Gift Buying

I had almost finished buying gifts to give to my friends when I return to Ohio next month.  However, there were still a few little items that I wanted to get.  So, last week I went to the "Ciudadela" handicrafts market.

I have written before that this large market, which was built in anticipation of the 1968 Summer Olympics, has around 350 vendors.  The narrow aisles feature a colorful array of merchandise, although a lot of it is touristy junk.

However, if you look beyond the cheap souvenirs, you will find authentic Mexican handicrafts, perhaps not museum-quality work, but nice examples of crafts such as black pottery from Oaxaca, lacquerware from Guerrero or copperware from Michoacán.  On this trip I found a number of artisans at work right there in the market.  One fellow was making guitars, another carving wooden masks, and a tinsmith was hammering out metal decorations.  I found the items to complete my gift list long before I had finished the circuit of the entire market.

If you have read this blog for any length of time, you know that I have a weakness for handicrafts, but I can proudly say that I bought only two items for myself.  A pair of sterling silver earrings, and a baseball cap which I plan to wear when I am in Ohio.

Will this perhaps tick off a few people with anti-Mexican biases?

I had a conversation with one of the vendors who was selling baseball caps.  Yes, virtually all the caps that you find anywhere in Mexico are made in China, but the embroidery or decoration on the caps should be done in Mexico.

I can remember back when I first visited Mexico as a college student.  I had a limited amount of money, and I was looking to purchase things inexpensively.  In those days, haggling in the markets was generally acceptable.  Nowadays many of the items in this market have price tags.  It is really not cool to try to save a dollar or two (or perhaps even a few cents) by trying to haggle.  You come off looking like a cheapskate.  I can't recall the last time I haggled in a market.