Making Mixtec Pottery (1973)

Over the course of 38 minutes, Allen Downs’s Making Mixtec Pottery intimately captures the process of creating clay pottery in Oaxaca, Mexico. Along with the Zapotecs, the Mixtecs are considered the most culturally and artistically advanced group of people of Oaxaca, dating from 2000 BC. The film begins by following a single man from start to finish as he shapes a red clay pot. He extracts the clay from a mountainside, combines it with water and mica (a binding agent), and slowly forms the vessel with his hands. Downs documented this process intimately, using extreme close-ups to meditate on the artist’s hands as he works. As the film progresses, various establishing and mid-range shots are interspersed before transitioning to footage of other men creating their own pottery with their own techniques. Downs’s gentle, personal portrait of the work of the Mixtec potters reveals the process behind an ancient art form.

Director: Allen Downs
Runtime: 38 min
Release Date:
Original Language: en
More Films by Director: Allen Downs

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Making Mixtec Pottery about?
Over the course of 38 minutes, Allen Downs’s Making Mixtec Pottery intimately captures the process of creating clay pottery in Oaxaca, Mexico. Along with the Zapotecs, the Mixtecs are considered the most culturally and artistically advanced group of people of Oaxaca, dating from 2000 BC. The film begins by following a single man from start to finish as he shapes a red clay pot. He extracts the clay from a mountainside, combines it with water and mica (a binding agent), and slowly forms the vessel with his hands. Downs documented this process intimately, using extreme close-ups to meditate on the artist’s hands as he works. As the film progresses, various establishing and mid-range shots are interspersed before transitioning to footage of other men creating their own pottery with their own techniques. Downs’s gentle, personal portrait of the work of the Mixtec potters reveals the process behind an ancient art form.
Who directed Making Mixtec Pottery?
Making Mixtec Pottery was directed by Allen Downs.
How long is Making Mixtec Pottery?
Making Mixtec Pottery has a runtime of 38m (38 minutes).