Magic Carpets, Oaxaca’s Master Weaver Preserves a Zapotec Tradition
When you enter The-Bug-in-the-Rug store in Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca, you are greeted by the master weaver himself, Isaac Vasquez, a friendly, soft-spoken man with salt and pepper hair. He invites you into his workshop, housed in the sunny courtyard of his family compound. Your eyes are immediately drawn to the carpets on the adobe...
Tonala and Tlaquepaque
Tonala and Tlaquepaque….no, neither a singing duo nor a rock group, but sister cities southeast of Guadalajara where you can shop till you drop and do much less damage to your pocketbook than you would have ever thought possible. Some people still consider Tlaquepaque and Tonala “suburbs” of Guadalajara, but with the population of...
A Wearable Tribute to Mexico’s Cultural Diversity
Huipiles, Mexico’s festive native blouses, look good on anyone, from indigenous women to gringas. They come in colors and patterns to suit all personalities and body types, but all share a basic boxy shape. Mexican artisans elevate this simplest of garments to an art form by decorating them with embroidery, ribbons, lace, beadwork, inlay and...
Magic Carpets, Oaxaca’s Master Weaver Preserves a Zapotec Tradition
When you enter The-Bug-in-the-Rug store in Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca, you are greeted by the master weaver himself, Isaac Vasquez, a friendly, soft-spoken man with salt and pepper hair. He invites you into his workshop, housed in the sunny courtyard of his family compound. Your eyes are immediately drawn to the carpets on the adobe...
Shopping Ixtapa
Check it out! If you don’t know where to look you just might miss it. Ixtapa has a veritable shopping city, located just off the main boulevard and sprawling off behind it. Driving along the Ixtapa Boulevard you will see a smattering of boutiques and small shops, but that is just the beginning. Wander behind...
Mexican Pewter – Handcast Aluminum Pewter
“This new alloy is composed of: aluminum for brilliancy and sheen, copper for malleability and silica for strength.” Several years ago, I fell in love with a house on Paseo del Pescador, which prompted me to start a business of Artesania Mexicana (Mexican crafts), based mainly on “Mexican Pewter.” When I saw Mexican Pewter for...
Travel – Shopping Lake Pátzcuaro
“Never send three women traveling on a shopping excursion with an empty Suburban.” I was asked to go on a scouting/shopping expedition to Michoacan, specifically the area in and around Pátzcuaro, with a friend. I have been to Pátzcuaro before and thought a return to the city I had become so enchanted with would be a wonderful...
Less is More: Souvenir Shopping in Zihuatanejo
In Zihuatanejo, there are many inexpensive Mexican objects you can find to bring back to all those waiting at home for your return. For a few pesos, you can buy detectores de tremblar (earthquake detectors), wooden or ceramic animal shaped curios that are designed to wag their heads. Also to be found are miniature clay...
