About Zenwaro.

Artisan made for your Sanctuary of Zen.

The journal

From our excursions throughout Mexico and Central America to the ideas and inspiration that sparks our design process.

 This where we journal all of the integral / intriguing facts that makes our family owned artisan made brand unique.

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Selected Reading

Origins of One-of-a-Kind
Artisan Story Culture Story Design Story

Origins of One-of-a-Kind

by Clayton Freeman October 13, 2022

Mexico's craftsmanship and artisanal heritage date back millennia and are not limited to only pottery and earthenware making. Stone carvers, wood carvers, carpenters, blacksmiths, silversmiths, and tin workers were part of Mexico's creator economy before the Spanish conquistadors appeared in the early 16th century. 
The funnel-shaped land mass bridging the two Americas, North and South, otherwise known as Mexico, is affirmed by archeologists and historians to be the center of origin of Mesoamerica's first adva...

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Traveling through Mexico with Zenwaro. Guadalajara, Jalisco
Artisan Story Customer Story

Social Progress South of The Border

by Clayton Freeman December 28, 2022

Many of the artisan studios that Zenwaro has partnered with over the past 20 years have been led by women. More often than not, these women are mothers, which means they are also leaders by way of a set of lived experiences.
Roof-top terrace sunset in the city center of Guadalajara late spring of 2021.    On several recent long trips through Mexico, I have begun to take heed of a few cultural and societal shifts that ...

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The Natural World. As it appears through the lens of Kevin Deacon
Customer Story

The Natural World. As it appears through the lens of Kevin Deacon

by Clayton Freeman February 09, 2022

In an ever changing retail landscape that is transforming the in-store experience to an “optimized, algorithmic, and one click checkout” we can acknowledge that technology has greatly disrupted th...

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Impressive Moms Dominating the Artisan Space
Artisan Story Culture Story

Impressive Moms Dominating the Artisan Space

by Marianne Freeman April 28, 2022

On our recent trip to areas in Central Mexico and on numerous adventures over the past 20 years, we have encountered many women who are the directors of their family businesses. Often these businesses are generational.  The women who are running the show were actually raised in the very artisan craft that they are now administrating. Some actually carry their babies on their backs while moving the business forward and keeping their eye on the day to day operations
Moms are pretty much the same, no matter where, in what country, or what era.  There is now significant scientific research which documents that a woman's brain, after childbirth, is flooded with h...

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Where Zenwaro comes from...
Artisan Story Brand Story Origin Story

Where Zenwaro comes from...

by Clayton Freeman December 11, 2021

"Zen" a very high form of enlightenment. Usually studied within Buddhist monasteries, this ancient practice emphasizes enlightenment by the most direct means, accepting formal studies and observanc...

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Artisans

Artisans "Altared" by Day of the Dead

by Marianne Freeman October 28, 2022

"La Catrina" an art-form all of her own
As an outlander having experienced the celebration of Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in the heart of Mexico, it is challenging to describe this holiday/celebration/festival with only words. ...

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Zenwaro Gift Card, Now Available
Gifting Story

Zenwaro Gift Card, Now Available

by Marianne Freeman July 05, 2022

Gifting Authentically is all about intention and celebrating the recipient. We encourage you to invite them in on the deciding process. Zenwaro gift cards are now available in a variety of denominations.

Gift giving just got a little more personal.🎁 Gifting 101 Sometimes the most thoughtful and appreciated gifts are those where the recipient's personal taste and unique style is recognized. Not alw...

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Pendant Lighting. Intriguing Illumination is in the Details.
Artisan Story Design Story

Pendant Lighting. Intriguing Illumination is in the Details.

by Clayton Freeman May 15, 2022

The Mediterra Lighting Collection is what quality artisan craftsmanship and ecological sustainability look like when combined. It is interesting how different industries throughout Mexico have inc...

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From the Ashes
Culture Story Design Story Origin Story

From the Ashes

by Clayton Freeman April 02, 2022

Death, should not be taken lightly. The opposite side of this yin/yang metaphor, and the more valuable perception is that life should be taken more seriously and with far greater appreciation than we are currently affording. Specifically the struggles, sadness, joys, and beauty that life affords should not be ascertained through morbid innuendos of death.
The subject of death is complicated, misunderstood, and far too often framed as a taboo subject in many of the conversations that we either have or largely do not have as a collective society in th...

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