Local Latino Artist of the Month Victoria Chiquito

Local Latino/a Artist

of the Month

- Victoria Chiquito -

Victoria Chiquito makes concrete macetas (flowerpots) for succulents, cacti, and house plants. You can purchase her macetas at Cultura Chocolate shop in Denver starting in June and by messaging her through Instagram. Victoria will be attending markets throughout the summer, including every Sunday at “Domingos en Westwood." Follow her on IG for the latest.

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How do you incorporate your heritage /identity/ culture into your work and why?

I find my identity in creating macetas because I’ve been creative and business minded since I was a little girl. But also, my grandpa worked as a cement finisher for 45 years and every time I’m outside mixing concrete, I think of him and what a hardworking man he is.

My grandpa grew up with his sister and three brothers in the town of El Terrero in Chihuahua, Mexico. He played rancheros and boleros in a band. In 1968, my grandpa and his band went to the U.S to play music in local bars and to get more exposure. My grandpa was only 22. In February 1972, my grandpa met my grandma in the U.S. and they started a life together. Soon after they married they had three children. Not knowing English, my grandpa started learning the language through his wife, children, and work friends. In 1973 he received a green card and in 1979 he became a citizen of the United States.

Address the use of color in your work.

When I first started my business I only offered plain concrete macetas. As my business started to grow, customers asked if I could add colors to my pots. It was something I never thought of when I first started. I started to take orders with the customer’s color choice. I personally love macetas with and without color because every one is unique in its own way.

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Address the use of color in your work.

Tell us a bit about being a Latino artist or the Latino artist community?

Being in the Latino artist community has been an amazing experience and a blessing. I’ve met many artists and small business owners. I love being in the Latino artist community because we support one another and all want each other to succeed. When starting my business six months ago, I was embraced with nothing but support and opportunities to grow.

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What inspired you to start your own business?

When Covid 19 made it to the US, my campus shut down, I was forced to become an online student, and I quickly discovered that I was not an online learner. I had to make the difficult decision to put my education on hold. I had no choice but to move back to my mom's house. September 6, 2020 was the launch of my business.

I never intended to start a business; I just fell into it. During the summer, my auntie (owner of Cabrona Coffee) invited me to the Westwood Market. I was very excited to attend my first market but I had only two days to make pots. I remember spending all day working on them to make sure I looked legit when potential customers came to look at my products. The day of the market came and I had 18 pots. I was prepared with low expectations that they would not sell but, to my surprise, almost all of them sold by the end of the day! After my exciting day I remember going home and immediately making more pots for the next market. I continued to sell my pots at every Westwood Market so I thought of ways to make them better. I made new shapes, painted them, and added succulents. My business took off even more. After the market season was over, I was asked by the owner of Cultura Chocolate if I was interested in having a space in her shop to sell my pots. Now you can find my pots inside Cultura Chocolate’s location.