Copper Connections

Musings from the February 2011 Chiripa buying trip to Mexico.

Lourdes (Lulu) and Alfredo operate two businesses in Santa Clara del Cobre, Michoacan, Mexico. Lulu manages the decorative copper shop called Casa Felicitas near the zocalo and Alfredo oversees the construction of furniture with copper panels in a business called Dona Mariquita. They are an amazing couple; fun, energetic, serious about their business, and very hard-working.

This photo was taken at the furniture exposition in Guadalajara last February. We met up with Lulu and Alfredo at the end of a long day. I must have taken dozens of shots of this dynamic couple and almost none turned out. Lulu is so expressive and energetic she's a blur on most photos.

Most of the furniture at the exposition is quite imposing, perfect for hacienda-style homes. We buy selectively knowing that many of our customers have small homes or condos. No matter the size, the copper and distressed wood is warm and inviting. And there's always a sip of tequila to warm the spirit while shopping!

We often write of forays into the hinterlands of Mexico, but in this case we travel to a huge exposition center in Guadalajara to visit our friends. There's nothing rustic about this venue! We usually breathe a sigh of relief when we leave big metropolitan areas preferring the pace of small town life in Mexico.

 

This photo of the zocalo in Santa Clara del Cobre is more indicative of our preference. One can spend ours watching people and the life of the small town. But, we seldom have time for that! When in Santa Clara del Cobre we're shopping for the perfect copper pieces for Chiripa. That always includes time with Lulu and Alfredo. 

You can see some of the copper on the Chiripa website.

Beautiful, But Sad

From the log kept by JM on the August 2010 Chiripa buying trip to Mexico.

August 20, 2010. We arrived in the village of Santa Clara del Cobre after the close of it's annual Copper Fair. The craftsmen of Santa Clara create some of the finest hand-hammered copper in the world, and each year they display their very best work at the copper Fair.

Some of the pieces from the fair were still on display, and they were as stunning as in the past years. But this year, according to frequent prize winner Roberto Castro, the annual fair was muy triste (very sad). The Mexican economy is in trouble, and attendance at the fair was poor.

That was costly and disappointing for the artisans who risked much of their annual livelihood to create prize-winning pieces for the exhibition. An artisan may spend months creating a single piece. Copper (from scrap) is repeatedly fired, water-cooled and hammered into shape (the finest pieces are created from a single piece of metal). The artisan then works carefully, with smaller specialized hammers, to bring out the surface design and characteristic red glow of the finished metal. In the hands of a skilled artisan, the result is a glorious work of museum-quality art. The elegant final shape will last for hundreds of years.

Although we missed the Copper Fair this year we did manage to bring home some fine copper pieces. At Chiripa, you can find a wide selection of hand-hammered copper to suit your taste and budget. Your purchases help preserve the copper craft in Santa Clara del Cobre.

Copper, Furniture, Guns and Gorditas

Text from JM's log on the Feb/March 2010 Chiripa buying trip to Mexico.

February 23, 2010

Lourdes (“Lulu”) and Alfredo are a good team. Alfredo designs and builds the gorgeous wood and copper furniture you see at Chiripa. Lulu is a perpetual motion machine – the lively and engaging face of the family copper business. As we discussed hand-hammered copper and furniture, a neighbor lady came by offering homemade gorditas. We thought they were delicious, and a passing local patrol of heavily-armed federales apparently agreed.

The military presence is an unfortunate sign of the times in some parts of Mexico. Later, after visiting several other copper workshops, we had a more elaborate meal of pasta and shrimp prepared by Renaissance-man Alfredo. Muy sabroso!

Casa Felicitas, Lulu's domain
in Santa Clara de Cobre, Michoacan, Mexico