Reyna Esther García Mendoza, a red clay artisan born in the town of San Antonino Castillo Velazco, is the eldest daughter of master artisans José García and Teresita Mendoza. From a very young age, she was connected to clay, as her father is one of the great masters of Mexican folk art and his inspiration for her to create mermaids, women in traditional dress, animals, and other representations in clay. Her connection to clay deepened when her father lost his sight and she had to help him add the small details to the mermaids. At the age of 15, working with clay became her job, no longer just a game. Today, she and her children continue creating clay pieces related to mermaids because she likes to connect the everyday with the sea, because mermaids also inhabit daily life. "I make mermaids to tell common stories with a marine soul; art unites the real with the imaginary," says Reyna Esther García Mendoza.