BEHIND THE SCENES IN MEXICAN CRAFT FACTORIES

By Charles Hall
During my recent visits to Taxco, Mexico City, Dolores Hidalgo, and Tonala, I learned a great deal, not only about the production of Mexican jewelry and crafts, but just as importantly, the costs. Many tourists believe Mexican jewelry and crafts should be even cheaper than what it sells for now—primarily because of the cost of labor. That said, I defy anyone to buy the same merchandise in tourist stores in the States, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, Acapulco, and Cancun cheaper than in Mazatlán. I know because I’ve tried. The silver jewelry sold by vendors on the Saturday sale days are usually manufactured in a corner of the home of the person making the sale. Precious stones, while some are produced in Mexico, most are purchased worldwide. I visited a Talavera factory in Dolores Hidalgo and was struck by the Spartan working conditions of the employees—mostly women. There were approximately 60 people working in three large rooms. In one room the Talavera is formed from clay and air dried. Then a wet sponge is used to clean off the rough spots. The pieces are then dipped in grey liquid clay. Several pieces are placed in an oven to be cured. A woman sandpapers each piece to eliminate any imperfections. In another dim-lit room I counted 25 women sitting in straight backed chairs with card board on two sides of them, and different colored paint with brushes, and a few pieces of Talavera. A couple of people outlined different designs on the pieces, while the rest of the women hand painted the entire piece. The employees are not allowed to speak with anyone except the foreman. Twice the lights went out for a few minutes and the workers continued to paint. In an adjacent room, the painted pieces are placed on large racks and pushed into a large oven to be cured. Once cured the pieces take on a much brighter color. After removal from the oven, they are all examined for quality control. I observed 2-3 men wrapping the Talavera for pick-up or shipping. Employees worked 8-10 hours per day, six days per week. On the other hand, the glass factory I visited in Tonala had about 30 workers and most of them were men. There were two large rooms.
In the production room, there were four large ovens, and about 25 men and one woman working in teams of two or three people. One was the glass blower, and the others, helpers. There appeared to be a degree of artwork in the shaping of the glassware. One worker got a “gob” of glass and carried it on the end of a metal pole to the glass blower, who formed it. He then turned it over to a “runner,” who carried the piece and threw it into an oven. A man at the oven had a long rod that he used to stack the pieces orderly in the furnace. Most of the work was done at a hurried pace, but no one ran into anyone else. There seemed to be a great deal of debris on the floor and I noticed the absence of safety goggles, ear plugs, and gloves. In the shipping room, a man and woman wrapped and boxed glassware for shipping. There did not appear to be any restrictions on the workers talking. I was told that they were paid by the amount of work they accomplished. There was only one 6 hour shift per day, six days a week. Overhead for the shop owners in Mazatlán is enormous. They either purchase the store or pay rent. In either case, they are responsible for upkeep and remodeling. There is the cost of utilities, permits and taxes. While some stores are strictly family run, others have paid employees. Most shops are open seven days a week, 10-12 hours per day. Remember that the tourist season runs from November through June, so four months of the year the shops are opened but not many sales made. During the merchandise buying trip I went on with my friends Paco and Marta Miranda, I learned of additional expenses to purchase merchandise. The purchase price and upkeep of the large van to carry merchandise is a major expense. There is the cost of toll roads and gasoline. Food is more expensive in restaurants and hotel rental is necessary. Not to mention the time spent away from the shop while on the trip which may result in missed sales. There is always the consideration of “mordida,” paid whether laws are broken or not. There is also a certain amount of breakage of merchandise during the trip. What I have learned is that most shop owners are hard working people that are not out to “Gringo” the tourist, but only want to make an honest living.


Charles A Hall
Author: "Mazatlan IS Paradise"