Yalala specializes in ceramics made of foraged soil straight from the earth.

We are an indigenous led group helping to reduce waste by developing and marketing sustainable solutions. We source food safe ceramics made of 100% natural soil clay from Oaxaca, Mexico.

New Arrivals

Introducing Yalala Papers

Founded in-house in 2024, Yalala Papers is dedicated to publishing zines, monographs, artist books, posters, and more. While Yalala began as a retailer, we strive to transform into a cultural and historical analog that will provide insight to the intentional processes and ancestral stories Indigenous artisans demonstrate in their ceramics.

What is Earthenware?

As a subcategory of ceramics, Earthenware is traditionally made from ‘red earthenware’ clay or ‘red terra-cotta’.  However, some earthenware clays are buff, grey, or white. They cannot be made completely watertight because of their porosity, and it is because of this that burnishes and glazes are applied to increase their usefulness.

Mujeres del Barro Rojo is a collective of 15 women who create terra cotta pottery in the hilly and rocky mountains of the Zapotec town of San Marcos Tlapazola, Oaxaca. The process starts when the Mateo Sanchez family gathers clay from the mountain side. The clay is then cleansed of roots and debris, and mixed with sand so that it can become a workable material. Each piece is meticulously molded by hand with simple tools, sun dried, and cooked over an open fire pit.

Barro Negro

Derrumbe

SHOP BY VILLAGE

ancestral made objects by Zapotecs in...