Museo Estatal de Arte Popular de Oaxaca

The Museo Estatal de Arte Popular de Oaxaca (State Museum of Popular Art of Oaxaca) or MEAPO is a small museum in the municipality of San Bartolo Coyotepec just south of the city of Oaxaca in Mexico. It is run by the state of Oaxaca to showcase the entity's handcrafts and folk art tradition, through its permanent collection, online "cyber-museum", collaboration with national and international entities, and sponsorship of events such as craft markets, conferences, and temporary exhibitions. It is dedicated to the crafts and to the artisans and the cultures behind the items. Its collection contains samples of most of the crafts produced in the state, especially the Central. Facility and collection Entrance hall of the museum The physical museum has three permanent halls and a permanent collection that focuses on the common crafts of the state of Oaxaca. Its largest collection is of barro negro pottery , which is the most important handcraft produced in San Bartolo Coyotepec. The collection includes 120 pieces made by 37 artisans in the municipality. These pieces were selected for their aesthetic qualities with many having participated in state, national, and international competitions. Another important segment of the collection was donated by the Artesanías e Industrias Populares del. History Although its current incarnation has been in existence since 2004, the origins of the museum extend back to 1905. At this time, a resident named Manuel Guzmán donated a plot of land to found a cultural center, along with books to start a library. However, this donation was used to build a school instead. Much later, in the 1990s, there was a push by a local youth organization to establish a museum on the same site dedicated to San Bartolo Coyotepec's barro negro pottery tradition. With the help of an agency called the Consejo.