A Tzeltal town that transforms clay into art with it´s magic

Amatenango del Valle called in its original language Tzoíontajal “The town of the female potters”. It is located over a little elevation that dominates a fertile valley covered with corn fields.

In the art & handcrafts there is still the use of pre-Hispanic methods in the process of creating pottery and it is famous for the clay pieces that the female potters model by hand and then they cook them in the open with logs showing that with this technique  a strong pre-Hispanic upward trend.

Pots, bowls, urns, pitchers, plates, jugs, jars, flowerpots & zoomorphic figures are the products of this antique tradition that evokes in the art of mixing soil and water, modeling clay, drying and burning the clay, the first act of creation of the worldview of the Mayans. You can observe women with their typical clothing consisting of a blue skirt, red skirt, a white decorated embroided blouse in red and yellow and a headdress.

Girls at age 13, 14 or 15 years old begin with the creation of little clay animals and pots. At age 20 they can do bigger pieces and most of them sell their own creations. Depending on the size, a piece may take several days for its creation. Once the products are created which come in different sizes and forms and having a considerable amount of them, the burning process begins. We can get these handcrafts at Amatenango and those that leave the region, are sold to important places such as Instituto Casa Chiapas in Tuxtla Gutierrez.

The visit to Amatenango del Valle is almost a must see because it is the way through several sights of the state of Chiapas so feel free to visit this little town and buy a souvenir for your family and friends.

In 1999 a group of 52 tzotzil women created a Social Solidarity Society ìMujeres Artesanas del Valle de Amatenango de la Nueva Estrellaî (Handcraft Women from the Amatenango Valley of the New Starî) located at Las Casas Street one block away from Amatenango del Valleís Church.

How to get there Located 38 km away from San CristÛbal on the Federal Road 190 towards Comitán.

Activities Buying Crafts.

Recommendations Find someone from the region that can tell you the history of the town.