The Amazing One and Only Nim Pot

There is no other store in the world quite like this marvelous emporium of all things handmade and Guatemalan with an emphasis on all things textile

What Cargo is to Portland, what ABC Carpet and Home is to NYC, what Watson Kennedy is to Seattle,  Nim Pot, which is also the name of a full length Mayan ceremonial robe, is to all of Guatemala. Like all these stores, Nim Pot appears to be a la labor of love by a visionary owner who also has a little bit of the maximalist hoarder gene. 

At first glance you might think you’ve stepped into a giant  souvenir shop (which it is) but you’d be missing the probably single largest collection of Mayan textiles ever assembled in one place. And it’s not a museum,  you can touch and buy them too!   

This wall shown above, all organized by regions and very tidy, went on for a while. Be still my beating heart. Mostly huipiles but also ponchos, stacks of red and white striped handwoven men’s pants, children’s clothes and yardage. Everything is used but in good condition. Don’t have a photo but there were also two huge tables full of torn, extra worn, and stained pieces. Here’s a link to a video that presents a different side of the used textile business in Guatemala. Full disclosure  - I need to educate myself more about this sensitive subject. No one wants to be exploiting these talented weavers when buying huipiles so take a look and see what you think here  

Then two aisles of the best of the best, vetted, vintage huipiles, dancers outfits, and belts - all very tidy and hanging on display rods. Again, most of it was organized by community so you could really study the nuances and variations on a theme but get a sense for the overarching style. Yes we died and went to heaven. Frankly, it was more than I could take in. Heaven was exhausting. Went back the next day too. 

The whole back wall was filled with these beaded, sequined Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band meets Napoleonic French soldier in the highlands of Guatemala ceremonial outfits (photo above) which they described as warlocks outfits. I wanted to buy ALL of them in the worst way. If I still had the store at least one would have been coming home with me.

Then there were two floor to ceiling walls of masks almost all vintage. 

Then trinkets galore including this bowl of slingshots,

an old canoe full of hacky sacks,

and even hand rolled tobacco cigars. Plus kites, worry dolls, beaded jewelry and pretty much any kind of

souvenir ever made in Guatemala. Nothing about this store says restraint. Another notable thing about Nim Pot was that despite the fact that it looks like it takes a veritable army of elves to fold and stack everything, the salespeople were inconspicuous and low key. This is the opposite if the extra attentive sales pressure you find in so so many places here in Guatemala and a somewhat welcome relief  It was a great place to start our textile adventure. 

The Mixteca Baja & San Pedro Amuzgos - A Backroads Cross Cultural Encounter

Please join me  for an eleven day exploration of a small, magical area of the northwestern edge of Oaxaca, just a few hours inland from the surfer, resort town of Puerto Escondido. It's  where we'll encounter people speaking a variety of indigenous languages, both Mixteco and Amuzgos and wearing their local dress. We'll visit bustling markets and farmers and skilled folk artisans in six different pueblas allowing us to go both deep and wide.The traditions are old, the coconuts fresh, the tortillas delicious, and the people are sometimes shy, but mostly charming and fun.  Plus it's green and lush and there are flowers everywhere.  This was a trip of a lifetime for myself and my pal Alison Albrecht last November and we can't wait to do it again this year and bring you with us. Accomodations are surprisingly good for as remote as we sometimes are - only two days with cold water showers amigas!!! But most days with a swimming pool at the end. It's not a trip for the faint of heart - it's hot as heck and the food is of the local variety but you will meet many wonderful people, experience things you never knew existed, and feel your faith in humanity restored (seriously).  Full disclosure, this is our first tour we have done here and we're pretty sure several places have never hosted foreigners before and we're not sure exactly what to expect. We are all travelers here.  Makes it more fun, don't you think?  But we made friends on our scouting trip who happily enlisted as our helpers in putting the tour together. They want to meet you and share their culture with you and Alison and I want to go back and visit them. We are hoping for cross cultural encounters of the best kind. The itinerary is as follows -

The Mixteca Baja & San Pedro Amuzgos - A Backroads Cross Cultural Encounter

Wednesday November 13 -Arrive Puerto Escondido for two nights at our classic four start colonial hotel The Hotel Santa Fe.We'll enjoy a welcome dinner and then  local criollo popcorn and a movie plus we'll learn a few words of Mixteca

Thursday November 14 - We'll start the tour with a visit to the mercado and learn about local food and drink and a little bit of Mixteco history.  Plus the first of many fresh coconuts. Afternoon lunch at the lovely Santa Fe dining room, an afternoon to relax. Later we'll meet for a get together and go over our itinerary, have a little study group, fashion show and  crash course in  Amuzgo and Mixteca textiles.  Cocktails and dinner ensue.

Friday November 15 -
We'll leave Puerto by 9 on our way to the town of Pinotepa Nacional. En route we'll stop in Tututepec, a puebla that has been inhabited for the last couple of thousand years. Their charming community museum houses many important artifacts of this ancient culture. And visit with a young weaver working to bring back the traditions of his community.  Wood fired cooking for lunch at a local truck stop. Evening in Pinotepa.

The home of a busy weaving family in Pinotepa Don Luis

Saturday November 16-
Off bright and early to Pinotepa de Don Luis where we'll meet with the local muralist who will describe for us the town history and culture as depicted in his paintings.One of these murals depicts a sacred rock.  I really want to hear that story.  This  young man also does quality control for the local collective that has a contract handpainting Converse tennis shoes for their Mexico City store.  We'll visit this talented team who have  taken the traditional skill of gourd carving practiced by many in this community and translated it to not only painting but printmaking as well.  We'll have a demonstration of the gourd carving and hopefully they'll pull a print or two. On our way back to Pinotepa a very special stop at the home of a local potter in the neighboring village of Jicayan. We popped in on her unexpectedly last year but this year she'll be expecting us and I'm hoping for a demonstration.  Her work, mostly utilitarian comals and water vessels, is classic and timeless and she is a master. Evening at Pinotepa, time for a swim and off to a fun dinner.

These pots are made to hold water keeping it cool and fresh.

Sunday November 17 -
 This morning we'll take the windy road for a short(ish) hour and a half drive to San Pedro Amuzgos where we'll spend the next two nights at the quaint and charming Mother Earth Cultural Center which we'll have all to ourselves.  We'll meet the first of many backstrap loom weavers who will also demonstrate cleaning, carding and handspinning cotton, a nearly forgotten art in the Americas.  Learn more about symbolism and technique.Be humbled by this ancient wisdom. Dinner at a local fonda where we'll see how fresh corn tortillas are made and drink homemade tepache, a fermented pineapple beverage. Maybe a stop at the church just before Mass to learn about their famous sundial.

Handspinning the native cotton.

Monday November 18
This is the double whammy of good shopping days. For those on the textile hunt, we have it on good authority that the Amuzgos weavers come down from the mountains from 5 to 8 AM to sell their wares. Quality varies and prices are unbelievably good. Plus it's fun to shop on the streets and watch this town wake up. Breakfast from our friend Gaby and her mom at their streetside fonda. Then we're off to the tiny puebla of Guadeloupe where we'll visit a master weaver. She's invited her friends to come down to her lovely home where we'll have a weaving demonstration, have a chance to shop some fantastic goods, maybe a fashion show, look at embroidery, talk with local women and have lunch together. Also this is a rare chance to custom design a piece for yourself. Amuzgos weavers are considered some of the finest in Mexico and you'll see why. A relaxing last evening in San Pedro Amuzgos - time to journal and gather for our study group where we'll share insights.


Tuesday November 19 -This morning we head back towards Pinotepa and stop in the Mixtec community of  San Juan Colorado and visit a weaving co-operative and learn about natural dyes, the revival of local cotton, and fair trade. See more fine backstrap loom and handspinning in action. Another chance to buy weaver direct. Then a visit to the first of several mask making families we will visit. Evening back in Pinotepa. Yes to the swimming pool.

Who made your clothes? The joy of buying maker direct.

Wednesday November 20 -We'll head back to Pinotepa de Don Luis and start with a visit to the church and their local market which I adore. The town  moonshiner with her bespoke label also has a lovely dress and handicraft shop in the back corner of the market. It's fun to poke around and shop here and have fun with the salespeople.Maybe try some fresh cheese or local sweets. After our town visit we'll head to the local Perez Hernandez family where the young women of the family entertain us with all manner of  weaving magic and bright colors at their homestead. Also another gourd carving demo and,seriously luck us, a dance performance. Evening in Pinotepa

We're hoping he gets his neighbors together for a dance performance!

Thursday November 21 - A quick stop at the bustling market in Pinotepa Nacional full of cured tobacco, fresh fish, local cheeses and chiles, plus all manner of wedding wear, cowboy hats, leather belts, local clothing and more. This is life without Amazon or a big box stores.  And on our way back to Puerto Escondido, we'll have our last village stop in Huazatotitlan where we'll visist woodcarvers and hear stories of how the tiger came to have mirrors in its' eyes and other local lore. Lunch in the village. Evening back at the Santa Fe.

Friday November 22 -Time back in civilization to process and unwind.  Schedule your massage, swim in the ocean and we'll meet for a mid afternoon/early dinner/farewell fiesta/show and tell of all our goods before heading off for a magical swim in the bioluminescent waters of Manialtepec Lagoon.

Natural coyuchi and indigo dyed backstrap piece

Saturday Nov 23 - Head home from Puerto Escondido or Huatulco,extend your stay at the coast, or travel inland to Oaxaca City. Thanksgiving is the following Thursday the 28th.

Details of our Most Excellent Adventure

 Total cost is $2,795 11 days/10 nights beginning and ending in Puerto Escondido. Price is for double occupancy. Single supplements are available for most of this trip by request .You are responsible for getting yourself to our hotel in Puerto (we're happy to help with details) but after that it's all on us.  Everything else, all meals, transportation, tours, guide services and even a complimentary massage are included. Please note however we recommend budgeting in personal spending money for textiles, masks and other goods. More than you think. Supporting local artisans is the best way to support their cultures. Tour price does not include alcohol, tips, or laundry or personal shopping. Puerto Escondido has a daily flight from Mexico or Oaxaca City and the Huatulco airport (about ninety minutes south) has several daily flights.

Please email me directly at jewel.murphy@gmail.com for further details or use our contact form on the right. A $500 non refundable deposit will hold your place. Please be committed to the trip when registering. We do recommend trip insurance. Space is limited. Price is double occupancy although single supplement may be available for parts of this trip by special request.

My Little Pony and Other Papier Mache Adventures

I love my old papier mache pony that sits on my mantle - I think it's from Puebla - the base and wheels are wood and they're probably using some kind of mold because there is one just like it in front of the fireplace at the Casa.  And I think I saw a picture of one in an Eliot Porter book from his travels in the 50's through Mexico.  But I've looked and can't find it.  Maybe I dreamed it up.

Papier mache has a long tradition in Mexico and you can find it used for, among other things, children's toys, dolls, masks, Santos and Day of the Dead figures and the ubiquitous pinata. Jean Foss's husband Chucho is a talented artist working with papier mache and we're hoping, for a future art tour, to ask him to come down to the Casa and teach us some tricks of the trade or maybe we'll make a piñata.

Stay tuned for our March Art Tour.

Garden Art

One of the first things I ever bought in Oaxaca - about a 3 foot piece made my the Vasquez Family in Atzompa - I think Angelica's parents made this one.   Also when I learned that sometimes it is much more efficient to pay the extra baggage fee rather than ship something home with DHL.  All that trouble many years behind me and this ceramic wonder has graced many places in my home finally making it out to a part of my garden this year.  I think she, like me, is happy to be spending more time outside.
This year, for the October tour (which is full), we'll be visiting Angelica's hilltop studio and family home in Atzompa.  Her parents still make ceramics as does her son. We'll have a fascinating snapshot of three generations of artists and how they both maintain tradition and practice innovation. Plus her daughter is making us lunch!

(please note this low fire terra cotta needs to be protected from freezing temperatures)

Spider Women Weavers in Teotitlan de Valle

So happy to read this beautiful story by Deborah Needleman in the NYT  T Magazine

 about Vida Nueva, the women's rug making co-operative in Teotitlan de Valle - the women of this cooperative are what I  have heard  referred to as "un muy bueno ejemplo", a good example, for other women to see.

Click here to read the whole article.

photo T Magazine

My October Tour - Village Life in Oaxaca

I am recently returned from a wonderful tour in Oaxaca and am so pleased to have finalized the details for my October 2018 tour - October is a great time to be in southern Mexico, it's harvest time and the hills are green.  People are just starting to prepare for muertos. If we're lucky maybe a big thunderstorm! Plus sunny skies and warm days. This tour focuses on one of my big loves in Oaxaca - the artisan/craft traditions and village life.  Basically we're going to visit as many different artisans, craftspeople, and markets as time allows, try a wide selection of food both traditional and cutting edge including a couple of home cooked meals at our artisan/hosts house, and learn about the enduring dimensions of Zapotec and Mixtec culture all from our homebase, the lively and contemporary city of Oaxaca. Please join me -

Village Life & Folk Art in Oaxaca 

(10 days/9 nights - Oct 12 to 21, 2018 )

A chance to meet  village artisans and explore the folk and food traditions of Oaxaca with a small group of inquisitive, adventurous folks (max 12 people) and our beloved and  inspiring local guides.We want to leave you with a deep feeling for the rich history of family, food, handwork, and sustainability that Oaxaca embodies. 

We'll stay at a charming bed and breakfast(think of it as summer camp for adults) in Oaxaca City and take day trips out to villages where we'll meet with potters, weavers, dyers, carvers, cooks, and other talented,beautiful people. Most evenings are spent at your leisure enjoying the sites of the city or relaxing at our home away from home.  Plus visits to marketplaces (where all the action takes place),  pre-hispanic archaeological sites, &  gilded baroque churches - We'll round out our touring with  nourishing home cooked meals and dining at some of Oaxaca's finest restaurants. 

The Itinerary is as Follows (subject of course to change based on opportunity, whim, & availability)

Friday October 12 - Arrive and check in  at our lovely bed and breakfast (referred to as The Casa) in Oaxaca City for a light meal and get together in the evening - We'll pick you up at the airport if need be.

Saturday October 13 -  After a nourishing breakfast of fresh local fruits and coffee, eggs al gusto (how you like them) and local pastries, we'll gather with Pablo, our charming and knowledgeable  guide and head up to the ancient ruins of Mt Alban, built to be close to the gods. We'll start where it all began. Lunch at the Casa.  Late afternoon we'll stroll into the city and have a Welcome Fiesta at one of Oaxaca's finest.

Sunday October 14th - This glorious day finds us on our way to the Tlacolula market, really one of the longest continuing farmers's markets in the Americas, where indigenous people come from all over the Central Valleys to buy,sell, trade, socialize, eat, and pray. That's pretty much our agenda for the day too.  We'll try pre-hispanic drinks, get our fortunes read by canaries, have a chance to shop, find out what those embroidered aprons are all about, enjoy the Hall of Smoke, and visit the famous and recently restored Silver Church. Lunch means goat barbacoa at our favorite market stall - mariachis included! Later afternoon finds us at the mysterious and magnificent ruins of Mitla. Evening dinner at the Casa.

Monday October 15 -
Today finds us heading out to the famous weaving and rug town of Teotitlan de Valle.  We'll visit an artisan textile making family and they'll demonstrate the rug making process from beginning to end including a spectacular presentation of natural dyes and the chance to purchase direct from the maker. Afterwards, we'll enjoy a meal with the family that includes the grandmother's famous mole. We'll end our Teotitlan time with a visit to their 16th century church, built on an ancient Zapotec site, where you can marvel at all manners of delights, pagan, catholic, floral and otherwise. Evening on your own or dinner provided at the Casa.

Tuesday October 16 -  Our day devoted to the urban life of the city. Visits to my favorite small museums, printmaking studios, shopping, and time to weave into the tapestry of this most Mexican of experiences, life at the zocalo.  Evening finds us enjoying a 7 course tasting menu at NYT reviewed El Criollo for dinner.

Wednesday October 17th -  We'll meet with the dedicated folks from NGO, microfinance organization En Via and head out to explore women owned food businesses in the Central Valley. I've met fishmongers, chocolate and tortilla makers, bakers and makers of sweets on these small business tours. An authentic glimpse into life in a Oaxacan village.  Your chance to talk art, politics, relationship with some women very different from you. Lunch at women owned restaurant, light dinner at the Casa.

Thursday October 18 - Some nature and fresh air with our  morning visit to the hilltop archaeological  site of Atzompa and it's small and noteworthy museum.  After our jaunt we'll travel a short way down the hill to visit with internationally renowned ceramic artist Angelica Vasquez at her  private home studio and gallery where three generations of family potters work. We'll have a ceramics demonstration and storytelling from this maestra followed by a home cooked meal from her daughter. Angela learned ceramics at the feet of her parents and grandparents and has brought story telling with a feminist touch to her ancient craft. I'm really looking forward to this day- Light dinner at The Casa

Friday October 19 - Today, our last full touring day, we'll visit backstrap loom weavers, woodcarvers (the makers of the mythical animal alebrijes) and have an afternoon visit with one of my favorite families, the makers of the famous black pottery of Coyotopec.. Watch how all members of this talented family contribute to make pottery in the same way their ancestors did a thousand years ago. Light dinner at the Casa.

Saturday October 20 - A free day to enjoy at your leisure.  We can arrange a trip to Mt Alban for you or maybe  horseback riding, cooking class,  a massage or take the time to visit in town, shop, and pack. We end the trip with a Farewell Fiesta at the casa, some people say the best meal of the trip!

Sunday October 21- Travel home or extend your trip with a few more days at the Casa.  We'll arrange airport transport or extra days if you wish.

Details 
Cost for the tour is $2,195
It includes-
 all hotel rooms based on double occupancy (+$395 for a single supplement), all meals, guides, transportation and entrance fees while in Oaxaca. Cost does not include airfare/transport to Oaxaca airport, alcohol, laundry, personal shopping (!!!), or tips (which are completely optional).  A $500 non refundable deposit is required to hold your place. We ask that you be committed to the trip and strongly recommend travel insurance to cover you in case of emergencies. Final, non refundable deposits are due 30 days before the tour. Send inquiries to me at jewel.murphy@gmail.com. Upon deposit, I'll send you an everything you need to know including a packing/ reading list and restaurant recommendations to let you start dreaming on the trip.

About Me -

I've been organizing tours to Oaxaca since 2012.  What was once a side gig has now become my full blown obsession.  I love traveling with packs of inquisitive people through the city and countryside of the state - as one happy tour goer said, "We never knew a place quite like Oaxaca still existed". I've saved you the time and money and done the research and I've crafted something special to make you fall in love with Oaxaca. Many of my past clients have returned over and over. I believe in slow travel, taking our time, going deep (and wide sometimes too), putting our tourist dollars directly into the hands of local people, and I love to go out and platicar (spanish for chat) with Oaxaquenos. I'm an artist, gardener, naturalist, & lover of all things handmade. Hoping you'll join me for a most enchanting trip.

The Tamayo Museum

It's no secret I adore the Rufino Tamayo Museum on Morelos.  Each room is painted a different color and the very last room is this glorious orange. If you have any interest in Mexican culture or art, this is not to be missed.

 

A priest.

 

And a monkey - a chango - the Dionysus of the Americas

And an unknown symbol on a piece of terra cotta.

It's one big, beautiful, universal mystery.  I love this museum.

The Deep Contentment of the Artisans of Oaxaca

 There is a chance to visit with so many talented artisans in Oaxaca and this trip was no exception with highlights from potters, weavers, dyers, and tinmakers.  I have watched Mareya from the Mateo Galan family in Coyotopec do her magic with an exacto knife and a toothpaste cap for years now.  And wow is she getting good.  Her father in law can throw the big pots and she does all the decorative work. They were a little stressed this visit as Lorenzo broke two of his fingers about a month ago and has not been able to work. Yet you can see she has that calm, humble thing with deep pride in her work. I'm pretty sure no two of her pots are alike. She has a huge design repertoire.

This barefoot grandmother gets her workout carding and spinning that big basket of wool to her left everyday. She's contributing to the family rug business and has some serious muscle too.

Josefina Lopez gave the best natural dye demo I've ever been to.  Here she's showing off all the colors from red to bright orange to shades of lavender that she can coax from the cochineal dye.

Can't you just feel her contentment and happiness?

Handspinning cotton high in the hills of Oaxaca, Khadi/Oaxaca is translating Ghandian values of village life, sustainability, & handwork into a beautiful experiment making stunning artisan goods and creating livelihood for hundreds of families. This is fair trade at it's finest.  (Read more about them by clicking here)

And I finally made it out to the town of Barro Rojo, red pottery.  I always see the women from Tlapazola selling their wares at the Sunday Tlacolula market and in town too - O ye of the famed pig toothpick holders.  We always have fun chatting with these women vendors with their pretty aprons and extra long braids.So I was happy to make it out to their bucolic little puebla and visit with a local potter and her family.

It was great to see Marina Martinez demonstrating how she mixes the red and the yellow clay from her community with a little bit of sand and then she hand shaped the classic comal with a corn cob and a piece of leather.  The yellow clay they gather in a pick up truck, the red clay they walk about an hour to gather. Click here for a fun video of her working 

 Really feel extra lucky that we happened to drop in as they prepared their primitive fire, no kiln firing.  It was fun watching skilled masters, all women - sisters and aunts and nieces,  in colorful billowing skirts  building their kiln with boxsprings and shards, and pots, and dung and dried agave leaves, and the roots of carrizo, and strategically placed red hot coals and big sticks of wood.  And sorry no pictures, it's considered bad luck, might make the pots crack! 

I always feel a very peaceful feeling when I come back from villages.

How Many Rugs is too Many Rugs?

I don't have a store, and even when I did, I never had enough time to really sit down with the leisure it would take to buy the goods for retail when I'm out on a tour with a half dozen people who all want to shop.  So don't ask me how I ended up with a rainbow colored rug from Teotitlan de Valle.  Suffice it to say, I was so moved by the deep knowledge displayed in the natural dye demonstration that the mother of the family had just given us,and I loved that it was the eldest daughter, who was just getting old enough to weave, who had made the rug.  Of course I wanted a rug that showed the complete spectrum of natural dyes they were able to acheive in their home studio. In fact, had to have it. Funny how that goes.

Here's my rainbow colored rug in situ with Angelica, the daughter on the left, holding her handiwork with her mother Josefina. Typically Zapotecs pose rather stoically behind their work. They were all set to do that but I asked them to look at each other instead, which made them smile. Such a nice day and I'm so glad I have the rug to remember it all, although I have absolutely zero idea what I am going to do with it.  Currently it's a runner in the middle of my dining room table.

Visiting the Alebrije Carver Martin Melchor

I first saw Martin Melchor's work at the Laura Barata show on stiltwalkers at the Museo de Textil in Oaxaca.  He had this whole table in one room with about thirty carvings of animal stiltwalkers dressed in fanciful costumes. Not really my style, but the little girl in me was enchanted. I spent some time marveling at them.

Senor Melchor comes from a town San Martin Tilcajete where many people in the town have devoted themselves to woodcarving. But his style is distinctive and probably the most folksy and primitive of them all. I was delighted to be able to visit his home studio with our tour.

Unfortunately for us, but very good for him, he didn't have too much work for sale because much of his time was being taken up by filling internet orders.  Now that's some globalization I like. He's able to find an audience that appreciates his art. He was a very tender and sweet man.  Click here if you'd like to see more of his work.

Making Friends in Oaxaca

I love this picture so much.  It's Colleen from our recent tour and a woman from the red pottery town of San Marcos near Tlacolula. I think these two are probably about the same age and I ponder the very different lives each of them have led.  At 5'2", if that,Colleen was the tiniest amongst us and here she is towering at least a full head above our friend from San Marcos who was the president of the town ceramic co-operative. As such, she was in the big city doing her stint working at the artisan co-op.  You can see how proud she is of their red pottery. If you have ever eaten at Casa Oaxaca you have probably eaten off some of their wares. She could not have been more gracious, agreeing to pose for this pic and showing us how she does her headwrap with the long scarf.  Here's a link to a you tube video about the women potters of San Marcos.  Like so many things in Oaxaca, they start by going to the source and take it from there.

The New Codex Oaxaca - a short film

Here's a very beautiful, very moving half hour documentary about a cultural project in the small village of Tanivet in the Central Valley of Oaxaca on your way to Tlacolula. Local women talk about art making and using art as a tool of empowerment to address issues of immigration and loss.
It's, among other things, a chance to look at immigration from the eyes of those people who never leave home, but nonetheless suffer the loss of loved ones. We don't hear from them often enough.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4g0JenYr7Y&feature=youtu.be

And click here to see more work from the women of tanivet.

At Our Charming Bed and Breakfast in Oaxaca

Wall of Masks - Contemporary and Otherwise, not all Mexican.

One of my favorite walls at the Casa.

The Essential Culinary Tool in the Central Valley of Oaxaca

They call them molcajetes, the stone grinders, you see them everywhere. I love the shot above from a home kitchen in San Miguel de Valle.

And these ones all lined up nice and tidy and remember to write your name on the bottom of them so you don't lose them.

They're used for grinding herbs, spices, salsa, and chocolate, and here indigo and cochineal for natural dyes.

  A private collection spotted in the home of a rugweaver in Teotitlan

And spotted at the Rodolfo Morales home.