A Busy Monday in Taxco

We woke up Monday morning to the sounds of roosters crowing and church bells ringing.  A new work week begins in Taxco.  As we began our walk into town, the day was gray, but the views still spectacular.

After stopping for our fresh juice, we stopped at our favorite Panaderia for some fresh Mexican bread (pan in Spanish) and coffee.

I noticed this silver jewelry store that was designed like a cave.  Very creative!  I have only seen one other of a similar style so far in my travels, which was along the boardwalk in Puerto Vallarta.

This Aztec mask caught my eye in one of the neighboring stores.  This is an image that you see frequently in shops in Mexico, covered with inlay in different types of stone or shell.  I had remembered seeing these masks in fine jewelry stores in Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta, and learned they are made here in Taxco.  They come in every size, from large,

to small.

They do beautiful inlay work here using shell in many different styles.

I have a mantra that I recite daily as we walk the streets, namely "Always look down when walking in Mexico".  Here's an example of why.  Ay Dios Mio!

Because of the very narrow streets in most areas,

 you frequently see motorcyles here.  This jewelry shop owner parks his motorcycle inside the store.

And I spotted this one parked along a beautifully textured wall.

Here's a close-up of that texture.  It's actually small stones set into the stucco.

I spent most of the day meeting various jewelry craftsmen that Eduardo has known and worked with over the years, who specialize in different areas of the jewelry making process.  I learned how my own design can go from drawing to finished piece, and who to work with based on my own personal style.  A great education and a very productive day, and the time flew by again!

We finished the day visiting another friend who does beautiful high quality work in leather, making wallets, bracelets and cuffs, with unique silver detailing.  He works with many types of leather, including sting ray, as well as a variety of beautiful colors, and sells his work every Sunday in the major market in Mexico City, as well as in stores in Mexico and in Europe. 

The day ended at about 11 PM, with a ride through the beautiful center of town, giving me another glimpse of Santa Prisca.

Then it was off to dreamland, in anticipation of Tuesday, which will be our last day in Taxco.

xo Linda

It's Sunday in Taxco

This morning we ventured out of our hotel in the late morning, and our first stop was the local juice stand for some fresh squeezed orange juice, which was a huge cup of juice for 10 pesos (under a dollar).  Delicious!  Here I am with the juice guys.

We stopped and had an omelet with refried beans and fresh tortillas for breakfast,

and then headed into town to see what was happening on Sunday.  As usual, there were many street vendors.  This woman was walking the streets selling hand carved wooden masks.

There was pre-hispanice style carving, which is also a very prominent style of art that Taxco is know for.

We discovered a store that sells supplies to craftmen that work with wire.

But all in all, Taxco was more quiet today.  After the frantic pace of the Tianguis yesterday, where hundreds of vendors were out selling, I could tell people were taking it easy today. 

We decided to take a little side trip to the town of Tecapulco, which is about a 25 minute ride down a curvy road.  We rode in one of the local vans, which holds about 15 people and costs 6 pesos per person each way.  A great alternative to driving! 

Tecapulco is a small town full of crafts people who produce work using silver or alpaca (also called Germany silver, which resembles silver but is less expensive), along with abalone shells.  They produce the work in their homes, and then deliver to Taxco or send by special order to their customers.  Since today was Sunday, we did not see many people out working, but we did get the chance to meet one family that produces perfect, tiny bells.

The town is mostly antique style, and the stone on the old walls reminded me of the time I spent in rural France.

There were charming old iron gates.

One of the locals quietly observed while I took photos.

Peeking into the local internet cafe, I spotted some beautiful chairs, and we were told they were hand crafted in the town.

Of course there was the local church.  I kind of wondered what happened to the top of this bell tower!

We stopped to visit some long time friends of Eduardo's, and then climbed into our van for the ride back to Taxco. 

Wandering the town at night, discovering new walkways, I saw this beautiful hardware on one of the old doors.

Here's yet another inside view of my favorite church, Santa Prisca, at night.

And the streets were just as charming at night as they are during the day, especially on a quiet Sunday night.

Tomorrow is Monday in Taxco, and the bustling jewelry and craft business will move into full swing again!

Buenas Noches,
xo Linda

Hi from day two in Taxco! I LOVE this town!

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

Hello from Taxco, Pueblo Magico, The City of Silver

When we reached Ixtapa on Christmas Eve, we spent the next three weeks enjoying with family in both Ixtapa and Zihautanejo.  We got back on the road on January 12 and started the last phase of our trip,  driving through Acapulco and then heading north into the mountains of Guerrero.  I've decided to write later about Ixtapa/Zihautanejo, as well as Chilapa and Olinala, as all these towns have their own story.  Instead I'm going to write today in present time, and talk about Taxco, which is where we are currently spending three or four days.

Taxco is called a "Pueblo Magico", and it truly is just that.  The town was established in 1529, and has been an important source of silver mining.  It is known internationally for it's silver jewelry craftsmen, it's picturesque surroundings, and it's abundance of crafts.  It has a population of over 40,000, and sits at an elevation of 5,833 feet.  You will probably notice that just about all of the houses are painted white!

Taxco is comprised of steep, narrow cobblestone streets that are best navigated either by foot, by one of the white cooperative vans, or by one of the city's white volkswagen beetle taxis.

It is filled with steep walkways to nooks and crannies filled with shops selling silver jewelry, many by important international designers, as well as local crafts from the region of Guerrero.

Everywhere you look is a picture.

The town has many churches, but the most prominent is Santa Prisca, built over a period of 8 years in the 1750's.  The exterior is pink sandstone, and the interior is filled with wood carving covered in gold leaf.  It is truly the most unique church I've seen in any of my travels so far.

There happened to be a parade today that appeared while we were walking through the town, in celebration of the church.  What a great surprise!  There were lots of colorful costumes with brightly painted wooden masks.

It was very high energy, with a lot of music and dancing.

These cowboys stopped to do a performance with their whips, in a mock fight.

And there was a tiger, too.

Look who found his way into my picture!

The procession of colorful characters ended up in the church, Santa Prisca.

Now like I said, this church is totally unique.  Here's a picture of the altar, and the same intricate decoration you see on the altar covers sections of all the walls of the church.  Breathtaking!

Here are some close up pictures so you can get an idea of the details of the painted carved figures, surrounded by gold leaf.

 Imagine how labor intensive it was to apply all these sheets of gold leaf.

 One of the local people told me that the church took 8 years to build, but the restoration has been taking over 16 years!

Today I wanted to also share the carved wooden masks that are made in this region, and sold throughout Taxco.  Angels are a common theme, with a style of face that is unique to this area.

Here are some other examples of masks and carved figures.

Devilish figures also frequently appear in the work.

As well as this type of face with a fish tail.

Another type of craft I saw today that is common to the region is a type of very colorful painting on paper.

We had a very full day today exploring Taxco, a city that Eduardo has visited many times, but that is new to me.  I'm so grateful to be here!  We spent some time in the evening visiting some of his craftsmen friends here, and then climbed into our little white VW taxi for a ride back to the hotel.

Tomorrow, I'll share more about the silver business here in Taxco.  Hope you are all well, and thanks for following!

Buenas Noches,
Linda