Hand-Made Paper

From the log kept by JM on the Feb/March 2010 Chiripa buying trip.

In the foothills north of Oaxaca is the town of San Augustin de Etla. There you can visit an interesting workshop that produces high quality hand-made paper. They are happy to give demonstrations, and there is also a nice shop where you can buy interesting paper items of all sorts (we did).

Paper drying in the bright Oaxacan sun and hand-made paper kites in the shop.

The natural setting is beautiful, and on the hill above the workshop there is an old mill that has been converted to an art school and display gallery. 

The unique architecture makes effective use of the water that flows down the hillside and right through the facility. The lush vegetation and hilltop views evoke the Oaxaca region as it may have looked before an exploding population, industrialization, deforestation and traffic took their toll.

If you are feeling adventurous, you can get to San Augustin for just 10 pesos per person (less than a dollar) by taking a collectivo taxi from a location next to the Abastos Market. From the zocalo in downtown Oaxaca, walk west on Trujano until you get to the market area. Cross busy Periferico at the end of Trujano, and you will see an area where the brown and white collectivos are parked. Be sure to ask for a collectivo to St. Augustin de Etla. If you take one that is just marked Etla, you will be disappointed to find yourself in a very different place.

Pounding The Streets

From the log kept by JM on the Feb/Mar 2010 Chiripa buying trip to Mexico.

March 4, 2010.  They are pounding the streets in downtown Oaxaca. This is not repaving of the usual sort. To preserve the historic character of the city, the streets are paved with big cobblestones. Workers pound with hammer and chisel to cut and fit each cobble by hand. The fitted cobbles are then set in concrete, in decorative patterns. The workers toil late into the night, and on weekends, in order to finish the street in time for the Mexican Independence Bicentennial Celebration.

We are also pounding the streets of Oaxaca, collecting and carrying boxes of handcrafted treasures from the Oaxaca Women's Cooperative, the Artisan Market and other places. We found an abundant selection of small items to catch your eye, add interest to your home, delight your friends and make you smile. Something for every budget!

Fine Food and Fantastic Crafts

From the log kept by JM on the Feb/March 2010 Chiripa buying trip.

March 2, 2010.  This morning we traveled south to the villages of San Bartolo Coyotepec, San Martin Tilcajete, and Ocotlan. We picked up a good selection of Oaxacan black pottery at the Dona Rosa workshop in San Bartolo, where Dona Rosa's son still presides. 

Dona Rosa was, of course, the woman who discovered the technique for making the famous shiny black pottery (you can find it at Chiripa) and a piece or two online.

In Ocotlan, we stopped at the tiny home workshop of the famous Guillermina Aguilar, where we picked out as many clay figures as we could carry. 

But the main event was in San Martin Tilcajete, where we met Jacobo and Maria Angeles for breakfast at their restaurant, Azucena Zapoteca (Zapotec Lily). The day was already hot, but there was a cool breeze under the veranda. Jacobo and Maria offered us a spectacular array of traditional Zapotec and Mexican dishes. The food was fabulous, and the presentation reflected Maria's artistic touch (Rick Bayless take note!).

 The restaurant, magical as it was, was just a prelude to the workshop. Jacobo and Maria are among the most highly regarded artisans in all of Mexico producing exquisitely carved and painted alebrijes that are in great demand by collectors throughout the world.

Jacobo and Maria with a lion in progress March 2010.

The carved wooden animals have an uncanny lifelike but abstract quality, and the painting--well, you must see it to believe it: elegant designs are executed in unbelievably minute and precise detail, using traditional Zapotec motifs and stunning natural colors. The colors are from natural ingredients grown in the Oaxacan countryside. You can see some beautiful examples at Chiripa. 

We also hope to bring Jacobo to Madison in October, so you can meet this great artist (and wonderful human being) in person.