Cocuchas Pottery comes from the remote Purepecha Indian village of Cocucho in the Mexican state of Michoacan.  This distinctive art form is unique to the village of Cocucho, and a “Cocucha” vessel is easily recognized as such.  There is no other like it.  These native artists use a primitive African technique taught to their village by the Catholic Church 300 years ago.  Cocuchas Pottery is hand formed, burnished smooth by the local river rocks, charcoal fired, and splashed with a corn meal solution to create the primitive yet refined surfaces for which they are known.  The size, shape and surface of each piece is totally controlled by the hand and eye of the artist without the use of a wheel, mold or other mechanical device.  The smaller pots are made by the young girls, taught by their mothers and grandmothers.  Men do not participate in the making of the pottery.