Arts & crafts for migrant and indigenous children

“My friend asked if we were at a museum, I answered we were not, it was the house of a local potter artisan. We also went to see Doña Ana, a baker. I liked her, we interviewed her about how traditional bread is made. My grandmother is also a baker, but I never felt interested in it until I went to UMPO’s bakery classes. Now I want to bake with my granny. "

-   Kevin.

My name is Jazel, I am the coordinator of the Art and Heritage route, 2021 was a roller coaster of changes for implementing educational activities. As you know, the heart of our project is that zapotec children know their roots and how the local economy moves. Many have been helping the project with new ideas for improving the educational methodology, including the creation of the first educational virtual application of augmented reality in indigenous peoples. This work is designed to capture the immediate attention of our children's audience, since they are short interactive explanations of the work that our artisans do.

The guardians of traditional trades have found in this program the opportunity to share their knowledge, to transmit children the real value of their work and the certainty that while there is someone to listen to them and value them, the ancestry and richness of their knowledge will always be safeguarded for the future of our generations. In the last semester of 2021 we managed to get 33 girls and 27 boys to experience the route. Pandemic forced us to make small groups of 5-8 people, however we know that little by little more children will be able to learn about this educational Art and Heritage route.

"What is learned well is never forgotten, since I was a child I learned to be a potter artisan, with 7 years old my hands were already muddy. I remember my mother telling me that I had to concentrate on school, and that's how I became Accountant. I alternated school with mud, going from the books to the mud wheel. When I graduated I was convinced that being in a traditional trade was the future I was looking for, it took me 8 years to realize that what I really dreamed of was being a full-time potter. "

- Heriberto, alfarero.

Thank you for supporting the programs that promote love for our land and our culture. We know that only like this, we will be able to organize ourselves as a community from the roots to dream of a better quality of life. See you soon!