born on June 6th of 1976 in the community of Xalitla, municipality of Tepecoacuilco, Guerrero.  My parents are Mr. Bernabe Diaz Remigio and Ines Nava Jimenez, both came from humble families and have ...

Francisco Martinez Espinoza

I was born in Temalacatzingo, Guerrero, Mexico. Since the age of 10 years old I have dedicated myself to the creation of artesanias (Mexican folk art) in maque (lacquer), also to making of power boxes, sewing boxes and bags, dyed with tradition...

Juan Zeferino Rivera

My name is Juan Zeferino Rivera and I am from Puebla de Temalacatzingo, Guerrero, México, on January 10th of 1951. When I was 6 years old I used to clean the guajes or bules (small natural woody containers), jewelers, money boxes, big and small...

Meliton Zeferino Acevedo

I am from Temalacatzingo, a small municipality of Olinala, Guerrero. I started to work in the making of lacquer maque artesanias at the age of 13 years old. I participated in the contest Great Nacimiento Award and my creation was ...

Vilma Sandra Velasco Vasquez

Vilma Sandra’s outstanding abilities were also recognized in most important Contests in Mexico in which she won honorable mention in ceramics. In this remarkable miniature scene, she shares an aspect of her ancestral culture; tiny ...

Marco y Moises Ruiz Sosa

It is traditional to use both dyed and natural corn husks for doll-making. The dolls are sometimes elaborate and decorated by the artist to resemble traditional apparel. Two such artists, Moises and Marco ...

Cecilio Sanchez Fierro

I started my artisan career at the young age of 8 years old. My mom and my dad worked with mud and I was their helper, they were the ones that taught me the trade. What I liked the most was the satisfaction to see the pieces that my siblings cr...

Norma Vazquez Gutierrez

Born and raised on April 9th of 1988 in the locality of San Miguel Aguasuelos, municipality of Naolinco de Victoria in the state of Veracruz. She is a ceramist artisan that began this beautiful trade by watching her mother and playing around wi...

Miguel Angel Vazquez Gutierrez

Pottery artisan of 26 years old, I was born on May 23rd of 1989 in the locality of San Miguel Aguasuelos municipality of Naolinco, Veracruz. At the age of 6 years old I started to play with black mud, I created animals that I used as toys; when...

Carmen Gutierrez Vazquez

Carmen Gutierrez Flores (1973) was born in Landero y Coss, Veracruz, and started her interest in mud when, at 15 years old, she married a man from San Miguel Aguasuelos and moved there. Some of her husband relatives dedicate themselves to the p...

Martin Olivas Quintana

Martin Olivas Quintana is a rising star among the second generation potters of Mata Ortiz. He has won several awards for his work at the annual pottery competitions, and is the nephew of master potter Jorge Quintana. You can see the family rese...

Agustin Jorge Martinez Ramirez

Agustin Martinez has 35 years of experience as an artisan, his work stands out thanks to the pieces made with gold leaf. The career in crafts is a family legacy that nowadays keeps imprinting its seal in each one of the...

Berto Rendon Mancilla

Olinala is a small village located in the mountain region, up to 1,600 meters over the sea, it represents the highest place in the state of Guerrero, place of birth of Don Berto.Its name comes from a Nahuatl word that means "set of the earthqua...

Daniel Franco Perez

My name is Daniel Franco Perez, I am 35 years old and I was born and raised in Olinala, Guerrero. I dedicate myself to de creation and making of artesanias (Mexican folk art). I am passionate about my work and through it I have the opportunity to ...

Maricela Gomez Lopez

She was born in 1974 in the Mixtec Village of YUCUDAHUICO YANHUITLAN, OAX. In 2003 she started her career using mud as her primary element. In 2004 she imparted ceramic lessons with mixteca Alta Tlaxiaco. Sh...

Hector Gallegos Martinez

Artist Statement I think I am very lucky to do what I like and to be involved in the art world. My style is different to the traditional Mata Ortiz pottery; I usually work on etched designs, drawing stories of our...

Laura Bugarini Cota

Laura was born on March 4th of 1979 in Juan Mata Ortiz, a municipality of Casas Grandes Chihuahua, she was the daughter of Guadalupe Cota and Don Pablo Bugarini. She began making pots when she was only 14 years old, she learn the trade from her...

Martin Ibarra Morales

A small town in Jalisco is home to Martin Ibarra. He lives across the street from the town’s sixteenth century church whose lofty wall surrounds the colonial structure. Often you will see colorful balls, earthenware virgenes, engraved with geom...

Angel Aguilar Nicolas

We are a lapidary workshop. We are distinguished for working with obsidian rock in original ways, both in medium and small figures, as well as sculpture and abstract creations. When I was 14 years old, I was in my second year of Junior High in ...

Oscar David Manzanero Brito

Filigree jewelry brand 100% handmade by the artisan master Oscar Manzanero. He is well known by his amazing filigree creations, Oscar Manzanero has participated in many national fairs with great acceptance and success in his work. Curren...

Olivia Dominguez Renteria

Olivia Dominguez Renteria was born in 1971 in the small village of Mata Ortiz, near the ancient ruins of Casas Grande in the northern part of Chihuahua. This is where Juan Quezada, the self-taught originator of Mata Ortiz pottery, first started...

Martin, Gerardo & Juan Carl...

Although Victoriano Salgado Morales has passed away, his legacy lives on through his family. He was one of Mexico's premier mask carvers whose masks were synonymous with the regional dances of Uruapan, Michoacán where he was born. Folk ...

Ricardo Calderon Aguilera

High temperature and glassed potter master. He has over 40 years of experience devoted to obtain the basis of an excellent piece. He tells that he learned the job from his parents and now is teaching it to his heirs. Di...