Delores Hidalgo, Mexico

This is a test. To see if script and photo will publish. I've been hassling for a week with trying to write a post that has both in it, only to be disappointed when the post disappears and only the photos show up. You know, I don't know what I'm doing.

So, here goes.

Delores Hidalgo is the Talavera Capital of Mexico. There is a different talavera that is made in Puebla that is more true to the original and is also much more expensive then that made in Delores Hidalgo. The government of Mexico controls where talavera can be made just as it used to control where tequila is made. I'm not sure if that is still true.

In the past, when I first started exporting to the USA, it was mostly wall tile, large painted pots and dishes that were available. The craft has expanded exponentially, to put it mildly. Much is sold in Mexico itself, but the majority is exported around the world.

Eighteen wheelers, many, many of them pull out of Delores each day either heading to a port destined for Europe or Asia or who knows where, while the rest head north to the USA and Canada. I say Delores is the town that NAFTA built.

But, that's not true. Delores Hidalgo is a very historic town that was part of the battle for freedom. It has a beautiful jardin or zocalo, whatever you prefer to call it. The church where the banner of the Virgin of Guadalupe was carried is maintained in pristine condition.

Back to the talavera. I had not been over to Delores in a few years. Not since I had helped some friends select tile for their home. Imagine my surprise when I saw these incredible ceramic Day of the Dead women filling a warehouse. Magnificent.

I started thinking of all the restaurants I had designed that would have looked fabulous with these in the decor. I thought of retailers I knew who absolutely would go bonkers over these brightly colored, fun women. I thought of friends who would do the same.

Instead I asked to have my photo taken with them in December as a lasting image of the ingenuity and creativity of the people of Mexico. They continue to capture the essence of their country.

Viva Mexico!