Tocuaro (The town of mask makers)

We really enjoyed this town. It is amazing what these people can make out of a solid piece of wood. We visited one of the maestros shops. Of course we had to buy a mask. We also visited a shop where they carve figurines out of tightly bundled lake reeds.

Again, thanks for the photos Bob

I have been to Felipe Horta's shop in Tocuaro many times; have purchased masks from him and had a few shots of...he's a great guy.

We had the opportunity to visit Felipe Horta, the premier mask maker today and can certainly understand how he earned his reputation! From what we were able to understand, he carves his masks from two woods - copal and avocado. As near as I could figure, he uses copal when the mask is going to be painted and avocado when the finish is going to remain natural. He is a 2nd generation mask carver and is in the process of passing the art down to his sons.

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While I was really tempted by a number of his masks, we are already "on the edge" of trying to figure out just how we will get everything back home as it is. While it wasn't a matter of cost, I think he was disappointed that we didn't offer lower prices and bargain with him. As a former mask collector in a previous life, I will be returning to purchase a couple when space permits as his work is too good to pass up. He did mention that he will be doing a show at the University of New Mexico in November and we may just ask him to bring along a couple of masks for us.

Slideshow: https://picasaweb.google.com/118146709599975173363/FELIPEHORTAMASKSTOCUAROMICHOACAN?authkey=Gv1sRgCPTi58HxoPTjjAE#slideshow/5779267908467578898

Once again, we visited the town of Tocuaro and followed the recommendations provided by a couple who live in Patzcuaro. We visited the studio of Juan Horta (who is either a brother or cousin of the better known Felipe Horta). The reason that the couple from Patzcuaro recommended Juan is that they felt his painting techniques were superior. We ended up purchasing two masks:
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Photo album of more masks: https://picasaweb.google.com/118146709599975173363/TOCUAROMICHMASKCARVERS?authkey=Gv1sRgCNfn7K7B97HnPQ#5849455191056160082