LIFE AT LAND`S END LIFE AT LAND`S END

CABO
®
LIVING
LIFE AT LAND’S END
WINTER 2012
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(ABOVE AND FAR RIGHT) | The spectacular game fishing
of southern Baja was a big draw for Jesus “Chuy” Valdez.
Shown here is a fishing boat moored at the dock of Hotel
Buena Vista.
40 • WINTER 2012
CABO LIVING
PHOTO BY RICHARD CHUDY, CABOSBEST.COM
®
Baja Pioneers
j e s u s
C
H
U
Y
valdez
This entrepreneur helped to introduce hospitality, a world-class
fishing resort, conservation and much more to the East Cape
T
~by Michael Koehn & the Valdez family~
~photos courtesy of the Valdez family~
There is an area along the Sea of Cortez commonly called
the East Cape, or Cabo del Este in Spanish, a region
that stretches from just east of San José del Cabo to the
picturesque coast along the Sea of Cortez and includes
the primary towns of Los Barriles and Buena Vista. It
calls itself “The Other Side of Cabo,” and for as long as
anyone can remember the area has been popular with
fishing enthusiasts who sought the isolation and tacklebusting gamefish in an area that remained beyond reach
of the most popular paved roads.
Continued on page 42
CABO LIVING • 41
PHOTO COURTESY OF OCEAN RIDERS
The waters there are full of prized trophies
like yellowtail, roosterfish, dorado, billfish
and tuna, offering a fishing experience that
is considered among the best in the world.
Those who found their way down the
peninsula discovered a sportsman’s paradise
and an infrastructure that was based on
some very simple essentials, like a few
gallons of gasoline, fresh bait and cold beer.
For nearly half a century, the East Cape
has attracted wayfarers and adventurous
sportsmen like John Steinbeck, John Wayne,
Bing Crosby, Errol Flynn, Desi Arnaz,
President Dwight D. Eisenhower and
former Hollywood writer Ray Cannon who
documented the area in his book, The Sea of
Cortez: Mexico’s Primitive Frontier.
Before it became a big game fishing
destination, the East Cape came to the
attention of Baja-born Mexican General
42 • WINTER 2012
Agustin Olachea Aviles, Mexico’s Chief of
Arms and subsequent two-time governor of
the Southern District of Baja California (still
a territory at that time) from 1929 to 1931
and again in 1946. During his explorations
he discovered an isolated stretch of land on
the coast between La Paz and Cabo San
Lucas, and decided it would be a perfect
place to spend time with his family. That
site, located near the town of Buena Vista,
was the ideal setting for the general to build
a beachfront hacienda and vacation retreat,
taking advantage of the healing benefits of a
hot springs that flowed through the property
into the Sea of Cortez. He found that the
soothing effects of the water helped greatly
with his rheumatism and arthritis, and when
the vacation retreat was complete, he and his
family were able to enjoy it for many years.
During the mid-seventies, at the age of
twenty-seven, a young entrepreneur named
Jesus “Chuy” Valdez moved to La Paz.
Valdez had been born and raised in Guaymas
in Sonora on the mainland, and learned
to love the Sea of Cortez at an early age.
He went to school in Hermosillo to study
accounting and, while in graduate school,
Valdez was hired as an assistant controller at
one of the most prestigious hotels in town.
Moving to La Paz, Valdez accepted a
position as assistant accountant in a resort
and was then promoted to head accountant.
Later, he was promoted to general manager
and continued to gain experience in the
growing Mexican hotel and tourism industry.
When he decided he had enough knowledge
and experience he decided to open his own
travel agency.
Being involved in a variety of tourism
positions in La Paz, Valdez had a dream
PHOTO BY BILL BOYCE OF BOYCEIMAGE.COM
of becoming a pioneer in bringing tourists
to the area, and worked hard pursuing his
vision of creating a place where visitors
could come and appreciate the magic that
he saw in Baja every day. A love of diving,
fishing and adventure coupled with the
thought of running his own resort inspired
him to explore the area, and in early 1976
he visited the small town of Buena Vista
on the East Cape. That visit resulted in
discovering General Olachea’s hacienda,
and Valdez began escorting clients in La
Paz down to tour Rancho Buena Vista and
its surroundings.
Through those visits Valdez developed a
love for the area and envisioned the property
as a small, friendly resort for sportsmen. It
was perfectly situated and off the tourist
map, a private oasis that could offer big
game fishing enthusiasts a unique and highly
personal adventure. And, although it was
accessible from other regional travel hubs, it
clearly offered something special, a sense of
solitude and old world Baja charm in a way
that La Paz and Cabo San Lucas couldn’t.
In October 1976, Jesus “Chuy” Valdez,
along with his mother and wife Imelda,
leased General Olachea’s beachfront
hacienda and vacation retreat. Still relatively
unknown, the area’s rugged beauty, worldclass fishing and white sand beaches made it
an ideal place for a sportfishing resort, and
Valdez saw enormous potential in the area’s
natural resources of fishing, diving, whale
watching, birding and hiking. And
(FAR LEFT AND BELOW) | Chuy Valdez saw enormous
potential in the southern Baja region for diving, whale
watching and game fishing. His love of these things
contributed to his passion for conservation in the region.
In 1976, he began to take steps to making his vision of a
resort destination in the area a reality.
Continued on page 44
CABO LIVING • 43
PHOTO BY RICHARD CHUDY, CABOSBEST.COM
44 • WINTER 2012
the health benefits of the hot springs he
knew would make it a perfect location for
an onsite spa.
With the support of his family and some
key people in the fishing and travel industry,
Valdez began the challenge of fulfilling his
vision of creating a small, family-oriented
resort on the shores of the Sea of Cortez, and
started a small fishing club of 13 rooms for
anglers mainly from California. He renamed
the property Spa Buenavista.
Eventually getting through a series
of financial obstacles, Valdez managed
to develop the property, and as tourism
grew, so did the fishing club. Over time,
the spectacular fishing and the old world
hospitality created a growing clientele who
loved the destination and kept returning.
An anecdote from the early days of the
Spa Buenavista gives some idea as to the
frontier atmosphere that existed in southern
Baja at the time. Back in 1976, when Chuy
PHOTO BY RICHARD CHUDY, CABOSBEST.COM
PHOTO BY RICHARD CHUDY, CABOSBEST.COM
PHOTO BY RICHARD CHUDY, CABOSBEST.COM
PHOTO BY RICHARD CHUDY, CABOSBEST.COM
(ABOVE AND FAR RIGHT) | Hotel Buena Vista Beach
Resort (formerly known as Spa Buenavista) continues
to be known for fabulous service and hospitality. This
renowned resort is now run by Chuy’s sons (left to right)
Felipe, Axel and Esaul (with Chuy on the far right).
first opened the hotel, American Suzanna
Colyer flew into Cabo when the airport was
still just a lonely palapa next to a bumpy
runway. She had come for a family vacation
with her husband John and four boys. They
planned to stay at Rancho Buena Vista,
since it was the only place that they knew
by name, but when they got there it was
full. The desk clerk told them of a new
place down the road that had just opened.
It was past midnight, the kids were tired
and irritable and Cabo was too far to drive,
so they decided to check out the new place.
They turned east at Km 105 and wound
down the dark dirt road. They found the
property, but it was completely dark and
not a single soul was around. Undaunted,
Suzanna explored around and found a
kitchen. The boys were thirsty so she served
them orange juice from the refrigerator.
Searching further, she discovered a couple
of small rooms upstairs and a barracks-style
time until the East Cape was discovered by a
new generation of Baja enthusiasts.
Today what began as a vision of a
modest fishing resort on the shores of the
Sea of Cortez is a sprawling jewel of a
property and a central destination on the
East Cape. The original fishing club of 13
rooms has expanded to 60 Mediterraneanstyle accommodations, a fishing fleet of
15 cruisers and pangas equipped the latest
tackle, electronics, safety equipment and
accessories, a large conference center, a
wonderful restaurant and bar and more than
70 employees.
With its rejuvenating hot springs and
spa and the lush tropical landscaping of
exotic flora and palm trees, the Hotel
Buena Vista Beach Resort provides the
perfect environment for complete relaxation
along with great fishing. Meeting facilities
include conference rooms and a ballroom
and banquet facilities for larger groups. The
ongoing vision of the Valdez family helps
to continually evolve their unique property
into one of the top fishing and recreational
destinations in all of Mexico. Although Chuy
is far from inactive these days, the resort is
now run by his sons Esaul, Felipe and Axel.
Esaul manages the overall administration
and real estate activities for the operation,
Felipe serves as operations manager for the
hotel and its sportfishing fleet and Axel takes
care of all the marketing and public relations
efforts for the property.
Over the years the influence and
dedication of Chuy Valdez has led to
many honors, including his election as
President of the Hotel Association of Los
Continued on page 46
PHOTO BY RICHARD CHUDY, CABOSBEST.COM
PHOTO BY RICHARD CHUDY, CABOSBEST.COM
PHOTO BY RICHARD CHUDY, CABOSBEST.COM
room downstairs with about eight beds.
Finally the family of six bedded down for
the night. Early the next morning, they got
up and watched the sunrise over the Sea
of Cortez, realizing they had found a very
special piece of paradise. Just then proprietor
Chuy Valdez showed up with a big smile,
greeting them with “Bienvenidos!”
In 1981, Valdez purchased the Buena
Vista property and began expanding the
hotel into a world class resort destination
with a full service fishing fleet. In 1992 the
resort’s name was changed to Hotel Buena
Vista Beach Resort. As he developed the
property, the sportfishing clientele, wanting
to keep the place to themselves, came and
went without spreading the word to nonfishing tourists. But with the explosive
tourism and retirement growth around Los
Cabos and its continuing expansion eastward
to San José del Cabo, it was only a matter of
CABO LIVING • 45
PHOTO BY RICHARD CHUDY, CABOSBEST.COM
Cabos. After his term ended, he remained
as a representative of the Los Cabos Hotel
Association on the State Tourism Board,
as well as its representative in the National
Hotel Association. These positions have
given him the opportunity to become
involved in important issues concerning the
promotion and improvement of Los Cabos
as a destination as well as other ecological
and environmental issues concerning the
preservation and well-being of Los Cabos.
He has continually served as an authority
and spokesperson for the many concerns
and conditions that affect the area, and
recently was named Vice-President of the
National Hotel Association. Valdez also
simultaneously became President of Club
Skål of Los Cabos, a regional chapter of the
International Organization of Travel and
Tourism Professionals, and later was elected
the National President of the organization.
46 • WINTER 2012
The preservation of the Baja’s natural
resources has always been a top priority
for Valdez, especially when it comes to
preserving the local fishery, and his passion
led him to co-found the first National
Association of Sport Fishing of Mexico,
which incorporates sportfishing associations
for twenty-five states in Mexico, for both
fresh and salt water species, and where he
now serves as President. This is just part of an
ongoing effort to counteract the commercial
fishing industry’s strong influence in the
area. “When my father began his fishing
resort it was very common to see foreign
longline fishing boats all over the Sea of
Cortez. They would take all the fish they
could from the area, including many of the
prime sportfishing species, since they had
already depleted much of the fishing stocks
in their local waters,” says son Axel Valdez.
“My father knew that fishing was the major
draw for tourist destinations on the Pacific
side like Acapulco, Mazatlan and, of course,
Cabo. He understood that it was important
to pass laws that would protect the fishing
grounds for sportfishermen and worked
with Luis Bulnes Molleda of Solmar in
creating protective organizations like
Fundacion Para La Conservacion De
Los Picudos, A.C. (Foundation for the
Conservation of Billfish). He has also
been an I.G.F.A. (International Game
Fish Association) representative for Baja
since the eighties and continually works
with marine biologists to support his
defense of sportfishing and tourism for the
entire nation.”
Even though much progress has been made
in legislation and educating people about
marine conservation, there is still much work
to be done. “My father is still fighting these
battles, both politically and at the local level,”
PHOTO BY FABIAN ESPINOZA PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTO BY RICHARD CHUDY, CABOSBEST.COM
PHOTO BY RICHARD CHUDY, CABOSBEST.COM
Axel explains. “He was instrumental recently
in getting dorado removed from the menus
of major restaurant chains like Los Arcos,
and won a recent battle to keep dorado off
the list of species that can be harvested by
commercial fishing boats. Hotel Buena
Vista’s fishing fleet has also taken the lead
in becoming the first national Mexican fleet
to use circle hooks exclusively with bait,
allowing fish to be released safely. We are so
proud of what he has accomplished. He is
really a living example of what we all should
be doing to protect the resources we have.”
Despite his busy schedule and active
involvement in tourism and conservation,
Chuy Valdez remains at heart a modest man,
and is still an avid sportsman and fisherman.
By sharing his firsthand knowledge of the
needs of fishermen, he continues to inspire
his boat captains and crews to go the extra
mile and provide guests with a fishing
experience they won’t find anywhere else in
the world.
Now, with Chuy’s sons Esaul, Axel and
Felipe in charge of day-to-day operations,
Hotel Buena Vista Beach Resort continues
to embody the same old Baja hospitality and
philosophy that distinguishes them from
other resorts in the area. As they like to say,
“You come as a guest, you are treated as a
friend and you leave as a part of our family.”
As a guest or fisherman, you might come
to the Hotel Buena Vista Beach Resort to
relax or for a great day of fishing, but to Jesus
“Chuy” Valdez and his family the larger goal
is to create friendships and memories that
last a lifetime.
For more information on Hotel Buena
Vista Beach Resort:
• www.hotelbuenavista.com
• [email protected]
• 800-752-3555
El Fin!
(FAR LEFT AND BELOW) | Considering the already
romantic, tropical setting, Hotel Buena Vista Beach Resort
is a great place to get married. The investment that Chuy
Valdez and his wife, Imelda, made in southern Baja
continues to be rewarding for them and for all who visit.
CABO LIVING • 47
52 • WINTER 2012
CABO LIVING
®
a seamless
blend
Design principles and intrinsicality synergize to create a
home that flows with its surroundings
~by Michael Koehn | photos by Francisco Estrada~
M
Most architecture students are familiar with
Frank Lloyd Wright’s oft-quoted pronouncement concerning the site of buildings: “No
house should ever be on a hill or on anything.
It should be of the hill. Belonging to it. Hill
and house should live together, each happier
for the other.”
Continued on page 54
CABO LIVING • 53
That entreaty for the happy comingling of
landscape and architecture, from his 1932
autobiography, is exemplified in many
parts of Los Cabos, where buildings and
homes have been successfully integrated and
blended with the natural landscape, one
into the other, to form a union of place and
purpose, and it’s concept exemplified by a
home owned by Richard and Claire O’Neal
in the elevated topography of Querencia.
Querencia itself offers some major
advantages to homeowners who decide to
live on the prestigious eighteen-hundred acre
development. In its expansive landscape it
offers an ever-varying terrain, a five-star golf
course, a 58,000 square foot clubhouse and,
in the upper reaches of the property, access
54 • WINTER 2012
to some views that take in much of the Sea of
Cortez around Los Cabos.
Richard and Claire O’Neal originally
came to Cabo in 1996 after hearing rave
reviews about the area from friends. “We
had heard a lot about Cabo in general, and
especially about the golf. Richard loves to
golf, so we decided we had to look into the
area,” says Claire O’Neal.
The O’Neals visited Los Cabos with
friends in 1996, and instantly fell in love
with the people and everything about Cabo,
and it was then that they decided to look for
a home in the area. They were in a position
where they could spend more time in the
area and thought it would be a good place to
stay during part of the winter.
The O’Neals bought a home in Palmilla
in 1996. Since Richard was fond of golfing,
it wasn’t long before he found his way to the
links at Querencia, and the O’Neals became
enamored with that part of Los Cabos. “We
found a location in Querencia that we fell
in love with and purchased that property in
2010,” explains Claire.
The only problem was they had a much
bigger vision of this location, with its
promontory location and the views looking
out to the Sea of Cortez, than the original
home offered. They wanted this to be a
place that could be part of the environment
without disturbing it, utilizing the light and
landscape but not dominating the natural
beauty of the setting. For their purposes
they decided to remodel all of the interior
and much of the exterior into an expansive
new design to entertain and accommodate
family and friends.
Jan Frantz, a local interior designer was
the right person in the right place to help the
O’Neals fulfill the vision they had for the
house, and they collaborated in creating the
vision for the new property.
“We met Jan Frantz, a certified ASID
interior designer and owner of Landgrave
Furniture & Patio,” Claire O’Neal recalls.
“We just walked in one day and hit it off
immediately. You can tell instantly when a
person knows what they’re talking about,
and we were on the same page with Jan
on everything.”
Frantz, who has many years of experience
as a designer and has resided in Cabo for
the last four years, agrees. “There was
something very intuitive about the
relationship when we started working
together. This was a large project, involving
a complete renovation of the existing home
and took more than six months to complete
from the time we first met.”
Jan Frantz and the O’Neals began
working together on the overall concept for
the overhaul of the property. “The first thing
I try to do is to get an idea of their tastes
(FAR LEFT AND ABOVE) | The unified look of the O’Neal’s
home was created by coordinating each design detail
with the overall color scheme. Furniture was sourced
from U.S. companies and Evos, a Mexican manufacturer
based in San Miguel de Allende. A covered fire pit provides
a comfortable space for socializing, and Landgrave
furniture is used for lounging poolside.
Continued on page 56
CABO LIVING • 55
(ABOVE AND FAR RIGHT) | A spacious interior is also
open to impressive scenic views of Querencia and the Sea
of Cortez. A circular bar with natural stonework anchors a
corner of the home’s dining area. Handcrafted chandeliers
and original art add charm and beauty to the O’Neal’s
dining room.
56 • WINTER 2012
and try to get a feeling as to what they’re
thinking about for the project. I need to
know if they like the look of a traditional
Mexican Hacienda, Mediterranean or
contemporary style, or if they have some
other idea in mind. Once we’ve decided on
that then I create a proposal for a floorplan
and general layout of all the key spaces for
dining, entertainment and sleeping. We
would go over this back and forth many
times. With a project like this, you don’t
want to hurry it and have regrets later.”
After some of the general concepts have
been laid out, all of the details had to be
added to create the unified overall look for
the home. “We consider every detail and
how it coordinates with every other detail,
beginning with overall color scheme and then
incorporating large items like furniture all the
way to the lamps, the bedspreads and every
accessory that’s included in the overall look,”
says Frantz. “We sourced almost all of it from
U.S. companies. A few of the pieces including
the coffee table and the two half round tables
in the TV room are made by Evos, a Mexican
manufacturer from San Miguel de Allende,
and they are all hand carved. All the oil
paintings are original works purchased by
the O’Neals in Mexico. The draperies were
designed to fit with the home and were made
and installed by a wonderful local drapery
and upholstery man.”
“Jan made this process so easy for us,”
Claire O’Neal explains. “It was a lot different
than the way I worked with the home in
Palmilla. With that home I took a trip
to Guadalajara with a friend and bought
some things there, and then we went to
the Dallas Furniture Market and had some
items shipped down in trucks from Texas.
With Jan we saw some things we liked in
their showroom and also looked through the
design catalogs. She knew what I was talking
about and I understood her, and it was
just a very intuitive process. We have very
similar tastes and she, my husband and I all
communicated together on all details down
to light fixtures. So this process of working
with Jan and ordering everything here and
having it shipped down and stored in her
warehouse was just a Godsend.”
In a project characterized by harmony
and a cross-fertilization of ideas, the O’Neals
and Jan Frantz were able to create a home
of considerable character and presence, one
that would also take advantage of its setting
and yet have minimal impact on the natural
beauty of Querencia.
As the home took shape, Jan would take
items out to the house, meeting with Claire
and husband Richard as the owners took
trips back and forth to measure the ongoing
progress. “There were a couple of times we
changed our minds, and Jan had no problem
with that,” says Claire O’Neal. “She was very
flexible about our requests, and things just
couldn’t have gone any better or been any
easier. It was very gratifying to see the way
a fabric in one area was matched with other
fabrics or décor accents in another part of the
house, just a very harmonious process.”
Finally, it all came together, a central
living area of more than 3,000 square
feet, including a kitchen, master bedroom,
office, bathroom, dining room area and TV
Continued on page 58
CABO LIVING • 57
and recreation room surrounded by five
individual “casitas” - individual sleeping
areas each with its own king bed, full
bathroom and outdoor sitting areas. The
background interior hues throughout are
muted neutral shades of beige and sand,
complimented by accents of original artwork,
Mexican folk art, solid furniture pieces in
fine leather and some particularly impressive
(BELOW) | No detail has been overlooked in the design
and construction of the home. A variety of areas allow
for socializing around a fire pit, TV and entertainment
and outside dining. Traditional stonework was used to
create a unique tower-like bar in the O’Neal’s dining area.
Their home is perfectly integrated into its environment,
allowing views of Querencia and a large expanse of the
Sea of Cortez.
58 • WINTER 2012
natural rockwork forming a tower-like bar.
Outside the work had been done
specifically to take advantage of the inspiring
view of the surrounding seascapes. Three
fire pits, a palapa with inclusive dining area
and multileveled terraces accessing a very
large pool area with swim-up bar constitute
an open and very functional outdoor
hospitality space.
“My husband and I own Landgrave
Furniture & Patio in San José, and we
were able to source all the outside furniture
factory direct,” says Frantz. “There was a
lot of outside living area to be utilized, so
we created places for conversation around
fire pits, outdoor dining in several places
including the palapa, and plenty of room for
lounging around the pool.”
Ultimately what’s been created here
is a fusion of the highly refined with the
uncultivated natural location, a visuallyimpressive home integrated into the glorious
sweep of land that is Querencia.
“We just love it here,” says Claire O’Neal.
“We can track the sun and see the sunrise
and sunset from the opposite sides of the
house, and I think we’re the only house up
here that has that kind of view.”
For more information:
Landgrave Furniture
Plaza Las Fuentes, KM 25
San José del Cabo
www.landgravecabo.com
E-mail: [email protected]
624-144-6678
El Fin!
Vonage: 858-964-1895
CABO LIVING
®
C E R A M I C
WONDERLAND
A trip down the pottery rabbit hole in La Paz leads to an
amazing discovery in art, culture and history
~story by Joan Tucker & Paul Papanek | photos by Paul Papanek~
M
Mexican pottery. I thought I knew all about it.
A terracotta plate. Bright blue trim. A painted
white bird. Seen it. Bought it. Broke it. In the past
few years that I’ve been in La Paz, I’ve ridden
my squeaky Baja beach cruiser past the Ibarra
Pottery Studio at least a dozen times without
having the slightest interest in stopping.
What a mistake.
Last week, I decided to see just what was
behind that white door next to the mutlicolored mailbox. Like Alice, I felt like I
had fallen down the rabbit hole and ended
up in a fantasy world of artful pottery that
is the very real world of Julio and Juanita
Ibarra. It’s a world of improbable color
combinations, patterns, and shapes that
made my head spin.
But first – a little history.
Born Julio Ibarra in 1932 in Pachuca
Hidalgo – son of a potter, grandson of a
potter, great-grandson of a potter – his is
a history of art and pottery dating back
to the Mexican Revolution. As a child, he
learned to throw pots on a wheel from his
grandfather. His mother, who was a potter
and a painter working at the Anfora factory
in Pachuca Hidalgo encouraged him to come
Continued on page 84
84 • WINTER 2012
CABO LIVING • 85
(ABOVE AND FAR RIGHT) | Coming from a family with a
long history in working with ceramics, and working with
it himself for much of his life, Julio Ibarra almost literally
has clay in his veins! Julio works the clay with his hands,
and his wife, Juanita, paints decorative patterns onto the
pottery with varying bright colors of glaize.
86 • WINTER 2012
and work with her. As he learned his craft,
his creative spirit outgrew the traditional
designs he was working on. He needed to
develop his own way of expressing himself
with his art. At 18, he enrolled in the famous
Academy of San Carlos in Mexico City – the
oldest art academy in the Americas - to study
the art of pottery and painting. Over the
years, The Academy attracted students from
all over Mexico, including Diego Rivera,
José Clemente Orozco, and David Siqueiros.
While there, he met the beautiful Juanita
Chavez, also a fine arts student. Attracted to
each other by their mutual passion for art,
they fell in love. In 1958 – two years after
they graduated - they decided to keep the
family tradition alive and, combing their
artistic talents, they opened Acuario Pottery
in Mexico City. They married two years later.
The innovative designs and shapes that
these two artists developed over the years
were influenced both by the European
sensibility so popular in Mexico at the
time, and by the geometrics of the ancient
indigenous peoples of the country. In
interpreting those influences, they created an
entirely new and original color palette and
design esthetic that became very desirable
in Mexico City. Soon, the “better families”
were ordering service for 12 or 14 in the
very exciting patterns that the Ibarras and
Acuario were becoming known for.
During the height of their popularity, the
health of one of their daughters began to
decline because of the growing pollution in
Mexico City. While visiting relatives in La
Paz, they noticed that her health improved
considerably, and in 1987, after consulting
with doctors, they decided to move and
set up shop there. They brought with them
their 4 children, an old kiln, and most
importantly, their art.
Fast forward to the present…
And here I am. It’s a beautiful afternoon
in La Paz and I have entered their world.
I’m surrounded by a kaleidoscope of vibrant
colors and energy that reflect the art and
passion of Julio and Juanita Ibarra. Julio, at
80, is the most gentle of mad- hatters. Every
day, he wakes up and walks into the sunfilled patio that is their studio. He checks
the progress of the clay that they import
from Oaxaca that’s undergoing its 2-month
purification – a painstaking process of
washing and filtering and re-washing and
re-filtering which results in the smooth and
silky clay that is the basis of the pottery that
the Ibarra family is known for. Next, he
slides onto his tall chair behind his potter’s
wheel and begins to create. He is the master
potter and in addition to throwing pieces
by hand, he makes his own molds. There
he is, still turning the wheel with his feet,
building, shaping, trimming, sponging,
and refining – using a variety of tools worn
with age by thousands of pieces of clay.
He’s eternally waiting for his pots to dry in
the sun.
A little later, here comes Juanita – his
love and his muse – taking her chair at her
worktable across the patio from him and his
Continued on page 88
CABO LIVING • 87
(ABOVE AND FAR RIGHT) | Ibarra’s Pottery has an
outdoor display area, as well as the indispensible kiln.
Julio and Juanita’s daughter, Vicky, works in the family
business, and has expanded its artistic output with new
ideas of her own.
88 • WINTER 2012
wheel. She prepares her luscious paint colors
and, as she’s done for decades, begins to
delicately paint her original designs onto her
husband’s creations. Fine lines of flowers and
plants, birds and figures, and the original
geometrics she has always created, flow from
her brush to the dried clay, her paintbrush
almost automatically dipping into a little
water and powdered pigment, mixing her
colors like a fine oil painter about to put
brush to canvas. She’s always experimenting
with color – always looking for something
different. From the beginning, she has been
the creator of all of the geometric designs.
She still is.
At 9 am every day, daughter Vicky arrives
at the studio – a place that always gives her a
sense of profound peace and happiness – and
assumes her position at her own worktable
next to her mother’s. Vicky, in addition to
taking care of customers, has created her
own line of ceramic jewelry that furthers
the family’s artistic traditions. And, with her
parent’s encouragement, she has taken many
of the original Ibarra geometric designs and
pushed them into the most modern of color
combinations. She paints these designs next
to her mother, while her father bounces
from the wheel to the kiln to the clay tanks
in a never-ending dance from one end of
the studio to the other. He looks over both
their shoulders to see what they’re doing. His
sensitivity is evident always; he can tell their
moods by the straightness of their lines or
the density of their colors.
The more I look at the shelves full of their
artwork, the more I see. I am finding the
Ibarra pottery irresistible and the pile I’m
setting aside on the counter is beginning
to grow bigger and bigger. Each piece is
just slightly different – the thickness of the
clay, the variety of the line, the size. More
importantly, each piece reflects the hand of
the artist. This is what “hand-made” pottery
is all about.
The Ibarra family puts their passion into
every piece of their pottery. Entering into
their workshop is really entering into their
lives. The work is their life, their life is their
work, and the result is Art, in the purest
sense of the word.
Ibarra’s Pottery:
Guillermo Prieto # 625, e/ Torre Iglesias y
Republica,, Col. El Esterito,
La Paz, B.C.S-, 23020 La Paz,
Baja California Sur, Mexico
El Fin!
+52 612 125 4229
CABO LIVING • 89