Welcome to mataortizcontact, your connection to the remarkable potters of Mata Ortiz, Chihuahua, Mexico.

The pottery of Mata Ortiz has been referred to as a miracle; in thirty years a rural Mexican village of vaqueros and farmers became a center for hand-made pottery of remarkable quality, exhibited and sold world wide.  Numerous books have been published on the subject and the work continues to evolve.

While related to Native American traditions Mata Ortiz pottery has its own history, the nearby ruins of a pre-Columbian city, Paquime, attest to a highly evolved center for trade and craft work. The original pottery, now found only in museum and other collections, is a key ingredient in the pottery made locally today. The traditions of hand coiled forms, detailed decorative motifs and open-air firing are alive and well.

Mata Ortiz is a small community of approximately 2000, the pottery is made in a family context and extended families of several households often work in variations of a style, children, grandmothers, husbands and wives, each contributing their talents.

Peter Chartrand of mataortizcontact owns a home in Mata Ortiz and lives there part time. bi-lingual and a professional potter he has earned the friendship of the community and can offer an entry to others.

With mataortizcontact you can shop for fine Mata Ortiz pottery at very competitive prices, arrange a guided trip to the village, visit our photo gallery and buy prints or just cruise the site and enjoy. Bienvenidos a todos!