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.