Mission Del Rey Blog

Tarahumara pots or ollas are used for a variety of cooking purposes. An olla may be used to cook beans, boil corn with lime for making tortillas, roasting corn for pinole, and in the larger pots, for making the Tarahumara traditional corn beer, tesguino. Slightly different sizes and shapes define the use of a particular pot. Tarahumara pottery, as with virtually everything they make, is simple and functional.The first step in pottery making is to gather the clay. This may require a trip of sever …

The hands of a Native American artist formed these southwest Indian pottery lamps from clay found near the arroyos and rivers of their homeland. Rolling out the clay, then coiling it to form the shape of the lamp is the first step of their construction process. Smoothing the clay, both inside and outside with a crude tool such as a piece of broken glass or a stone or stick, letting it dry, then firing it in the kiln will turn this formless substance into an object of beauty and use. A home that …

Beautiful southwest table runners are no longer just for throwing over a dining table, although they are great for that! Designers and home owners alike are becoming much more bold in their ideas of rustic home decor. More than just a table covering, runners are showing up all around the house. As you know, the most fabulous are the hand woven wool table runners that express the unique personality of the weaver and designer alike. Their rich color and texture work wonders to bring any room to li …

World famous Zapotec rugs come from a region of southern Mexico that is home to the southwest Zapotec Indians. Originating in the Oaxaca Valley over 2,500 years ago, this Native Indian tribe began to establish a cultural and artistic tradition that stretches from the past to the present. Their ancient city of Monte Alban still holds the clues to the their heritage. It is a heritage that still produces incredible southwest textile art for any home that chooses this decor. The striking imagery and …

The Tarahumara or Rarámuri, as they call themselves, inhabit the Copper Canyon, as it is known in the U.S., or the Sierra Tarahumara in northwest Mexico. The actual name Tarahumara was what the first Spanish called these Native American people. The Spanish originally encountered the Tarahumara throughout Chihuahua upon arrival in the 1500's, but as the Spanish encroached on their civilization the shy and private Tarahumara retreated for the nearly inaccessible canyons of the Sierra Tarahuma …