Updated June 1 08

Tours & Classes

Here we give information about classes and track many of the scheduled tours to the Casas Grandes region. We are always glad to recommend classes/tours for your specific needs and interests. Most scheduled tours are suspended during June, July, and August. Tour companies cannot sell tours in those months because of the widespread assumption that Mexico, lying to the south, must be too hot for summer travel. However, we find summer to be preferred in some ways over spring (which is dry and sometimes windy), especially after mid-June when the cooling rains begin. At 5,000 feet elevation, this area never gets as hot as most of the American Southwest. It is safe and easy to travel to this part of Mexico on your own, so if summer suits your personal calendar, always consider that as an option. Feel free to contact us with questions when planning your trip.

POTTERY CLASSES IN MEXICO

Many pottery families in Mata Ortiz and Casas Grandes offer excellent, comprehensive pottery classes in which students learn all aspects of the Mata Ortiz approach to clay, from prospecting,  digging, and preparing clay to hand-building a pot, usually by the single-coil method developed by Juan Quezada, preparing the surface by sanding and burnishing, making brushes of human hair, painting the pot with natural slip colorants, and finally open-air firing in dried cow chips or split wood. Students learn both reduction-firing and graphite techniques of making black ware as well as oxidation firing of polychrome ware. Translation is sometimes available, sometimes minimal, but as Juan Quezada points out, those who are going to get it will get it by observation, and when they get it that way, they make a discovery and have made it their own.

          The following list of available classes provides some leads but is far from exhaustive. Many people come to the village without any prior arrangement and are surprised how quickly and easily they can find someone to work with. For classes or demonstrations in the United States, consult the link “Exhibitions and Scheduled Events.”

MATA ORTIZ   Ana Trillo (661-7054), a leading potter of Mata Ortiz, lives across from the elementary school, near the Adobe Inn Hotel. She offers a light, three-day introductory class in pottery making for 3-4 persons for $30 per person, and also an intensive, eight-to-ten-day workshop for up to ten persons for $100 per person. The introductory class works two hours each morning (it is not a prerequisite for the intensive workshop). The workshop is all day every day (all experience levels are welcome). Ana’s husband, Mónico Corona, and his sister Sara assist. A trip to dig clay includes a visit to Monico’s cattle ranch, located on an archaeological site where potsherds abound. Ana is making rapid progress in learning English, and translation is also available. Classes are scheduled whenever there is interest. Ana rents riding horses (two hours for $10 or all day for $20). Children are welcome to ride her burros. Contact Ana Trillo by phone at 636-661-7054.

          Fiesta Tours (520-398-9705) Cathy and Marshall Giesy, who maintain a home in Mata Ortiz and lead tours there (see below), offer classes with leading potters. Classes are $1300 per person, double occupancy, including travel to and from Tucson and expenses. Ask for a brochure. Also available are mini-classes at $595 per person double occupancy. Contact Cathy Giesy (voice/fax 520-398-9705), Fiesta Tours International, PO Box 2141, Tubac, AZ 85646-2141.  fti[at]starband.net   http://www.fiestatoursint.com/.

          Jesús Veloz and his wife Carmen Ledezma (Cell 103-0320 for son next door), across the street from the church in Mata Ortiz and a couple of doors south, offer five-day pottery-making classes for small groups. Tuition of $100/person includes materials but not room and board (although the first five people can room free with the Veloz). Carmen studied with the Juan Quezada family. The week ends with a farewell fiesta. Ceramist David Bradley (602-787-6615) brings students from Paradise Valley College, Phoenix, for this class. Contact Jesús and Carmen (in Spanish) by calling Marta Martínez’ caseta (voice/fax 661-7026) or their son (103-0320) next door. Anyone in Mata Ortiz can be reached through a caseta. Call, ask in Spanish to speak to so-and-so, and someone will take the message and ask you to call back in 15 minutes. If all goes well, the person you want will be at the caseta for your second call. For language assistance in reaching the Veloz, you may call the Mata Ortiz Calendar on our USA line (915-261-0502) which rings here in Mexico.

          Lucy Mora and husband Lorenzo Bugarini (661-7034) offer five-day classes in the front rooms of their house in Barrio Porvenir. Minimum ten persons, $100 USD per person, maximum capacity 20. (Incidental note: they assemble and deliver pottery in wholesale lots to New Mexico and Arizona buyers.)

          Santos Ledezma and Rosa Loya (661-7020) typically offer a two-day class for $500 USD, for any number up to ten people.

CASAS GRANDES  Master potters César and Gaby Domíngez (692-4609) have opened a new gallery in Casas Grandes on the left side of the street two blocks before exiting the town toward Mata Ortiz (marked by a row of pencil cedars against a white fence). They offer pottery-making demonstrations as well as workshops and individual instruction. Contact César Domínguez at 692-4609 or email doal27@prodigy.net.mx

           Julián Hernández Chávez (cell 636-103-7108), director of the Escuela Preparatoria Federal Francisco Villa in Nuevo Casas Grandes, has expanded his Galería Casas Grandes into a teaching center as well as a gallery. Located by the entrance to the Museum of Northern Cultures (Museo de las Culturas del Norte) in the old pueblo of Casas Grandes, he offers classes in pottery making and Spanish language. In the pottery classes, students learn all aspects of hand-building, decorating, and firing pottery, with emphasis on the more archaeological Paquimé designs. Limited to 15 students, classes are six hours daily Mon-Fri 9-1 and 4-6 p.m., and four on Saturday mornings. All skill levels are welcome. Included are field trips to dig clay and obtain minerals for natural slip colorants and two weekend day-trips to Mata Ortiz to visit with leading potters such as Hector and Graciela Gallegos, Macario Ortiz, Nicolás Ortiz, Juan Quezada, Armando Rodríguez, Lila Silveira, and Sabino Villalba. Academic credits are available through the Escuela Preparatoria. $300 tuition plus $120/week for room and board (two meals a day) with a Mexican family. The next pottery class will be July 5-19. The Spanish language course, not yet confirmed for 2008, provides for total immersion and is formatted much like the pottery course with field trips to places and events of interest in the region. $400 tuition plus cost of room and board. Participants for either class can be met at the border. Contact Julián Hernández Chávez (011-52-636-694-2220 or 1645 School; 692-4176 Gallery), Escuela Preparatoria Federal “Francisco Villa,” Avenida Colón 2101, APDO Postal 265, CP 31700, Nuevo Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico.  Juliaan_hernandez[at]yahoo.com.mx

          Nicolás Quezada (692-4483), brother of Juan, master potter, and a noted teacher, offers a 10-day pottery-making workshop at his Casas Grandes studio for 1-12 students. The cost is $1,500 USD, regardless of the number of students. Nicolás enjoys an international reputation as a teacher. Groups of potters have twice traveled from Germany to study with him. Students arrange their own accommodations and meals in the area (Spencer and Emi, neighbors of Nicolás and editors of this Calendar, can assist with accommodations). Contact Nicolás Quezada at 636-692-4483 or, by email, in care of the MacCallums at sm[at]look.net .

PUERTO VALLARTA

          Galería Mata Ortiz (cell 322-222-7407) in Puerto Vallarta sponsors ceramic workshops conducted by master potters such as César and Gaby Domínguez, Jesús Martínez, and Elí Navarrete. Participants learn the distinctive Mata Ortiz methods of hand-building a pot, preparing the surface by sanding and burnishing, painting and, lastly, outdoor firing to create both black and polychrome ware. Enrollment limited to 16. All experience levels. $500 tuition includes all materials. Lodging will be arranged in attractive surroundings at approximately $50 per day, double occupancy. Contact Claudia Lovera (011-52-322-222-7407), Galería Mata Ortiz, Lázaro Cárdenas 268-A, Col. Emiliano Zapata 48380, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico. clalex[at]pvnet.com.mx   www.mataortiz-pottery.com/

TOURS TO CASAS GRANDES / MATA ORTIZ   

May 6-9                          Mata Ortiz Tours with Karen Jones

May 16-23                      Elderhostel/Geronimo Educational Foundation

May 20-22                      John M. Phelan

July 5-19                       Galería Casas Grandes (classes)

September 4-13              Rancho Sierra Madre class with Juan Quezada

September 9-12              Mata Ortiz Tours with Karen Jones

September 11-17            Solipaso Tours (birding)

September 13-17            Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum w/ Ron Bridgmons

September 25-28            KruseArizona Tours

September 28-Oct 5       South of the Border Tours

October 10-13                Nature Treks & Passages

October 14-17                Mata Ortiz Tours with Karen Jones

October 20-23                South of the Border Tours

October 30 - Nov 2         Ron & Sue Bridgemon (caravan tour)

November 4-7                 Mata Ortiz Tours with Karen Jones

December 4-8                 Ron & Sue Bridgemon (caravan tour)

December 5-8                 Nature Treks & Passages

2009

January 16-19               Nature Treks & Passages

February 10-13              Mata Ortiz Tours with Karen Jones

February 13-16              Nature Treks & Passages

February 24-27              Mata Ortiz Tours with Karen Jones

March 10-13                  Mata Ortiz Tours with Karen Jones

March 13-16                  Nature Treks & Passages

 The Pink Store in Palomas, on the border opposite Columbus NM, offers attractive one- and two-day excursions to Casas Grandes and Mata Ortiz for $55 and $85 USD (meals and lodging on your own). The Store itself is well known for its outstanding restaurant/cocktail lounge and selection of Mexican crafts. Contact Luís or Ivonne Romero (866-474-4299) at the Store.

Note: Six companies offer Copper Canyon tours with a day in Casas Grandes. Too frequent to include above, these tours are listed at the end of this file. They do not visit Mata Ortiz, but they are of interest because they all start or end with a day in Casas Grandes, giving participants the option of coming early and joining the tour in Casas Grandes or tarrying afterwards — to visit Mata Ortiz and enjoy the laid-back attractions of this area.

THE TOUR GROUPS

A CLOSER LOOK TOURS   Agustín Caparros conducts weekly a 7 days 6 nights motorcoach/rail tour to the beaches of the Sea of Cortez and Copper Canyon, ending with a day in Casas Grandes. They arrive at the Hotel Hacienda Thursday evening and on Friday visit Paquimé and the Museum and witness a pottery-making demonstration by the Manuel Olivas family. While this group does not go to Mata Ortiz, Agustín offers a three-day tour to the village for ten or more persons whenever there is interest. Contact Agustín Caparros or his son, Collin (toll-free 877-938-0951), A Closer Look Tours, Inc., Phoenix AZ  acloserlooktours[at]aol.com  www.acloserlooktours.com

AMERIND FOUNDATION   The Amerind Foundation, in Dragoon, Arizona, conducts yearly educational tours to Casas Grandes and Mata Ortiz, led by Geronimo Educational Foundation (which see below). The group departs Dragoon by motor coach on Wednesday, enjoys lunch in Palomas, Chihuahua at the Pink Store (known for pleasant dining and one of the best selections of Mexican crafts in northern Mexico), visits the 16^th-century church and Spanish archives, and arrives at the Hotel Hacienda in Nuevo Casas Grandes in ample time for dinner and a slide talk by Spencer MacCallum on the beginning years of the Mata Ortiz pottery phenomenon and the legacy of Juan Quezada. On Thursday the group tours the old pueblo of Casas Grandes with Spencer MacCallum as our guide, lunches with a private family at their historic Hacienda de San Diego, explores the pottery village of Mata Ortiz visiting in the homes of potters and seeing pottery being made by methods similar to those employed by the ancient peoples, then attends a wine and cheese reception in Casas Grandes at the Museo de las Culturas del Norte with presentations by Dr. John Ware, Director of the Amerind Foundation, and Dr. Laura Vásquez, Director of the Museum of Northern Cultures (Paquimé). On Thursday morning, the group tours the prehistoric ruins of Paquimé, once the largest and most complex community in the Puebloan world (1250-1450 AD), excavated by the Amerind Foundation under the direction of Dr. Charles DiPeso in 1958-1961. After a lunch with folklórico dancing at La Finca de Don Cruz in Old Casas Grandes, the group returns to Arizona. . $550 members (of which $50 will be tax-deductible), non-members $590. Double occupancy; single supplement $50. Contact Jill Williams (520-586-3666, ext. 17) The Amerind Foundation, PO Box 400, Dragoon, AZ 85609  jillwilliams[at]amerind.org   www.amerind.org

ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONSERVANCY    For 17 years, the Conservancy has conducted tours throughout the Americas with expert guides who provide unique insights into the places visited. They offer a ten-day tour, Master Potters of the Southern Deserts along the following lines. Friday: Fiesta Inn, Phoenix, a cocktail party and an introductory lecture on pottery. Saturday: Pueblo Grande, an ancient Hohokam platform mound complex, and the Heard Museum’s collection of Hohokam, Mimbres, and Sothwestern pottery. Sunday: Hohokam sites of Casa Grande and Grewe, then to Tucson and Father Kino’s 17^th-century mission of San Xavier del Bac and its restored interior murals. An evening lecture on Hohokam pottery. Monday: The Sonoran Desert Museum for a behind-the-scenes tour of their pottery collection. An evening talk on the Hohokam culture. Tuesday: In Silver City, Western New Mexico University Museum’s private collection of Mimbres painted pottery. An evening talk on Mimbres pottery. Wednesday: Travel through the Gila Wilderness to explore Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument and several Mimbres villages. Thursday: Visit the Deming Museum and its Mimbres collections, then into Mexico to the Hotel Hacienda in Nuevo Casas Grandes and an evening orientation lecture about Casas Grandes. Friday: Tour the Museum of Northern Cultures, one of the best archaeological-site museums in North America, and the ruins of Paquimé, once the largest and most complex community in the Puebloan world (AD 1250-1450). Hear a talk by Spencer MacCallum on the beginnings of the Mata Ortiz pottery movement. Saturday: Visit in the home of Juan Quezada and other potters in Mata Ortiz, witness techniques of forming, surface preparation, painting, and outdoor firing of pottery. Sunday: Travel to Wyndham El Paso Airport Hotel, in El Paso. Monday: Participants depart for home. $2,295/person double occupancy, $2,645 single. No tour planned for 2008. Contact The Archaeological Conservancy (505-266-1540), 5301 Central Avenue NE, Suite 902, Albuquerque, NM 87108-1517.  tactours@nm.net

ARGONAUT TOURS   Beginning this fall, Argonaut Tours may expand its Copper Canyon tour program to include monthly tours from Tucson to Casas Grandes/Mata Ortiz, spending two or three nights in the area. Argonaut is recommended for its fine understanding of the village. Contact Clara or Stuart Milton (520-325-4321 or toll-free 866-508-6877), owners, Argonaut Tours, 110 S. Church Ave., Suite 4290, La Placita Village, Tucson, AZ 85701.  argonaut1@flash.net  www.argonaut-tours.com

ARIZONA-SONORA DESERT MUSEUM    As part of its Sonoran Desert Studies Program, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, conducts two annual tours led by Ron and Sue Bridgemon,* “The Mata Ortiz Experience” in April and “Mata Ortiz Celebration” in September. Both feature the prehistoric ruins of Paquimé and the pottery village of Mata Ortiz. However, the “Experience” also includes exploration of archaeological sites in the nearby Sierra Madre mountains, while the “Celebration” takes in Mexican Independence Day (September 16) in Mata Ortiz with a school-children’s parade, rodeo, and dance. $698 members, $768 non-members, all-inclusive. Double occupancy ($200 single supplement). Register on-line or call 520-883-3086. This year’s “Mata Ortiz Celebration” will be September 13-17. Contact Sonia Norman (520-883-3030), Director, Desert Museum Public Programs, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, 2021 N. Kinney Road, Tucson AZ 85743. snorman[at]desertmuseum.org     http://www.desertmuseum.org/center/edu/classes.php

*Note: Ron and Sue also lead Mata Ortiz Caravan Tours (see below).

ARIZONA STATE MUSEUM    Scholars Paul and Suzy Fish of the Arizona State Museum at the University of Arizona, Tucson, each year lead a Mata Ortiz Learning Expedition. Limited to 12 persons, it will often begin on a Thursday with a brief tour of the Museum’s prehistoric Casas Grandes collection, followed by stops at several points of interest en route south including the ruined Spanish church in Janos, stopping that night at the Hotel Hacienda in Nuevo Casas Grandes. Friday visiting in the homes of potters in Mata Ortiz, lunch at the Adobe Inn, and a pottery-making demonstration, followed by visits to the historic Hacienda de San Diego, the prehistoric ruins of Paquimé, and the Museum of Northern Cultures, with dinner at the Belgian restaurant Malmedy in Nuevo Casas Grandes. Saturday traveling to the archaeological sites of Cuarenta Casas in the nearby Sierra Madre. Sunday return to Tucson by 7 p.m. Cost: Museum members $700, non-members $800, includes transportation, lodging and all meals. Tours temporarily suspended, will resume in 2009. Contact Darlene F. Lizarraga (520-626-8381), Marketing Coordinator, Office of Museum Advancement, Arizona State Museum, PO Box 210026, Tucson AZ 85721-0026   dfl[at]email.arizona.edu  www.statemuseum.arizona.edu/public/tours.shtml

CELEBRATION OF OUR MOUNTAINS   This annual, month-long festival of events to celebrate the El Paso regional environment, sponsored by UTEP among others, traditionally includes an overnight bus tour to Casas Grandes. The group leaves early Friday and returns late on Sunday. Immerse yourself in art, archaeology and the rugged scenery of northern Chihuahua! Itinerary includes visits to the ancient city of Paquimé, the ruins of historic Hacienda de San Diego, an excursion train ride into the Sierra Madre, and an afternoon in the village of Mata Ortiz, world-renowned for exquisite pottery. An archaeologist intimately familiar with the Paquimé site and environs will be on board to provide insight. Led by Maria Trunk and Randy Limbird. Maximum number 30. Cost: $100 per person, includes transportation, 2 breakfasts and lunches, admission and interpretive program fee. Hotel and Saturday dinner not included. Saturday dinner will be on your own, but you are welcome to join the trip leaders at El Mesón del Kiote restaurant in Casas Grandes (Pueblo Viejo). We will reserve blocks of rooms at two hotels in Nuevo Casas Grandes, but participants must pay their own lodging costs. The Hotel Hacienda charges ~$65 per night double occupancy, the Motel Piñon ~$35 per night double occupancy. Next tour is planned for 2009. Contact Randy Limbird (915-542-1422, randy[at]epscene.com) or Maria Trunk (915-545-5214, mtandck[at]elp.rr.com).   http://www.celebrationofourmountains.org/

CÉSAR AND GABY DOMÍNGEZ  César Domínguez, one of the leading potters in the Mata Ortiz tradition, has opened an attractive new gallery on the left side of the street two blocks before exiting Casas Grandes toward Mata Ortiz (marked by a white fence and five pencil cedars). They offer demonstrations of forming, painting, and outdoor firing of pottery as well as workshops and individual instruction. Contact César Domínguez at 692-4609 or email doal27@prodigy.net.mx

CIENEGA SPA SALON   Robin Hogan offers eight-day tours to Mata Ortiz and Copper Canyon, visiting Mata Ortiz on a Sunday, then on to Creel, Cerocahui and Urique Canyon, by train for two nights in El Fuerte where they visit the Capomo and Mayo Indians, returning to deliver needed items to the Tarahumara Indian School in Creel, and arriving in Casas Grandes Saturday afternoon. Sunday visiting the ruins of Paquimé, once the largest and most complex community in the Puebloan world (AD 1200-1450), the Museum of Northern Cultures, and the historic Hacienda de San Diego. $1500/person double occupancy, $1650 single. Cienega also offers an occasional special, week-long tour to Casas Grandes and Mata Ortiz for cultural and language immersion. 6-15 persons. The group stays in Casas Grandes in a restored, hacienda-like adobe furnished with local antiques (and equipped with wireless Internet access; so bring your laptop if you like). Pottery making and regional cooking classes available, as well as visits to archaeological and historic sites, a talk by Spencer MacCallum on the early years of the Mata Ortiz pottery phenomenon, and a fiesta night with live music and food and open invitation for the pueblo. $850 all inclusive from Silver City. Contact Robin Hogan (575-534-1600, Fax 1256), Tour Leader, Cienega Spa Salon, 101 N. Cooper St, Silver City, NM 88061.  tours[at]cienegaspasalon.com

COCHISE COLLEGE GROUP   Cochise College’s Center for Lifelong Learning conducts several tours a year to the Casas Grandes region, both on its own and providing logistical support for other organizations. Most tours are limited to 12 persons. The group departs the Douglas campus of Cochise College on a Friday, traveling to the Hotel Hacienda in Nuevo Casas Grandes for dinner and a lecture on area culture and history. Next morning, they first visit an adobe restoration project involving several homes in historic Casas Grandes, then continue through Colonia Juárez, founded by Mormons in the 1880s, on their way to Mata Ortiz, where they spend a leisurely time visiting in potters’ homes and workshops, returning by way of the historic Hacienda de San Diego. On Sunday morning, they tour more of the pueblo of Casas Grandes, attending a pottery demonstration by the Manuel Olivas family and visiting the archaeological site of Paquimé and the Museum of Northern Cultures. After lunch at the Mesón del Kiote, they return to Arizona, arriving Cochise College at Douglas approximately 6pm. Cost: $265 per person double occupancy $30 single supplement includes transportation from Douglas Campus, hotel two nights, meals except one dinner, entry fees and lectures. Contact Rebecca Orozco (800-966-7943 Ext 4772, 520-515-5382, or to register: 520-515-5492), Director, Center for Southwest Studies, Cochise College, 40-90 W. Hiway 80, Douglas AZ 85607  orozcor[at]cochise.edu   www.cochise.edu/workforcetraining

COPPER CANYON GUIDE    James Barnaby (“Santiago” in Mexico or “Jim” in the USA), an FMA in ceramics, has been exploring and living seasonally for six months of each year in the Copper Canyon and is knowledgeable about the Tarahumara people and their traditions. He offers a unique tour for pottery enthusiasts: A Comparative Study of Two Ceramic Traditions: Panalachi and Mata Ortiz. Beginning and ending at Chihuahua City, the group spends a day in the Tarahumara pottery village of Panalachi, where women make the men decorate and fire their family pottery storage containers, and then for three days in Mata Ortiz, staying at the Posada de las Ollas close to the old plaza and visiting in the homes of leading potters, observing all aspects of the distinctive Mata Ortiz ways of handling clay. On the way from Panalachi to Mata Ortiz, the itinerary includes a visit to the cliff dwellings of Cuarenta Casas near Madera and, in Casas Grandes, the ruins of Paquimé (1250-1450 AD), once the largest and most complex community in the Puebloan world. At Paquimé, the Museum of Northern Cultures is one of the best archaeological-site museums in North America. The group arrives back in time for a small amount of sight-seeing in Chihuahua City. Limited to ten persons. $2300/person double occupancy for 6-7 persons, $2100 for 8-9 persons, $1988 for ten persons. Single supplement $320. Contact Santiago James Barnaby (406-587-3585), PO Box 203, Bozeman MT 59771—or US associate Chandler Dayton. www.coppercanyonguide.com  adventure[at]coppercanyonguide.com

DARLENE CONOLY TRAVEL   Darlene Conoly arranges tours worldwide, but a favorite is Mata Ortiz. She regularly hosts museum groups such as the Beaumont Art Museum, the San Antonio Museum of Latin American Art, the Southwest Arts & Crafts Center in San Antonio, and the Corpus Christi Art Museum. “Dar” favors what she calls “soft adventure,” enjoying the unusual in the vicinity of Mata Ortiz including prehistoric rock art and bathing in the hot springs near the historic Hacienda San Diego. Knowing what it takes for folks to enjoy themselves comes naturally to Dar, whose family owns the oldest dude ranch in the State of Texas. University of New Mexico anthropologist Bob Estes, who has done field work in the village, frequently accompanies the tours to Mata Ortiz. Groups range from 10-16 people. $580 for five days plus airfare from San Antonio (those driving from other points can meet on the border at noon at the very pleasant B&B in Columbus, NM). Ask for the quarterly newsletter. Contact Darlene Conoly (361-358-2364; 800-621-6008), POBox 489, 1209 N. Washington Street, Beeville TX 78104   darconolytvl[at]yahoo.com

DAVISVILLE TRAVEL   Diane Hamlyn conducts several guided field seminars each year to the Mata Ortiz area, accompanied by John W. (Jack) Barry, naturalist/historian and author of American Indian Pottery: An Identification and Value Guide.  Groups average 15 to 20 people. Leaving from Tucson, the group tours and picnics at the Amerind Foundation in Dragoon, AZ, then spends the first evening at the Hotel Hacienda in Nuevo Casas Grandes, hearing an entertaining talk on the archaeology and history of the area. The following two days are spent in and around the village, staying at the comfortable Adobe Inn, visiting with potters, seeing rock art in the mountain above the village, and finally visiting the Mormon community of Colonia Juarez, colonized in the 1880s. Returning the third night to the Hacienda Hotel, a number of leading potters join the group for dinner and show their work. $995 double occupancy; add $250 for single supplement. Contact Diane Hamlyn, Owner, or Suzon Walton, Marketing Manager (800-255-4567, 916-448-1951, Fax 530-758-4510), Davisville Travel, 420 Second St, Davis CA 95616.   Melissa[at]davisvilletravel.com    http://www.goOntour.com/

ELDERHOSTEL - GERONIMO EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION   Geronimo Educational Foundation has conducted tours to Mata Ortiz since 1993, including as many as 15 Elderhostel programs a year for persons 55 and older. Frank Ortega leads these groups, which range from 10 to 40 persons plus tour escorts and instructors. They leave from and return to the historic Gadsden Hotel in Douglas AZ after spending one-and-a-half or two full days in the Casas Grandes region of Chihuahua. Participants attend lectures, tour the ruins of Paquimé and the Museum of Northern Cultures in Casas Grandes, see the widely accredited Mormon academy, visit in the homes and workshops of potters in Mata Ortiz and witness a pottery-making demonstration, and enjoy an informal slide talk by Spencer MacCallum on the beginning years of the Mata Ortiz art movement. Elderhostel offers two programs, one of three days (“Archaeology and Modern Pottery in Chihuahua, Mexico”) and one of six days (“Ancient Culture Revisited: Art and Archaeology in Arizona and Mexico”). The latter spends a little more time in Mexico and explores part of Arizona as well. Tuition is $400 for the shorter and $800 for the longer program, double occupancy (individual occupancy $90 and $140 additional). Tuition is all-inclusive (food, lodging, transportation, lectures, entry fees, and all gratuities). A new, week-long tour to be offered for the first time in 2008 will feature several days in Casas Grandes/Mata Ortiz and an overnight to Madera and the archaeological site of Cuarenta Casas. This will cost $875 double occupancy and is planned for May 16-23. Geronimo also leads tours for other organizations and institutions such as the Amerind Foundation (which see below). Contact Carol Moore (520-432-5534, 888-218-4918), Geronimo Educational Foundation, PO Drawer B, Bisbee AZ 85603. geronimoet[at]cableone.net  Web site: www.elderhostel.org (click on “Domestic Programs” and select #4008 for the short tour or #1035 for the longer).

FIESTA TOURS INTERNATIONAL   Cathy and Marshall Giesy are well known for their “learning experience” tours to Central and South America. They offer short tours to Mata Ortiz for small groups of ten to a maximum of 20, staying overnight in the village. These can be custom-designed with a special focus such as photography/sketching or archaeology/rock art, accompanied by an artist, archaeologist or other appropriate person. $475 per person double occupancy. A Copper Canyon tour ending with a day in Mata Ortiz is sometimes offered as well. This tour costs $2295 double occupancy, limited to 16 people (8 per van). Contact Cathy Giesy (voice/fax 520-398-9705), Fiesta Tours International, PO Box 2141, Tubac, AZ 85646-2141.  fti[at]starband.net   http://www.fiestatoursint.com/

GAVILÁN GUIDE AND TOUR SERVICE   John Hatch, of the prominent Mormon family of that name in Col. Juarez, provides a unique service—arranging small tours that people can plan and schedule for themselves. At a cost of $100 per day + expenses, he provides transportation in a comfortable, 15-passenger van from Colonia Juárez or from any of three border-crossing points (El Paso TX, Douglas AZ, Deming NM), and guides anywhere in the states of Chihuahua, Sonora, and Sinaloa, the last utilizing the Chihuahua-Pacific railroad. He now offers in addition two tours of three and five days, called respectively “Parrots, Pottery & Paquimé” and “P3 and Pacific.” The first consists of a day visiting the prehistoric ruins of Paquimé, the Museum of Northern Cultures, and some other points of interest in the old pueblo of Casas Grandes; a day at the pottery village of Mata Ortiz; and during season (April-October) a day of birding at Gómez-Fárias, a major nesting area of the Thick-Billed Parrot. To these and other options, the longer tour adds the spectacular train ride from Creel, in the Copper Canyon, to the Pacific coast, over-nighting in the Spanish-colonial fortified town of El Fuerte and returning to Creel the next day. These tours can be scheduled whenever there is interest, Parrots, Pottery & Paquimé typically running Monday thru Wednesday and P3 and Pacific Monday thru Friday.                                                                                        John has traveled extensively in northern Mexico and particularly in the Sierra Madres, beginning as a boy accompanying his doctor father who often traveled to remote locations and worked under extreme conditions. Wholly bilingual and bicultural, he graduated from Brigham Young University, taught school for 25 years in Colonia Juárez  (ecology, history, English, physics), has researched the history of the Mormon colonies in Mexico, and has guided or otherwise been involved in numerous wildlife and historical expeditions into the Sierra Madre region. Contact John or Sandra Hatch (direct USA line 480-704-4596, Mexico line 636-695-0111, Cell 044-636-102-3526), Col. Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. jandshatch[at]yahoo.com   http://www.gavilantours.com/

GERONIMO EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION   Geronimo has long experience in organizing and leading tours for institutions and organizations such as Elderhostel and the Amerind Foundation, among others. Contact Carol Moore (520-432-5534, 888-218-4918), Geronimo Educational Foundation, PO Drawer B, Bisbee AZ 85603.  geronimoet[at]cableone.net 

JIM GLENDINNING’S MEXICO   Jim Glendinning leads a five-day tour by van from El Paso to Casas Grandes and Mata Ortiz. Limited to ten persons. Leave on a Thursday, arrive at the Hotel Villa Colonial in Nuevo Casas Grandes and meet tour guide, Norma Piñón. Friday: Tour the archaeological site of Paquimé and the Museum of Northern Cultures, dinner at Belgian restaurant Malmedy in Nuevo Casas Grandes. That night and the next at Las Guacamayas, a bed-and-breakfast and art gallery built using the same construction techniques of rammed earth as were used in the prehistoric pueblo of Paquimé. Saturday: Visit Colonia Juárez, settled by Mormon pioneers in the 1880s, and the historic Hacienda de San Diego, on the way to the pottery village of Mata Ortiz. During the afternoon, visit in the homes of pottery artists of Mata Ortiz, including world renowned Juan Quezada, and witness a pottery-making demonstration and outdoor firing. Sunday: Visit El Capulín, a Mennonite colony, then cross the border at Columbus, New Mexico to visit the Pancho Villa State Park and Museum. Overnight in Columbus at Martha’s Bed & Breakfast. Monday: Arrive at El Paso International Airport before noon. $625 double occupancy, $735 single. Contact Jim Glendinning (432-837-7320), 904 N. 11^th Street, Alpine TX 79830. jimglen2[at]sbcglobal.net  www.mexicosmallgroups.com/casasgrandes.html

JOHN BEZY, INC.   John Bezy almost every month guides short educational tours of two nights/three days to the Casas Grandes area, headquartering at the Hotel Hacienda in Nuevo Casas Grandes. Participants learn a great deal about the natural history—geology and vegetation—of the region as well as its settlement history from the Indians to the present. After the ruins of Paquimé and the Museum of Northern Cultures, they become acquainted in Colonia Juarez with some of the history of the Mormon colonies and, finally, visit in many individual homes in the pottery village of Mata Ortiz. Cost $255 for transportation (food and lodging, separate, runs approximately $170 for 2 people for 2 nights). Contact John Bezy (520-825-2451), 64118 E. Meander Dr., Tucson AZ 85739.  johnbezyinc[at]earthlink.net.

JOHN M. PHELAN   John (“JP”) Phelan offers a three-day tour to Casas Grandes and Mata Ortiz for groups of 8-20 people. The tour is sponsored by the Hospitality Club of Las Cruces, NM. Headquartering in Nuevo Casas Grandes, the group spend the first morning in Casas Grandes (“Pueblo Viejo”) visiting the prehistoric ruins of Paquimé and the Museum of Northern Cultures, then lunch with a private family at the historic Hacienda de San Diego. In the afternoon, they visit in the homes of artists in the pottery village of Mata Ortiz and see a demonstration of hand-building, painting, and outdoor firing of pottery. On the return, they tour the Mormon colony of Colonia Juárez, dating from the 1880s. $370/person double occupancy, $399 single. The next scheduled tour will be May 20-22. Contact John Phelan (575-647-2703), 2103 Vista Lejano, Las Cruces, NM 88005-3949.  mpjpmm[at] hotmail.com.

KRUSEARIZONA TOURS   Alan Kruse offers a coach tour to Mata Ortiz arriving Nuevo Casas Grandes Thursday for dinner at the Hotel Hacienda followed by a slide talk by Spencer MacCallum on the beginning years of the Mata Ortiz pottery phenomenon and the remarkable legacy of Juan Quezada. Friday begins with a visit to the Museum of Northern Cultures and the ruins of Paquimé, once the largest and most complex community in the Puebloan world (1200-1450 AD), followed by lunch with the Acosta family at their home, the historic Hacienda de San Diego, [and a tour of Colonia Juárez, colonized by Mormons in the 1890s]. Dinner is at the Belgian restaurant, Malmedy. On Saturday, the group attends a pottery-making demonstration in Casas Grandes by master potters José and Leonel Quezada at Galería Las Guacamayas. Built following the same construction methods as the prehistoric ruins of Paquimé, Las Guacamayas offers a rare selection of high-end Mata Ortiz pottery. Following lunch at La Finca de Don Cruz restaurant in Casas Grandes, the group enjoys a leisurely afternoon in the village of Mata Ortiz, visiting in the homes and workshops of pottery artists. Dinner is at the Algremi restaurant in Nuevo Casas Grandes. On Sunday, the group returns to Tucson, visiting on the way the Mennonite settlement of Capulín and lunching at the popular Pink Store on the border at Palomas. $495 double occupancy, $595 single. Next scheduled tour will be September 25-28. Contact Alan Kruse (520-881-1638), KruseArizona Tours, 4517 E. Patricia Place, Tucson AZ 85712.  info[at]krusearizona.com.

MARIPOSA TOURS    Lisa Silva conducts five-day “Explorer” trips from Albuquerque to Mata Ortiz, typically following this pattern: Day 1—Luna Mimbres Museum in Deming and City of Rocks; Day 2—Pancho Villa State Park and Mata Ortiz for art pottery, pottery-making demonstrations; Day 3—Mata Ortiz for rodeos on national holidays (all tours except Labor Day weekend feature rodeos), visit Hacienda San Diego, and a short hike to explore the Arrollo de los Monos petroglyphs; Day 4—Casas Grandes, prehistoric ruins of Paquimé and the Museum of Northern Cultures; Day 5—returning to explore Rockhound State Park, NM. $495/person double occupancy, $150 single supplement, includes all lodging, transportation and meals. Combination Copper Canyon/Mata Ortiz tours are also available. Context-based Spanish lessons can be taken prior to the trip. Email Lisa Silva at info@mariposatours.org

MATA ORTIZ CARAVAN TRIPS  Not only do Ron and Sue Bridgemon lead the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum spring and fall tours (see above), they also conduct two or more caravan tours by private vehicle each year to Mata Ortiz as well as to the Copper Canyon. These informal car-pooling tours are an economical way to visit Mata Ortiz, costing from $80 to $125 USD per room per night. Tours may be three days (Fri-Sun) or four days (Fri-Mon), the longer trek including the Valley of the Caves and Cueva de la Olla in the Sierra Madre Mountains west of Mata Ortiz. Limited to about ten people, the caravan leaves from and returns to Douglas, Arizona, where they may overnight at the Motel 6, completing their paperwork at the border in the evening when the port is not busy, and then getting off early after having breakfast at the historic Gadsden Hotel. The trip includes several stops along the way and at least two nights in Mata Ortiz, where Ron and Sue have a second home by the Posada de las Ollas. Caravaners have ample time in the village for pot purchases and for visits in the homes and workshops of the most famous potters. Horse riding is available. When the opportunity arises, participation in local events such as weddings, dances, rodeos, parades, or horse races completes the Mata Ortiz experience. Among many other points of interest are the ruins of Paquimé (1250-1450 AD), once the largest and most complex community in the Puebloan world, and the Museum of Northern Cultures, one of the best archaeological-site museums in North America. The caravan also stops for lunch and tour at the historic Hacienda de San Diego. Next scheduled trips will be September-13-17 (AZ-Sonora Desert Museum), October 30-November 2 (caravan), and December 4-8 (caravan). Ron and Sue are also available to lead custom tours. Contact Ron or Sue Bridgemon (520-744-2243), 4545 W. Flying Diamond, Tucson AZ 85742  azcaver[at]earthlink.net

MATA ORTIZ TOURS WITH KAREN JONES   Karen has conducted personalized tours to Mata Ortiz and arranged classes in the village since 1985. Her regular tour of four days and three nights from Tucson or Green Valley crosses at Palomas, lunches there at the Pink Store (which besides attractive dining offers one of the best selections of Mexican crafts anywhere), then on to Mata Ortiz, stopping at several points of interest along the way. After settling in and having supper at the Adobe Inn, they visit the gallery of Mauro and Marta Quezada not to buy, but to get a sense of the variety of styles in the village. The next two days are spent visiting in the homes of leading potters in each of the barrios, or neighborhoods, of Mata Ortiz. On the third morning, the group makes a short excursion to historic Casas Grandes to visit the Museum of Northern Cultures and view the ruined adobe city of Paquimé (1250-1450 AD), once the largest and most complex community in the Puebloan world. In the afternoon the group is back again in the village and, on the fourth day, home, stopping for lunch at Kranberry’s in Lordsburg NM, noted for good food and pastries. $595/person, double accommodations. Next scheduled tours are May 6-9, September 9-12, October 14-17, November 4-7, February 10-13, 2008,  February 24-27, and March 10-13. Contact Karen Jones (520-625-6380), 1101 S. Alpine Circle, Green Valley AZ 85614.  KarenQJones@aol.com

MIMBRES REGION ARTS COUNCIL    Each spring the Mimbres Region Arts Council (MRAC) and the Western New Mexico University (WNMU) Museum in Silver City NM, conduct a moderate-cost “Art and Culture Tour of Northern Chihuahua.” Museum director and Southwest archaeologist Dr. Cynthia Ann Bettison and Faye McCalmont, MRAC executive director, lead the tour and explain local history at sites along the way such as the Plaza de Armas at Ascención, the two ruined Janos churches, the Mormon colonies of Col. Dublán and Col. Juárez, the old pueblo of Casas Grandes, the Paquimé ruins, Hacienda San Diego, and Mata Ortiz. $800 per person double occupancy for MRAC or WNMU Museum Members (membership $25 individual, $40 family, $20 student) or $900 non-members double occupancy, single supplement $120. Limited to 25 people. Next tour will be in 2009, dates to be determined. Contact the Mimbres Region Arts Council (575-538-2505 or 888-758-7289), Box 1830, Silver City, NM 88062   info[at]mimbresarts.org     http://www.mimbresarts.org/

MOVIN’ MINERS  The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), through its travel group, Movin’ Miners, usually makes available to its members each year a three-day Casas Grandes Paquimé Ruins & Potters of Mata Ortiz tour. UTEP anthropologist Ben Brown accompanies the group as educator. Non-members are assessed $30 each or $50 per couple for annual dues (persons not enrolled in UTEP can join as ‘Friends” of the University). The trip planned for this year is more extensive. It will go to Copper Canyon and end with one day in Casas Grandes and Mata Ortiz. For costs or other information, contact Lee Nelson at 915-747-8600, Cell 915-525-1533, or email lnelson[at]utep.edu

NATURE TREKS & PASSAGES   This enterprise offers four-day birding and cultural tours of the Mata Ortiz / Casas Grandes region. The group travel in vans from the Tucson and Phoenix areas to the Amerind Foundation in Dragoon, AZ to get an overview of the archaeological history of the American Southwest and Northwest Mexico, do birding at Whitewater Draw near Wilcox, and then overnight in Bisbee. On the second day they visit the prehistoric ruins of Paquimé and the Museum of Northern Cultures in the 17-century pueblo of Casas Grandes, followed by refreshments at the La Finca de Don Cruz restaurant and a slide talk by Spencer MacCallum on the beginning years of the Mata Ortiz phenomenon and the legacy of Juan Quezada. They stay that night and the next in Mata Ortiz at the Adobe Inn, operated by master potter Jorge Quintana. In the morning, after birding along the Palanganas River, they have a leisurely time exploring the village, visiting potters in their homes and workshops, and witnessing pottery-making and outdoor-firing of pottery. On the final day, they do more birding outside the Mormon town of Colonia Juárez and return to Arizona by that evening. Cost $899 per person double occupancy (single $100 additional). Next scheduled trips will be October 10-13, December 5-8, January 16-19, February 13-16 (non-birding), and March 13-16. Contact Rochelle Gerratt (520-696-2002), owner, Nature Treks & Passages, PO Box 64805, Tucson, AZ 85728. info[at]naturetreks.net    www.naturetreks.net/Mata_Ortiz_Birding_Pottery_NT.htm

NOBERTA FRESQUEZ   Noberta Fresquez offers guided trips to various parts of Mexico from Albuquerque under the sponsorship of the Performing Arts Department of New Mexico Tech, Socorro. One trip each year explores Chihuahua. The group travel by motor-coach to three locations, staying two nights in each to allow a full day of visiting the area. The areas chosen are Chihuahua City, Divisidero in the Copper Canyon, and Casas Grandes. In the Casas Grandes area, they lodge at the Hotel Hacienda and spend the day on Sunday visiting the art-pottery village of Mata Ortiz and other points of interest such as the historic Hacienda de San Diego and the ruins of Paquimé, once the largest and most complex community in the Puebloan world—followed in the evening by a specially planned cook-out. The tour is led by Raúl Rodríguez, a popular guide and noted authority on Chihuahua (see his tours below). Contact Noberta Fresquez 505-831-6181.  FresquezN[at]aol.com 

PARADISE VALLEY COLLEGE    For ten years, ceramics teacher David Bradley has conducted an annual, week-long workshop in Mata Ortiz, mainly for people from Paradise Valley College in Phoenix but open to others. Participants depart by van from the college campus on Union Hills Drive and 32^nd Street in Phoenix, and arrive that evening in Mata Ortiz at the Posada de las Ollas for supper and a slide talk by Spencer MacCallum on the beginning years of the Mata Ortiz phenomenon and the legacy of Juan Quezada. During five days in the village, Jesús and Carmen Veloz teach all aspects of pottery making from digging clay to forming, painting, and firing the finished piece. Each student ends up with at least one fired pot. Afternoons are free for visiting potters in the village. Evenings are for practicing using the Mata Ortiz style paint-brushes and getting acquainted with the villagers’ design approach. A day trip is made to the mountains to visit La Cueva de la Olla, an awe inspiring archaeological site. On the final morning before returning to Phoenix, the group visit the Museum of Northern Cultures, the ruins of Paquimé, once the largest and most complex community in the puebloan world, and the MacCallums’ adobe restoration project in the old pueblo of Casas Grandes. $700 includes three college credits, transportation, meals in the village, and artist fees. Cost does not include $20 Mexican tourist permit, meals en route, tips, or purchases. Limited to 16 people. No pottery experience necessary. Register in March (when summer class schedules come out) for the spring workshop by calling Paradise Valley College at 602-493-2669 and signing up for Art295GC in the summer semester. Contact David Bradley (602-787-6615), 1639 E Juniper Ave., Phoenix 85022.  david.bradley[at]pvmail.maricopa.edu

RANCHO SIERRA MADRE - ESCUELA DE LOS ARTES    In 1998 Jim and Jo Jarvis began offering a one-week CLASS taught by Juan Quezada at their historic working ranch near the Cueva de la Olla in the Sierra Madres (the ranch has been in the family since 1878) three hours west of Mata Ortiz. Juan Quezada teaches all aspects of the distinctive Mata Ortiz clay technique which he originated. See and experience a lifestyle untouched by telephone, electricity, or Internet (emergency radio available). No previous clay experience necessary. Groups caravan from and to Windmill, New Mexico, visiting on the way down the superb Museum of Northern Cultures at Casas Grandes and the Mormon settlement of Colonia Juárez, stopping briefly both going down and coming back at Mata Ortiz. Extracurricular opportunities at the ranch include rock hounding (particularly fire agate), exploring cliff dwellings, and birding. Prehistoric rock art, both pictographs and petroglyphs, are within a ten-minute walk. Western New Mexico University in Silver City grants two academic credits. $900 per person includes all expenses, tuition, and travel from Windmill (near Animas, New Mexico, south of Lordsburg). Eight full days of instruction and two days of travel. This year’s class will be September 4-13. Contact Jim or Jo Jarvis (575-436-2589, Cell 575-538-1854), HC 65 Box 634, Animas NM 88020.  snjjarvi[at]hotmail.com  www.ranchosierramadre.com/pottery.htm

RAÚL RODRÍGUEZ    Licensed by the Mexican government and highly recommended, Raúl Rodríguez is a program director for Grand Circle Travel and also conducts tours on his own. He guides small, custom-tour groups to Mata Ortiz, Copper Canyon, and Baja California, as well as to Yucatán and other areas rich in the culture of ancient and colonial Mexico. Contact Raúl by phone (Cell 614-427-6875) or email  RAULRDGZ[at]aol.com  

RECURSOS TRAVEL & EDUCATION   Pamela Kahlo-Fina, an exceptional Spanish language educator (for many years with Berlitz School of Languages in Spain, New York City and Argentina), is much involved in the village, where she has a home and is a longstanding friend of the Manuel Mora family. Once or twice monthly she takes groups on 3-5-day trips from Tucson for immersion in culture and language but frequently in pursuit of other interests as well (Tucson artist Robert Varga, for example, has painted several murals of the Virgin of Guadalupe on the interior walls of potters’ homes while practicing his Spanish). Custom area tours are also available, guided by Pamela with lodging in a restored adobe furnished with local antiques in the old pueblo of Casas Grandes. Language-immersion tours $400/person, other tours $200. Groups average four, maximum eight people. Contact Pamela Kahlo-Fina (520-327-1087), 3550 Camden, Tucson, AZ 85716  mpmermaids[at]aol.com http://www.rtemexico.com/spanish.htm 

RIDEMEXICO   Susan Shields, of RideMexico, and Norberto Padilla, of Aventurero, usually collaborate on horseback tours but now offer a three-day auto tour (private cars are welcome to convoy) to Casas Grandes, Paquimé, Hacienda de San Diego, and Mata Ortiz. Crossing at Naco, Arizona, they check into Nuevo Casas Grandes’ Hotel Hacienda in time for lunch and an afternoon at Casas Grandes (Pueblo Viejo). In the morning of the second day, they tour the Museum of Northern Cultures and the ruins of Paquimé, once the largest and most complex community in the Puebloan world. In the afternoon, they visit the Mormon community of Colonia Juárez, colonized in the 1880s, the historic Hacienda de San Diego, now being stabilized and restored by the Acosta family living there, and artists’ homes and workshops in the pottery village of Mata Ortiz. $425 per person, double occupancy (single room $75 additional). Contact Susan Shields (520-455-5670) at laquerencia[at]theriver.com or Norberto Padilla Rodríguez at elaventurero[at]hotmail.com.