UAYMA CERAMICS
The Espadas Family: Legends of Mayan Pottery.
Uayma Pottery School in Yucatan, Mexico.
20th. October 2019
Over the next 6 months our fundraising campaign which will allow the Espada Family to complete the construction of the Uayma Ceramic School.
Background
The Espadas family are the last ones in the Yucatan that keep the original formula of clay making used by their ancestors alive. There are some other potters around the Zone but only the Espadas are able to replicate the formula with all sustainably sourced local materials. Other potters source their clay from other parts of the country.
Why are they the last ones & Why are they so important?
In recent years, mass tourism and the exponential growth of the Yucatan Peninsula have increased demand for workers. This has caused many men, women and young people from the Mayan communities to leave
their homes and abandon their crafts and traditions. Also the introduction of plastic in the 50’s and the lack of knowledge about opportunities for commercializing their crafts and traditions in high end value markets have contributed to this trend.
Wood carving, textiles and henequen are some of the techniques that are being threatened. The most endangered is the production of local pottery.
The Espadas family from Uayma are the wisdom keepers of a formula that has been passed on for more than 6 Generations.
What are we doing about it?
We have embarked on a mission to support this family to grow their business and share their knowledge with other communities and people interested in this noble and unique technique via workshops, art residencies and the opening of the Ceramicas Uayma School.
We look to inspire and empower the Espadas and other communities to come back to their crafts and traditions while helping them learn how to create economic oppportunity and livelyhoods from them.
Accomplishments
Since 2019 we have:
Secured more than $13,000 USD in donations to build a proper studio to increase production and allow pottery pieces to dry faster.
We have increased the Espada Family’s pottery sales by 30% by implementing marketing campaigns and optimizing sales strategies.
More than 60 workshops have been executed generating an income of more than $9000 USD for the family.
We have organized 2 exhibitions in art Festivals that generated awareness of the project and sales in the event.
Our partner Tulum Art Club has hosted 3 paid residencies with artists from Iran, Argentina and Italy.
A pottery gallery has been opened in Valladolid with the support of Tulum Art Club.
Help Legion Terra create economic opportunities for Mayan Communities working with pottery
We have developed the following action plan divided in 3 stages described below:
Stage description
1. Infrastructure and branding.
This stage is focused on building a closed studio that improves productivity and drying time. Until 2019 the Espadas produced everything in open air and in a little palapa with no walls. Thanks to our donors we were able to build a 8x8 meters studio, a bathroom for visitors and workshop attendees.
To increase the visibility of the pottery products and the Espada’s work it has been important to tell their story and secure a presence in the digital world. Tulum Art club has made this possible offering professional video and photography services as well as social media and web building.
An important addition to the studio which will allow the Espada’s to expand the Uayma Pottery School is the construction of 2 rooms to host art residents onsite. This will bring additional income to the Espadas and offer a unique experience to artists and enthusiasts .
2. Efficiency and equipment
The Espadas family currently does everything by hand: sourcing and extracting materials, processing them, mixing, molding & shaping and fire by hand. The most tedious and with biggest impact on the body is the mixing of clay by hand. That is why acquiring an extruder not only will help the Espadas to be more efficient and expand their production but also will prolong the family’s lifespan and improve their quality of life. Having proper equipment is crucial to growing their business.
3. Launching the School
Once the family has proper infrastructure and equipment they are ready to start sharing their knowledge with the community. Nowadays kids start working around 10 years old and it is hard to capture their interest in developing a craft if they can earn more money and support their families by clearing the jungle or helping with the cattle. This is why we decided it is essential for preserving the tradition and Mayan pottery craft to offer 3 students per year a full year grant to get immersed into the craft and explore an opportunity to have a career as a potter working with the Espadas family. We have partnered with Legion Terra Foundation (legionterra.org) to support scholarships for the students.
