(Click for Bio)
Life Among the Artists and Cowboys - A Series
By Michael Allan Williams
His E-mail
Juan Mata Ortíz is a small village of potters and cowboys in Northern Chihuahua. About 30 years ago, an unschooled artistic genius, Juan Quezada, taught himself how to make earthenware jars in a method used hundreds of years ago by prehistoric inhabitants. Now, his works are known worldwide and over 300 men, women and children in the village of under 2000 make decorative wares. Much of the polychrome and blackware is feather light and exquisitely painted.
Many potters are also cowboys and farmers. These stories serve to document the art and the people in this unassuming pueblo, which is often called "magical" by the relative handful of tourists who visit. Enjoy this other view of Mexico
Michael Williams.
Index to the Series
- Introduction to the Series - Mata Ortiz, Chihuahua, a Village of Potters
- November '99 - Evolution of a Gourmet!
- October '99 - It's a Bargain in Mexico!
- August '99 - Mata Ortíz -- How Do You Get There From Here?
- July '99 - "Millenium" in Mexico--Where to Be?
- June '99 - Samuel Lopez, a Young Cowboy
- May '99 - Mother's Day in Mata
- March '99 - Luz - Another Village Light
- February '99 - John Davis - 'El Gringo de las Dulces'
- January '99 - New Years in Puerto Vallarta, 1958
- December '98 - A Storyteller - On Pottery
- November '98 - El Cohetero-The Fireworks Man
- October '98 - "A Mother's Influence"
- September '98 - "My Heart Won't Let Me Stop . . ."
- August '98 - Ruined, Ruined, Mexico is All Ruined!
- July '98 - From Father to Son: On Top of the World
- June '98 - Learning the Ropes
- May '98 - "Once, we were so poor . . ."
- April '98 - Adaptations: Survival of the Cleverest
- March '98 - Owls, Turtles, Javelinas and Rabbits
- February '98 - Maria
- January '98 - Water
- December '97 - "Armando"
- November '97 - "Jaripeo"
- October '97 - "Eating The Guest of Honor"
The Juan Mata Ortiz Gallery of Arizona
