Traveling around such European countries as Spain, Italy or Cyprus, I never thought that there could be a place more colorful and diverse than these regions …
And I can bet, if I would have asked asked about famous people from Mexico, everyone would give me footballers names 😀
But surely you know Guillermo del Toro, Diego Riviera or Frida Kahlo? Don’t you ? … No?…Then catch up quickly 😉 Because it’s worth it 😀 … And it’s worth to explore not only the present history of culture and art in this region. Mexicans can boast of a supply of works of art dated thousands of years, as well as today’s pearls … Perhaps not everywhere, but in many places they try to cultivate their famous handcrafts. It is not easy, ladies and gentlemen, it is not easy. Littering with cheap fakes is not less than in Europe or anywhere else … Beautiful, hand-painted ceramic vessels, miracles made of beautiful obsidian, perfectly processed leather, more and more often have to fight for survival with counterfeit silver, plastic imitations pretending to be gems .
Locals literally inform with dissatisfaction where they’re coming from to Mexico, them unfortunately much cheaper „souvenirs” … I will not name any countries here, because first of all, probably everyone guesses, and secondly, it is not my goal to ban any products … I just want to draw your attention to the fact, that not only skills are disappearing in entire societies because of that, but also this makes poverty to grow … Exactly … This is how poverty grows … People with any abilities have no chance to stand out in the midst of corporate, plastic scam … They can only defend themselves by raising prices … And this does not meet customers expectations …
This is happening not only in Mexico …
Anyway, speaking about the culture and art … In this country, literally everything is art … From seemingly simple food, through fabrics, dishes, to the pyramids themselves … And what is interesting, this nation is still very proud and hardworking … Everyone is doing something from the morning , everyone is busy to earn some pennies somewhere … On the one hand, drug trafficking and cartels, but on the other hand you can see, for example, young women with little children, who sell their handmade hampers, made of palm leaves … I noticed that there is no room here for praising laziness or even begging … Very often the guides mention not to support people asking for money … They want to give people a fishing rod, not a fish …
Traveling alone, as well as with guided trips, you can get to places, where handicrafts really please the eye, despite the undoubtedly sometimes intrusiveness of traders …
Many tourists complain about this a lot… But my philosophy is very simple : everyone wants to survive somehow … Well … You can always stay in the hotel pool, if you prefer peace and comfort 😉 Please forgive my sarcasm, but indulging in wonderfully hand-made varieties is worth a bit of personal discomfort :). And you can also learn many interesting things 🙂 . The secrets of obsidian processing, what can also be done from agave threads, or how to survive without a microwave 🙂
In another words, Mexico may not be an economically rich country, but certainly with its cultural and historical possessions it is equal to the richest ones… That is why this area deserves both : admiration and respect.
MyTravelPhilosophy 