Both utilitarian and traditional art pieces, barro rojo pottery can be found in a variety of areas in Mexico. These particular pieces are handmade in the Valles Centrales of Oaxaca, Mexico by a master artisan woman and her sister, who are indigenous Zapotec. They are descended from a family of talented women who have been producing pottery for generations.

The pieces are shaped on a simple wheel and also by hand. The clay is sourced from local agricultural fields, dried in the sun, smashed into dust, sifted until clean, then mixed with sand and water. This mixture is kneaded like dough, in order to get the air pockets out. After this, the clay is ready to use. Texture and polish are added through the use of corn husks, oil cloth, stones and coconut shells. Then the pottery is pit fired for roughly one hour to arrive at the ideal hue. The pit fire consists of carefully stacked pottery pieces. The pit fire is then built underneath, inside and around the pieces from wood, dried grasses and agave hearts, along with other elements. A sheet of metal is placed overtop, and large pieces of old, broken pottery are placed around the extremities, in order to keep the heat in. The fire is lit, and is regularly fed for over an hour.