I really did not need to do any souvenir shopping. I bought presents for my friends and relatives on the last two trips to Mexico City, I already have plenty of items for next spring's charity auction, and I certainly don't need any more Mexican handicrafts for my house. But then I saw an advertisement that during the entire month of August there is a 10% discount on all items at the FONART stores. FONART is a chain of government sponsored handicraft stores, and the largest one is within walking distance of the apartment. So one day last week I headed over to the shop to see if there was anything that I just HAD to buy.
I'm sure that I spent much more than an hour wandering around the store and looking at the merchandise. There was plenty there that I loved but which was out of the question... either too big for my carry-ons, too fragile, or too expensive. (The FONART stores carry high quality handicrafts, and although there is much that it is very reasonable, there are also some pricey items.)
I saw something very practical... a lacquer pencil holder made in the Mexican state of Guerrero. It will certainly look better than the glass jar sitting on my desk at home.
And then I came to a section of woodcarvings from the state of Chiapas, and I decided upon this carving of a Mayan man in traditional attire.
I have a small collection of woodcarvings from Mexico and also from a trip to Ecuador many years ago. I think that this will make a nice addition to that collection. I wasn't cheap... around $35 US... but, if you were to find something comparable in a shop in the U.S., it would surely be far more expensive.
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