‘Women of the red clay,’ as it translates into english, refers to a community of female artisans of the Zapotec town of San Marcos Tlapazola, located about an hour outside of Oaxaca.

The men of Tlapazola generally have to leave the village to find work, or tend to the fields. The women in turn have developed their craft as a way to trade and sell with neighboring towns for food and necessities. They have been creating their functional red earthenware for centuries, handing down the skills from grandmother to mother to daughter.

I wanted to take the time on my travels to Oaxaca to meet these talented potters and watch them in the creative process. It was one of the most moving experiences to be welcomed with their genuine warmth and to understand how much of the soul of the Tlapazola woman is conveyed into their beautiful pieces.

Every year after the corn harvest, the women ascend a nearby mountain to the site where they mine the clay. Vehicles cannot access the location, so this must be done on foot. The clay they unearth is carried back down on their backs in cloth bags, back to their studio where it must be processed to a workable state.

By hand or wheel, they build their vessels with natural tools like leather, dried corn cobs and stone. Their distinctive surface finish is created by a meticulous and time consuming hand burnishing process. Finally, the pieces are cured in an open fire.

As if alive, the vessels are known to ‘sweat’ or ‘cry’ when in use, and the deep red baked clay lends a subtle earthen note to the food and liquid it holds.