In Nuevo Casas Grandes we were fortunate to stumble upon (and stumble out of) a local beauty pageant and tequila festival, where we watched local dancers and drank tequila from green chiles.
Mata Ortiz is about 15 minutes south of N. Casas Grandes. A nice highway leads directly to the town and then just ends. The town is about a mile from end to end, maybe three streets deep, and not at all paved. The magic of Mata Ortiz is the artistry of its potters. The pottery is known and respected world wide and the story of its origins is a fascinating one, the result of the determination and selflessness of one man, Juan Quezada. I highly encourage you to read up on the potters of Mata Ortiz.
The utter charm of Mata Ortiz lay with the people. They are friendly, unassuming, and proud of their work. They invite you into their home to see their work and their workshops. They explain their techniques, how they gather the clay from the hillside and how they make the paints from natural materials. All family members seem to be involved in the production of the pottery, with even the children producing their own simple pieces.
The unfinished pot shown here is being readied for the annual competition, which was to be the following week. Collectors from all over Mexico and the U.S. converge on Mata Ortiz, where the best artists display their works.
The town is situated in a lovely valley almost 50 miles long, at an elevation of over 5,000 ft. Outside Casas Grandes there is a Unesco World Heritage site, Paquime, a native american village dating to the 900's. There is an excellent museum on the site also
Here are some images from the trip