GIRLS OUTING
My friend invited me to this outing last weekend to go to these small towns about two hours away that are known for their pottery. We had a fun filled day
First we had stopped at Lago de Camécuaro National Park. The park is located east of the city of Zamora de Hidalgo in the municipality of Tangancícuaro in the state of Michoacán. The Park consists of 9.65 hectares (23.8 acres) of protected area including Camécuaro Lake which is supplied by a series of natural springs. The lake is popular due to crystal clear water and the beautiful vegetation that surrounds the lake. Even though the lake is relatively small, many photographers from all over Mexico come to take professional photographs that capture the parks picturesque views.
Everyone packed a lunch and all fifteen of us in seven cars followed like a convoy into the park grounds.
Next we traveled to the city of Michoacán. This stop was to see clay pottery being made some of which are famous pineapple looking pieces.
Next we traveled to the city of Michoacán. This stop was to see clay pottery being made some of which are famous pineapple looking pieces.
Mexico's folkart/artesanias is exemplified through its pottery. In a small mountain pueblo, a family extracts large natural clay from a local clay (barro) quarry. This is the raw material with which Pedro Hernándes Carlos and his wife, Isabel Serranom create the celebrated pineapple pots. Such talent and skill, all the pieces were so elegant.
án, Mexico called Patamban. Patamban has been a community of Purepecha Indian potters since the 16th century. The cooperative known as Alfareros de Patamban began to work as a group in 1974, but in the beginning each family worked separately in its own workshop and joined together only to sell their products. In 1984 they had developed more trust between the artisans, and decided to change
their technique, which led to the high-fired, lead free product they now produce in the cooperative's central workshop. The founders are Ricardo Calderon (educated and trained in Mexico City) and his wife, Catalina Bony, who comes from a family of French ceramicists. Now many of the original founding members are in their fifties and sixties, and their children are working in the cooperative.
Onward bound, moving right along as we all get in our cars we start traveling to another fine pottery workshop
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gelcuma4y_I
Our final stop was the town of Ocumicho. In this rural Mexican state of Michoacán, devils, mermaids, saints, sun gods, and drunks can all be found mixing it up and having a great time. Each of these characters and many more, inhabit the strange universe depicted in sculptures. These bizarre pottery tableaux feature hybrid scenes from everyday life, religious allegories, and native folklore, all borne from the mind of a unique young man named Marcelino Vicente. Resembling Hieronymus Bosch’s nightmarish landscapes from the 1500s, but with a Catholic-folk art twist, these ceramic fantasies are found nowhere else. Yet during the 1960s, Vicente’s eccentric lifestyle was perceived as a threat to the town’s social hierarchy, which ultimately destroyed him for being different.
Soon it was getting late and almost time for dinner so we all got in our cars and headed to a traditional Mexican restaurant near by. I decided to get sea food soup and in it was everything but the kitchen sink it was full of fish, oysters, octopus, shrimp, claims, crawfish, and a mixture of vegetables.
We left at 9:00 in the morning and arrived back around 9:00 at night. It was a very fun packed day. I hope you enjoy the pictures of the surrounding areas and the culture displayed.
I would like to thank my driver Pat and Dan‘s friends Breta and Gary for inviting me. I had a ball exploring Mexico.
