While traveling together through Mexico one summer, Mariana and Concetta had the opportunity to visit the taller (home and studio) of a family of artisans in a tiny village outside Oaxaca. The family specialized in barro negro pottery, a tradition dating back more than 2,000 years in this region. Being a slow weekday afternoon, they got to chat with Cecilia and Maria, two of the sisters who run the taller, while they worked molding the clay pieces by hand. The women spoke of their devotion to their art and desire to preserve their heritage, while sharing stories of the struggles they had faced wearing multiple hats as entrepreneurs, partners, mothers, and sisters.

In what had originally been planned as a quick stop, the friends found themselves at the taller long after the gates had closed and the sun had set. Seated around an outdoor table with the sisters, the women shared memories while sipping on the family's own homemade mezcal that was served to them in handcrafted black clay mezcaleros. It was a night Mariana and Concetta would never forget. 

Wanting to find a way to encapsulate their experiences in Mexico and bring them back into their own homes, Mariana and Concetta began their search for special pieces that told the stories of its people and places. Together, they founded P A L O  S A N T O in 2021 as a way to showcase the country’s rich cultural and artisanal heritage, along with the beauty of its raw materials. Both creatives themselves, the two friends drew inspiration from their travels and their love for all things design to curate a collection of timeless pieces that blur the line between utilitarian and decorative. Handcrafted by master craftsmen using only the highest quality materials, the pieces fuse ancestral techniques with cutting-edge contemporary design.