Basílica dome at twlight, Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Salud (Our Lady of Health), Pátzcuaro. The setting sun gives the dome its heavenly pink glow.
Just before Mexico's Independence Day holiday, a spur-of-the-moment email ("Show me real Mexican food, show me your part of Mexico!") from a fan inspired a whirlwind Mexico Cooks! morning tour of Morelia's Mercado Independencia and an afternoon visit to Pátzcuaro. Jeffrey Jones, in Mexico City for a business conference, hopped on a bus and arrived in Morelia on Saturday evening. We met at ten o'clock on Sunday morning and were off and running for the day.
Touring Pátzcuaro is second nature to me. I am always overjoyed to show its pleasures to someone who has never experienced them: the entrance to town, lined by huge eucalyptus and cedar trees; two bustling plazas, the daily market, the Museo Regional de Artes Populares, Doña Ofelia's corundas for breakfast, the several glorious 16th Century churches, extraordinary crafts to purchase, nieve de pasta (almond and honey ice cream) under the portales, and Super Pollo Emilio's enchiladas placeras for supper.
This young man is concentrating on the machetazo (machete blow) he is about to give to a bundle of pine needles.
Once in a while, Mexico Cooks! is surprised and delighted by a new discovery in long-familiar location. Not only had we never seen this traditional way of making pine garland, we'd never even heard of it. To say that we were absolutely floored is putting it mildly.
One of several men cutting the pine needles to the proper length, this fellow grips a handful to make sure they're straight before he takes off the ends with his machete.
Using huinumo (the Purhépecha word for pine needle), machetes, coarse twine, and a tool made for twisting, a few men worked to create 1000 meters (that's over 3900 feet, for you who are metrically challenged) of pine garland to adorn all four sides of Plaza Don Vasco de Quiroga.
Starting at either end of the twine on the paving stones, men lay out the carefully cut pine needles.
Mexico Cooks! chatted with some Pátzcuaro natives while we all watched this process. All of them were as open-mouthed with awe as I was. Lifelong residents of the area, none of these people had ever seen guirnalda (garland) made from these simple components.
The work isn't difficult, but it has to be done correctly in order to make the garlands. Enlarge the photo to see that the needles are all the same length.
The gentleman supervising the work assured me that no trees were harmed in the collection of these millions of pine needles. "We don't take them all from just a few trees. We're very careful to take some from here, some from there, so that the trees don't miss them at all. The process is ancient, and the trees still thrive."
In just a few minutes, the two men laying the pine needles meet in the middle of the twine.
Next, a man walks from one end of the pine needles to meet another man walking from the other direction. While he walks, the wooden tool (in the right hand of the man in the white hat) spins to fasten the needles between the lower twine and the upper twine.
The same tool--in the hand of the man with the white cap--spins the twine at the other end of the pine needles while the second man walks toward the center.
This man uses a cane for balance as he approaches the mid-point of the garland.
Jeffrey was so taken with the process that he filmed it. He graciously allowed me to publish his video on Mexico Cooks!. Thanks, Jeffrey!
View the video: Pine Needle Garlands
Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.
We were there one year when they were making the pine garlands and we watched with facination. I think the same guys who were making them 5 or 6 years ago when we were there are still making them. So glad to see them again.
Posted by: Billie | October 18, 2009 at 09:52 AM
Unbelievable. Believe it!
Posted by: steve sando | October 15, 2009 at 11:04 AM
How can someone not love Michoacán after seeing something like this? Marvelous!
Posted by: Tony | October 12, 2009 at 11:25 PM