Potter Marcelino Vicente was born in 1933, in the small rural village of Ocumicho in the northwestern region of Michoacan. He was the last of 11 or 12 siblings. Always fascinated with watching the lady potters work on their pottery, he took up the profession for himself even though in his town it was considered "women's work". He hand-built his pieces and they became known as diablitos...or little devils. Most were humorous works with several zany characters, usually with one or more devils, and often sexual or even pornographic. He created many of the molded clay scenes and sold them at the tianguis (open air market), where they were a great hit. He gathered a group of men and women and formed a workshop to create the pieces. His work became popular not only in Mexico but also the US. It was not common for men and women to socialize or work closely together as this group did, nor was it looked on favorably for men to be gay, as it was rumored he was. Sadly one evening he was beaten to death while enjoying a beer at a local bar. This ended the life and work of the unusual individual, at the age of 35.
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