Mexico’s biggest international handicraft exhibition “Expo TlaquepArte” began today at the Baja California Center in Rosarito and will remain open to the public from September 16 to September 19, with over 200 exhibitors from 16 different countries and 25 Mexican states.

Promoted by the Committee of Tourism and Conventions (COTUCO) of Rosarito, the event will gather artisans and manufacturers from Peru, Colombia, Argentina, Cuba, Egypt, Russia, Turkey, Panama, Greece, Kenya, Senegal, Ecuador, among others.

Attendants will be able to acquire invaluable, high-quality pieces of art directly from those who make them and at affordable prices, with special wholesale price discounts.

You will be able to find custom jewelry from Turkey and Russia, ceramics from Chihuahua, exotic wood from Cuba, Yucatan guayabera shirts, Egyptian rugs, Taxco silver, Panama hats, Peruvian paintings, Colombian textiles, among others.

One of the most important exhibitors here is “Centro Artesanal Fain”, whose owner Leonardo Álvarez M., is an Ecuador native and artist, who carves wood to make cedar wood art pieces; his son, Bryan Álvarez , a 27-year-old, who has two masters degrees in sculpture, has also learned all about this trade, and is currently the fourth generation family member who continues this tradition.

Some of these art pieces, due to the amount of detail they possess, can take from 8 to 12 months to finish. As such, they both told us a story about how it took them 8 years to make a Pietà sculpture whose final price was $10,000 dollars. Their greatest inspiration when making their works of art is the Baroque style.

We also visited “Manos del Perú”, where we were greeted by Julián Pariona, from the city of Ayacucho, who sells different items from his country such as a sacred oil painting on fabric, finished with a decoration of the Cusco school style, colonial carved wood artistic replicas made with a technique called lamination or quilt, textiles and embroidery including alpaca wool sweaters and caps, and a great variety of Andes Baroque and Quichua art.

Representing Bogota, Estela Cárdenas of “Yestifer de Colombia” told us that her business came to be due to her being the head of her family with 5 children that she had to raise by herself. This is why she decided to create this business that, to this day, employs more than 50 women who, from their homes and in similar situations to her, make handwoven dresses and other clothes made out of linen, cotton, and rayon. These are made with wood lace edging, cantilla, and bobbin laces techniques. Her most frequent clients, especially in the summer, are from Colima, Veracruz, and Cancun. She has found new clients in northern Mexico and her clothing has gotten popular due to its great quality.

Finally, we learned about “Peek Arte”. Peek in the Xotzil-Mayan language means “dog”. Its founder, Efraín Zermeño promotes the creation of artisan leashes for dogs and cats thanks to the manufacturing by indigenous communities of women from Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Guatemala, who give them an ancestral Mayan design that has been learned from generation to generation.

Each piece takes from 4 to 6 days to be handwoven. Their distribution center is located at León, Guanajuato, and its brand has lasted 7 years in the market, being quite successful worldwide in countries such as Japan, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Portugal, the United States, and Costa Rica. During an interview with San Diego Red, Efraín told us that each graphic depicted in the leashes has special significance for indigenous people. The product is also made with leather, has a coating made out of coagulated acetate, and is waterproof.

We invite you to attend “Expo TlaquepArte” at the Baja California Center in Rosarito from September 16 to September 19 from 10:30 AM to 8 PM. Don’t miss out on these invaluable, intricate, and magnificent high-quality products that are offered. By purchasing these products, you will be supporting national and international artisan crafters directly.