Taxco, Mexico City, May 26th 2011
I was reassured that 10.00 was a good time to start out in the morning from Mexico City- to avoid traffic. I quickly came to realize that this to be a relative term; car after car after truck on roads barely wide enough- coming so close you could almost feel the breath of passing drivers…my driver cheerily explained that for many roads, what used to be a 2 lane highway, was simply re-painted to accommodate 3 lanes!
City roads, Wal-Marts, Costcos and Scotiabanks gave way to a beautifully paved, but curvy highway, (toll) and the dusty smog slowly melted into a distance as greenery and peaks and valleys replaced the pollution, homes dotting the landscape in the valleys- I idley wondered what lives the people lived in those homes…a perfect birds eye view as we climbed some of the hills. My driver (an ex FBI guy), expertly drove us to our destination of Taxco, a silver mining town. Eager as I was to get started, hunger got the btter f us, and we found ourselves perched at a restaurant overlooking the whole village. Lunch was delcicious, arrancha, and a cool lemonade to quench the thirst. The heat waqs almost uncomfortable, but having just flown in from Canada, I was not about to complain! Stomachs full, we embarked on the mission at hand in earnest…looking for those workshops at source where the silver jewelry and other handicrafts are made.
One of the oldest workshops there built in the 1930’s
an oxymoron. Traffic flow is either bad or abysmal. Still hand crafts jewelry in the same way it was made back then! Silver is heated, to the point it becomes liquid, and then molded so as to make the shapes and necessary pieces desired. The pieces are lovingly crafted, some with semi- preciouis stones, including turquoise, lapis, coral and agate. Each piece in this collection is unique, and is not duplicated. I couldn’t help, but call it the “Jazz Collection”, with each piece evoking the sounds of Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Holiday, and Cole Porter!
Next was another workshop that supplies some other export markets, but unfortunately, I felt it was way geared towards a mass market in a commercial way.
From there we found a workshoip with a tunnel displaying stones in their makeshift “natural” habitat. Absolutely stunning! They also supply other factories making silver jewelry with semi- precious stones.
There is another famous artist who truly takes pride in her work, and only makes 1 unique, special piece at a time. This collection is mixed between contemporary, and old fashioned style- she even carves Mayan statues of pure jade and obsidian, with very intricate detail. This collection is
I was careful to avoid silver plated pieces and/ or pieces that did not have some substance in terms of weight. You want to feel the piece resonate on your neck, or around your wrist!
