Amatenango del Valle

Amatenango del Valle is a Tzeltal village known for the handsome, primitive pottery made by the town's women, whose distinctive red and yellow huipiles are also much remarked upon. Almost every household has wares to sell. Look for ocher, black, and gray animal figurines—the best known are the doves. If you go when it's not raining, you might get to see some of the pots being fired over open flames on the ground outside. Spanish is a second language here, and women negotiate without a lot of chitchat or use younger children as interpreters.