Merecemos Una Cerveza

It's funny how words or phrases become triggers for a person or a group. The trigger from this last trip was Merecemos una cerveza (We deserve a beer.). That phrase has popped into conversation many times since Estela used it in February at her talavera pottery workshop called Liceagui in Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, Mexico.

The whole statement was, Despues de tanto trabajo, merecemos una cerveza. (After so much hard work, we deserve a beer.) We had arrived late in the day on a Saturday. Both Estela and her husband Gerardo were at the workshop. We quickly set to work selecting already-made pieces and ordering other popular pieces to be made for us. As we set about on our quest, Estela started writing the order. She's quite fast (and accurate). But, it still took a long time to hand write the six pages of the invoice.

Estela, Gerardo and their daughter Maria

  

At one point we were looking for a large chicken planter and Estela thought she had one in the adjoining production workshop. We had never been in that building and I trouped over with her to check it out (without my camera). There we found the sought-for planter amid piles of rocks and molds and fired pottery. A small machine was in constant motion. Estela explained that the rocks (see photo below) were being agitated to create the clay that is used to form the pottery. It would take at least a couple hours to turn the rock into usable clay. We marveled at the many hours of manual and machine labor needed to produce the colorful pieces we sell at Chiripa.

The rock that gets agitated and dissolved to form the clay for the pottery.

It was evening by the time we finished our selection and Estela was totaling the pages and the final invoice. She then offered us a beverage and said, Despues de tanto trabajo, merecemos una cerveza. Who could refuse! -kl

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

Mischievous Angels and More

From the log JM kept on the Feb/March 2010 Chiripa buying trip to Mexico.

February 26, 2010. No visit to San Miguel de Allende would be complete without a visit to the Artisan Market. We bought ceramics and jewelry from the Leyva family,

Adela Flores with her brightly painted suns.

and picked out a large selection of painted wood carvings (mischievous flying angels and a couple of devils) offered by a family from the state of Guerrerro.

We also visited the home of our friend Ricardo Banda, to pick out some finely-crafted tin and tile mirrors for your home and luminaries for your patio.

Ricardo keeps careful track of our order.

But, that was just the beginning! We also picked out some hand-made decorative tiles, and made a trip up the highway to the historically-important town of Delores Hidalgo, where the Mexican Independence Movement began. They were reconstructing the highway, which follows the 200-year-old route of the original independence march. It was slow going, but we made it to Delores in time to choose a good selection of hand-painted ceramic ware from the Liceagui family. We watched the Liceagui painters at work, and were astonished by their steady hands and skill.

Even our photos didn't interrupt the artist's concentration.

Upon leaving the Liceagui workshop, we had to run for several blocks to catch up with the bus leaving for San Miguel. Our frantic chase amused the amiable group of bystanders, who laughed and cheered us on. Because of the slow traffic, we finally overtook the bus--only to find that it was the wrong one! But well-wishers waived down the correct bus ahead of us and, puffing and sweating, we finally pulled ourselves aboard. There were no heart attacks.

Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato

A post from the log that JM kept on the August 09 buying trip to Mexico for Chiripa. -kl

Shortly after dawn, we used the usual tongs and metal pan to make pastry selections at the bakery, and then walked to the bus station. We made it in time to get some coffee and catch the early bus to Dolores Hidalgo (birthplace of the movement that led to Mexico’s independence from Spain in 1810). At Dolores, we visited the shop of our trusted friend Estela Liceagui, and selected some nice Talavera ceramics for Chiripa. Estela was proud that President Obama was visiting Mexico that day.


We were back in San Miguel by noon. There we picked up some hand-painted tile, and ordered some of the latest painted tin creations from our friend Hector. We also picked up more items in the craft market. The rest of the afternoon was spent on another frantic struggle with cardboard boxes, packing tape, labels, etc. We carried the boxes ourselves, and delivered them to our cooperating shipper just in time. This is not glamorous work. But it is often necessary when you buy directly from artisans who are good at their craft, but unsophisticated when it comes to packing, consolidation and export. It lets us bring you hand-selected crafts that are available nowhere else, and ensures fair prices to the artisans (without the middle-man).

We were just starting to relax in our hotel room, after our packing struggle, when we heard a knock at the door. It was Ricardo, another fine tin artisan, responding to the phone message that we had left the day before.


We quickly gave up on any idea of relaxation, and went with Ricardo and his wife to their home workshop. Ricardo speaks a little English, so that made it (fairly) easy to agree on the details of our order.


Ricardo specializes in fine mirrors, and has been at his craft for many years. His children are grown, but on weekends he and his wife love to visit their grandchildren. Like other artisans we know, Ricardo confided that the current economy has had a serious effect on his business. So he was happy to catch us before we left San Miguel. -JM, August 11, 2009

San Miguel de Allende

A post from the log that JM kept on the August 09 buying trip to Mexico for Chiripa. -kl

After a welcome jolt of black coffee and a good breakfast (it was nearly noon), we caught a taxi to visit our friend Felix. Felix makes many of the cleverly worked tin stars, mirrors and other items that you see at Chiripa. He does this in his family’s modest home, in the rural Rancho Cienaga, several miles outside of San Miguel. Unfortunately, Felix has been without a telephone lately (telephones cost money), so we had the taxi take us unannounced to his residence.

Felix was there, and as happy to see us as we were to see him. We talked over our order (using our imperfect Spanish) and paid him in advance. We have always trusted our artisan friends to deliver, and they have not failed us once. Chiripa (“a stroke of luck”) has been lucky for them, and we hope for you too!

When we got back to town, we started our hunt in the San Miguel artisan market, where indigenous people (like our friends the Leyva family) offer a variety of interesting craft items.






These sellers do not pack for export, however, so we had to do that ourselves. The evening and part of the next day were occupied with cardboard boxes, tiny “Made in Mexico” stickers, bubble wrap (“burbuja”), packing tape and magic markers. Let’s hope it all gets to Wisconsin in one piece! -JM August 10, 2009

Note: It DID!

Days 7 and 8: San Miguel de Allende

Monday and Tuesday, August 10 and 11: The Chiripa 2009 Summer Buying Trip to Mexico

I have not received any communication about this leg of the trip, so, I'll go by the original plans for inventory buys and share what seems like an impossible list for two days.

The San Miguel de Allende Artisan Market. This is a strip of booths on both sides of a pedestrian walkway, maybe 3 or 4 "blocks" long. Besides local artisans, one can find rugs from Oaxaca and Huichol bead work from Nayarit.

It is at this market where we met Hector Bustamante.

Hector with his wife and daughter at the marketplace booth

His workshop called Luciano creates whimsical figures out of metal. We carry his catrinas and catrins, cats and dogs and angels. Perhaps the most loved piece he sells is the Tree of Life. It brings joy to people.

Other treasures at the market:

Inexpensive and popular blue painted clay figures, suns and boxes.
Coconut masks and coconut heads with bodies.
Tin star and angel ornaments for the coming holiday season.
Jewelry, milagros, Lotteria games . . . and the list goes on.

But there are other stops besides the market for these two short days:

Felix Bautista Ramirez was our first mirror maker.

Our first trip to Felix's was in the back of a pickup truck.

He lives outside the city and is often not reachable by phone. This requires resourcefulness and patience as we track him down to place an order. This time we'll be looking for more mirrors, his painted tin cacti, tin stars, and tin luminaries.

Felix with his wife and a pile of stars for Chiripa.

A second mirror maker, Ricardo Banda who, along with his family create differently styled mirrors that have proven popular in Wisconsin: mirrors with doors, oval highly decorated painted mirrors, as well as more traditional tile mirrors.


Ricardo also manufactures our metal switchplate covers. Maybe there will be something new from this visit.

A short distance from San Miguel de Allende is the city of Dolores Hidalgo. It is home to some colorful talavera pottery workshops.

We shop regularly at Liceagui right on the main drag i.e. bus route. Our supplies are not depleted from our trip here in February, but there are some special requests (a fish sink!) and some holes to fill in inventory.

Beth will make a new stop in Dolores Hidaldo at Chiles y Chiles the factory that makes the chili peppers we found last year at the trade show. It will be fun to see the operations and meet the people who make the colorful peppers that hang from the ceiling at the shop.

I'm hoping Beth and JM have time to stop in the Zocalo for some of the homemade ice cream. It's a special treat to pick out a flavor that we'd never find in the U.S.

With so many stops--not to mention a trip to the bank or money exchange to change travellers checks--those of us back in the US worry that meals are being missed. Rest will come on the bus ride tomorrow!

Tin Man

So sorry for the delay in posting. The last shipment is finally processed!

One of the major perks of traveling to import artisan crafts for Chiripa is the continuity of contacts. I look forward to seeing familiar faces in my favorite places. We were a bit distressed on our last trip because we were having difficulty reaching one of our mirror makers. Felix Bautista Ramirez lives just outside of San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico.

With some help from our shipping partner Victor Manuel Torres in San Miguel we were able to track down Felix and visit his home and workshop.


This is Felix with his daughter and a painted cactus that now lives at Chiripa. We ordered other new items from Felix: star tree-toppers, tin angels, small tin luminaries. All arrived with the April shipment along with more of his well-made, colorful mirrors and stars.


But, the real find at Felix's was a new grandson and got to hold it.


I look forward to watching him grow!

El Grito and a Night Ride

NEWS FLASH: The goods described in the past few posts and a few more to come are now on a truck making it's way to the border. We'll let you know when to expect to see product on the Chiripa floor!

[Continuing journal written by Chiripa partners on a recent buying trip.]

August 21

The town of Dolores Hidalgo is important in Mexican history. There, in 1810, the radical priest Father Hidalgo launched the Mexican rebellion against Spain with his famous cry of rebellion (“grito”) in the parish church. These days, Mexican presidents are still obliged to shout a symbolic “grito” every year on independence day.

Things did not go well for Father Hidalgo. He was captured and executed, and his head was publicly displayed for 4 years as an example to other would-be rebels. But the rebellion eventually succeeded, and Mexico won its independence from Spain.

Today, we were in Dolores Hidalgo to look for high quality Talavera-style ceramics for Chiripa. Dolores is a ceramics center, and one of our favorite producers is the Liceagui (Lee-say-ah-GHEE) family.

Estella, Gerardo, and Maria

Beth checks our sums.

Today, we returned again to their pleasant shop to personally select the charming and useful pieces that our customers enjoy (including the popular “fish plates” that always make us smile).


It was nearly 3:00 PM when we finished our order, and rushed to the Dolores bus depot to begin our 8-hour marathon bus ride to the city of Puebla (where we hoped to find a hotel). We caught the bus with 3 minutes to spare. Two hours later, after a violent electrical storm, we got off the bus in the booming city of Querataro. There we caught another bus (with 5 minutes to spare) for the 3-hour trip to Mexico City.

Mexico City is an unfolding drama. It was the site of the epic encounter between Cortés and Moctezuma -- between the Old World and the New – that is still playing itself out today. When Cortés arrived in 1519 (after burning his ships so he couldn’t turn back), Mexico City was already one of the biggest cities in the world (bigger than any city in Europe at the time). The population collapsed after the Spanish conquest (mainly the result of smallpox and other diseases brought by the Spaniards). But today, it is again one of the world’s biggest cities.

The city sits in the high central valley of Mexico, at an altitude of 7,400 ft. (over 2,000 ft. higher than Denver), and is prone to earthquakes. When Cortés arrived, the city was built on an island in the middle of a lake. The lake is gone now, but the earthquakes remain. Huge volcanoes loom over the valley, and sometimes you can see them when the view is not obliterated by smog. This is a place of raw natural forces and raw human struggles. A taxi driver in Michoacán once warned us to be careful in Mexico City – it has a reputation for danger, even among Mexicans.

As our bus approached the megalopolis, farm and ranch scenes gave way to the gritty reality of urban life. There were recently-constructed ghettos of identical, bleak, wall-to-wall cement houses, intermingled with makeshift tin, wood and cardboard shacks. Smoke rising from the shacks confirmed that people were, against all odds, living within.

Children from the shacks played in streets strewn with rubbish, between walls covered with graffiti. Their parents probably came from some famished village, looking for a better life. I wondered: what kinds of bathrooms do these people have, and what happens to the waste? There are people who scratch out a living by combing the dumps for useful trash items. But you can also find wealth, refinement, learning, elegance, lovely buildings and parks, fine museums and restaurants, and friendly neighborhoods in this great city.

We arrived at the bus terminal in Mexico City, and eventually got on another bus for Puebla. It was dark now, and the city lights stretched on forever. Our bus traveled, in reverse, the original route taken by Cortés when he crossed the high mountain pass and first set eyes on the Aztec capital.

We arrived in the big city of Puebla after 11:00 PM, without a hotel reservation. But a friendly taxi driver took us to one of our usual hotels near the Zócalo (central plaza), where we found an available room. We were glad to have a bed.

Mirrors and More

[Continuing journal written by Chiripa partners on a recent buying trip.]

August 20, 2008

Today we had a good breakfast, because we knew there would be no lunch. Then we plunged into the depths of the San Miguel artisan market, to finish the work started yesterday. At the market you can buy many small treasures from the artisans themselves. By mid-morning, we had a good collection of Huichol beadwork, amusing coconut heads, hand-carved flying angels and other items to make you smile.

Huichol artist painstakingly picks up beads with a needle
and places them on the carved form that has been coated in beeswax.

We got back to the hotel just in time to meet Ricardo, who took us to his home workshop where he makes fine tin and ceramic mirrors. His wife sells eggs from chickens raised in the yard.

Eggs for sale at the doorway of Ricado's home and workshop.

While we talked to Ricardo, an artisan fashioned tin and Ricardo’s wife and daughter painted some of the finished pieces (the baby looked on). Ricardo is a gentle and painstaking man who speaks some English, and he spent a long time selecting just the right tile combinations for the mirrors we ordered.

Working is a family affair.

Later we met with our friend Felix, another tin artist whom we met quite by chance 3 years ago (Chiripa!). We climbed into Felix’s old pickup truck (just as we did when we first met him 3 years ago), and he drove us to his home in the country.

Of course we'd get a ride back!

Felix told us how, like many Mexicans, he had to drop out of school early to work for a living. He worked for a time in Texas, caring for racehorses. Eventually, he used his native intelligence and artistic sense to start the small tinwork business that now supports his family. Sitting in an ornate old wooden loveseat in Felix’s modest home, we picked out a selection of stars, mirrors, luminaries and other tin items that will delight you soon.

Beth goes over details with Felix.

Before the day was over, we visited a number of other artisans in the San Miguel area. We also visited Victor Manuel Torres Osuna, the man who consolidates and transports our craft shipments from the San Miguel area. This evening we are tired, and the rain is again splashing in our hotel courtyard.

A Man of Few Words

Victor Manuel Torres Osuna is a patient and efficient man. He is slender, and has a somewhat Asian appearance. He radiates precision and practical intelligence. He wastes few words, but means what he says. He writes down little, but remembers all. He speaks only in Spanish, but smiles with apparent understanding when we speak among ourselves in English.

Whenever we are in San Miguel, we pay a visit to Señor Torres because he consolidates and ships our San Miguel orders to the exporter in Guadalajara. All of the San Miguel artisans know and respect Señor Torres.

Today we arrived at his shipping establishment unannounced, and without any prior notice. Señor Torres recognized us and, as always, invited us into his tiny back office. He sat behind his small desk, studying us amiably through his glasses like a Zen master. As always, he wore an agreeable but slightly ironic smile.

We asked whether it was possible for him to consolidate our San Miguel shipments, as he did last year. “Por supuesto” (of course). How much will it cost? “Pues, depende, no?” (well, it depends, doesn’t it?). Can you collect the shipments from the artisans, for storage here? “Claro que sí” (of course). Can you deliver the consolidated shipment to Guadalajara in 4 weeks? “Sí.”

We told Señor Torres that, last year, everything had again arrived in perfect order. He smiled, and responded in Spanish: “Yes, but I was not paid the 2,800 pesos ($280) owed to me for the shipment.” He stated the precise unpaid sum without consulting any invoice, account record or computer screen. We were stunned. The exporter in Guadalajara was to have paid Señor Torres as part of its service to us, and we had received no notice of the nonpayment (either from the exporter or Señor Torres). Yet the shipment had occurred a year ago.

We immediately paid the overdue amount to Señor Torres in cash, without consulting the Guadalajara exporter, because there is something about Señor Torres that tells you he is always correct. We counted out the peso bills. “Gracias,” he said, smiling, “Nunca he tenido ningúna problema con ustedes” (I have never had any problem with you folks). Then he wrote out a precise receipt acknowledging the payment. And that was that.

[We regret that we do not have a photo of Sr. Torres. If you have read this far, you probably have your own picture of the man we rely on in San Miguel.]

Rain in San Miguel de Allende

[Continuing journal written by Chiripa partners on a recent buying trip.]

August 19

Today, we left Patzcuaro before breakfast (we ate a granola bar and drank some yogurt), and spent most of the day traveling by bus to the colonial town of San Miguel de Allende. The landscape is drier there, and dotted with cactus. But this is the rainy season, and tonight it rained in San Miguel.

The storm moved quickly up the normally dry valley. Lightning flashed, and thunder rolled through the town. The rain came down in torrents, and flowed like a river down the steep cobbled streets. The sudden downpour caught us in the open, and we were drenched. Later, in the dry comfort of our hotel room, we listened and dozed as the rain splashed in the open interior courtyard.

The Cathedral on the zocalo at San Miguel de Allende (day and night)

San Miguel is a romantic town on a rainy evening, or at any time. It is a favorite haunt of Americans traveling and living in Mexico. They hang out in the cafes, drive up prices, and live in the best houses. As a result, San Miguel can sometimes feel a bit decadent and annoying. But there is no denying its charm. The town is relatively small, but is filled with colonial architecture and was recently designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Cobbled streets spill down the hillside. Fantastic spires and domes look down on colonial facades, lovely courtyards, fountains, vine-covered walls and sculptured trees. Its shops and markets overflow with artisan crafts, some traditional – some not.

If you want a break from shopping, you can climb the hill past the old public washbasins (still used to wash clothes). In the hillside residential area above the town, there is a house with a world-famous collection of orchids. Further up the creek bed, there is a hidden canyon with quiet pools, shaded by willows and steep cliff walls. The ruins of an old Spanish water mill overlook the canyon. Beyond that there is a reservoir, where waterfowl splash about, and an adjacent botanical garden with an amazing variety of cactus species.

End of post from 2008 trip.


Note: One of the businesses we patronize at the San Miguel Artisan Market is Luciano owned by Hector Bustamante. Hector and his family specialize in metal creatures: animals, day of the dead figures, suns, and beautiful tree of life wall art. In this photo his daughter is working on a small metal Day of the Dead figure. We carry many Luciano creations at Chiripa and you'll find some of the metal figures on our website. -KL