The handmade stuffeed wool animals made by Marcela Hernández Mendez are from the village of San Cristobal de las Casas, in the central highlands of Chiapas, Mexico. Though Chiapas boasts the three largest hydroelectric dams in the country, it is the poorest state in Mexico, and most of the state’s inhabitants live without electricity or running water.

Despite this extreme poverty, this area is rich in indigenous culture, natural beauty and traditional crafts. Each item is unique and made with natural, hand-spun wool shorn from local, sustainably raised sheep. Weaving and embroidering textiles is a tradition in this region that decends from the ancient Mayan people. Most traditional clothing worn in Chiapas today is still made from wool. Continue reading →

Elena Felipe and Bernardina Rivera are indigenous artisans that live in the state of Michoácan, Mexico. They both speak their native tongue, Tarascan, and are fluent in the language of potters. In the village they live in, as in many other villages in the region, the artistic vocation is attributed to the early influence of don Vasco de Quiroga who, taking into account the skills and traditions of the communities, assigned each one a trade to which they were to dedicate themselves.

Quiroga introduced the potter’s wheel and invited the natives to fabricate jugs since the scarcity of water in the area made them ideal for transporting and storing the liquid. The elaboration of jugs here has evolved into the creation of the high towers which permit a great amount of water to be stored in a small area within each home. They are exquisitely decorated with finely detailed flowers, hummingbirds and butterflies. Continue reading →