Beautiful Bateas

The Michoacán town of Quiroga is named after the man the Purepecha Indians affectionately call Tata Vasco or great- grandpa. He was the Archbishop Vasco de Quiroga who in the 16th century established the crafts industry in so many pueblos in Michoacán, crafts which continue to this day.
What you see here is the artesania that actually comes from Quiroga: brightly painted bateas or wood plates. Most of what is sold in the souvenir shops that line the main street is not artesania and is not made by people in the town either, though there are some real artisans who live in pueblos just a few kilometers away. Quiroga is where one goes to eat the best carnitas, but it's not the place to go for fine crafts.
Except for this man, Antonio Anita Mejia, the last remaining artisan in Michoacán who does this work. I didn't use to pay much attention to the large bateas I would see at the various concursos (competitions) as I was more focused on the unusual, extremely laborious technique called maque. But I have new found appreciation for his work. Antonio makes those brightly painted chairs, and his trasteritos (little dish racks) are also wonderful. They have recently become one of my more popular items. The colors are lovely... each piece is vibrant and makes one happy just to look at it. But it's the brush strokes, obviously displaying a rare talent, that make this work special.
Trasteritos can easily be hung on the wall and are great for holding tequila glasses, spice jars, or toiletry items in the bathroom. I had fun painting one of these unfinished carved trasteritos to use in our house in Morelia. It worked as a shelf for our glasses, but wasn't nearly as beautiful as Antonio's. I wish I had known about him then.
I actually don't know a lot about Señor Anita, except I remember the first time we met--which was just last year-- he told me that he has been working to support himself since he was 12 years old. He has a wife and children in Quiroga who also help out with the business, which like most artesanos is located in the family home.

Click on the photos to enlarge. To purchase painted bateas and trasteritos, or unfinished ones to paint yourself, go to:
www.mexicobyhand.com.

The Flight to Michoacán

Did you know that millions are flying to the Mexican state of Michoacán right now, and they won't need to show a passport or have to be screened by airport security? Most of them are probably there already. " Every fall, huge numbers of Monarch Butterflies gather in southern Canada to migrate. Until recently, it was not known where these butterflies went. We now know that some Monarch butterflies travel over 3,100 kilometers, just to overwinter in places like Michoacán. These long flights pose great danger for the butterflies, especially from predators. But these little insects have something to teach us about resilience.
In 2002 heavy rains and extreme cold in Michoacan and the State of Mexico killed almost 80 percent of the Monarch butterflies there. Perhaps as many as 500 million butterflies died that year. But in 2002 the butterflies returned--in a big way. Between 200 million and 500 million Monarchs spent the winter in Michoacán before returning back to Canada and the eastern part of the U.S.

Those of us who are "in the know" and have had the opportunity to visit one of the Monarch sanctuaries experience something we can never forget. I had first learned about the Monarch's yearly journey to Mexico when I was teaching a lesson about them to my 4th grade students. The Monarch is state insect of California and we were studying the life cycle of the butterfly. A few years later I was living in Morelia, and of course was excited about seeing this place for my self. In March of 2004, after journeying to the Eastern Sierra (about 2 hours from Morelia) while taking in amazing views, and then traveling up a rocky hillside on horseback, my husband, Doug, our daughter, Jenny, and my two brave parents (who were in their 80's!) were treated to the thrilling sight of thousands of butterflies covering the trees and filling the air around us. (The photo below was taken on a previous trip in September to the hot springs called Los Azufres when the mirasoles are in full bloom.)I hadn't thought about that adventure for a while until I recently came across two environmental educators who organize tours for teachers and naturalists to Monarch Butterfly sanctuaries every February. It looks like a great trip-- I suggest you check them out and join them if you're looking for an adventure. Though February can be warm on the beaches of Mexico, it definitely isn't in the mountain area where the weather is always on the cool side. But if you usually experience blizzards that time of the year where you live, then I suggest you leave your snow parkas home and head for the hills of Michoacán. Just don't plan on wearing your bikini.

You can find out more about the Monarchs, see beautiful photos and learn more about the tours at http://www.monarchsacrossga.org/trips.php
UPDATE, Feb. 2010 reports on trip to Monarch sanctuaries:

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/monarch/spring2010/MAG_021810.html

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/monarch/spring2010/MAG_022510.html

HAPPY 2010! Folk Art-- a Design Trend?

Top 10 Interior Design Trends for 2010

According to a group of interior designers who were asked to make predictions, consumers will be looking for handmade crafts from here and around the world to decorate their homes. If you look at trend # 7 and #8 below, our indigenous crafts from Mexico are just the thing to bring more "personality" into your living spaces! We have known for a while that pieces of traditional art or crafts made by human beings can help to create a beautiful home, but I also believe they can give a house more character-- personality if you will. A unique, handmade piece that you fall in love with becomes a part of the family, almost like a pet. You don't have to feed it or take it for a walk, but you do have to care for it and treat it well. If you do, you will be rewarded with years of pleasure. Here is an excerpt from the article in the San Francisco Chronicle 12/27/09:
7. Artisanal goods
Just as artisanal foods have taken off, expect the same for home
furnishings and accessories. "Artisanal work will continue to be strong,"
said interior designer Benjamin Dhong. "Even modernists want to see
natural materials or the hand of the craftsman brought into their homes."

8. The well-traveled look
The Sundance Channel series "Man Shops Globe" follows Anthropologie
buyer-at-large Keith Johnson as he visits country after country, looking
for special pieces and inspiration for the company's 135 stores worldwide.
Whether you're scouring the stalls in Paris or browsing shops during a
quick weekend getaway, incorporating souvenirs in a space can give it a
bit of personality.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2009/12/27/HOUE1B42T3.DTL#ixzz0b29jzFPl

In the years I have been sharing the indigenous crafts of Michoacan, Mexico with folks here in the U.S., I have happily witnessed many customers literally fall in love with a piece of artesania. Some times they spend a long time gazing at it, stroking it. I have seen people walk away, only to return to the same piece several times saying they can't decide. They'll say, "I don't need it", or "I can't afford it", but they are somehow drawn to it and just can't let go. One woman recently told me when she came to my booth, "I can't stop thinking about the plate I saw here yesterday"... She couldn't stop thinking about it all night. Sounds like love to me. Who can explain why something speaks to us, why we are drawn to an object, just like we are drawn to a person? For me, my affection for the art is often wrapped up with the artist behind the piece. Learning about the history, the process, and then of course best of all, meeting the artisan who lovingly used his or her hands to create a traditional piece helps to give it even more meaning. That's why I try to provide information and photos of the artists, and encourage everyone to come see for yourselves on one of our tours. It's about having a relationship with the art and the artist, and we don't get that when we buy mass-produced objects made in a factory. If a home is more than a house, if it's a place where relationships form and grow and nurture us, then it makes sense that we try to adorn our living spaces with art that touches us and makes us feel connected to other humans. And if the art is from another country, a different culture, and represents a community's historical tradition and present-day struggle for survival--that's even more meaningful. So if you would like to be part of this 2010 trend and need some decorating ideas for your home, check out: www.mexicobyhand.com.
I wish you and yours a very Happy New Year...one of good health, peace in our world...and more beautiful art!

Happy Holidays

I love poinsettias...la Flor de Noche Buena in Spanish. They don't really have Christmas trees in Mexico, at least not in Michoacán, though there are plenty of pine trees around. Just not the custom, which is fine by me. One of my strongest memories of the holiday season is the Mercado de la Independencia, Morelia's largest market, and its huge section of poinsettias for sale outside. Since it was only a few blocks from our house in the Centro, and the place where we did most of our food shopping, I visited that section of the market a lot. We brought a big one home and put a few presents around it, and that and the blinking plastic Virgen of Guadalupe on the wall, plus Doug's homemade menorah were our holiday decorations that year.







Since then, we have been able to acquire a few quality pieces of artesania that are available to folks who wish to deviate from the usual. Need a menorah? How about a stunning one with black
glaze from the Purepecha village of Santa Fe de la Laguna? Or a clay Nacimiento (nativity) from Ocumicho?














The embroidered scene above has it all: the baby Jesus, a piñata, and even a Christmas tree. Looks like a wonderful time.
I have recently discovered a great new website. Lots of food info plus Mexican culture in general. Please check it out, and then of course come back here. There is great information about piñatas and some folks who actually make them on: Mexico Cooks!
El Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe is December 12th...the official start of the holidays in Mexico. It's also the beginning of Chanukah this year.
I wish you all Feliz Navidad y Chanukah and a very happy, healthy, prosperous, and peaceful New Year!

Giving Thanks

It's the day before Thanksgiving and with all the madness of food prep and housecleaning, I realized that I need to take a minute to reflect upon all that I am grateful for at this moment in time. It has been five years since we began this venture...which is something that we sort of fell into, really. I didn't go to Mexico in June of 2003 with the idea of starting an import business, it just evolved and came about organically because of mainly two things: the Art and the Relationships. The art speaks for itself. It is beautiful and inspiring and gets better every year. I never, and I mean never get tired of looking at it.
Though the public events we do are always a lot of work, I enjoy watching people admire the amazing art I am able to bring back from Michoacan... it feels so good when I get to share this gift I have been given with others.
The photo above represents the relationship part of this business. I am using it this year again in promotion of my upcoming annual event for loyal Mexico By Hand customers who live in the Bay Area. (please email me if you'd like to be on the list) I can't remember who in my family actually took the photo, but the creator of that beautiful display of our copper pieces was a brilliant and talented artist, designer, and friend named Reuben Godinez. He was originally from Michoacán it turns out, and immigrated to Napa when he was 14. He received his MFA from the California College of Arts and Crafts, and went on to do too many things to mention here. We met at our first Dia de los Muertos show in 2005, and collaborated several times since then, including our most recent exhibit at the Petaluma Arts Center. Reuben loved this year's catrinas (see below).

After working his heart out on yet another masterpiece for the Day of the Dead celebration, Reuben died on Nov. 14 at the age of 34. I am so sad about this terrible loss, but extremely grateful for the opportunity to have known him through my work. His own art was contemporary and edgy, but together we appreciated the artisans of his homeland, respected and loved each other, and had fun bringing the art to those who were fortunate to experience it. I will miss Reuben, but his passion for life and his influence on me will live on.

Day of the Dead...you can't be serious!

Day of the Dead. Like the notion of an after life, one needs to suspend disbelief. We don't actually KNOW what happens after we die, even if one believes in a heaven and hell, no one has been there and returned to report what it actually looks like. So when a woman at a recent Dia de los Muertos event pointed out how weird it is to see a skeleton such as the one below with breasts, I am amused. Yes, it is unrealistic, but is it less "real" than all the other religious rituals and spiritual practices surrounding death and dying? The whole idea of playing with death, dressing up skeleton figures in clothing and arranging them in life-like poses, is to say "whatever"...it is all possible. And impossible too. Without getting too deep into these questions, the idea that one day we are alive and then one day we die and no longer exist...that can't be possible. And if it is true, I don't think we should put up with it.
Please enjoy these examples of some talented Mexican artist's imaginations-- inviting us to let go of what we think is real and unreal.



























These and other skeleton figures, also known as catrinas and calacas, are available for purchase.
Check out www.mexicobyhand.com or contact us at info@mexicobyhand.com.

Spirit Sashes

We first got to know Nati when we were shooting our video documentary for La Casa de las Artesanias (the Michoacán Folk Art Center) and right away we knew that she was special. How many people can endure so much illness and hardship, and manage to smile like that? Polio as a child, and barely surviving cancer shortly before we met, Nati has always inspired Doug and me. When I look at this photo-- her crippled feet tucked under and her wooden crutches nearby-- with that big warm smile... I feel this gentle woman's strong spirit and determination.

Natividad Romero Casimiro makes each of her weavings with love, generosity, and gratitude, and the hope that tomorrow will be better. For that reason, I call them "spirit sashes".
Recently a woman asked me at an exhibit for Dia de los Muertos, what these woven pieces sashes called fajas are for. I answered that the women who make them use them as belts, but one could make a camera or guitar strap out of them, or simply hang them for decoration. All were correct answers to her question. But I needed to tell her so much more. I needed to say that all of Nati's woven belts, bags, and table runners carry the same designs used by her ancestors, the Purepecha women who came before her and who taught the next generation, as she is now doing. When I look at her weavings I am reminded of all the poor Mexican campesinos who struggle to hold on to their indigenous traditions. Weavings from Cuanajo-- even from this master artisan-- have never been commercially successful. Mexicans and Americans alike usually fail to understand that $70 (my reduced price) is not a lot of money for this work. So I end up selling what I buy from Nati at my cost...which gives her a few more pesos for food or bus tickets or yarn, so that she might keep doing what she knows until she can't any do it any longer.
We hadn't seen Nati for a couple of years, though we saw her mother last summer, and we were anxiously hoping to find her at home this time when we brought our tour group this past August. There she was, as soon as we turned into Cuanajo, walking down the dirt road towards her house. We stopped to pick her up, and after kisses and happy exclamations of "que milagro", we quickly noticed how the diabetes has taken its toll on this woman who has already suffered so much. We all treasured that visit...our tourists also found Nati and her family special, and they enthusiastically bought numerous weavings to take back home. Below Nati proudly posed this summer with one of her cotton fajas. Her mother, Maria Guadalupe (right) is holding a certificate Nati received in recognition of a weaving course she gave. Maria, also an excellent weaver, recently stopped weaving due to the arthritis in her hands.
To see or purchase cotton fajas or wool purses (morral) please go to our website: www.mexicobyhand.com