pyramids, ceramics and copper - nov. 2

i saw this plate at casa venezuela and wanted to find the artist. miguelangel was kind enough to introduce me to her and i got a couple plates like this.

i fell in love with this ceramic piece at casa venezuela and this is really why i wanted to meet the artist - consuelo rendon. she no longer makes these candleholders because they're labor intensive and her daughter, who used to help her, has cancer. miguelangel said eventually consuelo will have to stop working because she has no one else to help her. i was also told that although most ceramicists have switched to lead-free glaze, they worked with lead glazes for many years and have health problems as a result. the government has stepped in to help artists replace their kilns to make a safe product.

the pyramid in tzintzuntzan

view from the pyramid

Nov. 2 – it’s 10am and we’re on the move again with Miguelangel. Out to the pyramid in tzintzuntzan. It’s huge. What can I say, great views, lots of history and we were exhausted from last night. He took us over to the central market in tzintzuntzan so I could meet a local artist and buy some of her ceramics. I’d admired her work at George’s place in Guadalajara. He introduced us to another artist where we got a tour of his ceramic studio. His pieces were very expensive but I did manage to buy one small cup.

Our last stop was Santa Clara del Cobre, THE copper mining town. Lunch was at the local restaurant and really good. jim had the tarascan soup, a local speciality. Back at the hotel I decided to go back to tzintzuntzan just before dark. There wasn’t much to see and I realized there were no taxis. Yikes. Once it got dark I flagged down the only taxi I saw, with a couple in the backseat, and they were gracious enough to let me ride with them back to Patzcuaro. That was pretty scary and not good judgment on my part.

notes from my journal. i asked what the red flag meant outside some of the shops and miguelangel said it means they have fresh meat. since they don't have refrigeration in these small pueblos it's important to get it sold and cooked asap. a white flag means fresh bread is available.