Places to visit in San Cristobal de las Casas
Culture

Pottery of Amatenango del Valle

Pottery of Amatenango del Valle
Culture

Pottery of Amatenango del Valle

Carretera 190 Km 37, Amatenango del Valle, Amatenango del Valle, Chis.. 29210.

Free

All day.

Information

Amatenango del Valle or the town of the pottery is located on a small hill overlooking a fertile valley covered with crops 35 kilometers southeast of San Cristobal de las Casas.

This village is known for its culture, traditions, customs, and above all by its craftswomen which use pre-Hispanic methods in the process of making pottery:  molded by hand, the mud is collected in the city, painted with stones from the river, and then they are baked outdoors thanks to the pine wood cut by the men of the house.

Pots, jugs, jars, pigeons, doves, lamps, ceramic plates, suns, turtles, iguanas, and some zoomorphic incense products are the most common representations of this ancient tradition.  In the act of mixing soil and water and molding it into, drying it and the baking it, the original act of creation in the Mayan worldview is re-enacted in everyday life. 

In 1999, a group of 52 Tzotzil indigenous women created a Social Solidarity Society, Women Artisans of the Valle Amatenango of The New Star, located on Las Casas street, one block from the Church of Amatenango del Valle.

Its members create, process, and sell their crafts in the shop which also has an exhibition center.

Multimedia

Photo Gallery

Famous jaguars that distinguish this town
Famous jaguars that distinguish this town
Working in clay
Working in clay
Handmade craft painting
Handmade craft painting
Clay censers
Clay censers
Handmade baking
Handmade baking
Clay cooked with the wood of the region
Clay cooked with the wood of the region
Artisan winner of the Banamex award
Artisan winner of the Banamex award
Main square of Amatenango del Valle
Main square of Amatenango del Valle
Contacto

Location on map

Carretera 190 Km 37, Amatenango del Valle, Amatenango del Valle, Chis.. 29210.