Southside Arts & Handicrafts Tour
In this tour we visit the south side of the Valley of Oaxaca where we will see the black pottery, the wooden carved Alebrijes figures, the textiles of Jalieza and the decorated terracotta of Ocotlán.
About This Tour
Oaxaca is well known for its beautiful and high-quality handicrafts elaborated in workshops of Indian villages in many different places of the whole State of Oaxaca.
Four such villages are located in the Valley to the south of the city and these are:
Coyotepec, where highly decorative Black Pottery is produced still, in some places, with the same technology as in the ancient time of Monte Alban. There is also what is ART level of products by some well-known artists
Tilcajete where wooden figures known as ALEBRIJES and carved and decorated in different styles and qualities.
Jalieza where backstrap looms, the most ancient textile technology is still used to produce cotton made textiles; Some of them very delicate and refined in their elaboration.
Ocotlán where decorated ceramic figures reproducing everyday life activities are produced by the Aguilar sisters.
NOTE: If the tours takes place on a Friday, then we will also see the Indian Market that takes place every Friday in Ocotlan.
Tour Price
Tour pricing is tailored to accommodate the specific needs of your group, taking into account both the number of participants and the season of the year. We invite you to request a personalized quotation to ensure you receive the most accurate and competitive pricing for your memorable journey. THE FEE INCLUDES TRANSPORTATION AND GUIDE SERVICES ONLY.
Duration & Start Time
The tour lasts normally 6 hours, from the time we leave the hotel to the time we return to it. If the group has lots of questions this might be a little longer or shorter if the group decides it so.
The starting time is 9 am in the morning, but can be done at a later time if this suits you.
Itinerary
If your hotel is in the city, you will be picked up from your hotel lobby. The trip then goes to the south area of the Valley and we start visiting the black pottery Art Studio and a handicraft workshop where a demonstration of the processes will be shown. The next village to visit two places where ALEBRIJES are carved. Then we visit Jalieza with the back strap loom textiles production and finally the calay decorated figures of the Aguilar sisters in Ocotlán.
We return to the city and the tour ends at the starting point or any other point downtown, at your convenience.
Meeting Point & Transportation
The standard meeting point is the lobby of your hotel if it is located downtown in the city. If you are in a place around the city, we will need to set a convenient meeting point in the city. Transportation is in an A/C VAN, fully authorized for tourism service.
Recommendations
If you already have a list of workshops you would like to see, it would be useful to have it at hand and also to send it to the guide to find out more about them, just in case they are not so well known.
Bring enough money just in case you think you might buy something.
Included With This Tour
Transportation in an A/C VAN
Guide Service by a Fully Licensed and Certified Guide
A soft drink
Additional Costs
Additional cost for admission fees, extra beverages & food as needed, tips.
Tour Reviews
☆☆☆☆☆
“Juan was a wonderful guide - extremely knowledgeable, friendly and kind. He took us to just the kind of places we'd hoped to see. It's clear he has the respect of the artisans we visited. A truly lovely day trip in which we learned so much and had a very enjoyable time.”
— DC, USA
☆☆☆☆
“Juan's personal connection with artists made this tour special. In the village that does wood sculpture, we toured 3 studios, each run by a different member of the same family. Each had a distinctive feeling. At lunch he suggested wonderful dishes that were typical Oaxacan. We were very happy with this tour.”
— SR, USA
☆☆☆☆☆
“We spent two and a half days with Juan during Thanksgiving week. Day one was a walking tour of the city, day two was Monte Alban and the surrounding area and day three was Mitla and the surrounding area. Juan's congeniality, knowledge and experience bring Oaxaca to life for the client. Even though he has been doing this for a long time his sharing the region remains fresh and engaging. You'll be missing a lot if you try to do Oaxaca without Juan.”
— YC, USA
☆☆☆☆☆
“What a fabulous tour! Juan is an engaging, thoughtful, knowledgeable and excellent guide. We learned so much from him about Oaxaca both present day and its history plus so much about handcrafts in the Oaxaca valley. Juan is well connected with the artisans so he was able to take us to some amazing artisans's studios where we had time to chat with them and learn much about their handcrafts. We had a most amazing day enjoying all that we did. We highly recommend this tour!”
— DA, CANADA
☆☆☆☆☆
“Simply put, you could not ask for a better guide. HIGHLY recommended.”
— RB, USA