Purépecha Silver

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

Pátzcuaro, in the mountains of Michoacán, is cooler and wetter than Guadalajara. Salvador Farfán García and his son Gustavo are the last remaining practitioners of the traditional Purépecha silver craft in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán. Salvador’s world renowned cousin Jesús Garcia Zavala, who also studied under the great maestro Casares, died a couple of years ago.

We decided to locate Salvador, but it was not easy. With luck, we managed to get Gustavo’s address from a jewelry retailer in Pátzcuaro. 

The walk past Once Patios.

The path led us past the Casa de las Once Patios, where a blind accordionist plays every day in hopes of getting a few coins from passersby. 

The mournful chords seemed as timeless and melancholy as the ancient adobe walls. We climbed the steep cobbled stairway to the hill above, from which there is a magnificent view of the city, mountains and lake.

Pátzcuaro at the top of the stairs.

We wandered through the quiet little residential district that sits up on the hill. At last, with some friendly help from local residents, we found Gustavo’s home. Gustavo graciously showed us his little workshop, where he makes fine silver jewelry on a tree stump using hammers, files, and other simple hand tools. 

Beth watches Gustavo at work on the stump.

Gustavo carefully forms a sphere from a flat disc.

Gustavo files a silver fish.

Then, he led us back down to the center of town to meet his father (from whom he learned the silver craft). 

Our pilgrimage took us to Pátzcuaro’s public market. Following Gustavo’s lead, we plunged into a warren of covered walkways – so dark and crowded that they seemed like underground tunnels. Finally, in a most unlikely location opposite a meat vendor’s stall, we found Salvador’s tiny little shop.

We picked out a fine selection of pieces, including a magnificent fish necklace of a kind that Purépecha brides-to-be traditionally received as a toke of their betrothal. We also chose hand-wrought silver earrings of a kind found nowhere else in the world. See them for yourself at Chiripa!  -JKM

Salvador and Gustavo Farfan with some of their creations.



Earrings available from Chiripa.

Patzcuaro

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

This morning, there was a religious ceremony at the colonial basilica in Patzcuaro. Families lined up in front of the church over an hour ahead of time.


Girls were dressed in their finest white dresses, and boys were dressed in white shirts and sometimes ill-fitting suits.


At the proper moment, the families began filing in to the beautifully decorated church interior. Their songs echoed from the 400-year-old walls.

We watched part of the ceremony, then browsed for local crafts in the surrounding market. We made another visit to the craft market in Tzintzuntzan and, in the evening, we bought a good supply of the colorful hand-woven tablecloths, napkins and placemats for which Patzcuaro is famous. (A small selection is available online.)

Here, as everywhere else in Mexico, people love to eat at all hours of the day.


There are big steaming vats of “exquisite” menudo (tripe soup); pozole; carnitas; roast corn with cheese, lime and salsa; sizzling roasted onions and savory peppers; corn meal corundas; cups of fruit with salsa; simmering tamales; and hand-made tortillas fried on big comales over wood coals.

Downtown, under the arcade, you can get a cerveza, a cup of delicious local ice cream, or a frozen fruit bar (made from local fruits that you have never heard of).


In the late evening, you might want to sit on the balcony of the Primer Piso Restaurant, overlooking the square, and enjoy the delicious seasonal special of Chiles en Nogada (stuffed pepper in cream sauce).--JM August 15, 2009

Names and Faces

Chiripa is committed to promoting the artists who's work we carry. We often give customers copies of the photos we set by the beautiful crafts that we sell. One thing that sets us apart from other "galleries" who offer bios of artists is that we travel to the places where the artists work and live. That means long trips to remote places in Mexico. It's the heart of this business.

The following photo is one of my favorites from the Feb 2009 trip. The Juan Rosas Family in Capula, Michoacan has been featured previously on this blog. (See post from March, 2008.) This was the first time that the entire family was at home at the time we arrived.


I want to put names with faces. On the far left (on my right) is Juan Rosas, the father of the family. On my left is Lordes Martinez Reyes, the wife and mother. Behind her is Juan Manuel Rosas Martinez, or Chino. All three of them are master potters and/or painters. To Chino's right (behind me and Lordes) is Missael Enrique Rosas Martinez, a quiet boy who's learning English in school. He got to practice with the Gringos! And to Enrique's right is Jim M the "translator" of our group. In the front is Brian (Kobe) Rosas Martinez. Kobe, like most children we meet is fascinated by Jim L's white beard. Many think they are seeing Santa Claus as we tour Mexico.

That was one stop on one day in February. We hope there will be more visits with the Juan Rosas Family. You can find some of their pottery for sale on our website. That link will take you to pottery. Enter "Juan Rosas" in the search field and you'll see what we currently feature.

We were delighted to hear today that the shipment from that February trip is almost here. There will be a delay before I have time to post again.