Each year beginning on the Friday before Good Friday, the state of Michoacan holds a craft fair called Tianguis Artesanal Domingo de Ramos in the small city of Uruapan. The fair is ground zero for all the artisans who live in the small pueblos in the areas around Uruapan, Patzcuaro and Morelia and provides a single shopping stop for buyers from all over Mexico who come to the city of Uruapan for some or all of the 15 day spectacle.
I missed the fair last year because my nurses training amigas came to celebrate our 60th birthday year in Zihuatanejo. But this year, my ultimate shopping buddy Iris and I decided to return to the fair for the opening weekend again.
For each of us, it is our fourth time and we have yet to be disappointed. This year, we decided to treat ourselves with a better than usual hotel experience for our second night in the small city. Hotel Mi Solar stands head and shoulders above the small selection of hotels that surround the zocalo, which is the location for the majority of the artesans markets. I had only been able to book a single first night at the affordable Hotel Victoria, a small mexican run hotel that lacks charm but is adequate for a place to rest between purchases. Thanks to Iris, we looked forward to the second night that included breakfast in a charming antique building with courtyard on the other side of the square, both an easy walk to all things we wanted to see. The entire event can be enjoyed by strolling around the town's zocalo, the adjacent churches, pedestrian walkways and traditional food market. It's a pleasant 5 block walk to the Telares Uruapan Textile factory which hosts many events as well as the spectacular 2 day juried craft show where the best of the best artisans wares are displayed for cash prizes and sale.
Because we have become experienced with the layout of the fair, we tend to use Friday evening to scout out the artisans we know looking for something special or unique to add to our homes here and back in the US, or Canada. It's fun to recognize familiar faces selling their wares. And no doubt they recognize us too, as the number of non-Mexican faces in the crowd was small...indeed, this year there are even fewer non-nationals in attendance thanks in no small part to the reputation of Michoacan as one of the most heavily drug cartel affected states in Mexico. The Policia Federal had a large presence around the square with heavily armed police officers and vehicles posted at every hotel entrance and on strategic entry and exit points to the square.
Two things stood out for both of us on this trip. First, we were impressed by the number of women visitors who dressed in traditional blouses or dresses for the fair. As well as enjoying the artesans who all wear the traditional clothing of their various pueblas, we found ourselves looking enviously at some of the other shoppers who came wearing the kind of clothing we were hoping to buy. Secondly, we met many Mexicans who spoke to us in English and thanked us for being there. They were gracious and polite and told us that our presence meant a lot to them - they didn't add "in this difficult time"..but we know that is the case. One handsome young man who had lived for many years in Chicago summed it up by saying that he had returned to Mexico for the lifestyle...he can live close to his friends and family, his beautiful young wife and son are with him almost constantly, but he can only earn a small amount for the hard work and long hours he spends working as an avocado buyer. The average salary is $1200 pesos/week - approximately $100 Canadian- and choices are always made between food for the table and some other item that is needed.
So on Saturday as we stood on the street side watching the fabulous, colorful, musical spectacle of the parade of artesans pass by, there were a mixture of emotions. I was proud of Mexico for showcasing their indigenous people and honoring the heritage of people who have become experts at producing such beautiful items from the environments that surround their pueblas. Iris was saddened to think that we were witnessing people without a future, poor and without education, their art would not carry them through a world that demands skills and abilities that are beyond their means. Our neighbour John and his wife Wendy who witnessed the parade for the first time and as an excellent amateur photographer captured approximately 350 images of the people, their faces and their emotions felt a sense of sadness among the artists...he did not see happy faces on the majority of people. I know I will never fully understand the lives and the emotions of people who seem to be a century behind the rest of the world...their lives seem simple on one level, but incredibly complex on other levels, living without assurance of a paycheck, retirement benefits, health care or homes...
I know I'm just one of many ex-pats who enjoy some or all of their time in this country. I'd like to think that my little shopping extravaganza, modest in scale to some of the other purchasers I witnessed, helped to make a few families a little more prosperous for a while. As long as I am able, I vow to spend whatever little money I can to support these artists and to enjoy my purchases with the memories of their faces and our conversations in my head and my heart.
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