Oaxaca (wah-ha-ka) de Juárez—the capital city of Oaxaca, one of the 31 states of Mexico, situated at its belly in the south—has its own ecosystem while yet being quintessentially of a Mexican flavour.

Seeing earthen pots, also known as clay pots, around evokes a sense of nostalgia, connecting me to childhood memories and the times we used to visit my maternal grandmother in our hometown. She cooked ...