Top Chiapas Craft Classes

The tour was very nice! There was a pottery festival in town. We saw traditional dances and ate a lot of nice typical food (also many vegetarian options). After that we went to the pottery workshop. The different steps of the work were shown. We were allowed to potter our own things. We took them with us and dryed them at home. Rudy translated everything very good! Thanks for this experience. Would totally recommend.

What a unique insight in the life of pottery artists! Ruddy invited us to participate in an experience that is to be cherished. Meeting the artist, Juana Gomez Ramirez, was the highlight of our experience. She shared her stories, her humor, and her experience as an indigenous artist. Our 9yo daughter enjoyed the art of pottery making with all the Juana's family of ceramics artists. We shared lunch and stories over the communal table and soaked in the atmosphere of indigenous pottery making. Thank you Ruddy and Monika for giving us the chance to connect with such amazing artists!

This was an amazing and unforgettable experience, one we will hold dear. We work in Indigenous rights and land justice, and Rudy tailored our experience to that. His approach to the pueblo and the artists and their families is kind, thoughtful, and respectful, and we felt welcomed warmly and with care. The pottery art in the village is stunning, the meal was wonderful, and the workshop and tour experiences were some of the best we have ever experienced. We are really grateful to have been guided in this way by Rudy, and his reciprocal relationship with the artisan-teachers shows. In addition, he has a fascinating and deep perspective on local history and cultural issues. This was an absolute highlight of our trip - highly recommended.

This was a very special day for me, not only to understand more about their creative process, but for having the opportunity to have a good and open conversation with Albertina and her family at the delicious breakfast they offered us. She also instructed us on how to do their famous palomitas and it was a very nice activity. Thank you Ruddy for that, totally recommended.

Amazing experience. We were taken to a beautiful village. The ladies made us an amazing breakfast with coffee from their own coffee trees. We were shown how to make different clay pieces by the ladies. Afterwards we were taken to another lady's pottery workshop and afterwards we went out to their farm with their family to pick vegetables for a delicious bbq. The best part of this tour was talking with the women about the challenges they had faced in their community and how through their craft have been able to live a more independent and better life. All of the money for tour goes directly to the women, and Rudy does not take a fee for running these tours. A must do if you are in San Cristobal.

Rudy was an excellent tour guide! Our kids don’t know Spanish, and he was great about explaining things to them in English so that they could be involved. Maria’s family was so welcoming and made us a delicious breakfast. The coffee was the best coffee I’ve ever had! We took a tour of the grounds and workshop and then learned how to make doves out of clay. Our daughters loved the experience of learning pottery from the experts. They had a daughter the same age as our kids and they all enjoyed playing together in the yard. There is a small shop where you can purchased handcrafted pottery. Definitely a must do!

This is the only tour company to adventure with in San Cristobal! We had the blessing of hiring the AMAZING and knowledgeable Rudy for a private tour of textiles and pottery. It was a day my partner and I will never forget. It moved us so very much. We got to experience a side of Mexico that so many never see, and we felt so welcomed by the artisans and their families. We were able to support the artisans with purchases of their amazing work, and at Juana Gomez’s taller, we got to learn how to sculpt with clay and made really cheeky monkey masks! Hands down one of the best days ever, and I can’t wait for more tours with Rudy next time I am in town!

Mari and Albertina were so warm and wonderful. I loved hanging out with them in their peaceful and beautiful pottery studio. My husband, teenager and I made a dove and a plant pot. Our guide, Rudy, is so knowledgeable about Mexico and of this region. This is important to us because when we are on vacation, we want to learn and soak up the culture and history of the communities we visit. This tour delivered and far exceeded our expectations. Thank you, Rudy!

This tour was one of our highlights in Chiapas. There are many tours that basically provide narration to an experience you could otherwise do yourself. This pottery workshop allowed us to interact with people we wouldn't have otherwise met, learn about the culture/people, and spend some time making art in a traditional way. (Note, my husband and I are both hobby potters, and they were able to adjust the workshop to be good for both beginners and those with more experience.)Rudy was an amazing guide who went above and beyond. We purchased pottery from the artists and were trying to figure out how to get it back to the US with us. Rudy went above and beyond, transporting the packed pottery to Tuxtla Gutierrez the following weekend so we could pick it up and pack it in our luggage.If you're in the area, do yourself a favor and make time for this tour.

We had an amazing experience, Rudi was an excellent tour guide was very friendly. He picked us up on time and dropped us back off to our accommodation. The pottery workshop felt very authentic and allowed us to meet Mayan women, it didn’t feel over touristy. I really enjoyed making pottery with them, it was very relaxing and enjoyable. We also learnt about how they make bigger sculptures. They cooked us a delicious lunch as well. Overall a great day and would definitely use this company again.

Words cannot describe how amazing this tour with Experiencias Chiapas is. I would recommend it to everyone. Rudy is the most kind, knowledgable and patient guide. He is so happy to answer all of your questions (in perfect English!) and he allows the day to flow very naturally allowing time for each person to complete their pottery and ask anything! Also it was great that he just takes small groups (only 3 of us when I went) because this makes the experience feel a lot more relaxed and authentic. I came away with not only an insight into the ladies' clay pottery techniques but knowledge on their culture too. Not to mention the BEST food I've had in Mexico that the ladies prepare for you to sit around a table and enjoy with them! The ladies do not push it at all (because they're just passionate about their art) but I would recommend bringing some cash because once you get there you'll definitely want to buy some of their beautiful pottery.I don't want to give too much away... but long story short YOU HAVE TO DO THIS EXCURSION. I will be sure to recommend this experience for years to come! Thank you!

Had the most amazing day. Rudi was an excellent guide and answered all our questions. The women we met were lovely and cooked us a delicious lunch after doing pottery in the morning with us. All expectations were exceeded and it was great to do an activity where you didn’t feel like you were in a tourist trap. This is a must do excursion!

Going on a tour with Experiencias Chiapas was amazing. Rudy knows a lot about the area and the places we went to are as authentic as they can be. I don't want to get into too many details as I don't want to ruin it for you, but have you ever been to a tour where it feels like a tourist trap? Well, this feels completely the opposite to that! Experiencias Chiapas has gone out of their way to find 100% authentic spots that are really interested in sharing their knowledge with outsiders. The pottery artists (which by the way, they are all women) we visited were truly happy we were there, they never tried to sell anything, they were just so happy to show us their world! Oh and be ready to be blown away when you lean about the process. You will never imagine how much is involved in order to make all those beautiful pieces of art. After that day the way I see traditional pottery changed completely. Visiting the bakery was also a highlight! The family was so welcoming and the kids were really curious about us, they wanted to chat and show us around. It was a bit hard to keep myself from buying a lot of bread!Really recommend going on this tour!

I went on the pottery workshop/tour mainly because my girlfriend wanted to go lol, I wasn't expecting much... But it was amazing!Getting to spend time in the villages with the locals was awesome! Having breakfast, hearing their stories (which are unreal!), learning pottery, seeing their work and just exploring the village. It was all so much better and authentic than I expected. And on our way home, we got a tour through a local bakery to see behind the scenes for another great and interesting experience.To top it off, our guide Rudy is a really nice and genuine guy! He is so knowledgable when it comes to the local villages and he was able to share this interesting information with us in perfect English :)I would definitely recommend doing a tour with Rudy! I am already looking to join another tour with him because I know it's going to be an authentic and exciting experience :)

This is a unique experience. I am Mexican and for me, this was a unique approach to our culture. You will meet Albertina, a potter who works only with her hands to create unique pieces. She will kindly offer you breakfast and you will have the chance to share some time with her and her sister. Later on, you will try your skills as an artist and create your own figure, while Albertina will make an awesome clay figure in no time. Later on you will meet the queen of jaguars! She makes gigantic clay jaguar figures and you can witness her art in her workshop. I would strongly recommend you to include this ecperience in your Chiapas trip in order to know much more first hand Mexican people and culture!

What an extraordinary experience! Rudy offered our little (Mexican-Swiss) family a private tour to visit the homes and workplaces of master potters in Amatenango del Valle, where we were able to learn, eat, and experience genuine intercultural exchange. Rudy is tremendously knowledgeable but beyond that, his experience working with human rights and his cheerful nature allowed us to take a deep, unbiased, enjoyable dive into the complexities of local realities. This is responsible tourism at its finest.We could not recommend more highly!