Milagros

Yes, still unpacking. . . I thought I'd share a fun batch that we got out on the floor today.


We've sold milagros (little miracles) since we opened and also a few wooden items adorned with milagros. We always sold out almost as fast as we could get them on the shelf. On this trip we brought home (actually, had sent to the shop) a larger quantity of items. You can find frames, crosses, hearts, and boxes, as well as individual milagros, tin milagro ornaments, and a small number of sterling milagros. I've even put one cross up on the website.

For those unfamiliar with milagros, they are small metal charms that depict something in a life: a hand, an arm, a cow, a house, a heart, a person praying. etc. A person gives this token to a saint and asks for intervention. I keep a car in my wallet as a good luck token when I drive. Others use the charms in craft projects. Some knit them into a scarf or a hat. And then others cover items with the charms just like in the items pictured.

We also carry a book about milagros. Stop in the shop to see our wide selection of milagro art from Michoacan, Mexico.

Still Unpacking

When a truck comes in we focus on getting the items unpacked, checked into the system, and put out for display. It will take us about a month to get all of it done. Something as simple as posting a few lines to a blog gets very hard to do!

I'll show you a few of the items that are new and only available in the shop (at this time). We are showing a new style of mirror that's very fun. It's painted metal and the top and bottom design elements are separate, but easy to assemble.


We have a few sizes of copper mirrors. This one that's long and skinny is already popular.


We also have new furniture with copper panels. This coffee table has cabinet doors on both sides and a pass-through shelf. On it and under it you can see some of the copper sinks we are carrying. None of this is on the website at this point, but, you can always call and order anything you see here. It's not very "shippable" but we got it here, so, it can probably get to you, too. Or, stop in at Chiripa to see the new things as they get put out for display.


On the smaller side, we have new jewelry pieces from Citlali in Mexico. One pair of earrings is on the website, but we have many more styles of earrings and pendants in the shop. As I have time, I'll put more up.

The Truck Arrives

On May 2nd at 10:30 in the morning the truck arrived with the merchandise we had selected and purchased in February. Even the rain couldn't dampen my spirits.

The driver/unloader was very adept. He's been driving trucks for 25 years and really knew how to drive that dolly.

We filled the garage with 6 pallets.

We ripped into them searching for the work of those artists we were featuring that night for Madison's semi-annual Gallery Night. We needed to search through boxes filled with wadded up newsprint to find our treasures.
A big "Thank You" to the family and friends who stopped by to pitch in and help over the weekend.

In my next blog I'll begin to show you some of the beautiful pieces we acquired. I hope to put many of them up on the website as well. But, for now, unpacking and getting each piece into our computer system takes top priority. Until next time...

Puebla

I'm going to skip ahead to the next phase of the February trip when we stopped in Puebla. We intended to explore the ruins at Xochitecatl Cacaxtla, but they were closed for renovation. Of course we didn't learn this until we had made the bus trip out to the ruins. We wandered around, took another bus to Tlaxcala where we had lunch on the zocalo and then took a slow bus trip back to Puebla. Not all days can be Chiripa days.

A "must-do" shopping experience in Puebla is the artisan market. It's close to the center of town and open late. One of our favorite stops is at Casa de las Artesanias, the shop of Miguel Paredes (Interior del Mercado, El Parian). He carries many fun things from all over Mexico, but his specialty is Day of the Dead figures and nichos (little boxes with scenes inside). Next time we will visit his workshop where they make the figures. In the photo he is holding a bass player. Miguel is open to suggestions for new figures and scenes. Send us your ideas and we'll pass them on.



Of course, Puebla is famous for its talavera pottery. We like the decorative plates that have a raised glaze. Most of the talavera that we carry in Chiripa is made in Dolores Hidalgo in Guanajuato (like this covered plate). Some will say it is not "true" talavera, but it is very affordable and popular with our customers.

For those of you waiting for news on the truck, it was delayed in Texas and is just leaving there today. We're hoping to see it on Wednesday, April 30.

Fanciful Creatures in Ocumicho

This will be one last post about our travels with Dirceau from Barro Sin Plomo/Echery Pottery in Patzcuaro. We saw a few delightful clay figures at the Echery office and asked about the artist. We could go there, of course! As we road along on the 2.5 hour drive we passed wooded hillsides, small villages, and some very sparsely inhabited countryside. The winding roads finally stopped at Ocumicho, Michoacan, Mexico. Zenaida Rafael Julian lives and works in this small Perepeche village. We needed to ask directions to her house and also needed to park the car and walk. This picture tells you why.


At last we found the house and workshop of Zenaida. She keeps her finished work wrapped in plastic, but happily unveiled fanciful (and frightful) creatures one after another.


After we selected a group to bring to Chiripa in Madison, Wisconsin Zenaida sat down to demonstrate her work.


She learned her craft from her mother and started shaping traditional figures at age 14. But her imagination took over and she needed to express herself with images that were not traditional. And they sold, so, she kept on making her original figures. Zenaida wins competitions with monetary rewards. These she uses to build a new house and to support her family.

As we left Zenaida's home we marvelled at the spectacular landscape and the humble people who inhabit it.


For those of you waiting for the truck that will bring Zenaida's figures and those of the other artists that we visited in February: it's on it's way!!!

Tzintzuntzan

No, we're not in China. Tzintzuntzan (seen-soon-sahn) is my favorite sounding town name in Mexico. It means place of the butterfly in Purepecha (poo-RAY-pecha), the language of the indiginous people who live in this area of Michoacan.

Dirceau (our guide from Barro Sin Plomo/Echery Pottery) introduced us to Ophelia Gamez on our last trip. The two are great friends.

We found Ophelia working in her studio and as I photographed, Dirceau talked with her about her work and family life. She never put down the brush until we were ready to check out what was for sale in the showroom.

In this next photo, Ophelia works on the decorative edge of a bowl. You can see (and buy) a similar bowl on our website.

Tzintzuntzan is an artisan center and has a lively market with baskets, cornhusk flowers, embroidery, pottery, and wood carvings. You'll also find ancient ruins right along the highway. As we head out of town we stop close to the ruins to visit a display of carved volcanic rock.

Isidoro Lopez Saldivar and his family line both sides of the highway with an amazing array of figures and architectural detail. Although power tools are used for much of the carving, the fine details still require work by hand. Here Isidoro puts the finishing touches on a figure.

On our last trip I was able to capture his family on film. It also gives you a sense of the scope of the business.

This is definitely worth a stop on your trip. We've been know to carry back a fish or two. But, the piece we show on our website came by truck. It no longer graces the front of the shop, but you'll find other pieces for sale inside.

Patzcuaro, Michoacan, Mexico

People often ask for our favorite city in Mexico. Usually that answer is Patzcuaro. It's a mid-sized, inland city in the state of Michoacan at a high enough elevation to enjoy cool nights and warm days. It's a perfect base to explore the many artisan crafts of the state. But, more than that, it has a flavor of Mexico that has not been overly impacted by tourists from other countries. Some say that it is a favorite vacation spot of Mexicans.

Where else can you sit outside for breakfast and watch the local police march to the zocalo to raise the flag? (Note the colorful table linens that are made in this city and sold in our shop.)

The zocalo is the heart of this town and there are events, entertainment, and exercise daily. We like to fall in with the locals who walk or run around the perimeter in the morning.


Below is a photo of the El Viejos (the old ones) who dance on wooden shoes to lively traditional music.


One place we like to shop right in Patzcuaro is Once Patios (11 Patios) just a couple blocks from the central zocalo. I think it was a convent at one time, but is now a labyrinth of shops that represent the various crafts of the area. We'll look more closely at one in another post.

The daily food marked and the Friday general market are worth the trip. We especially like sniffing the sacks of dried peppers.


Another meeting place in Patzcuaro is the area around the Basilica. You'll find vendors of religious icons, clothing, toys, carvings, and tequilla. In the mornings there are food vendors and sometimes musicians to serenade. We enjoyed this group.

After a day out in the countryside, it's refreshing to come back to the hotel* where vendors sell ice cream and ices. These elaborate concessions are set up and taken down daily. The adventuresome try flavors of unknown origin. I stick to the familiar, like limon!



The evening walk always includes a detour to another area where people come to eat the impressive dinners cooked over these outdoor grills. Watching the swift movements and the generous helpings makes us wish we were brave enough for street food.


This is just a sampling of the delights of Patzcuaro. I'm sure every traveler has their own special places and events. You might want to consider this spot the next time you want to get away from the crowds.

*Hotel Los Escudos is our preferred abode in Patzcuaro. It's right on the zocalo and is reasonably priced. Another hotel on the zocalo that has good breakfasts (with fruit plates with papaya) is I Turbe. It gets good reviews, but we're on a more modest mission when traveling!