Masked Old Men Cutting a Rug in Patzcuaro

One of the tradition of the P’urhépecha is to perform a folkloric dance while made up like wrinkled old white men. When the conquistadors came to town, this was one of the ways that the P’urhépecha expressed their frustration. They thought (think) that it was very funny how the white people aged. Their hair turned gray, they got all wrinkly and saggy and they stooped over. This dance is typically performed by young men as it is a very athletic and aggressive routine. They wear a serape and a wooden carved mask carved and painted to resemble ancient old white men. The young men protect their faces with cloth so the mask won’t scratch and tear their face off.

I happened upon a great demonstration of this dance in the main square of Patzcuaro. There was a band playing traditional music while six dancers with wooden sandals danced on a sheet of plywood. This amounted to an early version of tap dancing as the wooden shoes crashed and stomped against the plywood. The vision of the old men stomping about so aggressively was a paradoxical treat. They were drawing a large crowd and we all enjoyed the show.

Dance on over to WORLD NEIGHBOR now!!

P’urhépecha Artisans and Cardio

I stumbled across a little courtyard that housed five or six artisans in a collective. One of the artisans had scores of masks and Catrinas (the day of the dead skeletons). Her prices were excellent and her quality was beyond compare. I started loading up with her works much to her surprise and delight. She wrote up the hundred or so items that I gathered together and started the process of packing them for their long journey home. I made sure to grab her contact information since I wanted to establish a long-term business relationship with her.

I had to make a few trips to get all my goodies back to my hotel room. I worked up a good sweat while I traipsed up and down the hilly and cobbled streets or Patzcuaro. A few of the locals got a good chuckle out of me huffing and puffing and covered with sweat. I still was not completely acclimated to the climate and I was hurting! What a great trip…I get to stock up on inventory and burn down my love handles at the same time - Sweet! Tomorrow was the day to catch my bus back to Mexico City so I had to finish up my purchasing, packing, and shipment preparation.

Work it out on over to WORLD NEIGHBOR!

How much Copper would a Coppersmith Smith, if a Coppersmith Could Smith Copper?

My guide and interpreter was a very resourceful guy with lots of great inside information and contacts. He know a guy that was a coppersmith who could help me ship my goods back to the states. The copper smith at the shop also put on a great show of "smithing" for me to videotape. I can't wait to edit all the footage down and share it with my World Neighbor Friends. All my adventures will be posted to YouTube, so stop on by and check it out!!

We strolled into the back of the Coppersmith's shop to witness the transformation of raw copper into beautiful works of art. The area around Santa Anna del Cobre used to be a copper mining area. As those mines have dried up, the artisans now use scrap copper to create their masterworks. They are also blessed with an abundance of (pine/cedar?) that burns a bit hotter than other woods and allows for the correct copper forging temperature. The guys back in the shop were stoking up the fire to commence with the demonstration. They started with a little chunk of copper about 6X6 inches and 3 inches thick. They heated that up until it was red hot and brought it over to the anvil. Four guys with sledgehammers then took turns pounding it into shape. A fifth guy held the copper in place with a long par of tongs while the beating was underway. These guys would be champion bell ringers at the carnival with their precision swipes at the raw copper. This process would continue until the copper was stretched into a thin sheet.

Carlos took me over to where another set of guys were forming and tempering the copper sheets into pots and sink basins with a series of specially shaped anvils. This was hard and sweaty work, but the works that filled the front showroom were a testament to the great work that these artisans produced. Juan Jose was the owner of this shop and he was also a valuable contact for me since he agreed to ship my multiple purchases back to the States for me at a discounted price. He knew all the ins and outs of getting the best deal in shipping to the border and then from there to my doorstep. I was extremely happy to have met this guy….and once again Carlos came through with another extremely valuable contact.