Ah Chihuahua!

 “You don’t give fish to the needy, you teach them how to fish!” Or in Juan Quezada’s case, you teach pottery making. Forty years ago, Quezada, an unknown boy from a little town stumbled upon ceramic pots made by the Paquime natives in a cave in the state of Chihuahua. This discovery changed not only his destiny, but also had an effect in his own town of Mata Ortiz.

Now, thanks to the teachings of Quezada, the town of Mata Ortiz has more than 400 pottery makers who sell their art work internationally, making it an official “must visit” stop in Chihuahua for all tourists, especially those interested in art, culture and history.

The pottery made in Mata Ortiz is not considered craft, but art, because it is not repetitive or popular in style, and it expresses the land and the people where it is made.  The colors of the clay used to sculpt the pots are those found in the mountains around Mata Ortiz, The technique in which they are made respects the traditional ways of the past, and the designs used to decorate the pots are copied straight from the ancestors of most of the people still living in that region. Local wildlife such as coyotes, macaws, serpents and hares are illustrated on the famed pots.

Macaws aren’t native to that region or even to the state of Chihuahua, but they were a very important trade item in northern Mexico and southwestern USA. Paquimé, the most important archeological site in northern Mexico, has provided evidence of extensive breeding of macaws, which were important in Mesoamerican rituals. In contrast to the other archeological sites in Mexico, Paquimé distinguishes itself with its one-story adobe-style structures clustered in groups of 20, each with a plaza and enclosing wall.

The Paquimé culture left evidence of their existence throughout the regions of Casas Grandes and Madera with structures in caves as can be seen in Cuevas Grandes (Large Caves) and 40 Casas (40 houses) and pots as seen in the caves of Ollas Grandes (Large Pots).  To add to the uniqueness of these sites, they have the benefit of being located in the middle of Mexico’s natural beauty, travel there takes one through  mountains, hot springs, forests, deserts and flowing rivers.

But this is not all Chihuahua is about. The state’s capital is a great option with architecture dating back to the 18th century such as the metropolitan cathedral, with its baroque style design, the government palace from the 19th century where Miguel Hidalgo, the founder of the Mexican War of Independence movement, was executed by the Spaniards, and the city hall from the 20th century all located in the Plaza de Armas. During the French invasion in 1864, Chihuahua was the only city aside from Mexico City to have been the country’s capital. In 1864, President Benito Juarez settled his cabinet and government in exile there. President Juarez lived in what was called Casa Juarez, now the Museum of Republican Loyalty.

During the Mexican Revolution, the city of Chihuahua was, at times, also the operations base for the Division del Norte army led by Pancho Villa Many sites of this era still remain in the city including the Historical Museum of the Mexican Revolution at Villa’s former estate, La Quinta Luz, near downtown.

With all of this to see, it’s no wonder people who visit the state say, “Ah Chihuahua!”

http://www.mataortiz.com/

http://mataortizpottery.com/index.htm

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/560