As many of you know, there are lots of artesanias in Mexico. Artesania is not exactly the same as folk art or "arte popular," although the two terms do get confused. I think of artesania as the little doo-dads (sometimes made in China) one finds in the souvenir shops  (like the photo above) and arte popular comes artists or artisans and a long tradition of handmade regional arts. One of my jobs when I go shopping in Mexico is to hunt for the unusual, the well made, the quirky but cool objects that make up Zinnia's  little part of the Mexican folk art world.

The above photo is a shot taken at the Mercado in Tlaquepaque, Jalisco. I love to check out the markets in every town I visit for that little unexpected something that will delight our customers in Minneapolis and beyond. But looking at this photo you can see that it's a little like finding a needle in a haystack!

I did find a few things here but then moved on to the real winners in another town, Tonala. Some of Mexico's best ceramicists hail from Tonala. Here's the front of the home of the Ortega family, one of the most well-known...

I visited 5 ceramic artists' workshops yesterday in Tonala and spent a little time at the giant Mercado that happens every Thursday and Sunday. Again, there is a lot of junk but the occasional diamond. Patience and a keen eye are essential in this business!