Mornings in San Miguel de Allende

Photos and thoughts from the Feb 2012 Chiripa buying trip to Mexico.

San Miguel de Allende, in the Mexican state of Guanajuato, is an artist community welcoming visitors from all over the world, including the US. In fact, there is such a large community of US citizens and expats that people feel very comfortable visiting this idyllic town. I usually say that I prefer a more "authentic" Mexican experience, but, in fact, there is a lot to love about San Miguel.

One stumbles on art classes in almost any place. The town is beautiful with a scenic overlook, cobblestone streets and stunning cathedrals. Maybe someday I'll have time to join a class like this.

Mornings in Mexico can be a challenge for shoppers. Things don't really get going until 10 or maybe 11, or even Noon. And breakfast is sometimes hard to find. Street vendors are an option. They are busy places serving locals on their way to work. I'm not brave enough for street food, but I appreciate the effort and the delicious smells.

 

We received a recommendation for a new restaurant that is open at 8 a.m. (usually) and serves great coffee. Buen Dia, just off Reloj. It used to be called Buenas Dias and you can find reviews under that name. It's under new ownership, but the workers are the same. You can spot it by the lovely geraniums in the painted chair by the door.

I was still battling a cold at this point and mocha appealed more than straight coffee. This is what I got! It tasted as good as it looked. Buen Dia has become our every morning stop when we're in San Miguel de Allende.

Across the street from the restaurant we spotted a star just like the many we sell at Chiripa. Mexicans are a little more casual about their wiring. This photo was taken from the rooftop seating at Buen Dia.

One interesting feature in many Mexican plazas is the finely pruned wall of trees. One day we got to witness the pruning of these mammoth trees. It's all done by hand; not buzz saws; with gigantic ladders and a pruning sheers.

 

But, we have a lot of our own work to do in San Miguel de Allende and the next post will take you to some of our artist.  kl

Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato

Photos and thoughts from the Feb 2012 Chiripa buying trip to Mexico.

From the city of Guanajuato, we bussed to Dolores Hidalgo, another city in the state of Guanajuato and home to fabulous ice cream sold on the central plaza. We arrived late, had dinner and I was too full to enjoy an ice cream. Tomorrow. . . But, tomorrow was Sunday and our morning walk told us that ice cream would be a later delicacy. Darn.

No one is shy about color in Mexico. I love it.

It was a calm Sunday morning; no flags unfurling in front of Father Hidalgo's historic church. I'm not your Mexican history maven, but, this is one of the most significant locations for the Mexican revolution. Look it up!

Our morning restaurant was still decorated in Valentines Day papel picado. 

Dolores Hidalgo is home to much talavera pottery and hand painted tiles. I love how the bandstand tiles were repaired on the side of the steps. 

 

Our prior trips to DH were quick stops at our favorite shop Liceagui. (I'll post more about them when the shipment arrives.) We were in need of a hotel and Estela recommended Hotel Hidalgo just off the main plaza. Now we can recommend it, too. Clean, convenient and very affordable: all Chiripa requirements.

Beginning in Guanajuato

Photos and thoughts from the Feb 2012 Chiripa buying trip to Mexico.

We began this year's trip with a stop in Guanajuato. Guanajuato is the captial of the state of the same name which is in the center of the country and northwest of Mexico City. The state sponsors an exposition to encourage importers to buy from state artisans. We were graciously met at the Leon airport by Rodrigo who had to pass on another state sponsored reception for Korean auto makers. They put us up for 2 nights at Edelmira Hotel Boutique in the center of the city and just a couple blocks from the expo.

We arrived close to 10 pm and the streets were teaming with people. I snapped this photo of a spontaneous sing-along. Rodrigo said this happens often; a favorite group starts playing and the fans gather and sing along. I wanted to roam the streets but was too exhausted from long and delayed flights. (I will try to avoid Houston in the future.)

The hotel is more upscale than typical Chiripa accommodations. We especially liked the down comforters. I took this photo to illustrate something I had not seen before. At the ends of the beds were wool weavings (tapetes). We usually tell customers this size is a table runner, but, in this case it looked lovely as an accent on the bed linens. 

I was sick most of the two days we spent in Guanajuato and I have no photos of the new products we found. I'll do an update when they arrive later this spring.  -kl

Hasta Luego!

Will we find ourselves in the back of a pickup truck heading out to a new workshop?

Or will we be in the cab playing peek-a-boo with the newest member of the family?

 

Will we find our favorite foods (and drinks)?

Will we get good snacks on the buses?

 

Will we find our favorite families at home and still creating the wonderful crafts we come to buy?

 

Some of the Chiripa partners are off to Mexico tomorrow. We'll post stories when we return.

The Silver City

From the log kept on the August, 2011 Chiripa buying trip to Mexico.

For fine Mexican silver, there is no better place than the mountain-side town of Taxco. Taxco was an important silver mining town in the Spanish colonial era, and it is still the center of the country’s silver trade.

We had some reservations about taking the long overland bus ride to Taxco. The terrain was rugged, and the distance was long. And, like everyone else, we had seen the news reports of drug-related violence is some parts of Mexico. But, in the end, we decided to go for it (after all, it’s probably safer than driving on the beltline in Madison, Wisconsin). We were not disappointed.

The bus system in Mexico is fabulous. You can walk into a bus terminal, without reservations, and soon get on a bus to almost any destination of your choice. The buses are excellent, the drivers are highly professional and competent, the fares are cheap, and the buses run safely and on time. On this trip, we seldom had to wait more than 5 minutes for the bus of our choosing. The long distance buses are better than those in the U.S. (offering snacks, toilet facilities and more leg room, among other things). Local buses are a little more worn, but still adequate and fun. The passengers in the buses come from all walks of life, but are always friendly and courteous.

The bus ride to Taxco took us through the big industrial towns of Morelia and Toluca. But the countryside was beautiful, especially in the mountain region near Taxco and the spa town of Ixtapan de la Sal (not to be confused with the coastal resort town of Ixtapa). 

 

On the way we saw verdant agricultural areas (green from summer rain) producing corn, grain, vegetables, sugar cane, fruit, cattle, sheep and goats. Some fields were being worked by hand, or with teams of oxen. In some of the mountain areas near Taxco, the climate is perfect for floriculture: hundreds of acres of roses are grown in greenhouses covering every available inch of land on the steep hillsides. (The climate is also  perfect for humans: the days are delightful and, although there is ample rain at this time of year, the storms obligingly come at night.)

The road took endless switchbacks through remote mountain and forest areas, where waterfalls plunged off steep cliffs. In the late afternoon light, the golden mountain tops contrasted in high relief with deep blue canyons below. 

  

At last, we rounded a curve and looked down on the town of Taxco. Built over the centuries, at an impossible angle on a steep mountainside, the town has a fairy-tale appearance. It has white-washed buildings and steep cobbled streets that make for hard climbing. It is easy to get lost in the narrow, twisting streets, and even easier to lose your way in the walkways that climb, descend and writhe their way through the labyrinthine public market.

  

In Taxco, silver is king. Silver jewelry is crafted in home workshops for sale at dozens of retail jewelry shops throughout the town. We found a wonderful selection of brilliant (but reasonably priced) silver pieces at a shop operated by Ricardo and his wife. At Chiripa, you can find a piece that is just right for you.

Ricardo learned the jewelry business from his mother Alicia, after whom his shop is named.  Ricardo loves to play tennis (there is at least one horizontal tennis court in this vertical town), and bears an uncanny resemblance to tennis star Andre Agassiz who once reportedly visited Taxco. Ricardo laughs and tells of the time a star-struck tourist mistook him for Agassiz and nearly asked for his autograph.  -jkm

A Riot of Table Linens

From the log of the August, 2011 Chiripa buying trip to Mexico.

Pátzcuaro, in Michoacán, is famous for its colorful, hand-woven table linens. The linens are produced in family workshops, on hand-operated wooden looms. Marco Adame helped us select some nice patterns in his little retail shop, then took us to the workshop where other patterns were still on the looms. His little car bounced and scraped on the steep, rocky road to the workshop. But the workshop and the view were well worth the bumpy ride.  

At the workshop, we had the privilege of choosing cloth in a variety of brilliant designs that were still in the process of being woven. 

The next day, the weaving was completed, and the cloth was cut and sewn to our specifications. We picked up our completed order after sunset. You can find these lively and functional table linens, including table cloths, placemats and napkins, at Chiripa. Add fun to your table!

A Quest for Ceramics

From the Aug 2011 log on the Chiripa buying trip to Mexico.

About 25 miles from Pátzcuaro, in Michoacán, is the indigenous Purépecha village of Capula -- known for its fine ceramic work. We hired a taxi to take us to the village. The taxi dropped us in the town center, and we proceeded on foot. We hoped to find Fernando Arroyo, a recognized master artisan, who makes finely decorated ceramics. Arroyo and his wife Belem were among the first Capula artisans to make ceramics with lead-free glazes.    

After a half-hour of trial-and-error, we knocked on the door of a little adobe house that we hoped was that of the Arroyo family. The door opened, and Fernando and Belem welcomed us into the family workshop.  Our eyes adjusted as we stepped down into the dark little room, which has a low ceiling, a dirt floor, and no electric lights. But just beyond the workshop there is a sunny little courtyard. The family bicycle is parked against the courtyard wall, where Arroyo has hung examples of completed works.

A special kiln, needed for the production of lead-free ceramics, stands in one corner of the workshop (the kiln serves as a storage cabinet when not in use). The workshop benches are crowded with ceramic pieces in various states of completion. You would be amazed at the stunning, elegant pieces created in these humble surroundings. We chose as many as we could carry, and Fernando packed them with newspaper in a cardboard box. 

Fernando’s son and a neighbor boy sat in the doorway, looking on. 

When the transaction was completed, the entire family gathered for a photo.

We carried the box, heavy with ceramic treasure, back to the town center (calling on other artisans along the way). There is only one taxi in Capula, and it was standing empty next to the public market. We finally tracked down the driver, a gentle and amiable man with a dry sense of humor, who agreed to drive us to Pátzcuaro. En route, he talked about his passion for the beautiful Michoacán environment, and about his efforts to reduce the plague of litter on town streets and country roads. We gave him a good tip, and he used it to buy ice cream (a Pátzcuaro specialty) for his wife. “She will love me for this,” he beamed.  -JKM