Mezcal Monkey – Mid 20th Century – Oaxaca

Mezcal Monkey – Mid 20th Century – Oaxaca

Ceramics

Anonymous Artisan

Ht. 10″ x W. 4″ x D. 4″

In the mid 20^th century, Oaxacan mezcal producers asked the potters in the pre-Hispanic pottery town of San Bartolo Coyotepec to make decorative containers for their liquor made from agave cactus. Two families in Coyotepec currently claim to be originators of the mescal monkey, but whoever created the colorful monkeys, they quickly became highly collectable and remain so today. They are wonderful examples of folk art, colorful, fun, and now highly prized. These mescal monkeys are from the mid-20^th century.