Tennis Anyone?

Musings from the Feb 2011 Chiripa buying trip to Mexico.

One of our favorite workshops in Oaxaca is that of Jacobo and Maria Angeles in San Martin Tilcajete. It is a beehive of activity. In the midst of carving and painting and selling beautiful alebrijes (the colorful animals famous in this area), day to day life activities go on. 

We were fortunate to stop in the day some workers and friends were getting ready for a big game. The explanation of the game was that it is a kind of Zapotec (the indigenous people of this area) "tennis." 

The gloves caught our attention. They are made of leather with nails and weigh between 8 and 10 pounds. The solid rubber ball weighs between 2 and 3 pounds. Unfortunately, we were not able to come back the next day for the big match. I resolved to learn more when I came home. (Big mistake!)

The young man on the left is one of the stars. He's traveled to compete against teams in California. Jacobo sits on the couch. The young man in the white shirt wears a glove in the right hand and holds a ball. The young man on the right is Jacobo's son.

I have found very little online about the game and how it is played. The website www.oaxaca.travel has a page called "Did you know that in pre-hispanic Oaxaca tennis was played?" The game is called "juego de Pelota" (ball game)—not too descriptive. [This site may no longer be live/available.]

A book at books.google.com called: Tennis: a cultural history by Heiner Gillmeister has a good photo of the glove on a hand with the ball on p. 73.

I'd love to learn more about the game as it is played today. Please share if you have played or know something about it. Thanks. -kl

Moonlit Night in Oaxaca

Musings from the Feb 2011 Chiripa buying trip to Mexico.

We are patiently awaiting the shipment from the February buying trip. It seems so long ago. One night near the end of the trip we climbed the stairs of our hotel to the rooftop patio. There are no lights, but the moon was up (full the night before) and we were greeted with this stunning view of Santo Domingo and the lighted street leading to it.

As we gazed from the edge of the patio out at the beautiful city on a balmy February night we looked down and were greeted with snapshots of everyday life. Clothes on a line, bottled drinking water, walkways; life. 

There were no people outside in these inner courtyards. It was late. But the visuals leave a sense of mystery; a longing to return.  -kl


UPDATE: the truck has cleared customs and is on its way!

Huichol Blunder

Musings from the Feb 2011 Chiripa buying trip to Mexico.

We like to stop at the downtown street market when in Tlaquepaque (Jalisco, Mexico). The Huichol people (from the state of Nyarit) set up tables to sell their intricate bead work and continue beading while tolerating the casual shoppers.

I was particularly drawn to a young woman rapidly creating the subtly shaded peyote flowers of a bracelet. She continued working while I selected a collection of earrings, bracelets, barrettes and beaded ornaments (that I'll save for holiday shoppers). When I was finished I asked her if I could take her picture. She agreed and her young son eagerly joined for this photo.

I thanked her and was about to leave when she asked for money. I was surprised, but opened my coin purse to give her a token amount for allowing me to photograph her. But, no, she didn't want money for the photo, she wanted money for the goods I thought I had purchased. Oops! I was so intrigued with capturing the beading process that I forgot to pay for the jewelry and ornaments. We all had a good laugh and I went on my way just a little embarrassed! -KL

La Chata in Guadalajara

Musings from the Feb 2011 Chiripa buying trip to Mexico.

 
One of our regular restaurants when traveling to Guadalajara is the popular La Chata near the Zocalo. It's just a couple blocks from our standard hotel. And, on those trips when we arrive weary from airline travel, there's nothing better than a quick hike to a traditional Mexican restaurant where you know they will serve good food and beer.

The restaurant's kitchen is open to the street offering tempting glances at the frying chicken and fresh tortillas. The cooks are reluctant to pose, but tolerate the intruding gringos. 

Don't expect a quiet atmosphere. This place is always hopping. But the service is fast and the food good. It's usually my first taste of mole and I know I'm in Mexico. kl

The Most Beautiful House in Mexico

Musings from the Feb 2011 Chiripa buying trip to Mexico.

 
For several years, we have been visiting our friend Miguel Paredes at his little shop in Puebla. Miguel makes the clever and amusing little skeleton scenes that you can find at Chiripa. 

This year, Miguel invited us to visit his workshop (“taller”) located in his home. Miguel, his wife Lilia, and their son Daniel welcomed us into what looked like an ordinary middle-class residence. 

But once inside, we realized that this house was by no means ordinary. We were stunned to see magnificent painted murals, worthy of a museum, covering the walls! Miguel had painted all of them – not for any commercial reason, but for the pure love of art.

In the living room was a huge mural portraying the Virgen of Guadalupe, surrounding by angels with musical instruments representing the major indigenous peoples of Mexico. (One of the angels was modeled after Miguel’s son Daniel as an infant).

Running the full length of the stairway was an epic mural tracing the entire history of Mexico and its people, from the dawn of time to the present day. 

Surrounding a doorway, there were beautifully painted symbols representing the months of the Aztec calendar. 

At every turn, there were fine artisan crafts from every corner of Mexico (Miguel had acquired many of them by trading with other artisans). We wandered through the house as through a museum.

Lilía offered us delicious home-made bread, fresh mangos, and other treats for lunch. As we ate, we talked about Miguel’s craft, which grew out of the Mexican “Day of the Dead” tradition. 

The conversation was enhanced by Daniel’s wonderful photos of the “Noche de los Muertos,” taken in the indigenous village of Uriche in Michoacán. (The photos were stored on his iPad.) Miguel explained that, when he was a boy, his mother made a special meal each year for dear ones who had departed this life. The front door was left open, and the friendly spirits were invited to enter and partake of the meal. Miguel’s mother spoke to them, and invited them to sit at the table, as if they were still alive. (According to traditional belief, they were still really alive as long as those remaining here still loved and remembered them.) The muertos did not physically consume the offered meal, but transformed it – so that it was even more delicious when consumed by those who remained.

After lunch, we went out behind the house to Miguel’s small but extraordinarily well organized workshop. He showed us the painstaking process by which he makes the little skeleton figures and scenes, including the firing and painting of the tiny clay figures. (As Lilia explained later, Miguel loves to create new designs and art every day – not just when he has a commercial order). Lilia helped us choose a satisfying collection, which you will be able to see soon at Chiripa.

Glass in Tlaquepaque

Musings from the Feb 2011 Chiripa buying trip to Mexico.

In Tlaquepaque, a suburb of Guadalajara that is famous for its artisan crafts, we also stop to visit our friend Tina Ruiz. Tina’s husband of many years died last year (see this post), leaving her to run the family’s hand-blown glass business. It has been a hard year, and Tina has had to contract for production help. But she still sells hand-blown glass produced according to her family designs. She continues to nurture the avocado trees that she and her husband planted just before he died, and hopes to sell avocados in a couple of years. She was delighted to receive a Chiripa cap to protect her from the sun! 

Chiripa carries a fine selection of beautiful hand-blown glassware, selected from Tina’s shop. Chiripa currently has several color options for the glass mask luminaries behind Tina in this photo. You can also find select pieces on the Chiripa website.

The Next Generation

Musings from the Feb 2011 Chiripa buying trip to Mexico.

After breakfast, we visit our friends at D’Casa Ceramics. In their home workshop, the Castro family makes the fine, stoneware that you can find at Chiripa. Enrique, the veteran proprietor, worries about the general state of affairs in Mexico and the world, but is very happy that his son (also named Enrique) is now helping to run the business.  

Enrique, Sr., takes pleasure in showing us the craft that he has learned over many years, and discloses to us his secret glaze formula (no lead) which he has hand-written in pencil. 

 Enrique explains that he personally perfected his unique designs and techniques based on years of experience, including many experiments and “fracasos” (failures). There are no “fracasos” now, and the Enrique’s work shows a master’s dedication to beauty, quality and durability.

This year we found the painter working on our "house" pattern: Rosy. 

You can see the finished product on our website. Click on the image below.

All Good

Musings from the Feb 2011 Chiripa buying trip to Mexico.

In Guadalajara, we often stay at the old Hotel San Francisco de la Plaza. It is centrally located (though not in the very best neighborhood), and reasonably priced. An ornate chandelier (impossible to dust, and therefore undusted for 50 years or so) hangs high over the colonial-style interior courtyard. 

There is an excellent breakfast buffet, including delicious fresh papayas and plenty of coffee, which keeps us nourished for the rest of the day. The weather is clear and beautiful, but people eating breakfast wear jackets against the morning chill. 

We enjoy seeing the same dining room staff each year, including a courtly man in sport coat and tie, and a special waitress who lights up the breakfast room with good cheer. “Todo bien?” (everything fine?) she chirps, merrily.  When we say “sí, gracias,” she laughs and says “Hokay!”  (her voice fills the room). When we ask how she is doing today, the answer is always the same: “Bien, bien, bien!” Behind the counter, as she refills the coffee and tortillas, she breaks out into a spontaneous whistle as if she really, really loves her work. Imagine it! -JKM

A Taste of Mexico

Chiripa is back from another successful buying trip to Mexico. In the past we've chronicled our journeys with a sequential log. For a change of pace the posts from this trip will be random features of some special moments and memories.

We begin with the final day in Oaxaca (February 22) and a final dash through the central market just south of the Zocalo in search of molinillos (the carved wooden whisks used to froth hot chocolate). We find them in abundance.

From the market we head a couple blocks east for a last stop at Mayordomo for some take-home chocolate. The chocolate making is over for the day, but the aroma still overwhelms. 

Of course we take the time to sample a bowl of caliente (hot) chocolate and photograph the young woman preparing our drinks.

Hot chocolate on a hot day in Oaxaca . . . it works. But it will taste even better in the blustery winter weather waiting for us in Wisconsin. We'll sip with memories of the perfectly wonderful time we had in Mexico, February 2011.