A Journey Through the South of Mexico, Where Craftsmanship Meets Colorful Style
Liam Hess
Despite having been a finalist for the National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year in 2016 (and also receiving the PDN World in Focus prize that same year), for Philip Nix, every assignment abroad still feels like an opportunity. In the New York–based lensman’s eyes, travel photography is more than an in-and-out job: It comes with a responsibility to let the environment percolate, to take things slowly, and to get under the skin of both the place and—perhaps more importantly—the people.
So on a trip to the city of Oaxaca in southwestern Mexico last summer to shoot a campaign for the ethical home décor company St. Frank, he wrangled an extra week’s stay to travel the surrounding region, immersing himself in the world of the artisans whose red clay ceramics and ironwood utensils he was tasked with capturing. The resulting series of images provides an intimate window into the working lives of the craftspeople carrying on traditions that stretch back generations, from the painstaking process of shaping the clay and cutting the ironwood with machetes to their lunchtime breaks devouring tortillas at a local market—with a stop at a mezcal distillery or two.
Along the way, Nix also documented the vibrant colors and intricate, hand-crafted accessories that characterise Oaxaca’s regional style: the huipil-inspired dresses of the clay artisans, lavishly embellished with floral embroidery and lace trims; the traditional wedding garb of the young girls decked out in ornate, glimmering jewelry and silk ribbons tied through their long plaits; or even the master mezcal distiller surveying the latest batch of his smoky agave spirit, sporting a Mexican cowboy-style straw hat in white.
In the spirit of Oaxaca’s Central Valleys, where Nix notes the warmth of the people he encounters and the pride they take in their work, here he shares with Vogue a charming and respectful selection of postcards, spotlighting the people he met along the way, all of whom use their traditions to push firmly into the future.
After a long day of crafting her wares of red clay, or barro rojo, Macrina, one of the head artisans in this remote Zapotec village inhabited strictly by women in Oaxaca’s Central Valleys, enjoys a moment of respite in her studio. She is the latest in a succession of over 12 generations of women working in this traditional craft, and the methods haven’t changed. Over the course of the day, she had let me look over every part of her process, starting with the hardened red clay dug up by hand in the nearby mountains, to the hand-forming, burnishing, and baking of the ceramics. Her finished pieces were stored here, and she shared her many fabulous creations with me with a beaming sense of pride and calm command of the room.
Photographed by Philip Nix
Here, Macrina and another woman from her village purchase produce from one of the hundreds of vendors at the Sunday market in Tlacolula, Oaxaca. The creation of this image was quite a miraculous occurrence, as I visited this market about five days after my visit to the red clay village, and it was only after taking this image and taking a closer look weeks later that I realized it was none other than Macrina. This market, which occurs only on Sundays, was massive in scale, spanning acres of land with hundreds of stalls and thousands of patrons, attracting visitors and patrons from the dozens of surrounding communities.
Photographed by Philip Nix
One of the women of the red clay village gazes out the window from the kitchen of her household, where the smell of roasting chicken, bell peppers, and onions wafts through the air.
Photographed by Philip Nix
Comedor Catita, one of the many eateries at Mercado 20 de Noviembre, which is one of Oaxaca City’s most popular markets. Its halls wind around like a labyrinth and are stocked with many local specialties, including moles, tlayudas, mezcal, and chapulines (grasshoppers).
Photographed by Philip Nix
Inside the main food hall at the Sunday market in Tlacolula, women sell tortillas to those who have already visited the dozens of meat, bread, and vegetable stalls, and wish to use the many cooking stations located inside. The starkness of the age difference between the women and their beautiful attire is what caught my eye.
Photographed by Philip Nix
Visitors to the Sunday market in Tlacolula stroll through the corridor of vendors that sell produce, textiles, ceramics, wood carvings, clothing, electronics, and any other items one might need.
Photographed by Philip Nix
A man walks through the Tlacolula market selling vaquero (cowboy) belts and attire.
Photographed by Philip Nix
This woman was one of the artisans in the Zapotec village of Teotitlán del Valle, known for their textile and rug making. Using traditional looms and natural dyes—such as the cochineal bug she was grinding into a fine red powder in this image—they create beautiful fabrics that mix traditional Zapotec designs with modern ones. The woman was incredibly kind and welcoming, used to showing her craft to visitors, and I was able to see her create dyes by hand, brush cotton into strands, and weave them together.
Photographed by Philip Nix
Inside the dining room of Casa de las Bugambilias, a bed and breakfast located in the center of Oaxaca City run by the Cabrera-Arroyo family. The residence is filled with brilliant colors, textiles, and decorations, offering a visual feast.
Photographed by Philip Nix
Macrina shapes a serving platter by hand, using techniques and methods passed on from her mother, who learned from her grandmother and her great-grandmother before her. No potter’s wheel was used to shape these beautiful objects; they are instead made entirely by hand. That dense red clay had been dug up from the surrounding mountains days earlier. The women travel there, often in the intense desert heat, and use simple tools to unearth it.
Photographed by Philip Nix
One of the women of the red clay village polishes a bowl in the finishing room, where pieces are left to dry and then polished to a glossy sheen. The work is physical, with each item requiring hours of hard labor to produce and perfect. I was amazed as I watched this woman stroke the polishing stone across the red clay, as small lines of gloss slowly built up into a consistent surface.
Photographed by Philip Nix
Girls who were part of a wedding party outside the Temple of Santo Domingo in central Oaxaca City, checking on their garments. Behind them is one of the traditional Oaxacan Monos de Calenda, giant papier-mâché puppets representing the bride and groom that dance in procession with the wedding party.
Photographed by Philip Nix
Another wedding takes place inside the church of Iglesia Sangre De Cristo, right alongside the iconic main thoroughfare Andador Turistico.
Photographed by Philip Nix
Another member of the wedding party waits for celebrations to start outside the Temple of Santo Domingo.
Photographed by Philip Nix
Woman and girl walk down the street with produce and freshly baked bread in tow after visiting the Sunday market in Tlacolula. The energy within the market was buzzing and electric, but as I made my way away from the center, the atmosphere quickly returned to that of the quiet village that surrounded it.
Photographed by Philip Nix
A master mezcal distiller and agave farmer surveys bottles of his product at his artisanal distillery, or palenque. From planting to harvesting, fermenting to distilling, he has full control over his product, which is bottled and sold in the nearby villages. Mezcal is a way of life in Oaxaca, which produces more of the smokey agave spirit than anywhere else, with one of the first sayings passed on to me being, “Para todo mal, mezcal, y para todo bien, también,” or “for everything bad, mezcal, and for everything good, as well.”
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