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MATA ORTIZ CALENDAR OF EVENTS |
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The Window on the Mata Ortiz World |
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Maintained by Spencer and Emalie MacCallum. Direct technical and website questions to: admin@blacklightningproductions.com |
Updated June 1 2010
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. Tour companies do not offer tours during July and
August because of the widespread assumption that Mexico, lying to the south,
must be too hot in summer. Yet we prefer summer in some ways to spring, which is
dry and sometimes windy. After mid-June the cooling rains begin, and the world
turns emerald green. At 5,000 feet elevation, it never gets as hot as in much of
the American Southwest. Rarely, in fact, do temperatures exceed 100 degrees F in
summer or dip below freezing in winter. So if summer suits your personal
calendar but you find no tours running, remember that it is convenient and easy
to travel to this part of Mexico on your own. Always consider that as an option,
and feel free to contact us with questions when planning your trip.
Many
pottery families in Mata Ortiz and Casas Grandes offer excellent, comprehensive
pottery classes covering all aspects of the Mata Ortiz approach to clay, from
prospecting, digging, and preparing clay to hand-building a pot (usually 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 blackware
as well as oxidation firing for white or 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’ve made a discovery and made it their own.
Perhaps the Cadillac of all workshops with Juan Quezada, and strangely the most
economical, is that offered by Rancho Sierra Madre in the hill country above
Mata Ortiz in August or September (see listing below).
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 readily they find someone to work with. For demonstrations
or classes in the United States, consult the section “Exhibitions and Scheduled
Events.”
MATA ORTIZ
Fiesta
Tours
(520-398-9705)
Cathy and Marshall Giesy arrange an eight-day
class with leading potters in
Mata Ortiz, where they maintain a second home and also guide tours (see below).
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/.
Daniel and Elda González (661-7068),
sister of Gloria
Hernández and Roberto Hernández, offer at the Posada a two-hour demonstration of
building a pot. Ana Trillo then completes the demonstration by bringing pots to
the Posada for sanding and burnishing, followed by a firing at her house. $10
USD per person for groups of 20 or more, $20 per person for smaller groups.
Santos Ledezma and Rosa Loya
(661-7020), above the Adobe Inn Hotel, offer a two-day class for any number up
to ten people for $500 USD.
Lucy Mora and husband
Lorenzo Bugarini (661-7034) offer a
five-day class for 10-20 persons at their home in Barrio Porvenir. $100 USD per
person. [Incidental note: they also collect and deliver to the United States
wholesale lots of pottery for New Mexico and Arizona buyers.)
Pilo
Mora
(Cell
636-101-5635, 694-3311), one of Mata Ortiz’ master potters, occasionally
teaches, not on a commercial basis but from the heart. He does not charge, but
will give two weeks of instruction where there is a special interest in the art
of Mata Ortiz.
Paradise Valley College
in Phoenix
(602-787-6615)
offers an annual, week-long
workshop in Mata Ortiz, led by ceramics teacher David Bradley, mainly for people
from the College but open to others. See details of itinerary and registration
requirements below, under “Paradise Valley College.”
Rosa Ponce and
Julián Ledezma (661-7094) offer a
six-day class for up to12 persons for $130 USD per person.
This class, running from 9-6pm daily and breaking for lunch from 1-3pm,
includes prospecting, digging, and preparing clay, and all aspects of forming,
decorating, and firing. Students often stay at the Posada de la Olla.
Jerardo (“Jera”) Tena offers a
three-day class. For information, rates, and availability, contact Tito Carrillo
(520-290-0305,
Cell 520-861-2068), Tortuga Tours, Box 12322, Tucson AZ 85732.
www.carrillocurios.com
Jesús Tena and nephew
Mario (636-101-5255), Mata Ortiz,
offer classes for groups of 6-10 persons for four days @ $100/person and for an
additional $5/person provide a mid-day meal.
Ana Trillo (neighbor 636-661-7023),
across from the elementary school near the Adobe Inn Hotel, offers both a light,
three-day introductory class in pottery making for 3-4 persons for $30 per
person, and an intensive, eight-to-ten-day
workshop for up to ten persons
for $100 per person. The introductory class works two hours each morning. The
intensive workshop, at which all experience levels are welcome, is all day each
day. Ana’s husband, Mónico Corona, and sister-in-law Sara assist. A trip to dig
clay includes a visit to Mónico’s cattle ranch, located on an archaeological
site where potsherds abound. Ana has made rapid progress in learning English,
and translation is available. Classes are scheduled whenever there is interest.
Mónico rents riding horses at $10 for two hours or $20 for all day. Children are
welcome to ride his burros free. Contact Ana Trillo through a neighbor at
(011-52) 636-661-7023 or email her at
anatrillo_mataortiz70@hotmail.com
Jesús Veloz and his wife
Carmen Ledezma (Cell 636-103-0320), across
from the church in Mata Ortiz and a couple of doors south, offer five-day
pottery-making classes for small
groups. 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. $100/person tuition includes
all materials but not room or board, although the first five people can room
free with the Veloz. Contact Jesús and Carmen (in Spanish) by calling Marta
Martínez’ caseta (voice/fax 661-7026) or their
son (cell 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 El Paso
line (915-261-0502) which rings in Mexico.
Diego Valles, on the main
corner in Barrio Porvenir, offers a five-day class or longer, for serious
students.
CASAS
GRANDES
Master
potters
César
and Gaby Domíngez
(692-4609) operate a gallery on the left side of the street two blocks before
exiting Casas Grandes in the direction of Mata Ortiz. They offer demonstrations
of forming, painting, and outdoor firing of pottery as well as workshops and
individual instruction. They also buy and ship pottery for individuals and
dealers. Contact them at 692-4609 or
doal27[at]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
Museo de las Culturas del Norte in
Casas Grandes, he offers two-week
classes in pottery making and Spanish language. Pottery students
learn all aspects of hand-building, decorating, and firing, with emphasis on the
more archaeological Paquimé designs. Limited to 15 students, classes are six
hours daily Mon-Fri 9-1 and 4-6pm, plus four hours Saturday. All skill levels
are welcome. Included are field trips to dig clay and obtain minerals for
natural slip colorants, plus 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. $300
tuition plus $120/week for room and board (two meals daily) with a Mexican
family. Academic credits are available through the Escuela Preparatoria.
The language classes provide total immersion and are formatted much like the
pottery classes 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. No classes in 2010. Reservations are being taken for the
2011 summer season.
Contact Julián Hernández Chávez (home 636-694-2220, school 636-694-1645, gallery
692-4176), 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 Quezada and known
internationally as a teacher (potters come from Germany to study with him, and
he teaches on the summer faculty at Idyllwild Arts in California) offers in his
Casas Grandes studio or anywhere in the United States a ten-day class for up to
12 persons for $1,500 USD.
Spencer and Emi MacCallum, neighbors of Nicolás and authors of this web site,
will assist students in finding accommodations and meals in Casas Grandes.
Contact Nicolás Quezada at 636-692-4483 or in
care of the MacCallums on their El Paso line (915-261-0502) which rings in
Mexico, or email them at
sm[at]look.net).
PUERTO
VALLARTA
Galería Mata Ortiz
(cell 322-222-7407) sponsors ceramic
workshops for all experience levels 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 reduction or
oxidation firing outdoors to create black or polychrome wares. Enrollment
limited to 16. Tuition $500 USD includes all materials. Lodging is available in
attractive surroundings for approximately $50 per day, double occupancy.
Contact Claudia Lovera (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/
April 9-11
Bridgemon Caravan Trips
May 22-28
Southwest Adventures, Ltd.
September
14-18
Bridgemon Caravan Trips
August/September
Rancho Sierra Madre
November
13-16
Nature Treks & Passages
December
13-14
Fiesta Tours International
2011
January 14-17
Nature Treks & Passages
February
18-21
Nature Treks & Passages
March 24-27
Elderhostel/Exploritas (Geronimo Educational Fdn)
March 25-28
Nature Treks & Passages
Note:
Nine additional tour groups offer some 200 tours a year to Copper Canyon that
include a stop in this area. Listed at the end of this file, these are of
interest because they 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 offers a three-day tour to the village for ten or more persons
when there is interest. Departing Phoenix/Tucson in the early morning, the group
travels through the mountain pass of the Sierra Madres, stops to see points of
interest in Janos, which was the Spanish administrative center in the 1600s, and
arrives that night at the Hotel Hacienda in Nuevo Casas Grandes. All of the next
day is devoted to the village of Mata Ortiz, visiting in the homes and workshops
of pottery artists including the legendary Juan Quezada, recipient in 1999 of
the Premio Nacional de los Artes,
Mexico’s highest honor to a living artist. On the third day the group visits the
archaeological site of Paquimé (1200-1450AD), once the largest and most complex
community in the Puebloan world, and the Museum of Northern Cultures, one of the
foremost archaeological-site museums in North America, before returning home to
the United States. Price double accommodation $492, single $554. Contact Agustín
Caparros or his son, Collin (602-938-0951, toll-free 877-938-0951), A Closer
Look Tours, Inc., Phoenix AZ
acloserlooktours[at]aol.com
www.acloserlooktours.com
AMERIND FOUNDATION
The
Amerind Foundation, Dragoon, Arizona, excavated in 1959-1962 the archaeological
site of Paquimé at Casas Grandes. It
conducts yearly educational tours to Casas Grandes and Mata Ortiz led by
Geronimo Educational Foundation (which see below). The tour departs Dragoon by
motor coach on Wednesday, lunching in Palomas, Chihuahua at the Pink Store
(known for pleasant dining and one of the best selections of Mexican crafts in
northern Mexico), then visiting the 17th-century church and Spanish
archives at Janos, and arriving at the Hotel Hacienda in Nuevo Casas Grandes for
dinner and a slide talk by Spencer MacCallum on the beginning years of the Mata
Ortiz art phenomenon and the legacy of Juan Quezada. On Thursday the tour visits
the old pueblo of Casas Grandes with Spencer MacCallum as guide. After lunch
with a private family at the historic Hacienda de San Diego, they explore 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.
In the evening, they attend a reception in Casas Grandes at the
Museo de las Culturas del Norte with presentations by Dr. John Ware,
director of the Amerind Foundation, and archaeologist Eduardo Gamboa, director
of the Museo. Thursday morning, the
group tour the prehistoric ruins of Paquimé, once the largest and most complex
community in the Puebloan world (1200-1450 AD), excavated 1959-1962 by the
Amerind Foundation and the Mexican government under the direction of Dr. Charles
DiPeso and Mexican archaeologist Eduardo Contreras. After lunching with
folklórico dancing at La Finca de Don
Cruz in Casas Grandes, the group return to Arizona.
$550 for members, of which $50 will be tax-deductible, and $590 for non-members,
double occupancy (single supplement $50).
Contact Jill Williams (520-586-3666, x 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 introductory lecture on pottery.
Saturday: Pueblo Grande, an ancient
Hohokam platform mound complex, and the Heard Museum’s collection of Hohokam,
Mimbres, and Southwestern pottery. Sunday:
Hohokam sites of Casa Grande and Grewe, then to Tucson and Father Kino’s 17th-century
mission of San Xavier del Bac and its restored interior murals, followed by an
evening lecture on Hohokam pottery. Monday:
The Sonoran Desert Museum for a behind-the-scenes tour of their pottery
collection and an evening talk on the Hohokam culture.
Tuesday: Western New Mexico University
(Silver City) Museum’s private collection of Mimbres painted pottery, followed
by 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 (1250-1450 AD), once the largest and most complex community in
the Puebloan world. Hear Spencer MacCallum speak on the beginnings of the Mata
Ortiz pottery movement. Saturday: Visit the home of Juan Quezada and of 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. Next tour 2011. Contact James B. Walker
(505-266-1540), Southwest Regional Director, The Archaeological Conservancy,
5301 Central Avenue NE, Suite 902, Albuquerque, NM 87108-1517.
tactours[at]nm.net
tacsw[at]nm.net
ARGONAUT TOURS
Argonaut Tours has expanded its Copper Canyon tour program to include
tours, whenever there is interest, from Tucson to Casas Grandes/Mata Ortiz,
spending two or three nights in the area. These tours happen about monthly.
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.
argonaut.tours[at]cox.net
www.argonaut-tours.com
[See description of their Copper Canyon tours at the end of this section.]
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*—“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, while the “Celebration” takes in Mexican Independence Day
(September 16) in Mata Ortiz with school-children’s parade, rodeo, and dance.
Members $750 all inclusive, non-members $825 (double occupancy, $200 single
supplement). These regular tours are on hold until 2011; however, Ron and Sue,
who conduct the tours, will do the same tours this year as a caravan, where each
party drives his own vehicle and they keep in touch by walkie-talkie, an
arrangement that has proved highly popular. See Bridgemon Caravan Trips, below.
ARIZONA STATE MUSEUM
Every other year,
scholars Paul and Suzy Fish of the Arizona State Museum at the University of
Arizona in Tucson lead a Mata Ortiz Learning Expedition (on alternate
years, they go to the Mexico City area). Limited to 12 persons, it often begins
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 and 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 Sierra Madre. Sunday return to Tucson by 7pm. Cost: Museum members
$700, non-members $800, includes transportation, lodging, and meals. Next tour
in 2011. 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
BRIDGEMON CARAVAN TRIPS
Not
only do Ron and Sue Bridgemon lead the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum’s spring and
fall tours (see above), they conduct several caravan trips by private vehicle
each year to Mata Ortiz. These informal car-pooling tours are an economical way
to travel, each paying her or his own expenses en route and, while in Mata
Ortiz, $90 USD per night for one person or $150 for two. Trips may be three days
or four days, 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. At Douglas,
they may overnight at Motel 6, completing their paperwork at the border in the
evening when the port is not busy in order to get off early after breakfasting
at the historic Gadsden Hotel. The trip includes several interesting 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 famous potters.
Horse riding is available. As opportunity arises, participation in local events
such as weddings, dances, rodeos, parades, or horse races completes the Mata
Ortiz experience. Among 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 visits the historic Hacienda de San Diego
for lunch and a tour. Next caravan trip will be
September 14-18. Ron and Sue are
available to guide custom tours. Contact Ron or Sue Bridgemon (520-744-2243),
4545 W. Flying Diamond, Tucson AZ 85742
sbridgemon[at]q.com
CELEBRATION OF OUR MOUNTAINS
This
annual, month-long festival of events to celebrate the El Paso regional
environment, sponsored among others by the University of Texas at El Paso
(UTEP), traditionally includes a bus tour to Casas Grandes/Mata Ortiz led by
Maria Trunk and Randy Limbird. The group leaves early Friday and returns late on
Sunday. Immerse yourself in art, archaeology and the rugged scenery of northern
Chihuahua. The itinerary includes visits to the ancient city of Paquimé, the
historic Hacienda de San Diego, an excursion into the Sierra Madre, and an
afternoon in the village of Mata Ortiz, world-renowned for its exquisite
pottery. An archaeologist familiar with the Paquimé site and environs will be on
board to provide insight. Limited to 30 persons. Cost of $100 per person
includes transportation, two breakfasts and lunches, admission, and interpretive
program fee. 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 hotels in Nuevo Casas Grandes,
but participants pay their own lodging costs. The Hotel Hacienda charges
approximately $65 USD per night double occupancy, the Motel Piñon $35. Next tour
will be in 2011.
Contact Randy Limbird (915-542-1422)
randy[at]epscene.com)
www.celebrationofourmountains.org/
CIENEGA SPA SALON
Robin and Pam Hogan offer 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 includes a visit to the ruins of Paquimé (1200-1450 AD), once
the largest and most complex community in the Puebloan world, the Museum of
Northern Cultures, one of the best archaeological-site museums in North America,
and the historic Hacienda de San Diego. $1500/person double occupancy, $1650
single. Cienega also offers on occasion a week-long tour of 6-15 persons to
Casas Grandes/Mata Ortiz for cultural and language immersion. This group stays
in Casas Grandes in a restored, hacienda-like adobe off the plaza furnished with
local antiques (and equipped with wireless Internet, so bring a laptop if you
wish). From here they visit archaeological and historic sites, hear a slide-talk
by Spencer MacCallum on the early years of the Mata Ortiz pottery phenomenon,
and enjoy a fiesta night with live music, food, and open invitation to the
pueblo. Pottery-making and regional cooking classes are available. $850 all
inclusive from Silver City. Contact Robin or Pam Hogan (575-534-1600), Tour
Leaders, Cienega Spa Salon, 101 N. Cooper St, Silver City, NM 88061.
info[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 groups depart 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 visit an adobe restoration project involving several homes in
historic Casas Grandes and then continue to Colonia Juárez, founded by Mormons
in the 1880s, on their way to Mata Ortiz, where they have 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 at Cochise
College in Douglas at approximately 6pm. The cost of $285 per person double
occupancy ($60 single supplement) includes transportation from Douglas Campus,
hotel two nights, meals except for 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
For 30 years,
James
Barnaby (“Santiago” in Mexico or “Jim” in the USA), from Bozeman, Montana, has
been exploring and living seasonally six months a year in the Copper Canyon. Jim
has a BFA, MA and MFA in ceramics. He has guided tours in the Copper Canyon for
28 years and is knowledgeable about the Tarahumara people and their traditions.
Jim offers a unique tour for pottery enthusiasts:
A Comparative Study of Two Ceramic
Traditions: Panalachi and Mata Ortiz. Beginning and ending in Chihuahua
City, the group spends a day in the Tarahumara pottery village of Panalachi,
where women make and men decorate and fire their family pottery storage
containers, and then to Mata Ortiz for three days at the Posada de las Ollas by
the old plaza, visiting in the homes and workshops of leading potters and
observing all aspects of the distinctive Mata Ortiz ways of handling clay. En
route 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. The famous Paquimian ceramics inspired the florescence of
pottery at Mata Ortiz. Also at Paquimé is the Museum of Northern Cultures, one
of the best archaeological-site museums in North America. The group arrives back
in Chihuahua City in time for a small amount of sight-seeing. Limited to ten
persons. For 6-7 persons, $2300 USD/person double occupancy; 8-9 persons, $2100;
ten persons $1988 (single supplement $320). Contact Santiago James Barnaby
(406-587-3585), PO Box 203, Bozeman MT 59771, or US associate Chandler Dayton
(406-570-0570).
www.coppercanyonguide.com
adventure[at]coppercanyonguide.com
DARLENE CONOLY TRAVEL
Although
Darlene Conoly arranges tours worldwide, her 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. $600 for
five days, excluding air fare from San Antonio or other transportation to the
meeting point at noon on the border at Martha’s B&B (505-531-2467) in Columbus,
NM. Next tour will be in 2011. Ask
for the quarterly newsletter. Contact Darlene Conoly (361-358-2364;
800-621-6008), PO Box 489, 1209 N. Washington Street, Beeville TX 78104
darconolytvl[at]yahoo.com
DAVISVILLE TRAVEL
Diane
Hamlyn conducts several guided field seminars each year to Casas Grandes/Mata
Ortiz, accompanied by John W. (Jack) Barry, naturalist/historian and author of
American Indian Pottery: An Identification and Value Guide. Groups
average 15 to 20 persons. Leaving from Tucson, the group enjoys on the way a
picnic and tour of the Amerind Foundation in Dragoon, AZ, then spends the first
evening at the Hotel Hacienda in Nuevo Casas Grandes, where they hear an
entertaining talk on the archaeology and history of the area. The following two
days are spent in and around Mata Ortiz, staying at the comfortable Adobe Inn,
visiting with potters, seeing rock art in the mountain above the village, and
finally visiting the settlement of Colonia Juarez, colonized by the Mormons in
the 1880s. Returning the third night to the Hacienda Hotel, several leading
potters join the group for dinner and show their work. $995 USD double occupancy
(single supplement $250). Contact Shirlee McKibbin (800-255-4567, 916-448-1951,
Fax 530-758-4510), Davisville Travel, 420 Second St, Davis CA 95616.
Shirlee[at]davisvilletravel.com
www.goOntour.com
Diane@davisvilletravel.com
ELDERHOSTEL/EXPLORITAS - GERONIMO EDUCATIONAL FDN
The
Geronimo Educational Foundation has guided tours to Mata Ortiz since 1993,
including as many as 15 Elderhostel programs a year for persons 55 and older.
Note that Elderhostel has now changed its name to “Exploritas.” Frank Ortega
leads these groups, which range from 10 to 40 persons plus tour escorts and
instructors. They leave from the historic Gadsden Hotel in Douglas AZ for a
day-and-a-half or two full days in Casas Grandes/Mata Ortiz. 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 homes and workshops
of potters in Mata Ortiz, witness a pottery-making demonstration, and enjoy an
informal slide talk by Spencer MacCallum
on the beginning years of the Mata Ortiz art movement and the artistic legacy of
Juan Quezada. Exploritas offers two programs, one of three days (“Archaeology
and Modern Pottery in Chihuahua, Mexico”) and one of six (“Ancient Culture
Revisited: Art and Archaeology in Arizona and Mexico”). The latter spends a
little more time in Mexico and explores parts of Arizona as well. Tuition is
$400 for the shorter and $800 for the longer program, double occupancy (single
occupancy $90 and $140 additional). Tuition is all-inclusive (food, lodging,
transportation, lectures, entry fees, gratuities). A new, week-long tour just
inaugurated features several days in Casas Grandes/Mata Ortiz and an overnight
to Madera and the archaeological site of Cuarenta Casas for $875 (double
occupancy). Geronimo also leads tours for other organizations and institutions
such as the Amerind Foundation (which see below). Next Exploritas tour will be
March 24-27, 2011. Contact Carol Moore (520-432-5534, 888-218-4918),
Geronimo Educational Foundation, PO Drawer B, Bisbee AZ 85603.
geronimoet[at]cableone.net
www.exploritas.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 van tours of three or four days to
Mata Ortiz for small groups (nine-to-a-van, maximum of 20 persons), staying
overnight in the village. These tours are custom-designed with a special focus
such as photography/sketching or archaeology/rock art, accompanied by an artist,
archaeologist or other appropriate person. $495 per person all inclusive, double
occupancy ($75 single supplement) for three days or $595 for four. A Copper
Canyon tour ending with a full day in Mata Ortiz is sometimes offered as well.
This tour is $2,395 double occupancy and is limited to 16 people (eight per
van). The next tour will be
of this kind, staying two nights December 13-14, 2010. 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 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, among others Elderhostel, which recently changed its name to
Exploritas, and the Amerind Foundation. The next Exploritas tours will be
March 24-27, 2011. 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/Mata
Ortiz. Limited to ten persons, they leave on a
Wednesday
and arrive at the Hotel Villa
Colonial in Nuevo Casas Grandes where they meet popular tour guide Diana Acosta.
On Thursday, they tour some restored
adobes in Casas Grandes and visit the archaeological site 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. At dinner at La Finca de Don Cruz, they enjoy a
slide talk by Spencer MacCallum on the beginnings of the Mata Ortiz phenomenon
and the legacy of Juan Quezada. That and the next two nights will be 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. On Friday,
they visit a lapidary in Casas
Grandes where local, semi-precious stones are cut, polished, and made into
jewelry, then a church with remarkable murals replicating the 17th-century
church of a now ruined Franciscan mission. They next visit Colonia Juárez,
settled by Mormon pioneers in the 1880s, then have a luncheon and tour at the
historic Hacienda de San Diego, en route to the pottery village of Mata Ortiz.
During the afternoon, they visit in the homes and workshops of pottery artists
of Mata Ortiz, including world renowned Juan Quezada, and witness a
pottery-making demonstration and outdoor firing. On
Saturday,
the group visits the Arroyo de los Monos rock-art site in the
morning, followed by an afternoon of rest and/or assisted shopping and personal
exploration, and in the evening a farewell dinner. On
Sunday,
they lunch at the famous Pink Store in Palomas on their way to El Paso
International Airport, arriving there by 3pm. $625 double occupancy, $735
single. Contact Jim Glendinning (432-837-7320), 904 N. 11th Street,
Alpine TX 79830. jimglen2[at]sbcglobal.net
www.mexicosmallgroups.com/casasgrandes.html
JOHN
BEZY, INC.
John Bezy nearly 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 visiting the ruins of Paquimé and
the Museum of Northern Cultures, they stop at Colonia Juarez, settled by Mormons
in the 1880s, and learn some of the history of the Mormon colonies. Finally,
they visit in the homes and workshops of artists in the pottery village of Mata
Ortiz. Cost $255 for transportation (food and lodging is separate and runs
approximately $170 for two people for two nights). Next tours
2011. 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, 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. Returning, they tour the Mormon colony of Colonia
Juárez, colonized in the 1880s. $370/person double occupancy, $399 single.
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 and a slide talk by Spencer MacCallum
on the beginning years of the Mata Ortiz pottery phenomenon and the artistic
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 a tour and luncheon with the
Acosta family in their home, the historic Hacienda de San Diego. After a brief
tour of Colonia Juárez, colonized by Mormons in the 1890s, dinner is at the
Belgian restaurant, Malmedy, Near the Hotel. On Saturday, the group attends a
pottery-making demonstration in Casas Grandes by master potters José and Leonel
Quezada at Galería Las Guacamayas.
This gallery, built following the same construction methods as the prehistoric
ruins of Paquimé, offers a rare selection of high-end Mata Ortiz pottery. After
lunch at La Finca de Don Cruz
restaurant in Casas Grandes, a leisurely afternoon is spent 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 enroute the Mennonite settlement of Capulín and lunching at the
popular Pink Store on the border at Palomas. $495 double occupancy, $595 single.
Next tours 2011. Contact Alan Kruse
(520-881-1638), KruseArizona Tours, 4517 E. Patricia Place, Tucson AZ 85712.
krusearizona[at]cox.net
MARIPOSA TOURS
Lisa Silva conducts five-day “Explorer” trips from Albuquerque to Mata Ortiz,
typically on the following pattern: Day 1—Luna Mimbres Museum in Deming and City
of Rocks. Day 2—Pancho Villa State Park and Mata Ortiz for art pottery and
pottery-making demonstrations. Day 3—Mata Ortiz for rodeos on national holidays
(all tours except Labor Day weekend feature rodeos), a visit to the historic
Hacienda de San Diego, and a short hike to explore the Arrollo de los Monos
petroglyph site. Day 4—Casas Grandes, the prehistoric ruins of Paquimé, and the
Museum of Northern Cultures. Day 5—returning and exploring 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, as well as five-day pottery workshops. The workshops are a seven-day
trip with five half- days of workshop with master potter Diego Valles. Mornings
are devoted to learning all aspects of pottery making, afternoons to visiting
surrounding sites (Paquimé; lapidary, wood and silver workshops; Arroyo de
los Monos petroglyph site; and the City of Nuevo Casas Grandes). $795 USD
double occupancy, exclusive of meals. Context-based Spanish lessons can be taken
prior to the trip. Email Lisa Silva at
info[at]mariposatours.org
www.mariposatours.org
MIMBRES REGION ARTS COUNCIL
Each spring the Mimbres Region Arts Council (MRAC) and 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 Ascensión, the two ruined Janos churches, the Mormon colonies of Col. Dublán
and Col. Juárez, the old pueblo of Casas Grandes, the Paquimé ruins, Hacienda de
San Diego, and Mata Ortiz. $800 USD
per person double occupancy (single supplement $120)
for MRAC or WNMU Museum Members (membership $25 individual, $40 family, $20
student) or $900 non-members.
Limited to 25 persons. Next tour 2011.
Contact the Mimbres Region Arts Council (575-538-2505 or 888-758-7289), Box
1830, Silver City, NM 88062
info[at]mimbresarts.org
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 accompany the tour as “Friends” of
the University). The next trip, planned for 2011, will be more extensive,
going to Copper Canyon and ending with one day in Casas Grandes and Mata Ortiz.
For costs or other information, contact Bill Dethlefs or 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. Participants travel in vans from the Tucson and Phoenix areas to
the Amerind Foundation in Dragoon, AZ for an overview of the archaeological
history of the American Southwest and Northwest Mexico, then birding at
Whitewater Draw near Wilcox, and 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 artistic 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 $999 per person
double occupancy (single $100 additional). Next scheduled trips will be
November 13-16 and, in 2011,
January 14-17, February 18-21, and March 25-28. Contact Debra Tranberg
(781-789-8127), owner, Nature Treks & Passages, PO Box 542, Bryanville, MA
02357.
info[at]naturetreks.net
drtranberg[at]hotmail.com
www.naturetreks.net/Mata_Ortiz_Birding_Pottery_NT.htm
PARADISE VALLEY COLLEGE
For
ten years, ceramics teacher David Bradley has conducted an annual, week-long
workshop in Mata Ortiz, chiefly for people from Paradise Valley College
in Phoenix but open to others. Participants depart by van from the college
campus at Union Hills Drive and 32nd 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 artistic legacy of Juan Quezada. During five days in the village,
Jesús and Carmen Veloz teach
all aspects of pottery making from digging clay and making one’s own tools to
forming, painting, and firing the finished piece outdoors in dried cow chips or
split wood. Each student ends up with at least one fired pot. Afternoons are
free for visiting potters in the village. Evenings are spent 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 the Cueva de la
Olla, an awe inspiring archaeological site. A tour and lunch is scheduled
with the Acosta family at their historic Hacienda de San Diego. On the
final morning before returning to Phoenix, the group visits the Museum of
Northern Cultures and 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. $800 includes three college credits,
transportation, meals in the village, and artist fees.
Cost does not include 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. There will be an orientation meeting, usually in early May, and all
moneys will be due by that date. The next workshop will be in
late May or early June,
2011 (dates yet to be announced).
Contact David Bradley (602-787-6615), 1639 E Juniper Ave., Phoenix 85022.
david.bradley[at]pvmail.maricopa.edu
THE
PINK STORE
in Palomas, on the border opposite
Columbus NM, offers one- and two-day excursions to Casas Grandes and Mata Ortiz
for $60 and $85 USD plus meals and lodging, which are on your own. The Pink
Store, incidentally, is known for its outstanding restaurant/cocktail lounge in
Mexican décor and one of the best selections of Mexican crafts in northern
Mexico. Groups of five or more (less if they pay for the missing persons) can go
any day, and there is often a wait list of people who can make up that number.
Contact Luís Benavides or Ivonne Romero at the store (866-474-4299, rings in
Mexico, or cell 011-52-1-656-308-1491).
RANCHO SIERRA MADRE - ESCUELA DE LOS ARTES
Jim
and Jo Jarvis in 1998 began offering a one-week
class taught by Juan Quezada at their working ranch near the
Cueva de la Olla in the Sierra Madres three hours west of Mata Ortiz. Here
Juan Quezada teaches all aspects
of the distinctive Mata Ortiz clay technique which he originated. You will see
and experience at this ranch, which has been in the Jarvis family since 1878, a
lifestyle untouched by telephone, electricity, or Internet (emergency radio
available). No previous clay experience is 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 and coming, 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. Tuition of $900 per person covers all expenses
including travel from Windmill (near Animas, New Mexico, south of Lordsburg).
Eight full days of instruction and two days of travel. No dates are set, but for
a minimum group of ten the Jarvises and Juan Quezada will be available in
August or September, a time when the
mountains will be their prettiest with wildflowers in full bloom.
This is Juan Quezada’s favorite of his various workshops. 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
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 arrive at 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. That 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). Susan and Norberto can
accommodate 2 to 6 people in their own vehicle. Tours run
whenever there is interest. Contact Susan Shields (520-455-5670)
at
laquerencia[at]theriver.com
or Norberto Padilla Rodríguez at
elaventurero[at]hotmail.com.
SOLIPASO TOURS
(Birding) David and Jennifer
Mackay lead custom birding tours throughout Mexico. Their five-day Sierra Madre
tour, from Tucson in a 15-passenger, custom van, focuses on the old-growth pine
forests, high mesas and canyons of the northern Sierra Madres around Madera, two
hours south of Mata Ortiz. The tour includes a brief visit to Mata Ortiz on the
fifth day. This trip targets the Thick-Billed Parrot, nesting at elevations over
8,000 feet and requiring a specialized habitat of dead old-growth trees for its
nest cavities. Other birds in the area include Eared Quetzal, Pine Flycatcher,
Spotted Wren, and Aztec Thrush. $750/person, all-inclusive with double-occupancy
(single available at extra charge).
Contact David or Jennifer Mackay (520-241-6682), Solipaso S.A. de C.V.,
Calle Obregon #3, Alamos, Sonora, Mexico (USA
postal address: PO Box 85580, Tucson AZ 85754).
info[at]solipaso.com
www.solipaso.com
SOUTH
OF THE BORDER TOURS
Stephen and Debbie Bernier conduct a luxury motor coach tour from Tucson to Mata
Ortiz for various museums and other institutions as well as on their own. They
schedule three nights at the Adobe Inn in Mata Ortiz in order to allow two full
days in the village. The first morning, Spencer MacCallum, who played a pivotal
role in the artistic development of Mata Ortiz, offers a slide presentation
about the beginning years of the Mata Ortiz phenomenon and the legacy of Juan
Quezada, and Juan Quezada demonstrates at his home an outdoor pottery firing.
For the rest of the day, the group has an opportunity to visit in the homes and
workshops of pottery artists, followed in the evening by a discussion of the new
silver jewelry of Mata Ortiz. The morning of the second day, the MacCallums
offer a tour of their adobe conservation project in the historic old pueblo of
Casas Grandes. There follows a visit to the ruins of Paquimé, 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. After a
tour and lunch at the historic Hacienda de San Diego, the remainder of the
afternoon is free for further visiting with potters in Mata Ortiz and packing
for the morning departure. After supper, Gordon Pierce, a resident of Mata
Ortiz, gives an entertaining historical account of the Mennonites and Mormons in
the area. $750 USD double occupancy. >>Contact Stephen or Debbie Bernier
(520-760-4000), Owners, South of the Border Tours, 7937 E. Coronado Road, Tucson
AZ 85750.
southofthebordertours[at]msn.com
www.southofthebordertours.com
TORTUGA TOURS
(Tours on Request) Tito
Carrillo, Tucson, frequently conducts by request weekend tours of four to six
people to Mata Ortiz, leaving Friday and returning Monday. (The name Tortuga,
or “Turtle,” refers to Tito’s reputation for driving slowly and safely.) The
group arrives in Nuevo Casas Grandes Friday afternoon, in time to visit the
homes of several potters before settling in for the night at La Fuente Hotel.
Saturday morning they visit the archaeological ruins of Paquimé, the Museum of
Northern Cultures, the MacCallums’ adobe restorations near the plaza, and the
Galería Las Guacamayas, home and gallery of Mayté Luján. Las Guacamayas is
notable for having been built in the ancient manner of Paquimé, using poured
adobe, a technique experimentally reconstructed by Juan Quezada, who also
directed the initial construction. After stopping at the village of Colonia
Juárez, colonized by the Mormons in the 1880s, the group arrives early enough at
Mata Ortiz to visit the homes and workshops of several more artists. Saturday
and Sunday nights are spent in the village at Marta Veloz’ clean and comfortable
Casa de Marta (Marta is known for her cooking). Sunday is dedicated to
visiting various artists in each of the five barrios of Mata Ortiz. The group
returns to Tucson on Monday with short stops along the way. Tito often returns
via Palomas and then west through the scenic country around Hachita, Arizona
before regaining Interstate 10. $400 per person, not including meals and three
nights lodging, for which add another $150. Contact Tito Carrillo (Cell
520-861-2068), Box 12322, Tucson AZ 85732
TurtleWinsTheRace[at]hotmail.com
www.carrillocurios.com
TUCSON BOTANICAL GARDENS
Offers a special tour by Ron & Sue Bridgemon to explore the village of
Mata Ortiz in northern Chihuahua, Mexico, home of the highest-quality hand-built
ceramics in the world. Visit potters in their homes and workshops and see them
using techniques similar to those of the prehistoric Indians. Ron & Sue have led
eco-adventure tours into Mexico for more than 15 years. They have a home in Mata
Ortiz and a strong friendship with the potters. This will be a unique
opportunity to experience the village and purchase memorable pottery directly
from the artists. Enjoy lunch with a private family in their historic hacienda
de San Diego and hear stories about Pancho Villa. The first battle of the
revolution of 1910 took place nearby. In Casas Grandes, visit one of the best
archaeological-site museums in North America and tour the prehistoric ruins of
Paquimé, once the largest and most complex community in the Puebloan world.
Limited to 10 persons. $575 for members includes transportation, lodging, meals.
Non-members $635. Double occupancy, single supplement $250. $150 is
tax-deductible. Special cancellation policy applies. Contact Tucson
Botanical Gardens (520-326-9686 ext. 18)
continuinged[at]tucsonbotanical.org)
WILLIAM “BILLY” MARTINEAU
An
authentic old hand in the Sierras and experienced mule handler. Bilingual and
Mormon, Billy is available for camping, mountaineering, knows the mines from
Copper Canyon northward, rock art, birding sites, etc. Contact Billy Martineau (636-110-5931),
Anchita at Coahuila, in Colonia Juárez.
BEGIN OR END WITH CASAS GRANDES
Because of their frequency and the short time allowed in the Casas Grandes area,
the following Copper Canyon tour offerings are not included in the above list of
tours and companies. They are of interest to our readership, however, because
they all either begin or end with a day in Casas Grandes, giving participants
the option of coming a few days early and joining the tour here, or staying a
few days afterward, thus affording an opportunity to know and enjoy the
laid-back attractions of the Casas Grandes region.
Beginning with
Casas Grandes
Globus Tours
go from Tucson (stopping at Tombstone) to the Hotel Hacienda in Nuevo Casas
Grandes and in the morning visit Casas Grandes for a pottery demonstration, the
Museum of Northern Cultures, and the ruins of Paquimé. Continuing on to
Chihuahua City, the rest of the nine-day tour includes Creel, Divisadero, El
Fuerte by train, San Carlos, and back to Tucson. This tour does not visit Mata
Ortiz. Book through AffordableTours
(800-935-2620).
www.AffordableTours.com.
Sep
12, 26
$1520
Oct
10, 24
$1520
Nov
7
$1520
2011
Feb
10
$1619
Mar
6, 20
$1619
Grand Circle Travel
operates tours from Tucson throughout the year except for July and August,
visiting on the first day the Mormon settlement of Colonia Juárez, the historic
Hacienda de San Diego, and the pottery village of Mata Ortiz, and then half of
the next day in Casas Grandes at the ruins of Paquimé, before continuing on to
Chihuahua City, Divisadero/Copper Canyon, El Fuerte, San Carlos/Guaymas, and
Hermosillo, and back to Tucson, a total of 14 days. Limit 40 people. A
three-day/two night, pre-trip extension to relax before the trip and become
acquainted with the Tucson area is an option.
Contact Grand Circle Travel (800-221-2610, 617-350-7500).
www.gct.com/
Sep
12, 26, 30
$1395
Oct
13, 25
$1495
History Traveler
(877-238-6877) departs Tucson and
overnights at the Hotel Hacienda in Nuevo Casas Grandes, then a half-day in
Casas Grandes visiting the Museum of Northern Cultures and the prehistoric ruins
of Paquimé, before continuing to Chihuahua, Creel, Divisadero, El Fuerte, San
Carlos (two nights), and return to Tucson, a total of nine days. Prices are for
double occupancy, add $430 for single. (Note: Same tour with two-day extension
in Tucson $2129, add $598 for single.)
www.historytravel.com
May
2, 16
$1689
Sep
12, 26
$1689
Oct
10, 24
$1689
Nov
7
$1689
2011
Feb
10
$1799
Mar
6, 20
$1799
Mexico Adventures
Ltd
departs El Paso first and third Saturday of every month, provided there
are six or more paid travelers, for a seven-day tour by motor coach or van, and
rail. The first day, they visit Casas Grandes’ Museum of Northern Cultures, the
prehistoric ruins of Paquimé, and the Mormon settlement of Colonia Juárez.
Overnighting at the Hotel Hacienda in Nuevo Casas Grandes, they continue on to
Creel, El Fuerte (two nights), Divisadero, Chihuahua, and return to El Paso.
$1190 double occupancy ($1520 single). They also offer custom tours to the Casas
Grandes area and Mata Ortiz.
Mexico Adventures Ltd (800-206-8132),
10427 Janway Dr, El Paso TX 79925.
mexadv[at]coppercanyon.com.mx
Motodiscovery,
the leading worldwide motorcycle tour operator, offers a seven-day Copper
Canyon Road Tour. Starting in El Paso, the bikers first visit Casas Grandes
(but not Mata Ortiz), then continue to Creel and the Copper Canyon, Hidalgo de
Parral, Chihuahua City, and return to El Paso. Longest day 245 miles, shortest
150, total miles 1200. Your own bike, $2249 per person, double occupancy (single
supplement $350). Motorcycle rentals available. Contact Skip Mascorro
(800-233-0564, 830-438-7744, fax 7745), MotoDiscovery, 22200 State Highway 46
West, Spring Branch, TX 78070.
info[at]motodiscovery.com
www.motodiscovery.com
Ending with Casas Grandes:
A
CLOSER LOOK TOURS
Agustín Caparros conducts from Phoenix/Tucson a seven-day motorcoach/rail tour
to the beaches of the Sea of Cortez and Copper Canyon, ending with a day in
Casas Grandes. Departing Phoenix every Saturday, September through May, the
tours arrive at the Hotel Hacienda in Nuevo Casas Grandes the following Thursday
evening. On the final day, they visit the ruins of Paquimé and the Museum of
Northern Cultures and witness a pottery-making demonstration by the Manuel
Olivas family. Cost $1300 double occupancy, $1600 single. This group does not go
to Mata Ortiz, but Agustín offers a three-day tour to the village for ten or
more persons when there is interest.
Contact Agustín Caparros or his son, Collin (602-938-0951, toll-free
877-938-0951), A Closer Look Tours, Inc., Phoenix AZ
acloserlooktours[at]aol.com
www.acloserlooktours.com
Sep
5, 12, 19, 26
Oct
3, 10, 17, 24, 31
Nov
7, 14, 21, 28
Dec
5, 12
2011
Jan
9, 16, 23, 30
Feb
6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22, 24, 27
Mar
1, 6, 8, 10, 13, 15, 20, 22, 27
Apr
5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26
May
1, 3, 8, 10, 15, 17, 22
Sep
4, 6, 11, 13, 18, 20, 25, 27
Oct
2, 4, 9, 11, 16, 18, 23, 25, 30
Nov
1, 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22, 27, 29
Dec
4, 6, 11, 13
Argonaut Tours
(seven
days) depart Tucson/Green Valley for
San Carlos (one night), Alamos and El Fuerte (one night), Divisadero (two
nights), Creel and Cuauhtémoc (one night), and Casas Grandes/Mata Ortiz (one
night), returning via Palomas. Arriving midday at the Hotel Hacienda in Nuevo
Casas Grandes they spend an afternoon in Mata Ortiz, seeing an outdoor firing by
master potter Jorge Quintana and visiting in the homes and workshops of potters.
This tour does not visit the Museum or the prehistoric ruins of Paquimé.
Farewell dinner at La Finca de Don Cruz, Casas Grandes. $1049 double occupancy
includes two American breakfasts, four lunches and dinners. Pick-up points
include Tucson/Green Valley, Sierra Vista, and Phoenix/Sun City West (same tour
departs on different dates from Sierra Vista and from Phoenix area). Tour
director is Fernanda Morillón. $1282/person double occupancy (single $339).
Contact Clara or Stuart Milton (520-325-4321 or toll-free 866-508-6877), owners,
Argonaut Tours, 110 S. Church Ave., Suite 4192, La Placita Village, Tucson, AZ
85701.
argonaut1[at]flash.net
stuart240z[at]hotmail.com
www.argonaut-tours.com
Tucson/Green Valley
Phoenix (Sun City West)
Sep
23
Oct
15
Brendan Tours
(800-935-2620) offers Mexico’s Copper
Canyon, a nine-day tour, departing Phoenix/Tucson for San Carlos, Alamos, El
Fuerte, Copper Canyon, Casas Grandes, and return to Phoenix. They arrive on the
seventh day at the Hotel Hacienda in Nuevo Casas Grandes in time for a pottery
firing and a farewell dinner. In the morning, before returning to Phoenix, they
visit the museum and ruins of Paquimé. This tour does not visit Mata Ortiz. Book
through AffordableTours (800-935-2620).
www.AffordableTours.com
Apr
30
$1519
May
7, 14
$1519
May
21
$1424
Sep
3, 10, 17, 24
$1519
Oct
1, 8, 15, 22, 29
$1519
Nov
5, 12, 19, 26
$1519
Dec
3, 10
$1424
EXPLORITAS (formerly Elderhostel/Road Scholar),
offers a 12-day tour from San Diego,
Copper Canyon and Casas Grandes: History of the Ancients
(Program No. 18765). These
groups are small and receive much special attention. See web site for detailed
itinerary. The group flies from San Diego to Los Mochis, spends a day in El
Fuerte and a Mayo Indian village, five days in the Copper Canyon (Bahuichivo,
Cerocahui, Cerro Gallego, Divisadero, Creel, Basaseachic Falls), a day in
Chihuahua City, and a day-and-a-half in Casas Grandes visiting the ruined city
of Paquimé and the art-pottery village of Mata Ortiz, finishing up at El Paso.
Cost $2795. Contact Exploritas (800-454-5768), 11 Avenue de Lafayette, Boston MA
02111-1746.
registration[a]exploritas.org
www.exploritas.org
Oct
6
Trafalgar Tours
offers seven- and nine-day tours departing Phoenix/Tucson for San Carlos,
Alamos, El Fuerte, Copper Canyon, and Casas Grandes, and returning to
Tucson/Phoenix. ( The tours are essentially alike except that the nine-day tour
counts arrival and departure days, which the seven-day does not, and includes
several additional activities: visiting a pearl farm at San Carlos, seeing
indigenous dances at Alamos, visiting a Tarahumara
curandero, and witnessing a pottery
firing at Casas Grandes.) They arrive in Nuevo Casas Grandes for a farewell
dinner at the Hotel Hacienda and in the morning, before departing for
Tucson/Phoenix, visit the museum and ruins of Paquimé. These tours do not visit
Mata Ortiz. Book through AffordableTours (800-935-2620).
www.AffordableTours.com
Seven-Day
Nine-Day
May
22
$1238
May 21
$1349
Sep
4,18, 25,
$1238
Sep 3, 17, 24
$1439
Oct
2, 9, 16, 23 $1238
Oct 1, 8, 15, 22
$1439
Nov
6, 13, 20
$1238
Nov 5, 12, 19
$1439
Dec
4, 11
$1238
Dec 3, 10
$1349
2011
2011
Jan
15, 29
$1238
Jan 14, 28
$1349
Feb
5, 19
$1238
Feb 4, 18
$1439
Mar
19, 26
$1238
Mar 4, 18, 25
$1439
Travel Alliance Tours
(800-935-2620) offers Copper Canyon,
Mexico, an eight-day tour, departing Phoenix/Tucson for San Carlos, Alamos,
El Fuerte, Copper Canyons, Casas Grandes, and return to Phoenix. They arrive on
the seventh day at the Hotel Hacienda in Nuevo Casas Grandes in time for a
pottery firing and a farewell dinner. In the morning, before returning to
Phoenix, they visit the museum and ruins of Paquimé. Cost $1283. This tour does
not visit Mata Ortiz. Book through AffordableTours (800-935-2620).
www.AffordableTours.com
Oct
9
2011
Jan
29
Feb
12
Mar
12, 19, 26
Apr
9, 16, 30
May
21
Oct
8, 15, 22
Nov
5, 12, 19, 26
Dec
10
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