After a productive first day and a morning visit to the nuevo mercado in Pátzcuaro, we had another day in Capula ahead of us. On the agenda was meeting with one of our partners to see what he had available. Then Judy and I both had specific orders to pick up from different artisans. And we always do a lap or two of the main drag where all the stands are set up, just in case we see something we want to bring home with us.
When the town is set up for a full festival we tend to park on the very west end of Avenida Vasco de Quiroga, in front of the Mercado de Artesania. Then we make the walk to see who and what we need to see. On our way in we stopped to pick up some snacks from this guy. One package of pistachios, one package of candied pecans, and a small package of chocopiedras for $200 MXN (little less than $11). Maybe not a screaming bargain, but good to have the snacks on hand and buy local.
Then a stroll through the familiar set up with assorted stands on either side of the street.
As we got closer to the center of town we made the turns to get off onto the back street and visit our partner at his home / workshop (the one on the left with the older fellow posted out front keeping an eye on things).
Our pick up here was relatively small. Every partner we work with is a family business. And sadly a few of them have had health-related setbacks in the past couple of years. When they are down a pair of hands their production dips. Most obviously there is one less person who is able to paint, but also the rest of the family is of course spending time caring for the member who is ill and needs support -- e.g., doctor appointments or hospitalization off in Morelia, nevermind all the general household chores and such. The good news here is the mother-in-law who was hospitalized with a serious scare is home and looking incredibly well. She'll be back to work soon and they told us they have recently recruited a couple of cousins into the operation. So we expect our October pick up from them to be back to normal.
While they packed everything up for us we backtracked toward the church where people were getting set up for the evening's festivities. What festivities you ask - check out the town's videos on Facebook, like this one.
Since we were also close to the main food hall and hungry, we stopped for some tacos dorados. Simple papas y queso with some salsa verde. And the accompaniment of local músicos. We had also picked up a delicious family-size agua de sabor (limón y pepino). $40 for the agua, $50 for the tacos (4 pzas), and $10 for the músicos. Lunch and entertainment for $100 MXN.
Energized by the pitstop, we were ready to head back to Pátzcuaro. But first, after passing by the 'exit' for the town of Cuanajo dozens of times over the years, I decided today was the day we had time to go check it out. The town is reknowned in Mexico (and maybe beyond) for artisanal furniture. Some absolute master carpenters and furniture makers here. We have seen their work at the major festivals and tianguis in Pátzcuaro and Uruapan. But we have never stopped through the town to actually check it out first hand. First thing I can say is that it was a pretty little detour. Lovely weather, beautiful landscape. What's not to like?
What got our attention to stop was this sign:
Which was in front of this unassuming house:
Unfortunately, no pictures allowed inside. But I tell you their stuff is spectacular. Some absolutely amazing pieces. Rocking chairs (single, double, hasta un triple). Salas decoradas y tejidas. Handmade benches, tables, and chairs. All with gorgeous hand-painted details and hand-woven seat cushions. Beautiful. We are not currently in the market for new furniture. Nor do we have a casa campestre to furnish. But at some point in my life I'm getting either a rocker (silla mesadora) or one of the 'triple' benches. In the meantime, I have these nice pics showing the vista from just inside the showroom. If you're in the area and want to stop by, it's Galeria de Liliana.
Pleased with my decision to stop in Cuanajo, we went back to the hotel in Pátzcuaro for some rest. Watched a bit of the Capula parade via their Facebook livestream ...
Then grabbed dinner at Obsidiana Manjares, which until fairly recently was La Surtidora Argentina. Changed their name and freshened up the interior a bit. But menu is pretty much exactly the same. Cool and cloudy / rainy, so we ate inside. Got a few of the standards. Loaded baked potato, choripan, and a house salad. Good wrap up to another solid day out in Michoacán.
The Nuevo Mercado in Pátzcuaro has been in the works for a while now. Maybe a couple of years? Maybe more? (UPDATE: I found an article noting when the project started, which was just about two years ago.) It opened up about one week after our more recent trip in April, so we could only see the outside and peek in from the perimeter. I was skeptical. The old market was a bit chaotic, but had that 'authenticity' that people seek and romanticize. Informal stalls lining the streets, with plastic tarps strung up on all sides to protect from sun, rain, birds, what have you. You can find more pictures in the google maps listing of the old market. I'm sure I have a few in my photoroll from years past, but cannot find them quickly. So I will borrow this one for reference:
The old market had everything you can find in most good Mexican mercados. Fruit & veg. Carnicerias. Taco stands. Jugos y licuados. Clothes, shoes, housewares, etc., etc., etc. We wouldn't visit during every trip to Pátzcuaro, but we would walk through it often enough. Sometimes picking up a purple sweet potato to bring home. Once to buy rain boots during a particularly rainy stretch with flooding streets all about. The old market would blur lines between market stalls and the shops lining the streets that radiate out from the market location. The whole area was, in my mind anyway, just part of 'the mercado'. So I think of the B2B snack snop that sells giant bags of chicharon and cheez poofs as part of the mercado (that bag of cheez poofs we bought turned out to be a not-great decision).
Back to the current story ...
For the past two years much of the mercado was relocated to the plaza chica. That situation was objectively a mess, so by comparison the nuevo mercado would be an improvement. My concern as nothing more than a regular visitor to town was that the new market would be another step down a path towards contrived, charmless homogeny. In just the 10 years we've been coming through it feels like there have been a lot of changes. A couple / few boutiquey hotels opening up, like El Eden. Some chic, sophisticated cafes, bakeries, and shops. I know things evolve and that managing 'progress' is tricky. But it does feel like the genuine character and 'alma' that justified the city's selection as a pueblo mágico, the vibe that attracted travelers to experience the 'magic', is at risk of becoming a bit stagecrafted for tourists. Admittedly it's a long way off from feeling like an Epcot version of Pátzcuaro. And some of these new places are undoubtedly good additions. But others, like the complex at Casa Musi, for example, feel like an unnecessary step in the wrong direction. The collection of little restaurants and Don Gennaro's hot chocolate shop that were in that corner building previously had charm and appeal that can't be concocted in the brainstorming session of some rich family's LLC (or whatever the Mexican equivalent is).
All that is semi-relevant preamble to say I was dubious about the nuevo mercado. And at this point all I have had is one limited first impression. Let's see how I feel next year after another 3 or 4 visits. But my first impression is that it is a net positive.
The streets that were once blanketed with informal puestos spreading out in all directions are now tidied up.
Stepping in from one of the entrances you can see it's still not fully ramped up. But we were also there fairly early in the day. Around 10am. So it could also be that not everyone had opened up for the day yet.
It's a multi-level deal with an attractive atrium of sorts.
So we headed up to see what was what. More shops and a nice view of the lower level.
All the way up top there is a pedestrian bridge connecting the two buildings. There are a number of food stalls up there that will likely be a very cool place to enjoy some tacos with a view. But today was early and cloudy. So we snapped a few pics and kept it moving.
We went up via the stairs, came down via the ramp, and did note they have an elevator. So it's relatively accessible, though the one elevator was pretty small.
Net - I'm cautiously optimistic. We'll be back out there in October and will have to check out the upper deck's food hall for lunch and report back.
We visit our artisan partners in Capula 3 - 4 times per year on average. Always around Día de Muertos, to stock up for the Q4 / holiday season. Almost always around Semana Santa, so we can combine it with a visit to the Tianguis in Uruapan. Then depending on the year we'll also head out in January, like we did this year. Some years we also come out in July. This is one of those years.
The first time we came out in July we didn't realize it was a time of local and regional celebration in honor of Santiago Apóstol. I cannot find one specific source online to explain exactly what it is being celebrated, but the tradition goes back hundreds of years as I understand it. And it runs through dozens of small towns across the state of Michoacán. This article features a church in his name in a small town that has been painted by local artisans. Doesn't go deep into the broader tradition, unfortunately, but gives you an idea of the importance and reverence for the patron saint of the region.
One year we were coincindentally driving through a number of these small towns during the celebration and were treated to a series of fireworks, bands in the streets, children riding horses like pros, festivals lined with food stalls, etc. Pretty special to stumble through. Capula puts on a big festival during these days, with the artisans all set up along the main street and a full program of religous ceremonies and celebrations. So if timing allows we coordinate our pottery pick up with the festival de Señor Santiago. Below is a poster we saw at the co-op mercado outlining what to expect this year.
So here we are heading out to Michoacán for our July pick up and, as always, we make our pit stop at the halfway point of Cafe KM 118. Actually, I guess we were at KM 118 Express because the 'main' side was buried in buses. Mad lines to order food. Since we are not rookies, we pivoted to the smaller side with the same menu. Sat in the upper deck for a view of highway 'quince D' that we'd be hopping back on shortly.
The second half of the drive was a bit of a grind. Obras, accidentes, y tráfico por todos lados. This was our view for much of the ride:
We arrived after an afternoon rain to a wet and gray Capula.
Picked up our order, including some new shapes and styles we will try out. Don't usually carry the floreros, but let's see how these do in the shop.
Also, as is usually our routine, we are staying at Hotel Casa Encantada. We enjoy the familiar surroundings.
With the traffic on the way and the pit stop in Capula, we rolled into Pátzcuaro around 7. Hungry, we made straight for an early dinner at Pasta y Pasto, a place we tried for the first time back in April. Bit chilly and raw, so we sat inside. Judy got a gigantic calzone and I went for the pasta poblana that I enjoyed last time. Nice Mexican/Italian fusion. Caprese skewers weren't great. We can skip those next time. But they got a bit of food in our belly while we waited for the main course.
