Dome of the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Salud (Our Lady of Health), Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, at twilight. The setting sun gives the dome its heavenly pink glow.
Just before Mexico's Independence Day holiday several years ago, a spur-of-the-moment email ("Show me real Mexican food, show me your part of Mexico!") from a Vietnam-based fan inspired a whirlwind Mexico Cooks! morning tour of Morelia's Mercado Independencia and an afternoon visit to Pátzcuaro. Jeffrey Jones, in Mexico City for a business conference, hopped on a bus, rode four hours, and arrived in Morelia on Saturday evening. We met at ten o'clock on Sunday morning and were off and running for the day.
Touring Pátzcuaro is second nature to me. I am always overjoyed to show its pleasures to someone who has never experienced them: the entrance to town, lined by huge eucalyptus and cedar trees; two bustling plazas, the daily market, the Museo Regional de Artes Populares, Doña Ofelia's corundas for breakfast, the several glorious 16th and 17th century churches, extraordinary crafts to purchase, comida at Restaurante La Tradición de Victoria topped off by a scoop of nieve de pasta (almond and honey ice cream) under the Plaza Grande's arched portales, and Super Pollo Emilio's enchiladas placeras for supper.
This young man is concentrating on the machetazo (machete blow) he is about to give to a bundle of pine needles.
Once in a while, Mexico Cooks! is surprised and delighted by a new discovery in long-familiar location. After nearly 30 years of life in Mexico, not only had I never seen this traditional way of making pine garland, I'd never even heard of it. To say that we were absolutely floored is putting it mildly.
One of several men cutting the pine needles to the proper length, this fellow grips a handful to make sure they're straight before he takes off the ends with his machete.
Using huinumo (the Purhépecha word for pine needle), machetes, coarse twine, and a tool made for twisting, a few men worked to create 1000 meters (that's over 3900 feet, for you who are metrically challenged) of pine garland to adorn all four sides of Plaza Don Vasco de Quiroga.
Starting at either end of the twine on the paving stones, men lay out the carefully cut pine needles.
Mexico Cooks! chatted with some Pátzcuaro natives while we all watched this process. All of them were as open-mouthed with awe as I was. Lifelong residents of the area, none of these people had ever seen guirnalda (garland) made from these simple components.
The work isn't difficult, but it has to be done correctly in order to make the garlands. Enlarge the photo to see that the needles are all the same length.
The gentleman supervising the work assured me that no trees were harmed in the collection of these millions of pine needles. "We don't take them all from just a few trees. We're very careful to take some from here, some from there, so that the trees don't miss them at all. The process is ancient, and the trees still thrive."
In just a few minutes, the two men laying the pine needles meet in the middle of the twine.
Next, a man walks from one end of the pine needles to meet another man walking from the other direction. While he walks, the wooden tool (in the right hand of the man in the white hat) spins to fasten the needles between the lower twine and the upper twine.
The same tool–in the hand of the man with the white cap–spins the twine at the other end of the pine needles while the second man walks toward the center.
This man uses a cane for balance as he approaches the mid-point of the garland.
This little fellow whom we met in Pátzcuaro was a special bonus treat. He's a xoloitzcuintle (Mexican hairless dog, affectionately known as the xolo), about six weeks old. These rare and fascinating dogs date back to the pre-hispanic Maya, who raised them for their warmth (a xolo's body temperature runs several degrees hotter than a human's) and for eating. I know, who today could eat one! Certainly not I. I was hard pressed not to adopt him immediately–what a sweetheart!
Let's go back to see this garland made in Pátzcuaro this year. Who's up for it?
Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.
Leave a Reply