Tacambaro Artist

Artemio Rodriguez: Linocut and Woodblock Prints

Artemio expressively talks about his work.

Yesterday six of us spent the day together with the Patzcuaro Birding Club. We had an ambitious and successful plan. First birds, then comida, then art in Tacambaro. Our visit to meet Artemio Rodriguez was rewarding. He is hospitable and talented--and I have always been particularly partial to the mediums of woodblock and linocut prints. His work is shown in the Davidson Galleries in Seattle, Washington. Also see Print Making by Artemio Rodriguez on YouTube. (I had heard about a print maker in Tacambaro for a year or so, but had never seen his work. Thanks from all of us to Georgia Conti for this introduction.)

Artemio shows us some of his prints.

A framed print in the Galería.

The Galería has a wall of children's art.
One of many such pieces, the colors and imagery of this child's painting
are clearly based in Mexican culture.

Links
Galeria La Mano Grafica, Patzcuaro
You can live in Patzcuaro.

Digital Donations to Patzcuaro Library

Muchísimas gracias for the generous response from residents of Travis Country, Austin to our appeal in TC Notes. We have delivered your donations of computer equipment to the library in Pátzcuaro, Mexico. Maestra Gloria Blancas López, Director of the Biblioteca Pública Federal Gertrudis Bocanegra places a hand on a newly acquired CPU. On the far left is Hilario Martinez Onofre, her technical assistant.

We also brought your donations of books to benefit the library. Spanish language books are placed in the library; English language books are used to raise money for the library. They are sought after by ex-pats who live here.

The Biblioteca is an invaluable resource for the education of Patzcuaro's students of all ages.

Farmer's Market

Ibo, formerly of Switzerland, now of Erongarícuaro, makes fine breads. I have purchased the whole wheat and multi-grain loaves, which are particuarly good toasted. Ibo's little pizzas are also very tasty.

Shannon's almond-basil-cheese pesto was a treat on toasted Ibo bread. We had this for lunch with a green salad.

Some of the items available.

One can also purchase garden fresh herbs and tender fresh greens for salads.
The market is open 11:00 am to 4:00 pm Friday.
It is located just above the Tanganxuan roundabout on the main tree-lined Avenue Lázaro Cárdenas that leads to the Centro Histórico. It is between the Hostería San Felipe and Galería Vicky-Rafael, on the right hand side going uphill (South).

Crowned

I have been crowned. After unexpectedly losing, in the middle of nowhere, a beat-up old gold tooth crown dating back to an unlikely time and place, I now sport a modern porcelain replacement. Adding to my enthusiasm over action I was forced to take is the total cost of the dentistry: 3500 pesos (USD$265.00).The whole process took about two weeks. I am grateful to a friend for referring me to her excellent dentist in Morelia--an easy drive from Patzcuaro.

Come to Patzcuaro.

Trafficking in Gold

This is about what my "nugget" looked like.

The economy must really be in the tank. I have been brought to trafficking in gold. First I must explain that I have an international mouth. Not because of languages. It is because over decades I surrendered to some rudimentary dentistry in out-of-the-way places. At some point I distinctly recall the use of a jackhammer.

The circumstances that brought me to trafficking started on a driving trip. We were in Bustamante, Coahuila, for the night of El Grito, on the eve of September 16 Independence Day celebrations. I was eating a tasty taco and bit down on a rock. It turned out to be a gold crown that I had gotten somewhere that came off. (Fortunately, this glitzy diente hid as a back molar all these years.) There was no dentist available in time or place until we traveled though the lunar landscape of the Altiplano Potosino and hit Morelia. I had a jagged stump lacerating my tongue for two days, until a sainted dentist worked me in for an appointment on the first business day after the holiday. At the end of my appointment, to my surprise, he deposited the beat-up gold crown in the palm of my hand. A nostalgic memento of some far-away place.

After arriving back in Patzcuaro, I noticed a sign that said Se compra oro near the Biblioteca. So I popped in, feeling totally ridiculous, and asked if they would buy a gold tooth. I can't believe I did this--or admit to it. The young man who attended me did not even blink. He tested my "nugget" to see if it was really gold (it was) and then he weighed it. I received 350 pesos, about $26 dollars at the current rate. Hey, I took a friend to a great lunch and have plenty left over.

Never underestimate the possibilities of commerce in Patzcuaro.

Sequel.

Come to Patzcuaro.

My Happy Birthday

I woke up to a lovely card and today Glen took la güera to eat at La Güera for her birthday. Good company with my man, and good food. An unprepossessing exterior. One of Patzcuaro's good secrets.

These shrimp brochettes were as good as they look.
A taste and texture treat.

I also appreciate the phone calls. And this morning early I received the traditional Las Mañanitas wish via email from my dear friend, Edna.

See a video of Las Mañanitas below.

Masks of Mexico

As part of the celebrations in Pátzcuaro for 16 de septiembre and the ten days of events commemorating the pueblo's 475th anniversary, we visited an exhibit of masks, one of several exhibits at the Ex-Colegio Jesuita. Entry is free of charge.

This exhibit currently on display is the best collection of Mexican Masks that I have seen. It is far more extensive than the collection that we went to see in Colima. To see a slideshow of just some of the masks included in this extensive display, visit flickr.

There may be an large collection at the Museo Nacional de Antropológia in Mexico DF, but I have not been there in a long time and the times that I did go, there was so much history on display that I could not take it all in.

Come to Patzcuaro.

Happy 475th Birthday - III

Click arrow to play video.

Another excerpt from a folk dance performed by students of the Secundaria Técnica of Pátzcuaro, one of many free events scheduled from September 18th through September 29th, 2009, for the pueblo's 457th Anniversary.

Happy 475th Birthday - II

Click arrow to play video.

For Patzcuaro's 475th Anniversary, a number of dance presentations were scheduled at the Teatro Imperador on Plaza Gertrudis Bocanegra aka Plaza Chica. Students from the local Secundaria Técnica performed these showy folk dances.

Happy 475th Birthday - I

This evening of folk dances was one of many dance and other
events scheduled at the Teatro Imperador.

Pátzcuaro offers an abundance of cultural events, plums for the taking. We are spoiled. For the 475 Aniversario of this Pueblo Mágico events are scheduled from the 18th through the 29th of September, 2009. All events are free, with the exception of a few food tastings.

El Grito de Independencia

On the eve of September 16th, all over Mexico, the Cry of Independence is re-enacted. People dress up in their national colors of red-white-and green and stream into the streets.

These pretty girls head to the plaza for the evening celebrations on September 15th. On September 16th, Independence Day, they participated in the lavish local parade.

Library

Biblioteca Gertrudis Bocanegra, Patzcuaro, Mexico

The library needs donations of books and digital equipment. Their budget barely covers costs of operation and is not adequate for purchases. Spanish language books are put into the library. English language books are sold to the expatriate community to raise money, with a few being shelved for English-speaking borrowers. The Director, Gloria Blancas Lopez, has dedicated her whole professional life to the library. In order to obtain the software she needs to put the books catalog on computer, she has to show that she has a dedicated computer, which she needs to acquire.

The library fills a need great need for students in Patzcuaro. It is their only resource for books and research. The library also provides children with free computer classes as well as classes in the arts and crafts that are well-known and traditional to the region.

Many of our friends in Austin have been very generous. They provided us with a good load of books and other items which we took for the library in our pick-up. We hope to take items donated by Travis Country residents soon.
Links:
Where in the heck is Pátzcuaro?
The library's magnificent mural.