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Some travelers stock up on clothes or pantry goods, maybe even fabric or textiles, while visiting new places. I go straight for the pottery—serving platters, bowls, vases—anything that will hold something beautiful to eat or look at. It’s my way of grabbing a memory and tucking it away; every time I set the table or bring home a bouquet, I can recall little details from trips to share with others. Lugging home ceramics for everyone else in my life, though, can be unwieldy.
Earlier this year, I went to Oaxaca City, Mexico, with a small group of journalists and Obakki, a brand that works with and supports a global network of artisans in various ways, including selling work on its platform. We visited several craftspeople working with indigenous types of clay, as well as the iconic candlemaker Viviana. Even after we had seen the legendary workshop of José Garcia and the hyper-regional barro negro that Amando uses in his creations, as well as red clay master Macrina, it was the Atzompa pottery by fifth-generation potter Rufina that stayed with me.
The area where Rufina’s workshop—operated exclusively by a collective of women—stands is one of the oldest pottery communities in the region, Santa Maria Atzompa, dating from 1600 B.C. She is revered among Oaxacan artisans; she mixes different clays by hand to form her distinctive incense holders, serving pieces, planters, and other vessels. “If there is no clay, there is no Rufina,” she told us through a translator while seated in an open-air room over her wheel. Her small-batch pieces are marked by a smooth finish, whether unglazed or glazed, and often a dose of personality, as in her Pinguino pitcher. “Artisans in the region have their own little subtleties of design that they infuse throughout each piece,” said Treana Peake, Obakki’s founder. Every time I use the steep-sided bowl I picked up while we were there, I remember dogs lounging in the sun, shelves upon shelves of dishes lining the walls, and the small truck that pulled up to deliver firewood for the kiln.
I’ve been waiting patiently for a restock of Rufina’s pieces to send to loved ones this season (in particular, my mom), and I finally got my wish—along with a slew of other gift-worthy styles, too. I’m eyeing my favorite little pitcher and a small bowl for her jewelry, and I know she’ll think of me every morning when she puts her rings on.
