San Bartolo Coyotepec
A Zapotec village famous for its glossy black pottery, where you can visit workshops to watch potters burnish clay with stones, plus a folk art museum in town.
San Bartolo Coyotepec lies about 15 km south of Oaxaca City and is the home of barro negro, or black clay pottery. In the mid-20th century, potter Doña Rosa developed a method of burnishing the pieces with quartz stones while they were half-dry, then firing them at low oxygen levels, which gives the black ware its metallic sheen. Many village workshops offer free pottery demonstrations and sell their wares. The Oaxaca State Museum of Popular Art is also in the town center. The village is often combined with San Martín Tilcajete and the Ocotlán market into a one-day southern loop tour.
Opening hours
Workshops approx. 09:00–18:00
Nearby sights
- Zaachila
- Ex-Convent of Santiago Apóstol, Cuilápam
- San Martín Tilcajete
- Mercado 20 de Noviembre
- Mercado Benito Juárez
- Museo Textil de Oaxaca
- Zócalo & Oaxaca Cathedral
- Teatro Macedonio Alcalá