La Manchoza
La Manchoza is an artist-led residency located in a rural, off-grid environment in the mountains of Jalisco, Mexico. The program has developed organically through years of hosting artists, writers, and makers in a living and working homestead surrounded by forest and agricultural land.
The residency supports interdisciplinary artistic practice and offers access to workshops for ceramics, woodworking, bronze casting, painting, and writing, alongside quiet studio and living spaces designed for focused, self-directed work. We host a very small number of residents at a time—typically one artist at a time—while also being open to couples, families with children, and pets, depending on the specific residency period. This structure allows for individual attention and a highly immersive experience.
Our program is grounded in material exploration, slow making, and a close relationship with landscape and craft traditions. Artists are encouraged to develop their work in dialogue with the natural environment and local cultural context.
La Manchoza emphasizes hospitality, autonomy, and hands-on engagement with materials. As an emerging residency, we are currently formalizing our organizational structure while expanding our international networks and long-term capacity for artist support and cultural exchange.
Constelacion 72
Col. La Estacion
49340 Tapalpa, Jal.
Mexico
Residency Program Information
Residency Program Summary
Application Information
La Manchoza is open to artists, writers, researchers, and multidisciplinary practitioners at all career stages who are working in material-based or conceptually driven practices. We welcome both emerging and established artists who are able to work independently in a rural, off-grid environment.
Applicants should have a clear intention for their residency period and be comfortable engaging in self-directed work. Because of the nature of the site, we recommend that residents are adaptable to a simple, nature-integrated living environment. Access to workshops and tools may require prior experience or a willingness to learn safe and responsible use of equipment such as woodworking tools, ceramics facilities, or metalworking processes.
Residency fees at La Manchoza cover accommodation, and all expenses of services (water, wifi, gas, electricty, cleaning) local transportation related to the residency, access to workshops and tools, as well as necessary safety equipment for their use. Food is not included.
Rather than a monetary stipend, support for artists is provided in the form of materials, which may include wood, ceramics materials, and other production inputs depending on the needs of each project. Material support is allocated on a case-by-case basis, in dialogue with the artist’s proposed work and the practical requirements of production.
Because of the nature of our facilities and the diversity of practices we host, overall costs for materials and additional production needs are assessed individually for each residency, ensuring that resources are aligned with the scope and scale of each project.
This flexible model allows us to support materially grounded practices while maintaining the sustainability of the program and adapting to the specific needs of each resident.
Accessibility
Housing & Accomodation
La Manchoza is set within approximately 4,000 square meters (about 43,056 square feet) of rural land in the mountains of Jalisco, Mexico. The site includes shared and communal outdoor areas designed to support both daily living and artistic practice.
Common spaces include a large garden area, a chicken coop, and a variety of established and developing fruit trees. The landscape is actively cared for and forms an integral part of the residency experience, offering opportunities for quiet reflection, engagement with nature, and informal gathering.
The outdoor environment is complemented by workshop and studio spaces for ceramics, woodworking, and other material-based practices, creating a balance between production, rest, and connection to the land.
Studio & Facilities
La Manchoza offers a flexible, multi-sited working environment that allows artists to adapt spaces according to the needs of their practice. There is no single fixed studio; instead, residents are encouraged to use and configure different areas of the property as active workspaces.
Artists may work in a covered studio space (including a converted container/workshop), an indoor living area on the lower level, and outdoor areas such as the terrace and garden. These spaces are suitable for painting, drawing, writing, and other adaptable studio practices, allowing for both indoor and outdoor working conditions depending on light, weather, and process.
In addition, the residency includes a dedicated bronze workshop, equipped for metalworking processes and supported with appropriate safety equipment. Ceramics and woodworking practices are also supported through shared tools and designated work areas.
The residency provides two dedicated desks for writing and computer-based work, along with multiple power outlets distributed across indoor and outdoor work areas.
Lighting throughout key studio spaces is designed to support visual artists, including smart lighting systems with adjustable color temperature to accommodate painting and color-sensitive work at different times of day.
A dedicated painting wall is available for stretching and hanging canvases. This wall measures approximately 275 cm in height and 7 meters in length, allowing for large-scale or sequential works in progress.
The terrace (approximately 6 x 4 meters) offers an open-air working environment with natural light, while the covered outdoor studio (approximately 6 x 6 meters) provides a protected space suitable for larger projects or weather-sensitive processes. These areas complement the interior studio and workshop spaces, allowing for flexible movement between indoor and outdoor production settings.