#1: Buy Pretty Things
When I'm in Mexico, I love shopping for things Mexican. For a pasty boy of Scandinavian descent, I'm unusually drawn to Mexican folk art, particularly images associated with Dia de los Muertos. There are tons of folk art shops, but you need to shop around to find the quality of work that tickles your fancy. I was thrilled to find these three lovely Catrinas by local artist Tadeo Cruz. (Actually, the Frida representation wouldn't technically be a Catrina, but we won't get into that here.) They are delicate little clay beauties, standing only about six inches tall. Clearly they love to have their photos taken, even though my photography doesn't do them justice.
One shop we always visit is The Puerco Azul (The Blue Pig), owned by Nancy & Lee Chapman. Nancy writes children's books and Lee illustrates them. Their shop is filled with very lighthearted, endearing prints, books, objects and general curiosities. It is in Old Town just off of the great restaurant street, Basilio Badillo (more on that later).
3 comments:
We have a leash holder with the "good dog- bad dog" from Lee Chapman.
Love the ladies- I think all Scandinavian children in MN and IA grew up wishing for a more vibrant heritage- snow, lefse, and ludifisk pale in comparison. For me it was a Greek desire- there was a large population in Rochester- greek festival each year downtown-Amazing. I babysat for an orthodox family who brought me to their Easter celebrations to watch the kids while they sang and then we'd eat roast pig when the hours long service ended- I was fascinated and jealous. My cold, stoic Norwegian Lutheran church with it's occasional bake sale and lentil soup dinners seemed even moreso after that.
Why do you think I married a New York Italian?? We WHITE kids needed some color. . . well the thinking ones anyway. There are plenty who just stayed with the familiar.
Lovely ladies all three - kind of like my sisters and I, yes??
Yup. You can't do much with a bunad and rosemaling, can you?
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