Mexico File
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Mexico File
FEBRUARY 2006 Puerto Vallarta Redux by Robert Simmonds Robert B. Simmonds, Ph.D., publishes The Mexico File and is the brother of David Simmonds, the editor and creator of MF. He is a psychologist in San Diego. Bob wrote articles on Cabo and Oaxaca in recent issues of MF. A recent survey shows that Puerto Vallarta is the fifth most visited tourist destination in the world – the world! It outdoes both the Mexican cruises and Cabo San Lucas. Way back in the sixties, Elizabeth Taylor knew what she liked, and now thousands upon thousands of people flock to the very same beaches and jungle-enveloped hillsides that she and Richard Burton and John Huston (and let’s not forget Ava Gardner and Deborah Kerr) adored forty years ago. I know we’ve covered Puerto Vallarta in The Mexico File many times before, but I just had to see this place that Dave, my brother, has been obsessed with for so many years. Dave has been going to PV for decades – he estimated that he’s been there something like 30 or 40 times. He talks about the times he used to camp on VOLUME XI, NUMBER 5 A Puerto Vallarta Sunset the beach in a VW van in the very same spots that now sport major resort hotels, the places that the parasailing boats take off from now. But I think that even Dave is getting tired of the busy-ness of contemporary Puerto Vallarta. He now talks more blissfully about Sayulita, half an hour up the coast, thinking that it reflects the old Vallarta that he knew way back when. Hotels now line the Bay of Banduras, all the way from the north point of the bay, down to the airport, and then from the airport down to just south of the Rio Cuale, the river that runs through the center of the old city of Puerto Vallarta – miles and miles of resort hotels. And many people, I would guess, from these resort hotels never make it into the old city. They just lay on the beach and drink margaritas and shop from the beach vendors and hope to make their return flight on time. I had an email from my old, dear friend, Carmel (a nurse who now lives in Staten Island), saying she wanted to meet up in Mexico again. And coincidentally, Dave’s old buddy from college, Lyneer Turner, and his wife Penny, were Izucar de Matamoros, Part II by Lynne Doyle Lynne Doyle is a contributing editor to the Mexico File and a shameless Mexican folk art hound. Part I of this article appeared in the December 2005 / January 2006 issue of the Mexico File. Among my favorite artists are the many members of the Castillo Balbuena family, creators of some of Izucar’s most interesting and complicated trees of life candelabra and incense burners. Closer in style to Aurelio Flores, this family, headed by Maria Luisa Balbuena Palacios, is famous for the imaginative shapes and themes of their pieces. This group does everything, from the huge multiarced trees that are almost impossible to get home in one piece to the tiny animalito candle holders popularly used on children’s birthday cakes and every The Balbuena Palacios group is without doubt the most prolific in Izucar Matamoros. Some of the most popular of their products are these little animalito candle holders, 1.5 inches high in every variety of animal, including the little dinosaur on the ends. They cost about $2 Continued on page 6 INSIDE Continued on page 2 M á s o M e n o s 2 L a s J o y a s 4 B o o k R e v i e w 5 A b o u t M e x i c o 8 Puerto Vallarta Continued I have always thought that our country’s foreign policy should be modeled more after the old TV western Bonanza and less like the British Empire prior to being relegated to small-island status, going broke and trying to rule the world. On Bonanza, patriarch Ben Cartwright and his three sons liked to leave folks alone unless they started messing with the Ponderosa, the ranch where they lived. Occasionally they had to wander off the ranch to attend to something or to save the nearest town from bad guys, but generally they liked to mind their own business. “Live and let live” epitomized the spirit of the West, while people also took care of one another when in need. Today we live in a time where many amongst us see it as our obligation, our duty, to tell other cultures how to live their lives. Without going into all of the obvious examples of this that drive our policies throughout the world, one instance that recently took place in Mexico serves to illustrate the absurdity of this blatant arrogance. The Maria Isabel Sheraton Hotel in Mexico City is U.S. owned. A meeting was scheduled there between a group of oil company leaders from the U.S., including representatives of Exxon Mobil Corporation, and a delegation from Cuba to discuss a possible joint venture. However, under pressure from the feds, the Cubans were summarily evicted from the hotel by Sheraton based on our goofy law prohibiting any business deals with Cuba. Mind you, the meeting was taking place in a sovereign country where doing business with Cuba is lawful. We decided to enforce our law beyond our border, not a popular policy in the civilized world where we are commonly viewed as an overmeddlesome country. Casa Corazon Carmel at Casa Corazon spending a month in Puerto Vallarta just down the beach from the B&B hotel that Carmel and I had booked. So, it was PV that we decided on, and, quite frankly, I don’t think I could have made a better choice. I loved PV (despite the many hotels). I loved the tropical air in the month of December. I loved the cobble-stone streets. The tropical flora was like staying in a conservatory. The people, both the Mexican natives and the tourists, were as friendly as I’ve ever seen. You could buy crafts from nearby areas – jewelry, scarves, Huichol beaded figures and yarn paintings. And the food, in places, is clearly gourmet quality. I loved hearing the surf all night. I loved seeing a fiesta celebrating the Virgen de Guadelupe where I got my much needed taste of Mexican culture. This city is the beach and a straight uphill climb into jungle, one of the most scenic places on the planet. I got my fill of shrimp. I liked riding the bus down to Mismaloya where I had a foot reflexology treatment. It was even fun avoiding the time-share vendors, who seemed to comprise about There is a hotel for every taste in Puerto Vallarta, ranging from major resorts (like the Hotel Fiesta Americana Puerto Vallarta and Quinta Real Puerto Vallarta) to cheap hotels meant for sleeping if the noise isn’t too bad, like Dave’s old hangout, Posada de Roger at Basilio Badillo 245. We lucked out in finding Casa Corazon. Casa Corazon Casa Corazon (Amapas 326) is built on a cliffside right on the Playa de Los Muertos, the nicest beach in Puerto Vallarta. The newer section is an eightstory building with rooms overlooking the Bay of Banderas, so you get to hear the breaking of the waves all night long. Carmel and I had adjacent rooms and we shared a long patio with tables, chairs, and plants, overlooking the ocean. The sunsets were magnificent from our rooms. You walk down brick steps and patios smothered in tropical foliage to get to the beach down below – and there, on a sunny day, you sit in beach chairs under umbrellas ordering margaritas and food while beach vendors come by with surprisingly high Paths leading from Casa Corazon down to the beach Penny and Lyneer Turner at Cuates y Cuetes Not surprisingly, Mexican officials, as well as its citizens, were incensed by this bullying tactic. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Like it or not, we need friends, especially those with whom we share a border. We need to respect and appreciate the fact that everyone doesn’t want to be like us. Let’s start paying more attention to the Ponderosa and allow others to do the same. 2 half of the population. I loved seeing the manta rays jumping into the air in schools some distance from the shore, and of course we saw dolphins as well. Puerto Vallarta is filled with riches for the hungry traveler. Continued on page 3 Puerto Vallarta Continued Breakfast on the patio at Casa Corazon quality wares (make sure that Pedro is your waitperson). Oh, and I forgot to mention the band on the beach that plays some of the best music you can imagine. (One of my high points from the trip was when virtually everyone on the beach was singing along to their version of “A Horse With No Name.”) (It’s amazing what margaritas do.) Casa Corazon is a smallish B&B hotel, small enough for the guests to meet and chat during their free breakfasts that feature a different dish every morning (ranging from scrambled eggs to chilaquiles, and always with fresh fruit and good coffee). We met an airline steward (who did his yoga everyday on the patio), a couple on their honeymoon, a female tattoo artist, and a variety of other travelers on weeklong visits. And the price is right. Their balcony rooms go for $65 a night during the low season, although we got ours for $45 a night since they made a mistake in quoting us a low price and we held them to it. Interestingly, the people who paid full price got a TV, microwave, and refrigerator in their rooms, and we found nothing of the sort in our rooms – the price of penury. There is a drawback or two to Casa Corazon, but we adapted quickly. In the first place, even though there is an elevator that goes from floors La Playa de Los Muertos on a hot December afternoon, right in front of Casa Corazon 4 through 11 (the penthouse suite usually reserved for the owner, George Tune), you still have to climb those first four floors from the street down below – and it’s quite a hike up Amapas Street to the upper entrance on the seventh floor. The climbing in Puerto Vallarta got better by the time we were ready to leave, but those first few days were quite the challenge. (When I saw my doctor after the trip, he said I was “deconditioned.”) The other drawback was the music in the adjacent hotels that went on, loudly, until 10:30 PM. Every night we heard, as loudly as if we were on the dance floor, the music from the hotel to the left, which was good for some balcony dancing. And two nights a week, Wednesdays and Sundays, you get to hear the music from the drag shows at the Blue Chairs Hotel just to the right of Casa Corazon. I wondered why “Cabaret” still held people’s interest after all these decades, and why all these beautiful women were coming in and out of the door to the disco on the top floor, until I found out that these were major drag shows. (One drag show that we missed, but wanted to go see, held elsewhere in town, was the one featuring Ida Slapter.) Blessedly, the music always stopped at 10:30 PM, and then it was just the lull of the surf and a beautiful night’s sleep. You can book a room at Casa Corazon, which I recommend, by calling the owner in Las Cruces, New Mexico, at 505-523-4666 or 505-523-7694. The Restaurants One of the most pleasant experiences of Puerto Vallarta is the food. I always prefer street tacos and seafood cocktails in Mexico (as well as, of course, the shrimp, which is always fresh, firm, plump and tasty as the sea), and there’s plenty of that fare around in Puerto Vallarta, especially at the beach palapas. But there were three restaurants in Vallarta that sent me swooning. The first is La Tia Catrina. It was Lyneer and Penny who, on the first night I met them, took me over to this place, which was a real find for them. It’s located at 202 Francisco I. Madero at Pino Suarez ([email protected]). The decor is beautiful, and the tables fill early for dinner. I liked the French onion soup with chile rellenos. And I usually like Mexican food when I’m in Mexico, but I went out on a limb this Restaurants and craft shops line Isla Mujeres in the middle of the Rio Cuale time and tried two other restaurants that specialized in other fare, and both were among the best I’ve ever had. One was La Piazzetta Ristorante Italiano, which had an outstanding offering of antipasto and spaghetti. It outdoes anything in San Diego’s Little Italy, or any other Italian section of any major US city I know. (Or maybe I was just starving that night.) This restaurant is located at Olas Altas and Rodolfo Gomez and you can call for reservations at (322) 2220650 (website at www.lapiazzettapv. com). And a restaurant that’s been around for decades is Archie’s Wok at Francisca Rodriguez 130; reservations at (322) 222-0411. This restaurant was founded by John Huston’s personal chef, Archie, who is now deceased, but it carries on through his widow, Cindy Alpenia. This restaurant has mastered intricate flavors with mostly Asian cuisine – but you’ve got to try their panang curry (which they call, simply, curry). Other restaurants that are in the list of Puerto Vallarta’s very An Aztec costume in a parade leading to the Fiesta of the Virgen de Guadelupe Continued on page 5 3 Angelica Vasquez Cruz by Lynne Doyle Lynne Doyle is a longtime Mexico File subscriber and contributing editor from Maine. The object of the Las Joyas de Mexico feature is to highlight for MF readers some of the lesser-known but most rewarding of Mexico’s geographic, human and artistic treasures. Lynne can be contacted at and has lived since the mid-1990’s with Texan John Kemner, as outgoing and verbose as Angelica is quiet and reserved. Her home is secluded and peaceful, surrounded by the many varieties of bougainvillea she painstakingly grows against its walls. The view from her terrace over the valley is breathtaking. Off of the terrace is her gallery, a plain turquoisey-green room lined with the shelves that display her many unique figures, both large and small. intricately braided or long and flowing. Flowers used to adorn dresses and hair are miniscule and usually consist of several different tones of clay to establish color and distinguish blossoms from leaves. Her work has to be seen to be believed and there is nothing like it coming out of Mexico today. [email protected]. High up in the mountains northwest of Oaxaca, in the small village of Santa Maria Atzompa, there is a large stucco house tucked into the mountainside. After navigating a rutted dirt road above the town, you reach a gate almost obscured by vines and flowers. Behind the gate, there are several rescued dogs lying in the sun, all of whom get up to gently greet visitors to the home and workshop of ceramist Angelica Vasquez Cruz, the tiny little woman with the enormous talent known worldwide among ceramic collectors for her intricate handcrafted clay figures. Angelica doesn’t look old enough to drive but she has four grown children Angelica Vasquez Cruz on her terrace overlooking two of the many varieties of bougainvillea she cultivates on the hillside behind her home in Santa Maria Atzompa 4 One of Angelica’s simple market ladies for which she is famous. Here three varieties of clay are used to achieve depth and color differences. The figure is about 8 inches tall As talented an artist as she is, Angelica regularly does her own packing for clients traveling with their purchases, and she’s very, very good at it. I’ve never had a piece arrive home broken Angelica is a genius with detail. Her figures, generally of women, are precise and intricate in the extreme. No two are ever the same, and because of their complexity, Angelica does not produce a large volume of work. You will not find her figures in markets or shops – most are either special orders or purchased directly from her. While some of the figures are tinted with a wide range of muted colors known as “agobes” (natural substances mixed with clay and applied much like paint to achieve “more life” in the work), most of the ornamentation on them is achieved by different varieties of clay which turn color when fired. Angelica also achieves some of her patterns by running a pencil through the clay to add variety, depth and texture. The facial expressions on Angelica’s mermaids, angels, virgins and market ladies are both mischievous and serene, and their hair styles are usually either Angelica herself is perhaps five feet tall and weighs about 90 pounds with rocks in her pockets. She usually wears slacks, men’s shirts too large for her and flip flops as she plunks down with the ease of the teenager she looks like onto a cushion on the floor of her gallery to discuss her work. She does not speak English but appears to understand a great This figure – 15 inches tall – is an interpretation of the Virgin of Guadelupe surrounded by cactus, flowers, and various Aztec figures, suggesting a composite of Mexican cultural history. It reflects all of the minute detail that is Angelica’s specialty, as well as the “agobe” colorations that help to differentiate the various aspects of the piece. Because of the complex nature of this piece, it sells for upwards of $300 Continued on page 7 Book Review Mexico Chic: Hotels Haciendas Spas by Foo Mei Zee and Barbara Kastelein Bolding Books: $25; 232 pp. Reviewed by Gale Randall If the notion of traveling independently around Mexico and staying at some of the country’s more charming and unusual boutique hotels and inns intrigues you, then Mexico Chic just may be the kind of book you’re looking for. Offering descriptions and photo displays of some 44 different properties, the book is organized around seven distinctive regions of Mexico: the Mexican Caribbean, Mayan region, central east and south highlands, the Pacific coast, Mexico City, the central western highlands, and the Sea of Cortez. Each geographical section is accompanied by an extensive introduction and photos highlighting that region’s distinctive characteristics. If you’re an old hand at traveling Mexico, many of the properties will be familiar to you, like Oaxaca’s venerable Camino Real, the Posada la Basilica in Patzcuaro, or Playa del Carmen’s Shangri-la Caribe. But many others are newcomers, such as Mexico City’s Habita and W hotels, several revived Yucatecan haciendas, and the boutique hotels of the Riviera Maya – Deseo, Maroma and Ceiba del Mar, for example, resorts designed in part, I suspect, as oases for refugees from Cancun. I’m puzzled by some obvious omissions from this beautiful compendium, such as the gorgeous Las Mananitas of the peacocks in Cuernavaca and the most intriguing of the Yucatan haciendas, Katanchel. But the omission of Katanchel may have something to do with the destruction wrought on that property by Hurricane Isidore in fall 2002. On a tour of the haciendas in early 2003, I saw firsthand what Isidore had done to Katanchel, but the hacienda is now back in operation and it would be a treat to visit. And, Katanchel has its own Mayan ruin. I don’t believe one needs the travel budget of an oil sheik to plan a trip around some of these properties. I think it’s fun to alternate stays between more modest digs and then maybe splurge for one night at a higherend property, or, if that’s not feasible, at least plan a meal at such a place. If, for instance, I were to plan a trip to the Yucatan, I’d fly into Cancun, stay a few nights at beachside Shangri-la Caribe outside Playa del Carmen, and then move on to tour the ruins and haciendas of Yucatan State, stopping first at laid back and reasonable San Antonio Chalante, the horseback riding hacienda just outside the yellow city of Izamal, and then move on to Tixkokob, staying at either Hacienda San Jose Cholul or Katanchel, and ending my trip in Merida. Likewise, if I were to visit Mexico City for a few days, I’m not sure I’d bunk at either the Habita or W hotels featured in Mexico Chic, but rather my old favorite, the Calinda Geneve in the Zona Rosa, perhaps planning a day bus trip to Cuernavaca, where for sure I’d lunch at Las Mananitas or the newer Casa Tamayo Cuernavaca. I’ve never been to Puebla, but I can hardly wait to try out the idiosyncratic Meson Sacristia de Capuchinas or Meson Sacristia de la Compania, two antique-filled boutique hotels owned by the antique-dealing Espinosa family. It’s fun to dream. Author Foo Mei Zee is the former editor of the Singapore-based magazine The Peak and a contributor to the Asian Wall Street Journal. Barbara Kastelein, a resident of Mexico City, has contributed to Conde Nast Traveler and has a column in the Miami Herald’s Mexican edition. Puerto Vallarta Continued best include The Agave Grill, Barcelona Tapas, Boca Bento, Daiquiri Dick’s, Trio, and Vitea. La Fiesta of the Virgin of Guadelupe Carmel and I met with Lyneer and Penny nearly every night at a beachside bar, Cuates y Cuetes, right on Los Muertos Beach, just north of the pier. (They have a two for one happy hour, and Lyneer and Penny, we noticed, had made friends with quite a few of patrons and staff by the week Carmel and I showed up.) One night they suggested that we have dinner at the Fiesta of the Virgin of Guadelupe that was taking place nightly at the Church of the Virgen de Guadelupe a few blocks north of the Rio Cuale. Parades converge from all over Puerto Vallarta toward the center of the Fiesta with people singing and holding candles Amazingly, little parades originated from all over the city of Puerto Vallarta with participants in costume or just in groups dressed in white and holding candles as they marched toward the church. We got to a street booth just about straight in front of the church and sat down for a bowl of pozole. Not only did this bowl of soup make me think I had died and gone to heaven, but as we were eating it, magnificent voices, choirs, came pealing out of the church singing religious music – and I felt fully on the brink of ascending. That very moment was the high point of my trip to PV – good broth, cascading music, in a sea of Mexican folk culture. Afterward we went on an art walk to galleries that were open that night – and Lyneer found a mesmerizing Huichol yarn painting by the master of this art form, Benito Sanchez, a shaman who creates paintings based on the themes of peyote ceremonies. I ended up, once I got back to San Diego, buying one of these myself – and Lyneer bought three. Et Cetera Every Puerto Vallarta travel article Church of the Virgin of Guadelupe during the Fiesta Continued on page 8 5 Izucar Continued size and style in between. They are also firmly in the 21st century, with their internet café next door (which you can use for free if you buy from them) and their web catalog from which purchasers can order pieces to be custom made. Where all this technological advancement falls apart is in the time table – it can take months to receive a catalogue-ordered piece, and while whatever it is will be gorgeous, it often will have little beyond shape in common with what is pictured in the catalog. Once, when I questioned the difference between the piece I received from the piece I ordered, Maria laughingly explained that pieces are often painted depending on her mood and whatever jar has the most paint in it, though I’m not confident enough of my Spanish to be absolutely sure whether this was said seriously or not. Also a frustrating contribution of their ordering system is that often, there will be little in the studio that is actually for sale, as most of it will be previously ordered or purchased. Also worthy of note is the Balbuena Alonso family, notably Joaquin, whose use of bold colors is in a class by itself. Joaquin does not sign only his own name to his work as he considers each piece a This portrait of Joaquin Balbuena Olonso outside his studio with one of his more striking pieces – a candle holder steeped in the Izucar tradition of high detail and intricate patterns. This piece was purchased by Mexico File subscriber Steve Cziraki and his wife Linda and stands about 20 inches tall 6 This menorah by Maria Balbuena Palacios is my all-time favorite piece of Izucar art. It is 15 inches tall, 18 inches wide, and has been broken so many times that I don’t dare move it, which accounts for the busy background in the photo. I ordered this piece in 1990 and it arrived broken in five places, but this type of clay is easily repaired. After I had vanquished all evidence of breakage, and my husband was applying varnish, he broke it again in two different places. However, as you can see, there is no sign of damage anywhere on it today joint family effort, which it is as his wife paints and his children help to conduct business. A tall, handsome, quiet man, Joaquin’s large and small pieces are representative of the Izucar style, both in composition and in painting, but are also reasonably priced and carefully done – and there are always lots of items for sale. All of us were delighted that there were so many pieces to choose from on this trip and we all bought pieces here. A little further down the street is Augustin Castillo (another brother of Alfonso, Heriberto and Isabel) and his wife Teresa. While they often have no pieces for over-the-counter sales, Teresa was most helpful to us this time in demonstrating part of the firing technique used in the manufacture of ceramics in Izucar. She escorted us throughout all the work spaces and then showed us how she cools the kiln after a firing. As are most of the artists in the town, this couple is friendly, helpful and unfailingly polite to unexpected visitors, even when they don’t have anything to sell. One last artist to mention is Tomas Hernandez Baez who, while very talented, is definitely not one of my favorite people. Located a little further from the others but within Barrio de Santa Catarina, he is very successful and does some amazing work, but I have not found him to be a very nice person. To begin with, his pieces are such direct copies of the work of his sister Marta’s husband, Alfonso Castillo, that it is positively eerie. To confess my ultimate hypocrisy, this was okay with me years ago when his prices were far below those of Alfonso, but now Tomas’ prices are equal and in some cases above Alfonso’s, so my feeling is that if you are going to pay that much, you might as well get the original. Also, during our visit when I was researching this article, Tomas was the only artist we encountered who objected to my photographing some of his pieces, and was quite vocal in his objections (perhaps afraid I was going to copy them?) Later, he attempted to amend his behavior by buying Cokes for our group, giving the ladies little sculptured bugs, and eventually giving us a lift back to town in his truck, but for me, his efforts were too little, too late. I can honestly say he is the only artist I have ever visited anywhere in Mexico who was not completely cordial, Continued on page 8 Cancun Puerto Vallarta Mexico City Izucar de Matamoros Oaxaca Subscribe to The Mexico File. Name Address Telephone Cost: Printed version — $39.00 per year (10 issues) $65.00 for two years (20 issues) (Add $10.00 to price if outside the U.S.) PDF version — $18.00 per year (10 issues) $34.00 for two years (20 issues) Send check or money order to: Simmonds Publications 5580 La Jolla Blvd, Suite #306 La Jolla, CA 92037 Phone 1-800-5MEXFILE Angelica Continued Izucar Continued This incense burner/ candelabra has a very unusual shape done largely by Maria Balbuena Palacios – at least I have not seen it anywhere else. Also one of her personal signatures found on some of her larger pieces is the criss-cross background, here done in red and blue. It stands about 18 inches tall and cost $35 in 2000 patient with questions and tolerant in the extreme with his guests’ varying degrees of skill with Spanish. If they were all like Tomas, it is my view that the American enthusiasm with Mexican folk art would die on the vine. Perhaps pertinent here is that since returning from this trip, I have learned that – contrary to most of the artists’ communities I have visited in Mexico – among these few artists, there is a great deal of competition and mistrust, even between family members. For example, I couldn’t understand how Alfonso Castillo would permit such blatant plagiarism of his work by his brother-inlaw, but with Mexican law being what it is, there is little he can do to prevent the highjacking of his designs by Tomas Baez. It is for this reason that in Izucar, there is no artists’ cooperative or market and therefore, there is poorer distribution of the work of the artists than is usually found throughout Mexico. I couldn’t work out any particular reason for MF THE MEXICO FILE The Newsletter for Mexicophiles Continued on page 8 deal and uses energetic body language to get her point across. She has long shiny black hair and delicate, serious features, but her smile, although it rarely appears, lights the room when it does. She is most comfortable explaining the thought processes and techniques behind her work. She considers herself a spiritualist who is constantly reflecting on both the culture and history of her country as well as the roles and conditions of women in Mexico’s highly traditional society. Her success is relatively recent, dating only from the early 90’s, although she began working clay when she was a young child following in the footsteps of her parents. Initially, her parents made utilitarian pottery for the practical use of fellow villagers but in middle age, emulating their daughters, began to make decorative pieces. Angelica’s early marriage at 18 and responsibility for her children delayed the time when she was able to develop and take credit for her own creative work. However, her considerable renown in the world of Mexican ceramic folk art is assured now. She is welcoming and pleasant to unannounced visitors and an afternoon spent in her gallery and on her terrace is an unparalleled experience. She can be found on Avenida Independencia beyond the center of Atzompa, and any cab driver in the city of Oaxaca can get you there, although not all will be willing to traverse the rocky road to her door. It is best to inquire first, or hire Sebastian Chino Pena, who can get his Suburban right to the gate as well as translate and negotiate prices for you. A visit to Angelica is a uniquely Oaxacan experience – an opportunity to meet a woman of her time as well as of her THE MEXICO FILE Published ten times a year by Simmonds Publications 5580 La Jolla Blvd., #306 La Jolla, CA 92037 Voice mail: 800-563-9345 Phone/Fax: (858) 456-4419 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.mexicofile.com Subscription rate is $39.00 per year in the U.S., $49.00 per year outside the U.S. PDF version available, see subscription box for details Promotional rates are sometimes available. ©2006 Simmonds Publications The Mexico File’s contents are intended for the independent traveler. The information given is believed to be reliable, but cannot be guaranteed for accuracy due to constant changes that occur in a country this size. Unsolicited stories, photos and letters are welcomed and encouraged. Postage should be included for any items to be returned. This publication may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from the editor and the author of the article. Editor: David Simmonds Publisher: Robert Simmonds, Ph.D. Contributing Editors: Lynne Doyle, Jane Onstott Design/Layout: Paul Hartsuyker www.hartworks.net culture who represents a unique and singular aspect of the progress Mexican women are making and the stature they are achieving in the traditionally sexist world of Mexican folk art. This 10 inch wide, 8 inch tall, mermaid is one of Angelica’s trademark themes, where she again uses her agobe application to more effectively reveal the different components of the piece. Also apparent here is the flowing hair found on so many Vasquez figures A Note from Lynne Doyle Since the publication of my Las Joyas column entitled “The Amazing Art of Popotila,” in November 2004, I have found a descendant of the famed Olay family who is today producing some very impressive examples of this rare art form, although his work is different from his ancestors – in execution, if not in theme. He is Guillermo Olay, son of Gabriel Olay, grandson of Petra, and great grandson of Gabriel #2. He is about 45 years old and lives and works in the Michoacan village of Tlapujahua. Guillermo uses many of the themes created by his famous ancestors, such as folkloric dances, portraits of traditional Mexican people, etc., but his style is singular, both from his forebears and from other contemporary artists. Rather than use long pieces of straw to create his images, he uses very short pieces of graded coloration to establish depth and texture. His work is extraordinary, but in keeping with his celebrated heritage, the cost of his creations is substantial. This cross, measuring 32 by 20 inches, is a typical example of the religious topics depicted by the Olay family, although its bold colors and notable size reflect Guillermo’s contemporary approach to his art. 7 Izucar Continued Guns for Computers In a unique attempt at slowing the crime rate, Mexico City has begun offering a computer to anyone who brings in a gun to exchange. The program is similar to a previous attempt in which groceries were offered for guns with mixed results. The guns-for-computer program is being offered only in the most crime-ridden districts. Undocumented Migrants in Mexico Mexico arrested more than 240,000 undocumented migrants in 2005, nearly 75% more than just three years ago. Of the arrested, 89% were from Central America. The remaining were from Brazil, Venezuela, and other countries as far away as China. Mexico has set up seven new detention centers throughout the country to house the detainees. Tourism continues to Grow From January to November 2005, Mexico increased the number of international visitors to 19.68 million, an 8 percent increase over the same period the previous year. Tourism generated nearly US$11 million in revenue for the same time period, an increase of nearly 12 percent. The tourism sector employed nearly 2 million workers in November 2005. According to 2006 Travel Trends, Mexico tops the list of top 10 international destinations with five vacation options. Number two was Riviera Maya, number three was Cancun, while Puerto Vallarta came in at number five. Mexico cruises were in the number nine spot with Cabo San Lucas ranked 10th. Obrador Still in Lead Ex-Mexico City mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of the PRD still leads in polling to become the next president of Mexico, although the PAN candidate, Felipe Calderon Hinojosa is running a strong second with the PRI’s Roberto Madrazo coming in a distant third. Obrador, the populist favorite in Mexico City, has maintained the lead for several months despite attempts to discredit him by the opposition. 8 this anomaly except perhaps the fact that the entire town isn’t employed in pottery-making, and town leaders have no involvement in how business is conducted, resulting in no community cooperation. It seems sad to me that this should be the case, as it severely inhibits both production and distribution of wares, thereby making it much harder for collectors to find the work. One might think that the result would be much higher prices for the work that does manage to get produced, but with the exception of Alfonso Castillo, most of the artists are not charging what they probably could, considering the relative rarity of their pieces. Before we headed back to Puebla, we stopped at the second-story Restaurante Atoyac Plaza, located on the side of the zocalo directly opposite the cathedral. While pleasant enough with its wide windows overlooking the street, I had the worst arrachero I’ve ever been served in Mexico. On the upside, however, the beer was cold, the rest rooms clean and no one got sick. After a leisurely lunch during which I attempted to find some picturesque view to photograph, our hot and exhausted little group walked to the bus station for the ride back to Puebla, during which we saw the same part of the same movie offered to us on the way in. (We still don’t know how it ended.) So there you have a feeling for the essence of the art of Izucar de Matamoros in a very small nutshell. I have tried to keep the verbal aspects of this article to a minimum, as in my view the photographs tell the story much more effectively than words ever could. Very occasionally, some smaller examples of this art form can be found in the market El Parian in Puebla, and sometimes in the markets of Mexico City and the most popular tourist areas, as well as on the internet, but the best and most impressive pieces can be acquired only from the artists of Izucar themselves or from the higher end dealers and purveyors of Mexican folk art. Since I discovered and began collecting this particular style of design in the early 90’s, its popularity has picked up considerably along with its prices, while availability seems to ebb and flow in no particular pattern. However, as most of the people who have been lucky enough to see and handle this incredible art form can testify, it’s worth the trouble to seek it out and you don’t have to sell your first born or re-mortgage your house to own some of it. A favorite theme for Maria Balbuena Palacios is the legend of the Virgen de Guadalupe and Juan Diego, and here she had expressed it in yet another unusual candelabra shape, complete with her criss-cross lines in blue on the base and candle holders and in cranberry on the edges of the tree Puerto Vallarta Continued The Mercado Municipal is the site of hundreds of craft booths has to give at least some space to Casa Kimberly, the former home of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in Gringo Gulch. But, I’m sorry. There was no way I was going to climb the hill up to this museum. What was very pleasant, however, was a walk from the Malecon down Isla Mujeres to the bridge at the other end. The Isla used to be jungle, and now it’s filled with restaurants and craft shops. I even saw a $10,000 sculpture for sale there. The crafts are excellent, but perhaps a bit higher priced than you can find at the Mercado Municipal, which has booths selling virtually everything (but take a look at the silver jewelry...and there’s good food on the top floor). Puerto Vallarta, yes, may be overgrown now – too much of a tourist destination maybe. But you can find what you need to find there. And for me, that meant a happy, warm breath of tropical air among friends.