While Puebla is best known for it's pretty Talavera pottery with it's ornate decoration and fusion of styles from the old world to the new, I of course go looking for the rustic pots and jars for cooking. Just outside of Puebla is the hip little town of Cholula and I found a studio there making traditional cazuelas.

The cazuelas are made from a form, not a potter's wheel.

Obviously they come in all sizes. I considered renting the one shown above as a summer home.

Spreading the clay.

The crowded kiln.

I ended up not buying anything because these were loaded with lead. There are plenty of clever potters who know that the slightly more expensive lead-free slip can make them a lot more money. None of the potters I spoke with seemed to care much while almost all the craftsmen in San Felipe, just outside of Guanajuato were proud of their lead-free products. You can get small lead testing kits from any hardware store.