How a life in Mexico became Custom Copper Works.

My grandparents settled the Rio Grande Valley in Texas in the early 1900’s. As a child I spent my summers in south Texas. Padre Island and trips to Mexico were part of my summer vacations. So, I was not a stranger to Mexico as an adult. When I moved to Tucson, Arizona in the 70’s we bought a house with the largest swimming pool in Tucson. We bought the house because of the pool. What we really wanted was to live on the ocean. So, the pool was our compromise.

Designing our new home, I found myself attracted to the art of Mexico and found a shop in Nogales that sold Mexican antiques and folk art. I made many trips to this shop in search of items for our new home. I visited the shop 25 years later, and Enrique, the shop manager, called me out by name when I walked through his shop door, a testimony to the many trips I had made 25 years earlier in search for the treasures of Mexico, an activity I still pursue.

Years later, my husband and I moved to Sayulita, Mexico, a small fishing village on the Pacific side of Mexico, to be by the ocean. We settled in by the sea overlooking a deserted beach that we could walk for miles, complete with a mussels bed, good fishing, the best sunsets I have ever been privileged to experience, and a powerful antenna tower that provided a good internet connection for our work.

Summer arrived with the extreme summer heat and humidity. Our home was open to the outside with solar panels providing our electricity. Air conditioning was not a possibility. The summer climate would have destroyed our office equipment. Sadly, we realized it was time to leave our jungle home by the sea and move on.

Sayulita is not far from Puerto Vallarta. On one of my trips to PV, I passed by a shop selling a gigantic clay pot over 6 feet tall. I fell in love with the BIG pot at first sight and asked the shop owner where the big pots were made. He replied, “Patzcuaro”.

A few weeks later, Walter and I were in Mazatlan sitting in an outside bar, listening to music under the stars. A man was playing a saxophone which we really enjoyed. We invited him to our table during his break. It turned out, he spent his summers in Patzcuaro. He connected us with an elderly gentleman, Jay Boger, who had lived in Patzcuaro since the late 80s. So, off to Patzcuaro we trekked.

One of the folk art centers of Mexico, Patzcuaro is located on the Purépecha plateau in the state of Michoacan. Cocucho — which translates to “top of the world” — where the BIG pots are made is about 1.5 hours outside of Patzcuaro. I hired Jay to take me there. Thus began my love relationship with Cocuchas.

A few years later, husband Walter was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. I realized I was going to have to figure out a way to support us. I was in my early 60s so going back to the US to find work was not an option. I decided to do what I loved to do which was buying high end Mexican folk art.

Living in Patzcuaro, I was surrounded by many of the Great Masters of Mexican Folk Art. I started a website called The Art of Mexico. I sold the very best — masks by the Great Masters, Catrinas by Juan Torres, clay pottery by award-winning artists, hand-carved wood Madonnas, feathered rebozo art, hand-woven reed furniture, decorative copper by award-winning artists, and of course the Cocucha BIG POTS. I spent my weekends traveling through the Purépecha plateau attending the numerous concursos in search of rising artists.

Every drawing is reviewed. Every piece is watched closely.

Teresa works directly with the workshop throughout the process, reviewing specifications, materials, finishes and completed work before each piece is approved for shipment.

Start with a design that speaks to you.

Choose a copper tub, table or sink as your starting point. We will help you adapt its dimensions, finish and details for your space.

Made for their homes. In their words.

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