Oaxaca potters carry centuries-old tradition
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In Santa María Atzompa, Oaxaca, Mexico, potters continue a tradition of working with clay that stretches back to the Zapotec civilization.
The town’s name, Atzompa, comes from Nahuatl and means “above the head of the water,” while its Zapotec name, Bichuga Bigu, translates to “turtle shell,” referencing a creation myth where a turtle sheltered people from a flood.
Potters like Adrián Martínez Alarcón of Bichuga Bigu build kilns resembling turtles, covering them with broken pieces of past vessels to protect new firings. The shape of pottery in Atzompa connects to its function and the gestures of preparing food. Vessels aren’t simply containers, but reflect an understanding of heat, texture, and nourishment, developed over generations. For example, chocolate-drinking vessels are designed to be held with both hands, expressing gratitude, and bean pots are rounded like wombs, symbolizing transformation.
Yanet Gómez Hernández came to Atzompa to learn pottery and now collaborates with Martínez, emphasizing that tradition requires understanding not just how to make something, but its history and the experiences embedded within its form. Martínez, a seventh-generation ceramicist, learned from his mother and stresses the importance of patience and listening to the elements during firing, observing how clay responds to sun, shade, and weather, while also innovating with new techniques and pigments.
Ultimately, the potters of Atzompa see broken pieces not as waste, but as valuable components of future creations, continuing a cycle of renewal and memory.
