Spencer and Shana: San Bartolo Coyotepec 1/15

Last Thursday (January 15) we split up into pairs and traveled to different pueblos outside of Oaxaca City with specific places and/or things to find.  We were instructed to do this without maps or technology.  We were only able to get there with the directional help of the local Oaxacan people.  Our destination was San Bartolo Coyotepec.  We started by asking a woman in a park about where to go.  She quickly directed us to the centro to catch a colectivo.  We asked another person once we got to the centro and noticed no colectivos heading to San Bartolo….luckily just as we looked down the street a bus pulled up right in front of us and was going to San Bartolo!

Ocho pesos and 30 minutes later we arrived at the town.  It was a beautifully peaceful escape from the bustling center of Oaxaca and the silence seemed a little eerie at first.  Before we headed to our assigned destination “Tienda de Doña Rosa” we stopped at a museum in the town’s center. The museum was called the State Museum of Popular Art of Oaxaca.  We soon discovered that San Bartolo Coyotepec is known for barro negro (black pottery).  We saw amazing work in the museum and found out a little bit about Doña Rosa, the woman credited for maintaining the tradition of barro negro.  

We then headed to the Tienda and were amazed by the selection of pottery on display.  There were rows and rows of barro negro-- pots, vases, skulls, and beautiful sculptures.  One of the people working in the store told us that this store is so famous because it’s the exact location that Doña Rosa discovered that she can change the color of the pottery and make it shiny black.  We purchased some souvenirs and continued to explore the city with our extra time. Getting back was a breeze and only another 8 pesos on the bus.  The experience was incredible and instilled in us the confidence we needed to navigate the city and public transportation.

Spencer and Shana