At Morelia's Casa de Artesanía: a Purhépecha girl with traditional clothing, jewelry, and clay jug, all part of Michoacán's folk art heritage.
The Morelia Casa de Artesanía (its acronym is CASART), has provided government support to the artesanos (artisans) of Michoacán for 40 years. Earlier this year, more than 400 artesanos participated in a lively and beautiful exhibition, competition, and sale at the Casa de Artesanía. More than 700 pieces were entered into competition, representing more than 40 communities in Michoacán. Fifty-seven Michoacán artisans won prizes for their traditional and/or innovative work.
A conjunto de pirekuas--traditional Michoacán musicians singing Purhépecha songs--participated in the opening reception at the Casa de Artesanías.
The competition included four artisan categories: pottery (including low- and high-fired pieces, pieces that are lead-free, and pottery in general); wood (furniture and miscellaneous decorated pieces); textiles (wool and cotton, including clothing, embroideries, tablecloths, wall hangings, rugs, and blankets); and fibers and vegetable matter (palm fibers, bamboo, reed, and other fibers).
Three miniature decorative metates (grinding stones) on a tray. Each individual metate, made in Zinapécuaro, Michoacán, is no bigger than three inches long.
In spite of mid-winter unseasonably heavy rain, the CASART exulted in a very large and exuberant turnout for its 40th anniversary celebration. Mexico Cooks! was delighted to be among the guests for the opening exhibition and sale.
Traditional dancers from Tócuaro, Michoacán, wearing their masks, capes and be-ribboned straw hats.
Made in Ocumicho, Michoacán, this is a representation in clay of an outdoor cenaduría (supper spot). The largest figures are no more than four inches high; the hand-modeled and painted clay food is tiny. Click on the photo for a bigger and better view.
Detail of the cenaduría menu--written on a clay tablet. The offerings: an order of fried tacos with beef, an order of enchiladas with chicken, an order of buñuelos (foot-wide disk of fried dough) with white atole (sweetened corn drink, served hot), pozole (pork and hominy stew), and a list of drinks.
Miniature calabazas (squash similar to pumpkins) on a tray.
Emilia Reyes Oseguera, president of the Unión Estatal de Artesanos (State Artisans' Union), said that the various artisan communities are developing new designs to meet the needs of today's market. Sergio Herrera, director of the Casa de Artesanía, acknowledged that commercialization of their work is the Achilles heel for the artisans. He added that this is a global problem and is not unique to Michoacán or to Mexico.
Embroidery from the Lake Pátzcuaro region, sewn with a fine, fine hand, shows numerous daily activities of la vida campestre (country life). Stitched along the top of the piece are "Los Viejitos", representing one of Mexico's best-loved folk dances.
Michoacán's Governor Leonel Godoy Rangel and his wife, Magdalena Ojeda Arana, support their state's arts and crafts. Governor Godoy presided over the opening ceremonies for CASART's recent anniversary. He and his wife are wearing ribbon necklaces festooned with miniature hand woven baskets made in Michoacán.
CASART manages several state-run folk art stores located across Michoacán. Through its program of acquisitions, the government offers financial support either to community artisans' cooperatives or to individual artisans. CASART's beautiful flagship store is located next to Templo San Francisco on Plaza Valladolid in downtown Morelia.
Hand-made wooden tops on display (and for sale) at Morelia's Casa de Artesanía.
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