Santa Clara del Cobre is a Magical town (Pueblo Mágico) and municipality located in the center of the state of Michoacán, Mexico, approx. 80 km from the state capital of Morelia. The city is full of copper workshops and sellers of all types of copper handicrafts. I had the honour to visit this town together with Majo and her parents who went there on Sunday, 17th of February, to buy some bowls for cooking for their restaurant.
The region was already settled by the Purépecha Indigenous in pre-Hispanic times, who were able to defend themselves successfully against attacks by the Aztecs. The village was founded in 1521 by the Franciscan monk Martín de Jesús under the name of Santa Clara de Acuero, a second foundation took place in 1553 under the name of Santa Clara de los Cobres. The first thing we did after we had arrived in Santa Clara was attending a little demonstration of how the process of making arts of copper is made within the city. The raw material used is exclusively old copper cables and other waste that has been disposed elsewhere. Every kind of handicrafts you can imagine is made of copper here, from teeny-tiny earrings over cutlery, plates, cups, bowls, teapots, vases, bells, all kinds of jewelry and ornaments to bathtubs. Some variants are artistically painted, some in natural copper colors with complex patterns, some in oxidized copper, which gives the whole a turquoise tone.
After we spent enought time adoring the copper art works we went for a Agua de la Michoacana. This flavoured and sugared water by the company La Michoacana is sold all over Mexico. As I ordered one liter of a very creamy one I felt pretty full after finishing with it. Furthermore I tried a little cup of fresh juice of sugar cane. The senior from Haiti, who freshly pressed the sugar cane, radiated an unbelievable joy of life.
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