My trip to Taxco
My quest for finding beautiful Mexican silver jewelry began with my trip to Taxco. There is no airport in Taxco and the eight hour drive from Jalisco, where I live, seemed more attractive than landing in the nearest airport and having to find my way from there.
On leaving Jalisco I was pleasantly surprised by the obvious
improvement of highway roads and cleanliness of the borders. It was a
very pleasant drive until about an hour before arriving when we started
into the mountains. I was reminded of the one and only time I went on
a roller coaster in Munich, Germany. Once I descended from the coaster
ride I embarrassingly started to cry. In this case, I simply acquired a
very serious headache!
Finally the sight of Taxco! Located
on a mountain reaching to the sky and looking very much like a European
wonderland, I felt rewarded for my pain. We stayed at a very nice
hotel, chosen because it sat on a plateau with a beautiful plaza and an
incredible church. There were ever so many jewelry shops with
tremendous amounts of selections. Of course, I soon learned that I
would not be shopping in them but needed to find the wholesale outlets.
The first day was frustrating, as I was eager to start but was not sure
where. Inevitably, I made a few mistakes. Fortunately, towards the end
of the day I found Juan. He is a lovely gentleman who spoke perfect
English and has been helping newcomers, like me, for forty years. I
knew I was in good hands.
Juan took me to a progression of three silver factories, to teach me
about silversmithing in Mexico. I learned the history as well as
seeing the progression to the use of machines. However, even the most
advanced factory is a very hands-on business. I was fascinated and
amazed at the tedious and highly skilled work of the craftsmen.
Watching the braiding of silver is like nothing you have ever seen
before. The beauty of the pieces are the reward of hours of intricate
work.
My return home was a bit more harrowing than the
arrival, as we had car trouble and took 14 hours for an 8 hour drive.
Arriving in the wee hours of the morning, it was still, well worth the
trip. I sincerely hope that the result will please all of my future
customers.