Buying Oaxaca black pottery masterpieces in Playa del Carmen Just south of Oaxaca City lay the Zapotec community of San Bartolo de Coyotepec. Accesing the rich clay of soils of Paraje del Barro Cantaro only three miles away, this humble village has produced utilitarian vases and pots to accompany daily life. San Bartolo potters discovered a new firing technique that turns the traditional red pottery, black. First the frash clay earth is laid out on mats, to break it up and air it out. Then it’s put in tubs. Water is added, then kneaded with hands and feet. The kneading process consist mainly of walking out the clay two to three ours per day, for 30 days. Water and any impurities are then filtered out through finely woven fabric. The substance is then allowed to dry until compact and doughlike. Then is kneaded again. The pottery piece needs various drying periods, when fully dried, the pieces are rubbled with a quartz stone to compact the clay and eventually give it its brilliant shine. This process, called bru~nir, it’s what makes black pottery unique. Underground ovens hold the secrets to the pottery’s unique black hoe. Oak is burned until the kiln’s interior reaches 800-900 degrees, then the openings are sealed with fresh mud to smother the flames and deprive the air of oxygen. The thick smoke that results from the reduced atmosphere, reacts chemically with the iron oxide in the red clay, turning it to black in matter of hours. Oaxaca Black Pottery in Playa del Carmen
