LET’S GO SHOPPING!

Cool gray (gris) days have set in here. That means 45-55 at night & 62-69 during the day. I know. Spoiled, right? Think about it…no heat, unless you turn on the propane space heater. If you can figure out how. So after taking Ben to the doctor/clinic for the 2nd time in 2 weeks, it’s time for a couple of shopping trips. (He doesn’t like to shop anyway, so I don’t feel too guilty.)

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Just what the doctor ordered. Lots of fresh foods, smoothies in particular. Fruits for Vitamin C per Dr. Rodriquez. The Wednesday market (tianguis) is the perfect place to start! But we’ve talked about the market before…

On Thursday I had a shopping “date” with my new neighbor & friend Gethyn. Gethyn is a fiber artist & I am a fiber (fabric) lover. So off we went. Our agendas included shops with handmade clothing &/or home goods as well as machine made clothing designed & created in Mexico. We started with my favorite, Arbol Magico, where everything is imported from Oaxaca & Chiapas (& maybe Guatemala as well).

There is so much to say about Mexican fabrics & clothing. Although the state of Jalisco is not known for its indigenous tribes-only the Huicholes-items from the states of Oaxaca & Chiapas are imported & sold throughout the town, at the markets & in small shops. A riot of color & texture!

Patterns & styles are most often particular to certain tribes throughout Mexico, with symbols & colors that tell the history & status of the wearer. I believe I read-more on this later-that when Spain conquered Mexico each tribe was forced to wear a specific style & color, which included embroidery & patterns on handwoven cloth, so that they could be identified. Over the years much of this has been lost, with many villages having only a few elderly women who wear the native dress &/or women who wear their handiwork only to festivals, creating new work for each event. Much is done with backstrap & treadle looms & hand embroidery, but in the early 21st century came the discovery of the sewing machine which changed nearly everything. Now there is a growing league of Mexican fiber artisans.

My friend Norma Schafer, whom I discovered last year through searching the internet for tours to areas of Mexico where textiles are created, lives part-time in Durham, NC, but spends most of the year in the small village of Teotitlán de Valle outside of Oaxaca City. Through reading her blog (Oaxaca Cultural Navigator) & talking with her, I have learned to love the textiles of Mexico & have a burning desire to accompany her on one of her tours in the near future. Meanwhile, I’ll see what I can find here in Ajijic. http://oaxacaculture.com.

Gethyn & I stopped to eat lunch at the oldest Ajijic establishment (Posada) next to the Lake. The Lake is up right now, way up, from the rains in December, so the elderly lady who used to weave & sell her rugs in the grove of trees next door has been displaced for now. I was hoping to meet her. Next time.

For weeks I’ve been wanting to learn the story of the Women’s Cooperative on a corner not far from the Lake. Finally…We stepped in & were greeted by Lupita, a lovely Mexican woman who explained that she is one of 3 women who own the shop where handmade/embroidered clothing is created & sold. She also has a rack of handwoven & embroidered clothing from Oaxaca & Chiapas. “I pay them everything,” she says. “They are Mexicanas. They put love into each piece. They are my people.” She steps over to a small shelf & picks up a doll (could it be Frida?). “This was just made by a local woman. I designed it, made it up, & she sewed it & made her shoes.” It was beautiful! I wish I had taken a picture. I can go back-but I hope it is sold. Lupita teaches embroidery classes nearby & one of her students walks in with a project so we say our goodbyes. I’ll go back in February, take my friend Norma, & I know that new friendships will be forged.

There are other stops, other shops. But my day has been made by meeting Lupita. (Plus the awe in the face of the shriveled face old Mexican man on the bus when I put a found peso in his hand.) I will go back to buy something from her, to show her my books, to share my interest in Mexican fabric/fiber artisans & helping them be recognized, especially by those who have no idea they exist. More on this topic in the future. It’s time to go home to check on Ben.