A detail in every conrner
Santa María Atzompa
The various glazed green clay products made by the pottery craftsmen of this community are emblematic of the beautiful ceramics of the central valleys of Oaxaca.
San Bartolo Coyotepec
Brilliant finishes of centuries-old tradition, and innovative designs of great quality and fine detail, make the black clay pieces of Coyotepec one of the most beautiful crafts of the state.
San Martín Tilcajete
The noble copal wood comes to life in the wise hands of the artisans of Tilcajete, who in the intricate shapes and designs of the polychrome alebrijes challenge the limits of imagination and creativity.
Santo Tomás Jalieza
The gentle beauty of daily life and the centuries-old Zapotec heritage shine in the colors, shapes and designs of the textiles that the women of this community make in the waist loom.
San Antonino Castillo Velasco
Multicolored silks and cottons, patience, creativity and dexterity, are essential ingredients to achieve the beautiful garments of San Antonino, eternal tradition as the immortal flower that distinguishes this community.
Ocotlán de Morelos
Beauty and strength come together in each piece of the unique cutlery of Ocotlán, in whose powerful leaves you can guess the intensity of the fire and the tradition that has forged them.
ART AND MULTICOLOR MAGIC
Watch the art and creativity reflected in the fine touches given to each of the pieces made, with love and dedication, by the inhabitants of the six communities that make up the Magic Route of Handicrafts.
Witness the craft processes of great Oaxacan masters, who conserve and transmit techniques learned from generation to generation, and whose skill and talent have made shine the popular art of these localities in the Central Valleys, placing the name of Oaxaca very high and carrying the magic of our culture beyond time and borders.
Tour the communities belonging to the route, in which the different crafts -the green glazed ceramic clay or black, alebrijes, silk textiles and cotton or pieces of cutlery- utilitarian or ornamental, are a fundamental motor in the family and community economy.
In addition, savor the delicious traditional cuisine of the region, visit the museums and temples, share the simple life of the people and, above all, fill your eyes and your soul with the multicolored magic that arises from the wonderful hands of Oaxacan artisans.
The Magic Route of Handicrafts is made up by 6 communities:
- Santa María Atzompa
- San Bartolo Coyotepec
- San Martín Tilcajete
- Santo Tomás Jalieza
- San Antonino Castillo Velasco
- Ocotlán de Morelos
Santa María Atzompa
In the numerous family workshops of the community, witness the laborious process of making the various articles of natural clay and green glaze that distinguish Atzompa, among which stand out pitchers, mugs, casseroles, comales, pots, flowerpots and lamps, beautiful and profusely decorated.
TOURS IN THE COMMUNITY
- Archeologic Zone of Atzompa
This site, satellite settlement of the Zapotec city of Monte Albán, was built between 200 and 900 A.D., and has three ball game courts, one of them with 45 meters in length, which makes it the second largest set of the Central Valleys.
- Community Museum
More than a thousand years of history find room in this museum, which collection is composed of a set of 98 pre-Hispanic pieces.
FESTIVITIES AND TRADITIONS
- Easter
- August 15
Patronal feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
San Bartolo Coyotepec
Know the black clay from Coyotepec, of international fame, that combines tradition and innovation and achieves beautiful pieces that, however, require a long and delicate work, which depends on the desired type: pitchers, pots, vases, ashtrays, napkin holders, whistles and many others, whether they are smooth or openwork.
The pieces are on display and for sale in the various workshops and locals, as well as in the town handicraft markets of the community.
Do not forget to visit the Black clay fairs, heald during the festivities of Easter, Guelaguetza (july) and during the holiday season.
TOURS THROUGH THE COMMUNITY
- Saint Bartholomew Apostle Temple
Visit this ancient temple, built between 17th and 18th centuries and dedicated to Saint Bartholomew Apostle, patron saint of the town.
- State Museum of Popular Art of Oaxaca
Admire the different samples of handicrafts that this museum exhibits, in which artisans of the own community and the Central Valleys participate. In the MEAPO you can also find different artistic manifestations and exhibitions of great Oaxacan masters of popular art.
FESTIVITIES AND TRADITIONS
- February 2
Celebration of the Virgin of the Candlemas.
- Easter
- May 15
Festivity of Saint Isidro Labrador.
- June 29
Festivity of Saint Peter Apostle.
- August 24
Patronal feast to Saint Bartholomew Apostle.
San Martín Tilcajete
The fabolous "alebrijes" of San Martín Tilcajete, carved in the noble wood of copal, born from the dreams and the vast imagination of artisains, whose hands give life to these fantastic and unique beings, full of color and incredible and fine details.
Let the dreams, where these multicolored creatures born, also inspire in you the creative impulse, and in one of the many family workshops learn to cave and decorate your own alebrije.
You can buy alebrijes in the family workshops of Tilcajete, as well as in the expo sales that take place thoughout the year, mainly during Easter, the Guelaguetza festivities in July, and the festivities of the All Souls.
TOURS THROUGH THE COMMUNITY
- Saint Martin Church
It protects the image of San Martin de Tours, patron saint of soldiers, weavers and textile manufacturers, highly revered in the world.
- El Cajete
It is a mound of stones that surround a water spring, an emblematic place that gives it its second name: Tilcajete (ink in the bowl).
- María Sánchez Hill
Famous conical hill with an approximate height of 400 meters above sea level whose characteristic is a huge cave, from which countless legends emerge.
FESTIVITIES AND TRADITIONS
- January 15
Celebration of the Lord of Esquipulas.
- February 18
Celebration of the Miracle of San Martín.
- Easter
- August
Carnival and craft exhibition.
Copal Fest.
- November 11
Patronal Festivity of San Martin Obispo.
Santo Tomas Jalieza
Discover and admire the creative talent of Zapotec women and the mystical symbolism of the cosmovision of that millenary culture, found in a fusion of extraordinary beauty, in each piece woven in the waist loom in this town.
In front of your eyes, with simple movements that seem to contradict the great dexterity of her hands, little by little the weaver is making emerge from the soft cotton threads, diverse and multicolored articles such as table runners, shawls, bags, backpacks, purses, bracelets and even dolls, among other pieces, that preserve pre-Hispanic symbols in their plot with precise meanings.
Visit family workshops and the local handicraft market, where it is possible to buy all kinds of pieces, and enjoy watching the process of making them.
TOURS THROUGH THE COMMUNITY
- La piedra de letra
Know this unique rock, in which pre-Hispanic inscriptions from the time of Monte Alban II are carved. The oral tradition speaks of the existence of a magical market in the underworld, whose entrance door is this rock.
FESTIVITIES AND TRADITIONS
- Easter
- July
Artisan Gastronomic Fair.
- December 21
Patronal Feast of Saint Thomas Apostle.
San Antonino Castillo Velasco
The art, patience and ingenuity of the artisans of Oaxaca, which are reflected in the beautiful and delicate textiles of silk thread, particularly dressed and blouses, will surprise you during your visit to this community.
Also know the beautiful pieces of handicraft made with reed -dishware-, such as attics, cages, baskets, napkin holders and other articles, and admire the traditional garment know as "San Antonino dress", characterized by its fine multicolored embroidery, which has its origin in the indigenous clothing of the woman of the Valley of Ocotlan. The handicrafts elaborated and decorated with the small flower called "inmortal flower" -also known as everlasting, because it is born and dies without losing its petals or its color-, as religious objects and even scenes of Oaxacan daily life, will enchant you because its meticulous elabration and its diverse nuances.
TOURS THROUGH THE COMMUNITY
- San Antonino Church
Visit the temple of San Antonino Obispo, built in the 17th century, in which old pieces of religious art such as paintings and wooden images highligth.
FESTIVITIES Y TRADITIONS
- Easter
Artisan and Gastronomic display.
- February 19
Patronal festivity of the Lord of the Sacristy
- July
Guelaguetza.
- December
Anual fair of empanadas and chocolate atole.
Ocotlán de Morelos
To the heat of the forge and in the middle of the rhythmic and incessant blow of the marro, he knows closely the way in which the ocotec craftsmen turn the coarse metal into beautiful and sharp leaves, tempered with fire. Swords, knives, letter openers, daggers and sabers, look inscriptions of names or popular sayings, and their polished handles, made of leather, bone, bronze or horn, give an account of the painstaking meticulousness of this art, a hundred-year legacy of toledanos steel.
Admire also the various pieces of red clay pottery from the Ocotlán valley, which you can buy on Fridays in the traditional plaza or tianguis day.
TOURS THROUGH THE COMMUNITY
- Santo Domingo de Guzmán Temple and Former convent
Visit this Dominican architectural complex, dating from the sixteenth century, and know the chapel of the Lord of the Sacristy, decorated with neoclassical details.
- House of the foundation "Rodolfo Morales"
Where there is a large bibliographic collection.
FESTIVITIES Y TRADITIONS
- Easter
Celebration of the "placitas españolas"
- May 15
Celebration of the Lord of the Sacristy.
- July
Guelaguetza.
- August
Patronal festivity of Santo Domingo de Guzmán.
- December 24 and 31
Festivity of the Roceros.
THE MAGIC OF ART STARTS HERE
The Magic Route of Handicrafts starts in the city of Oaxaca de Juárez, one of the main tourist destinations in the state.
Live and enjoy the innumerable colors and textures of handicrafts made in the municipalities of the route, and take home one or more of these incomparable samples of the enormous creativity of the Oaxacan people.
...and what are you waiting for?
Draw an itinerary and turn your visit to these communities into an unforgettable time of imagination and magic: take your creativity further and create a piece of handicraft with your own hands.
The municipalities that make up this route are excellent examples of the life, customs, traditions and gastronomy of the Central Valleys, and their inhabitants are guardians of valuable pre-Hispanic vestiges of the Zapotec civilization that they wish to share with you.
