From the August 2011 log on the Chiripa buying trip to Mexico.
In Pátzcuaro, on certain days, the indigenous Purépecha people from surrounding villages hold a barter market on a rundown outdoor basketball court near the old church. This market is not for tourists, or even the other people of Pátzcuaro, but for the villagers themselves. The vendors trade produce of various kinds -- reckoning, say, the comparative value of peppers and dried beans. Vendors also offer an eclectic array of used clothing and household items.
Fresh and dried fish, from the nearby lake, are also on offer. Fish have long been an important part of the Purépecha life and diet, and are a common design element in local handcrafts – including hand-made jewelry, textiles and ceramics. You can see some beautiful examples at Chiripa.
Blue Fish Platter by Fernando Arroyo, Capula, Michoacan.
