South Along Highway 175

San Bartolo Coyotepec's Pottery

San Bartolo is the home of the famous black pottery sold all over Oaxaca. It's also one of several little villages named Coyotepec in the area. Buses frequently operate between Oaxaca and this village, about 15km (10 miles) south on Highway 175. In 1953, a native woman named Doña Rosa invented the technique of smoking the pottery during firing to make it black and rubbing the fired pieces with a piece of quartz to produce a sheen. Doña Rosa died in 1979, and her son, Valente Nieto Real, carries on the tradition. Watching Valente change a lump of coarse clay into a work of art with only two crude plates (used as a potter's wheel) is an almost magical experience. The family's home and factory is a few blocks off the main road; you'll see the sign as you enter town. It's open daily from 9am to 5:30pm.

You can buy black pottery at many shops on the little plaza or in the artists' homes. Villagers who make pottery often place a piece of their work near their front door, by the gate, or on the street. It's their way of inviting prospective buyers to come in.

San Martin Tilcajete: Woodcarving Viollage

San Martín Tilcajete, about 15km (10 miles) past San Bartolo, is home to woodcarvers who produce alebrijes -- fantastical, brightly painted animals and imaginary beasts -- much like those produced in Arrazola. You can wander from house to house viewing the amazing collections of hot-pink rabbits; 1m (4-ft.), bright-blue twisting snakes; and two-headed Dalmatians.

Santo Tomas Jalietza

About 2km (1 1/2 mile) beyond San Martín, you'll see a sign on the left for this village of weavers who use backstrap looms. The village cooperative runs a market in the middle of town. Prices are fixed; you'll find the greatest variety of goods on Friday.

Ocotlan

Twenty minutes farther on Highway 175 brings you to this fairly large market town. This city is notable for a few reasons: One is the Aguilar sisters (Josefina, Guillermina, Irene, and Concepción) and their families, who produce red clay pottery figures that are colorful, sometimes humorous, and prized by collectors. You'll see their row of home-workshops on the right as you enter. There are pottery figures on the fence and roof. (Don't go around town asking for the Aguilar family. Most of the town's inhabitants are named Aguilar.)

Ocotlán is also the home of Rodolfo Morales, a painter who, upon becoming wealthy and famous, took an active role in aiding his hometown with renovation projects. Two projects worth visiting are the parish church and former convent. Inside the convent, you can see some of the original decorations of the Dominicans. The noticeable sheen of the stucco walls is produced using the viscous innards of the nopal cactus. The convent is now a community museum.

Friday is market day in Ocotlán, and the town fills with people and goods. It's a very good market where you can find a variety of things at reasonable prices.