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A Pottery Studio and Display Room for Huancito, Michoacán
Perhaps the most exceptional product produced by the Purépecha is their traditional pottery. Much of the pottery is sold to dealers who purchase the pieces for a pittance, and then place the pottery in tourist locations, where it is sold at elevated prices. Vicente Silva, a Purépecha attorney, Huancito resident, and former municipal president of the nearby town of Chilchota, claims that the most immediate need of the villagers is a way to increase their income so that they can move out of the extreme poverty faced by so many in Huancito. The sale of pottery directly to outlets in the United States could begin to reverse the downward economic spiral that the Purépecha are currently experiencing. What is needed is a studio in Huancito in which villagers can produce pottery, and a gallery to showcase the pottery for visitors to the village.
There is the possibility through a government-sponsored program called Tres por Uno, that the state of Michoacán can provide one-third of the studio cost; the federal government will provide one-third, and donations from the Center for Farmworker Families can provide a third. Negotiations with state and federal officials are currently taking place in Mexico. We will keep you posted as negotiations progress.
Please donate generously so that we can continue this important tradition.
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