A Bit of Luck in Tonala

From JM's August 2010 log of the Chiripa buying trip to Mexico.

August 17, 2010. We have never had much luck in Tonala. The town on the outskirts of Guadalajara is reputed to be a major center of craft production. But we have always found it frustrating. There are a lot of workshops, but much of the production we've been able to find is kitchy grade B stuff--not the high quality traditional crafts that we seek.

Today we decided to give it one more try. We had a specific mission in mind: to find the workshop that creates interesting metal work under the name of Marco Polo Designs (we had failed to find it once before). 

The taxi dripped us on Alfereros street, where we had heard the workshop was located. But Alfereros is not a continuous street. It stops, changes names, travels several crooked blocks under its new alias, and then resumes liife under its original name. The house numbers follow no discernible order, and seem to be assigned by a random number generator.

Despite these difficulties, we persisted. Finally, after asking several friendly pedestrians and shopkeepers, and consulting with a helpful policeman, we found the little yellow house and workshop at Alfereros #8. We rang the bell, but there was no answer. Again . . . No response. Once more . . .  Nothing. It looked like yet another defeat in Tonala.

But we weren't quite ready to quit. After polking around the back streets for another hour or so, we returned One more time to Alfereros #8. This time the door opened, and a friendly figure emerged. He smiled when he saw us, and waved us in.

We ordered some really nice luminaries (table and wall), a big dancing Catrina skeleton, and other good metal pieces, including some clever geckos to climb all over your walls. Tonala is still hard to figure out, but it may be growing on us.

Farewell to a Friend

From the log JM kept on the August 2010 Chiripa buying trip to Mexico.

"I am so glad to see you, but I have some very bad news." We held our breath, waiting for what Tina would tell us: "My husband Carlos has died."

 Carlos and Tina in February, 2010.

It was just this past February when Carlos had drawn us a big glass of tequila from the barrel in the back room. (Carlos had received the barrel in payment from a small tequila maker who could not afford to pay cash for the special hand-blown glass bottles that Carlos had made for him.) When we protested that the glass was too big, Carlos just smiled and said "the tap closes slowly . . ."  We laughed, and he told us about the avocado trees that he was planting on their little farm. He hoped to sell the avocados to provide retirement income.

On a hot afternoon just one month later, Carlos was watering the young avocado trees when he suffered a stroke. He wanted to clean up before going to the hospital, but he naver made it. Carlos was gone, and Tina is left to tend the trees herself.

Tina and Carlos were maried for 43 years. As newlyweds they moved to Tlaquepaque to live in his mother's house, just across the street from the old Rufugio monastery. For many years, the house served as glass-blowing workshop, retail store and residence. 

Tina misses Carlos "more each day." But at least for now, she bravely carries on the family glassware business. Chiripa is proud to be one of her loyal customers.

Farewell, Carlos.

Oaxaca Parade

JM normally provides the content for the Chiripa blog, but, since he's just back from Mexico I thought I'd do another post with images from the March trip that didn't illustrate the log from that trip. 

I make it a point to visit the English language bookstore in Oaxaca to get ideas for books we might carry at Chiripa. One late afternoon in March I was casually browsing the shelves when I heard a loud commotion outside the window. Looking out I saw a parade in the making. 

The "band" stopped right by my window and the young women in traditional Oaxacan dress started dancing. 

Just as quickly as it had started they moved on down the street delighting the crowds outside.

The workers in the bookstore just kind of shrugged when asked about the reason for the parade. It had something to do with education, but they weren't really sure.  

It was fun, colorful, and unexpected.  A perfect Chiripa (happy accident) for me.

The Beauty of Buses

JM normally provides the content for the Chiripa blog, by, since he's off to Mexico I thought I'd do a couple posts with images from the March trip that didn't illustrate the log from that trip. 

Anyone who has been reading this blog knows that we travel by bus throughout Mexico. It is a convenient, efficient, and safe way to travel. This is a typical bus station in a major city.

We see all sorts of travelers and amazing baggage. On this day I noticed a woman getting off a bus carrying a beautiful bouquet of flowers. By the time I could get my camera in gear she was almost out of the picture.

The woman walking behind her saw me and stopped her friend so I could get a better picture.

And then they got me in the picture. And finally, as we were parting ways the woman gave me one of the red roses from her arrangement.

This was all done without words except Gracias.

Blouses from Oaxaca

Below you will see 12 styles of blouses made by women in Oaxaca. Chiripa is considering carrying a small amount of clothing and we'd like your opinion about these blouses/tunics/huipils. All are cotton, many are hand embroidered, and the source is a woman-owned busines in Oaxaca. The owner decided to form a business after traveling with a Mexico Ballet Folklorico group. Wherever they went people would ask her how they could buy clothing like the women in the group were wearing. She began working with women and women's cooperatives in the Oaxaca city area. 

FEEDBACK is what I'm looking for. Please respond with a comment.

What # blouse is your favorite(s)?

What # would you consider purchasing?

If you would like to see the blouses in person, stop by the shop at 636 S Park Street in Madison Wisconsin. They will be on display for two weeks.

Thanks for your help!

 

 

A Misguided (But Thrilling) Ride

The final entry from the log kept by JM on the Feb/March Chiripa buying trip.

March 6, 2010. Reliable local sources suggest that we should visit the remote mountain village of San Pedro Cajonos where there is wood carving and jewelry made from silkworm cocoons. But they warned us that getting there would be somewhat difficult. They told us to start by catching a collectivo taxi near the Benito Juarez monument on the outskirts of Oaxaca.

We got to the monument OK, but it was not clear where we should board the collectivo (or which one we should take). Our cab driver and a food stand operator thought they knew, so we joined a group of people waiting at one of the stops.

When our turn came, and a collectivo drove up, we climbed aboard. Other people were waiting (and probably had more pressing needs), but they courteously deferred to us. We soon wished they hadn't, because it quickly became apparent that we were heading in the wrong direction. We were headed high into the mountains, but not to the place we had intended.

For the next hour and a half, the cab driver roared up steep switchbacks until we grew light-headed and dizzy. It was a thrilling ascent, and the scenery was spectacular, but at the end of the ride we arrived at the town of Ixtlan de Juarez (not the village of Benito Juarez, where we had planned to change collectivos to get to our ultimate destination).

The driver said he would gladly take us to Benito Juarez, but the road was bad. It would take a long time and cost us a fortune. So we gave up, and just looked around Ixtlan. In this remote spot, we might have expected to find a poor and backward village, but it was actually rather modern and prosperous. There were excellent covered basketball courts (with nets, a rarity in Mexico), a mural of Michael Jordan, and kids with their names printed on their team uniforms.

A pleasant place, but not what we were looking for. So we swallowed some Drammine pills to control the dizziness, and headed back down the mountain to Oaxaca.

That night we loaded up our packs and walked to the first-class bus depot. At midnight, our bus departed for Mexico City. We slept fitfully, and at 6 a.m. we stumbled out of the bus into the TAPO terminal in the big metropolis. A taxi took us to the airport, where we made ready to fly home to El Norte.

A last look at Oaxaca night-life from a rooftop restaurant.

Hand-Made Paper

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

In the foothills north of Oaxaca is the town of San Augustin de Etla. There you can visit an interesting workshop that produces high quality hand-made paper. They are happy to give demonstrations, and there is also a nice shop where you can buy interesting paper items of all sorts (we did).

Paper drying in the bright Oaxacan sun and hand-made paper kites in the shop.

The natural setting is beautiful, and on the hill above the workshop there is an old mill that has been converted to an art school and display gallery. 

The unique architecture makes effective use of the water that flows down the hillside and right through the facility. The lush vegetation and hilltop views evoke the Oaxaca region as it may have looked before an exploding population, industrialization, deforestation and traffic took their toll.

If you are feeling adventurous, you can get to San Augustin for just 10 pesos per person (less than a dollar) by taking a collectivo taxi from a location next to the Abastos Market. From the zocalo in downtown Oaxaca, walk west on Trujano until you get to the market area. Cross busy Periferico at the end of Trujano, and you will see an area where the brown and white collectivos are parked. Be sure to ask for a collectivo to St. Augustin de Etla. If you take one that is just marked Etla, you will be disappointed to find yourself in a very different place.