Today we were excited to start the day with the Tianguis, which is the local market in Taxco that happens every Saturday. Hundreds of vendors sell all types of jewelry and crafts, ranging from the ordinary to the extraordinary, at wholesale prices. Of course there is an emphasis on silver.
This type of market was a great place for me to continue my education in the jewelry business. There is a lot to look at, and I am beginning to learn how to sift through the work to find my own personal style. In addition, I'm getting a first hand look at the inner workings of the business. Being in Taxco is like being in school! We had a very successful time at the market, observing, making contacts, and trading for treasures to bring home. We spent over 4 hours there!
Next we started to make our way back towards the center of town, and stopped to visit one of Eduardo's long time friends, Andres, who owns an antique shop called Bazar San Francisco. And speaking of treasures, his shop is filled to the brim!
He had some wonderful antique masks,
some great carved wood figures,
and many interesting carved stone pieces.
Here's Andres and Eduardo talking some lapidary talk.
Andres has many years of experience hunting for antiques, and has a true passion for the art and people of the many regions of Mexico. It was a real pleasure to meet him!
Next we stopped for a delicious handmade pizza, and then visited a jewelry store next door called Hecho de Mano (Made by Hand), which featured some beautiful custom silver jewelry. As you probably remember by now, I love to see the laundry hanging on the line here, so I got a real kick out of this laundry silver piece.
By now it was getting dark, and we were close to Santa Prisca, so I asked Eduardo if we could stop by the church again, just so I could sit and take it in a for a few minutes. When we entered the church, we discovered there was a Quinceanera in progress.
The young lady celebrating her 15th birthday looked beautiful in her red dress.
And there were Mariachi's playing. It was pure magic.
That must be why they call Taxco a "Pueblo Magico". There seems to be magic around every corner.
We continued our walk through the town, and stopped to talk to a local shop owner near the church. Here's the view from his door. The corner is such a sharp turn there, that even a tiny VW bug can't make the turn with stopping, backing up, and then continuing!
While we were chatting, I heard music and a lot of people singing. I poked my head out the door again and here came a group of musicians, called Rondalla's, wearing traditional dress and playing string instruments. They were walking and singing "Ay, ya, ya, ya, canta no llores", followed by three burros decorated with bright colored flowers,
and a group of people drinking and singing.
They stopped around the corner from us to finish their song, before moving on. More magic! It made me exclaim "I LOVE THIS TOWN", right out loud!
Tired from a long and happy day, we made our way through the spider web of hilly streets back to our hotel. And then I got busy on the computer! Can you believe it's 3:00 AM here? But today was too good not to share, so I hope you enjoyed my story, and I hope your day was great, too!
Buenas Noches,
Linda
Hi Linda, I'm living in San Miguel now and I've just gotten interested in the possibility of buying silver jewelry in Taxco and selling it online or taking it to L.A. to sell. Maybe working with a couple of retailers there. What advice would you give me?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Karen Leyva