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