Handicrafts & Contemporary Art

The popular Oaxacan art constitutes one of the main tourist attractions and is the artisan and artistic expression of almost three thousand years of evolution. This represents the work of more than a half million artisans throughout the state. Recommended places to buy handicrafts are: Arrazola and San Martin Tilcajete (“alebrijes” hand carved figures), Atzompa and San Bartolo Coyotepec (green and black pottery), Ocotlán, Etla and Tlacolula (baskets), Santiago Jamiltepec and Tlacolula (iron sculptures) and of course we must not forget Santa Ana y Teotitlán del Valle, towns where wool rugs are woven with natural dyes, using such things as an insect called grana cochinilla. The rug designs range from hieroglyphics, Zapotec people to pictorial reproductions of Tamayo, Toledo and Picasso.

Oaxaca is one of the richest states in Mexico in terms of popular art. The expressions of its artistic traditions and of its artistic inventiveness are pervasive and extend over the whole state. There is practically no primary material (cloth, wood, clay, iron, precious metals, leather, etc.) that does not find singular artistic usage in Oaxaca. These materials, enhanced through the artistic talent and the imagination of artisans (with due regard given to traditional methods and techniques) characterizes Oaxacan craftwork, and has given it international fame. One of the most striking examples results when Oaxacan imagination joins with the traditional craft of manufacturing textiles.

The popular Oaxacan art constitutes one of the main tourist attractions and is the artisan and artistic expression of almost three thousand years of evolution.

Cotton and wool fabrics are woven for clothing as they were centuries ago, with the help of waist looms, distaffs, spindles, and natural coloring. The work is exemplified by the richness of the indigenous attire: the astonishing blouses, skirts, and scarves of the Oaxacan Coast and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, (where influences can still be found of the long ago trade with the Orient), in the huipiles of the Sierra, and in the serapes of the Central Valleys. Oaxaca is one of the rare areas that produces coyuchi cotton, whose natural colors vary from beige to red. The cotton ball of this variety is so small that it is impossible to spin it using industrial methods.

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Art and Painting

Oaxaca is in effervescence thanks to the new generations that revitalize the environment in the field of plastic arts and other cultural manifestations.

Art lives in the veins of the people of Oaxaca and it is reflected in its history, in the works of the great contemporary painters and the creations of artisans. Rufino Tamayo, Francisco Toledo and Rodolfo Morales are the great representatives of modern art in Oaxaca. The ancient heritage and cultural diversity of the state of Oaxaca enlightens the creativity of its artists who manifest it in the richness, diversity and plurality of their works. The past fifteen years have been witness of the emerging of recognized artists and creators of Oaxacan art, which has disseminated and very appreciated throughout the world. The National and international propagation of Oaxacan art is a way of understanding the processes of creation, styles, techniques and themes that are used in contemporary art, which shows the diversity of expressions and disciplines, that are now exhibited in museums, galleries and workshops of the Oaxaca de Juárez, as part of the cultural essence of Mexico.

Arte Oaxaca Mio

Arte Oaxaca Mio disseminates and promotes contemporary and current visual arts that are developed in our city, painting, sculpture, photography, graffiti, installation, music, literature ... Oaxaca Mio aims to disseminate knowledge, practice and acquisition of the WORK.
More than 20 Oaxacan artists gathered to offer you the best of their art.

We invite you to visit our catalog of work on Instagram and Facebook, Look for us as @mercadooaxacamio.

If you are interested in acquiring any work from our catalogs, you can contact us via whatsapp (+52 1 9511283620) to check availability, prices and other information you require.
Or Visit Us in Matamoros #500 Historic Center, C.P. 68000, Oaxaca, Oax.