Summer 2022 in Mexico

My husband and I have been exploring Mexico for about 12 years now. Until 2021, we also took our daughter, but since she turned 18, she's been off the hook for being "dragged all over the world" (as she describes it.) My husband's maternal grandparents were from Jalisco, so we started there, but we've managed to visit most of the southern half of the country, avoiding the coasts. This past July, we spent time in Zacatecas and Cuernavaca, along with Morelia, Mexico State and Mexico City.

We flew into Mexico City late at night, stayed in a nearby hotel (actually a room in a house), and got on a domestic flight to Zacatecas early the next morning. Since Covid and being in our 50s, we now spring for first class on domestic flights in MX. It tends to cost less than $50 more for both of us and is well worth it. If you think you can't afford to upgrade, check the price just in case. Often it is barely more than the extra fees it includes, like luggage. The staff is more careful to make sure we know what's going on (it can be confusing if you struggle with Spanish, which I'm ashamed to say I still do.) And we usually find our luggage right out in front tagged with "Primera" so we walk off the plane, grab our bags, and are out the door to catch a ride in a jiffy.

View as we departed CDMX

Zacatecas did not disappoint! One of my favorite cities is Guanajuato. Zacatecas City has a lot of the same elements: incredible mountainous surroundings, historic city center, old mines and a teleferico (aerial tram.) 

Riding the Teleferico in Zacatecas

There's a particularly striking rock formation on top of a mountain overlooking the town called "La Bufa". It looks as if lava squirted out of the mountain like liquid styrofoam from a can. We drove up to the top where there are shops, museums, a cathedral, bars and a park with hiking trails. On another day, we took the teleferico.

It's much larger than it looks in photos.

We rented a car for one day and drove out of town. The Zacatecas state border undulates, so we actually traveled into and out of other states throughout the day. Our goal was to find traditional dance masks, which is Mike's particular passion. We drove about 3 hours to Teul and, after asking about 10 different people for help, we found ourselves in front of a doorway with "Mascaras" printed on a small sign above the doorway. As it happened, a truck with the whole family arrived at almost the same time. We explained our quest and they asked for 10 minutes. Soon, a smiling gentleman re-opened the door and welcomed us in. He showed us the masks he had in the studio as well as the ones in his workshop, in progress.

Introducing Cruz M. Jacobo, traditional mask carver in Teul.

Mike convinced him to sell an unfinished mask as well as a completed one.

This has become one of the most fun parts of our travels; tracking down artists in their studios and buying directly from them. We get to meet them, see how they work, and we pay them more than their usual buyers do. And it takes us off the beaten path, so we find parts of MX we wouldn't otherwise. Just outside of Teul is a very cool ruin that is built into a mountain. Ceremonial areas are located at different points along the path to the top, where there's a small pyramid; it's a platform rather than a building. It was a good hike, and the reward was a gorgeous view from the top.

On another day, we hired a taxi to take us to an archeological site just outside of Zacatecas City called La Quemada. This place is very impressive; much more expansive than I anticipated. This site is unique because it features giant stone pillars that once supported a vast roof. I haven't seen another example like it. Also, the rest of the ruin is built into the mountain, so it's a strenuous hike to the top. We actually didn't go all the way up because there was a large school group ahead of us and they were pretty rowdy. They were extremely friendly, calling to us to take photos of them and shouting hello at every point where we could see each other.

There was so much more to Zacatecas than I have room to share here. I did share photos daily on my travel instagram (@folkartadventures.) After 5 days, we flew back to Mexico City, where we relaxed in our favorite airbnb (Villa Alfonsina) in Coyoacan for a few days. This was our 4th trip to Mexico City and it's such a huge place with so much to see, we still have more to find there. On this trip, we learned that eating in the mercado is far more economical than in restaurants. We wondered why we hadn't been doing it all along. In the mercados, you can order a combination of small items for less than $1 each, so a meal can be a taco, a sope and a flauta with a beverage for $3-$4. It's more than enough for me and I get to try new things more easily. We also discovered Palomas, which became the drink of choice for the trip. We tried Palomas everywhere, from dive bars to fancy restaurants. There are some crazy variations! It might be made with Sprite, or with fresh squeezed grapefruit & lime, and a range between. I don't think it was ever the same drink twice.

Tacos in the Coyoacan mercado with horchata. $2.50

One of the things we've always wanted to do was to ride through Xochimilco on a gondola-style boat. Renting a trajinera is expensive: $100 for 3-4 hours. If you have a large group or can team up with others to share the cost, it's very affordable. But we've always been just us. Finally, we broke down and paid the full cost and had a boat to ourselves. We arrived just as they were getting started and it was a gorgeous day. I honestly had no idea that it was such a natural setting; it's right in the city! As the "gondolier" navigates through the canals, you soon find yourself in a lush environment full of birds with fish jumping out of the water. 

The destination for us was La Isla de las Munecas (The Island of Dolls). We both enjoy a creepy aesthetic and this place is as creepy as they come. I'm going to just share a link to information about it, rather than writing it all out: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/la-isla-de-las-munecas The story is compelling.

Next, we caught a bus to Tepoztlan, only about an hour outside of CDMX. This is a Pueblo Magico that is truly magical. It was a side trip that we added at the last minute, eating the cost of our room in Mexico City. The room in Tepoztlan was only $25. The town is so quaint, tucked into mountains covered in dense forest with interesting rock formations. The markets are excellent. We found a lot of items, like masks, at really good prices. 

   

If I had it to do over, I would spend more nights in Tepoztlan rather than heading to Cuernavaca. There are some nice museums in Cuernavaca, but I didn't find it charming. One or two days would have been plenty. I did have the surprise of finding a swimming pool mosaic by Diego Rivera by accident. We were also invited to sit with a family for lunch one day, which was a lively and interesting experience. They were so kind, they really wanted us to stay with them, even offering to take us back to Mexico City because the guy on the right was visiting from San Angel. But we had other travel plans still ahead of us.

Corn goddess

Swimming pool mosaic by Diego Rivera in what was a private home, now a museum.

Incredible beadwork; dance costume

A very nice family in Cuernavaca.

A highlight of the Cuernavaca experience, for me, was a trip to the Perdomo factory. Perdomo is one of a handful of companies that produce smalti; a thick, colorful hand-made glass widely used in mosaic. When I've had the opportunity to use smalti in my projects, this is where it is made. (I purchase through Smalti.com.)

After Perdomo, we caught a taxi out of town to another archeological site, Xochicalco. This was yet another unique ruin and also far more impressive than I expected. There is a great museum housing a ton of artifacts excavated from the site, including a large stone mosaic. The site is vast, with well preserved structures throughout, from lower level housing for the regular folk, to upper level structures that were for royalty, priests and ceremonial buildings. We spent hours hiking and climbing to try to see everything, including the stunning views from the top. The relief carvings on the buildings at Xochicalco are crisp and intricate.

A stone mosaic at Xochilcalco.

A corresponding statue at Xochicalco.

Incredible relief carvings at Xochicalco.

Stunning views from the top of Xochicalco, from every angle.

Xochicalco from the museum at the bottom level.

Next, we took a bus to Taluca in search of a couple more bucket list destinations: Cosmovitral and the Otomi Ceremonial Center in Temoaya. We had a hotel booked in Toluca, but next time, we'll stay in Metepec. Toluca probably has more to offer than is obvious, but it doesn't have a historic feel. Metepec has the quaint pueblo atmosphere that I prefer. However, what Toluca does have is Cosmovitral! That alone is worth the trip. This is a stained glass building designed by Leopoldo Flores that is about the size of a whole city block, and filled with gardens.

Artist Leopoldo Flores

Finally, we caught a taxi to Temoaya and the Otomi Ceremonial Center. This place is incredible. Unfortunately, we happened to arrived on a day that everything was closed, so we were able to explore outside, but the vendor market and museum were cerrado. This was a huge disappointment because I love Otomi arts and crafts and hoped to purchase directly from artisans. It's always a gut-punch to travel so far to find you picked the wrong day. However, the center itself, massive and stunning, built into a mountainside with amazing views of the land below, made it well worth the trip. 

The Otomi Ceremonial Center looks much like a traditional MesoAmerican ruin, but this is a contemporary structure built in the 1980s. It is a gathering place for the Otomi community to practice their cultural traditions. All of the colorful designs you can see in the photos are stone mosaic. I really hope we find our way back to Temoaya area before too long because a few hours was not enough time to absorb this place. Also, at this point, I was feeling very fatigued, with a scratchy throat and sniffles. I chalked it up to allergies, which I often experience when traveling. But, I took a test when we got back to Mexico City that confirmed I had Covid. 

We had a few days before flying home, so I slowed down, took some supplements provided by the very helpful pharmacists in Coyoacan, and we were careful to stick to outdoor activities like walking in parks and eating street food. One striking aspect of this experience was how easy it is to access non-emergency medical care in MX. Pharmacies, like most businesses, have walls that roll up like a garage door with a counter facing out, so you can just walk up and speak with a pharmacist without entering an enclosed space. They will recommend over-the-counter treatments, which have always been sufficient to help us recover from whatever malady we are suffering. But there is also a doctor on duty in many pharmacies, so you can get assessed for anything more serious and be treated right there. We visited two other times during the pandemic before their vaccine rollout had taken place and there were long lines for the pharmacy medicos, but by summer 2022, things appeared to be a lot better.

Normally, we would be in MX during the winter holidays, but we decided to stay home this year for a number of reasons. It has been nice to spend the break with friends, but I'm feeling a little achy for the place that has become so familiar, so I've enjoyed revisiting our summer trip. I hope someone out there finds this helpful for planning their own visit to Mexico. It's truly a beautiful, friendly country with so much history, art and natural wonder, and it is very much connected to the U.S. in ways most people don't recognize. We are all one, with a shared history and fluctuating border. 

Happy New Year!

Mosaic In Mexico; An Ancient Tradition

 

Stone mosaic by Juan O'Gorman in Taxco, Guerrero, MX

In the mosaic community, it is widely held that the art of mosaic is an Italian tradition. In fact, many artists trained in the Ravenna or Spilimbergo methods consider the Italian approach to be the only valid way to make, or even define, mosaic. 

To be clear, I did not come to mosaic through classical training. My journey as a mosaic artist was scrappy and mostly self-taught, and I learned the Roman "rules" of mosaic placement reluctantly. I've never been a fan of rules, and I started making mosaic because it was fun. It wasn't my goal to study it or turn it into work. (Yet, here I am, and happy for it.)

I have never been to Italy. I have yet to see the amazing masterpieces my friends visit and share with me. However, I have traveled in Turkey, where the oldest mosaics have been unearthed, and these follow the same general rules as those in Italy. Seeing them in person is truly profound, realizing I am standing in places once occupied by earlier civilizations, imagining the process of the artists as they chopped and sorted and carefully placed these pieces of stone into a remarkably sophisticated composition.

These are in Istanbul.

Thailand is also chock full of mosaic. Their temples and palaces are covered with it. Thai mosaic is typically ornamental, characterized by repeating patterns featuring a lot of mirrored glass and relief tiles. 

My spouse is half Mexican and we have been exploring Mexico for about 12 years now, visiting at least once per year. At first, the mosaic work that caught my attention was very contemporary, mainly made of handmade tiles that had been chopped into smaller pieces. Talavera tiles are the colorfully patterned terracotta tiles typical of Mexico, especially in northern areas. However, in recent years, I've become more aware of the ancient art of mosaic that existed in pre-Hispanic America, separately from Europe. 

Shrine in Valladolid made of Talavera tile, pottery and shells.

Detail

Mayan and Aztec cultures both created funerary masks that were covered in stone mosaic; jade, turquoise, obsidian, etc. With each museum I visit in Mexico, I am struck by the examples of mosaic, many unearthed from ancient times. Most artifacts even use pieces cut into quadrangles and set in the same fashion as ancient Roman mosaic, but many just make use of the natural shapes of the stones or shells.

These are from a disk excavated in Mexico City, believed to be from the 1400s (CE)

Jade mosaic mask - OLD.

This is super old.

This is a mosaic fragment I spotted in a museum in Zacatecas.

This mosaic is in a ruin in Zacatecas state. It is ancient.

This is the only ruin I've come across in MX that is covered in stone mosaic patterns.

 

These are just a few examples of old a.f. mosaics in different parts of MX. 

I had been familiar with the work of Diego Rivera, but until traveling in Mexico, I didn't realize he worked in mosaic, a huge oversight. With every trip, I discover another mosaic made by Diego, often by accident. Plus, I learned that his colleague, Juan O'Gorman was a master of stone mosaic and his work can be found all over MX. 

This is an entire building covered in stone mosaic honoring the deity Tlaloc by Juan O'Gorman. It's on the UNAM campus in Mexico City and is absolutely jaw dropping.

I couldn't photograph this whole mosaic by Diego Rivera in Chapultapec Park, CDMX, so I took a picture of the plaque.

 

This is me with the above sculptural mosaic commemorating water.

On my most recent trip, we found the Otomi Ceremonial Center in Temoaya, MX. That center medallion is stone mosaic.

The structures at the Otomi Ceremonial Center are all covered in mosaic (though it could do with a bit of a scrub.)

I have files and files of images of Mexican mosaic, ancient and modern. On my last trip, we visited the Perdomo Smalti facility in Cuernavaca, which is a 70-year-old family-owned business that makes small-batch, hand-rolled glass for mosaic. They also fabricate custom mosaic.

This topic has been swirling in my head for a few years, so I thought I would finally sit down and begin sharing my thoughts and I hope someone out there finds it as interesting as I do. Thanks for reading!

New Mosaic Honoring Nat and Thelma Jackson in the Lacey Community Center, Lacey, WA

 In 2021, I wrote about my experience attending the Black Lives Matter artist reception at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art in Pullman, WA. I had been one of 20 artists selected to create new work speaking to the theme of Black Lives Matter who were then included in this 3-month-long exhibition.

This was at the artist reception in Oct. 2021

I was selected for this opportunity based on my proposal to create a portrait of this powerhouse couple, Nat and Thelma Jackson, who have spent their lives advocating for social justice and equity in education. Please read more about them here: https://www.sos.wa.gov/legacy/sixty-eight/nat-and-thelma-jackson/

Nat and Thelma provided the photo for their portrait, which is from their 50th wedding anniversary. The background of stylized flowers and foliage represents both their love of gardening and their legacy as the cultivators of positive change and community in Thurston County, WA. After the exhibition, I set about finding a public art entity in Thurston County who would accept the artwork as a donation and install it in an appropriate location. Everything came together when the City of Lacey suggested their Community Center, which is a stone's throw from the Jacksons' home, adjacent to land once owned by the Jackson family before it was annexed. Plans were in the works already to install an informational marker on the Karen Fraser Evergreen Trail where it passes Goose Pond to recognize the connection to Nat and Thelma, so a plan slowly developed and an unveiling took place on October 4th, 2022. 

The event was just perfect, on a beautiful fall day. Local community gathered along with the extended Jackson family. Nat and Thelma spoke eloquently of their connection to the Lacey community, and their deep gratitude for the acknowledgement they were receiving. The unveiling took place as the sun shone into the lobby, making the stained glass sparkle. Their granddaughter, Adera Gandy, sent me this short video just as the curtain was drawn back, and the sound of the crowd really says it all: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50TqxjOuHyo

Nat and Thelma Jackson with their mosaic portrait.

After the mosaic unveiling, we walked to the marker at Goose Pond, about 10 minutes away from the Community Center.

It was an honor to create a lasting tribute to this wonderful couple. I learned so much from them and through the research I did while creating this piece. Thelma published a book this year: Blacks in Thurston County, WA; 1950-1975 A Community Album. You can order it here: https://nwilc.org/book-order Dr. Jackson has been an educator and education advocate for decades, and she is a wealth of information. Nat Jackson has worked in government and fought for civil rights throughout his life. To top it off, he holds the title of "U.S. National Jump Rope King", breaking records for speed-jumping in 2017.

If you are in the Lacey area, be sure to stop by the Community Center at 6729 Pacific Ave. SE and have a look at the new portrait.

Portals, an exhibition of fine art mosaic by 10 Pacific NW artists May-June 2022

 *Note: I have another post about this show on my website, with links to each artist's website. If you go to this URL you'll find the artist list, and each one is a link: https://jkmosaic.com/jk/cascadia-mosaic-collective-exhibition-in-olympia-may-june/ There is also an art statement on that post.

A group of ten mosaic artists from Oregon and Washington State are exhibiting together for the sixth time. This show is on display at the Washington Center for Performing Arts in Olympia, WA and is viewable by appointment, except while attending performances and during an artist reception to take place on Saturday, May 14, 5-7pm. 

The artists are a group of friends who met mainly through the Society of American Mosaic Artists: Lynn Adamo, Mark Brody, Todd Campbell, Joanne Daschel, Richard Davis, Scott Fitzwater, Kate Jessup, Kelley Knickerbocker, Jennifer Kuhns and Karen Rycheck. Recently renamed the Cascadia Mosaic Collective, the group has shown bodies of work to elevate the awareness of mosaic as a fine art medium, and to demonstrate the wide range of approaches and interpretations mosaic offers. 

Some members of the collective exhibit at local and regional galleries, some are regularly included in international exhibitions, and some work mainly by commission and only display wall art mosaic in the context of the Cascadia Mosaic Collective, and all are full-time artists.

For more information, contact me: Jennifer Kuhns, jennifer@jkmosaic.com, 360.870.0356

The Cost of Learning (and Teaching) Mosaic

 While brainstorming a new workshop idea on social media, I received a request to please price it affordably. There was a comment that mosaic instruction is often cost prohibitive, especially for people in depressed economies.

I am very sensitive to that concern. I've been there. When I started out, I was using Yahoo groups to glean any information about best techniques and products for mosaic. My fellow budding mosaicists and I used the forums to share our experiences, successes and failures, while we stumbled along our learning curves in a world without YouTube or the Society of American Mosaic Artists. 

Back then, in order to get good, professional instruction in the medium, you had to fly to Italy and work with the masters in Ravenna and Spilimbergo. Eventually, some of those students became accomplished in the field and began offering classes internationally, but we had to travel to them and a weekend workshop generally cost $300 or more. Total costs generally ran about $1000 for any good mosaic workshop, and it was a major hardship for me. At the time, I was the mother of a young child, supported by a teacher, earning some sporadic income from my artwork and occasional part-time jobs that didn't cover the cost of childcare. 

This is at a Facilitating Community Mosaic workshop in Oakland, CA in 2011

In 2009, the SAMA (Society of American Mosaic Artists) conference took place near enough to my in-laws that we decided to make a family trip of it. I was so impacted by this experience, I swore to keep investing in my growth as a mosaic artist, and while I haven't managed to attend every year, I used credit cards to pay for my expenses, wrote it off at tax time, and the investment paid off. Eventually, I was skilled enough to actually carve out a career as a mosaic artist; which still amazes me every day. Now, I'm a SAMA instructor and I've been able to pay for most of my conference expenses by teaching.

These days, you can find some great videos online for free or cheap. A commenter pointed out that Domestika is hosting a workshop by one of my favorite mosaic artists, the fabulous Gary Drostle, out of the U.K. The course costs something like $12 U.S. and is a wealth of information. Domestika is a big company, and I'm not super familiar with how they operate, but they do have a huge global reach. They have found a price point that works, apparently, and it must have been worthwhile for Gary to contract with them and put in the time, even though he receives only a small royalty for each enrollment. But he'll have students all over the world, so it will add up. 

I work with Mosaic Arts Online and I have three courses available on the platform. MAO was created by Tami Macala, the owner of Santa Barbara Mosaic School. Tami left her work in television behind to focus on her mosaic business. She is a practicing mosaic artist who hosts in-person workshops, and she had the brilliant idea to create stream-able courses with visiting artists as well. She brought her television experience to the enterprise, and I was immediately impressed with her attention to details like camera angles, lighting, visual clarity, being concise, breaking down the course into clear segments with transitions that make sense, and then editing it all together for a seamless experience for the student. These days, MAO has become a vital resource, with the best instructors teaching specific styles and techniques, and Tami's spouse, Jerry, now edits everything together.

I can attest that each course takes weeks, if not months, of preparation from the instructor, along with coordination by Tami. We fly to Santa Barbara at our expense, and she arranges everything for us - even providing a car. We spend the better part of a week filming the process on multiple demos created ahead of time, and generally not in chronological order because actual mosaic work takes so much time. I fly down with projects at different stages so that I can show all of the steps in a few days. Jerry rearranges everything so that it appears to be completed like magic, and still make sense for the student following along.

Here I am in the MAO studio, filming a garden mosaic workshop. That monitor on the work table is brand new, and allows me to see what the student will see, so I can correct my hand position and keep the project in the center of the screen, etc.

The business is now incorporated, has an attorney for contractual help, has a social media coordinator and accountant, etc. They have to pay for hosting fees and equipment and a whole array of overhead costs. But remember, they are still a tiny operation; just a couple with some extra help. 

So, the prices we charge are compensatory with the effort and overhead. Each time I visit, there's a new piece of equipment that is a giant improvement, like a wireless mic, a tablet with a teleprompter, and a video camera with remote zoom instead of a digital camera on a tripod mounted to the ceiling. This is all a longwinded way to say that Tami has grown this business from scratch, and the courses are priced to help the business succeed. None of us are getting rich. But the platform has allowed me, and the other artists, to earn some passive income once our courses are live, and to reach students who can't afford to fly to our location and take a more expensive in-person workshop.

In the meantime, I have ventured into recording my own stream-able workshops and I currently have one listed on my website for $50. I priced it lower partly to make it affordable, and also because I am keenly aware that it is makeshift, using a camera on a mount in my messy studio and with very little editing (because I don't have that software or skill set) and no outline or script. You don't get to download pdfs and slideshows, and I often forget to say something important until too late. I'll be working on putting together another class soon, and I'm sure it will be better, but it's still going to be just me and my cell phone in my actual workspace; low tech, casual, and straightforward. I've gotten positive feedback on the first one, so I feel emboldened to try it again. 

I do these, not because I love filming myself, or to get attention - I hate both passionately. I'm doing it  because I like teaching, and because the extra income really helps keep my family solid between commissions. With the courses I'm creating from home, I'm happy to help out someone in another country for whom the price represents 3 months income, so if that's you, send me an email. 

And I do recommend checking out all of the amazing online resources that are now available to aspiring mosaic artists. Join facebook groups and find YouTube channels like https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCavAkUITnile1MQdv0cX5VA and https://www.youtube.com/c/LouAnnWeeks and https://www.youtube.com/c/TreasuryRoad. But if you really want to advance with your work, taking professional level workshops with practicing artists is invaluable. And they deserve to be paid for their time and for sharing their talent, which they have spent years (or decades) cultivating.

And have fun!

My courses on Mosaic Arts Online:

https://mosaicartsonline.com/p/garden-mosaic-for-any-climate-with-jennifer-kuhns

https://mosaicartsonline.com/p/professional-mosaic-installations-with-jennifer-kuhns

https://mosaicartsonline.com/p/precision-cutting-stained-glass-for-mosaic-with-jennifer-kuhns

https://mosaicartsonline.com/p/bundle-courses-garden-mosaic-and-precision-cutting-stained-glass-with-jennifer-kuhns

https://mosaicartsonline.com/p/bundle-courses-precision-cutting-in-stained-glass-and-professional-installations-with-jennifer-kuhns