A tree-lined plaza next to the town’s 16th-century Mexican baroque church doubles ... and beauty of black clay pottery—and, indeed, all Oaxacan pottery. But there’s still work to be done.

There’s the history and lore of mezcal, the agave-based spirit produced in the central Mexican region ... distinct style called barro negro, or black clay, that’s black in color and latticed ...

Swink is an accomplished clay artist who collaborated with archaeologists at Mesa Verde to rediscover the ancient Puebloans’ firing methods which produced stunning black-on-white vessels.