I love these simple pots that these two young women in Mata Ortiz are producing. I mistakenly got away without writing down their names. Their Dad is Efrain Lucero and they live at the south end of the main drag in Mata.

These young women really seem to enjoy what they do...and these lizard pots are a specialty of theirs.

The finished product...amazing!

1. Copper Canyon is so huge.

It is hard to get your mind around how vast this place is...several canyons deeper and bigger than our Grand Canyon.

2. The Rarámuri or Tarahumara- the indigenous people.

My little friend "Once" from Carichic- one of the some 70,000 Raramuri in the Sierra Nevadas- truly a "people apart".

3. The train through Copper Canyon- CHEPE.

This amazing railway stretches across the rugged Copper Canyon and includes 37 bridges and 86 tunnels.

4. The little towns – the heart of rural Chihuahua.

The main dreg of the tiny village of Cuiteco- one that few tourists ever visit or even notice.

5. History and lore abound in Copper Canyon.

The old church in Cerocahui- the mission dates to the late 1500s.

6. Adventure travel options abound in Copper Canyon.

Copper Canyon has ziplines, rock climbing, horse riding, hiking...and some of the best remote swimming holes on the planet.

7. The food in Chihuahua is unique- very different from other parts of Mexico.

One of the great dishes of the Sierras- Agua Chile- more shrimp than you can finish!

8. The Mata Ortiz pottery…a true treasure of the Sierra Madres!

Juan Quezada with Dave Hensleigh in his studio at Mata Ortiz.

9. Oh the view from those ridges in Copper Canyon!

The views go on forever in this amazing place.

10. Our team of local Mexican guides there can give you the best in a Copper Canyon tour.

Alfredo Murillo...the fave of many of our Copper Canyon guests.

So join us soon in this majestic place!

Call Dave today at 217.369.9897 or email davehensleigh@gmail.com to get on board.

Near the plaza in Casas Grandes, the MacCallums have several historic adobes they’ve restored and furnished with local antiques as part of a conservation effort to preserve some of the old aspect of the town. To help carry the project, they offer extended-stay rentals and sometimes can accommodate shorter-term guests. This place is perfect for our small group trips as they emerge from Copper Canyon and the Sierra Madres.

One house, La Casa del Nopal, resembles a small hacienda. With wireless Internet, library/lecture room, and overflow space nearby, it lends itself to small business retreats, academic conferences, and workshops. Another houses has a large, semi-subterranean, secret room from the mid-nineteenth century, built to hide women and children when the Apaches attacked. Each of these old adobes gives the feeling of walking into the nineteenth century, and someone is usually on hand to give a free, informal tour.

Several of the rooms feature woodwork by Roberto Hernandez. Here is what the Mata Ortiz Calendar says about his work:

A tradition of fine woodworking runs back four generations in the Hernández family from great-grandfather José, to grandfather Pablo, to father José, and lastly to Roberto Hernandez, who has raised his legacy of fine craftsmanship to the level of contemporary fine art. Roberto gives us unique pieces made with techniques developed over years of experience. His method calls for 15 separate sandings, each with a different grit, followed by polishing with steel wool, suede and deer horn, and finally six applications of the finest natural oils. Without harming living trees, he hand-selects aged wood, especially aspen and the root woods of cottonwood and black walnut, in the Sierra Madres of Chihuahua. Each work is a collector’s piece. Roberto finds his inspiration not only in the natural forms of branches, roots, and fallen logs that he collects, but in the work of such artistic late greats as George Nakashima and Sam Maloof. His works have won prizes at the Chihuahua state level and are sold and exhibited in galleries in the United States.
Roberto Hernandez
Col. Cuauhtemoc, Chihuahua
636-698-9181

The video above features some of his pieces in Casa de Nopal.

Porfiria Gonzales with a small pot we purchased from her on the street in Mata Ortiz

I especially like the craft and color of her miniatures:

Miniature pots from Porfiria Gonzales in Mata Ortiz.

He is featured in the film, “The Mata Ortiz Phenomenon” from The American Museum of Ceramic Art. Here is a youtube excerpt from that masterful film.

Though Manuel is somewhat known now, his home is modest and his hospitality flowing – he invited us as perfect strangers in for a coke and in the absence of pots he might have for sale (they were all on the road on exhibition), he let me have two very fine damaged pots as examples.

Manuel Rodriguez in his home with an unfinished treasure.

Anyway, Nelid  Reiz came buy as we were buying some other pots with these cool little graphite pots – each about the price of 3 eggs!

Nelid Reiz in Mata Ortiz.

So Rosa Gaona pulled up and spread out her treasures – a variety of graphite and typically painted pots. Very nice work.

Rosa Gaona with her wares in Mata Ortiz.