Mexico’s Tree of Life

You’re invited to Casa Onora in charming San Miguel Chapultepec, where Lorena and her colleagues have curated a living house in which each room reveals a facet of Mexico’s rich material culture. Contemporary design and ancestral craftsmanship are placed in dialogue here. Within this setting, you explore the history and meaning of Árbol de la Vida (Tree of Life), a ceramic tradition from Izúcar de Matamoros, Puebla. Originally shaped as didactic sculptures to narrate biblical stories, Árbol de la Vida later absorbed indigenous symbolism and family iconographies, becoming both devotional object and personal expression. In this experience, you examine how these traditional forms have evolved into contemporary expressions, learning about the clay, natural pigments, firing methods, and generational knowledge that shape each piece. Alongside the symbolism of the Tree of Life, the conversation turns to the realities facing artisan communities today and the innovations sustaining the craft.

What makes this visit rare is the perspective from which you encounter the objects — inside a house shaped by collaboration with a network of people who sustain the craft beyond the museum case. This curated visit invites you to slow down and understand how craft exists within everyday gestures in Mexico — cooking, sharing, resting. Lorena and her colleagues work in long-term, horizontal partnerships with more than 725 artisans from 183 communities across 28 Mexican states — relationships built on respect, transparency and shared creativity. These are not distant suppliers but named collaborators, involved in design conversations and credited for their work — an approach that reframes craft as shared authorship rather than anonymous tradition. Through context and conversation, you gain insight into the traditions, labor and cultural identities embedded in each object. An artisanal drink and snack are offered during the visit, extending the sense of hospitality that defines the house.

Lorena de la Piedra studied sociology and textile art and is a weaver herself, but what really defines her work is time spent alongside artisans. Since 2013, she has been working directly with makers, learning through shared processes, conversations, and everyday practice. After living in Oaxaca for eight years and working at the Textile Museum of Oaxaca, she developed a deep connection to the region’s textile traditions and the communities who sustain them. She invites visitors to slow down, get their hands involved, and experience craft from the inside. Whether through textiles or ceramics, the focus is on learning directly from artisans – understanding materials, techniques, and the stories behind them. Each experience is designed as a space for exchange, curiosity, and meaningful connection. Her colleagues at Onora collaborate with artisans from across the country to create contemporary textiles and objects, using traditional techniques that reflect their cultural identity.

There is nothing specific you need to bring. Should you wish to acquire one of the artisanal pieces available at Casa Onora, both cash and card are accepted - though there is no obligation to purchase.