Crafts & Curios

Baskets, Blankets and Rugs

The numerous Indian peoples of Mexico create marvels of beauty with their centuries-old weaving skills.

From beautiful Zapotec Indian wall hangings and rugs woven by villagers from Oaxaca, to colorful hammocks of hemp and cotton made in Merida, to baskets of every kind and blankets of every pattern, these handmade treasures are among Mexico's best buys.

At Pier 1, an unadorned, 18-inch open basket costs around $25. Across the border, heavy-duty, lidded baskets, up to 36 inches tall, 20 inches in diameter and tough enough to store kids' toys or firewood, can be picked up for $5. Four dollars will get you a big, beautiful, woven beach or diaper bag, embossed with colorful straw flowers. In Old Town, coarse-cotton, striped Mexican blankets are priced from $9.95 to $11.95. South of the border, they are sold at almost every street corner and shop for $4.99. These blankets are lively and colorful enough to use as area rugs, accent pieces, tablecloths and furniture throws, and sturdy enough to line Fido's bed or double as car seat covers and beach blankets. Bargain hard for these and buy a bunch on every trip across the border.

Heavy-duty hammocks for two can be had for $8 in every color; even sturdier hammocks, with wooden end pieces, run $12 to $15 in single or double width.

Insider Tips

Bargaining for blankets is always better when you buy two or more and wherever there is competition close by. If many stalls or shops are within earshot of each other, and all carry large selections of blankets and wall hangings, bargaining is a breeze.

Best City to Shop

Basket selection is best in Rosarito at the curio and pottery shops at the south end of town. Hammocks are most plentiful in Rosarito's main-street mercado. The best selection of Zapotec rugs and wall hangings, along with the best blanket selections, are found in the multiple shops and stalls of Tijuana's underground Pasaje Gomez, on Avenida Revolucion, between Third and Fourth streets; in Rosarito's mercado; and in Bazar Ramirez on Avenida Lopez Mateos in Ensenada. Wovenware is universally bargainable.

Prices in Mexico will vary with fluctuations in the peso. All prices on bargainable items quoted above are after bargaining. The law of supply and demand does apply in the border area. As tourists' tastes change, inventory will vary at shops that cross-sell or feature items from different categories. Specialty or one-of-a-kind items mentioned above may not always be available.


Pottery

From walls of smiling ceramic suns to rows of fierce cement lions that will guard your gates, Rosarito is the only place to fill up your garden, your yard, your hearth or your patio for a pittance.

Pots R Us is the nickname locals have given to the mile-long row of pottery shops on the Old Road, just south of town.

Here you'll find an absolutely mind-boggling selection of pots, patio hibachis, gardenware, statuary, cementware and curios.

Don't even think about shopping for clay crocodiles, frog crocks or dolphin fountains in Tijuana or Ensenada. Pottery runs toward the gaudy in Tijuana (who wants a garden urn that glitters?) and toward the ho-hum in Ensenada. There's little selection in either city and, therefore, no bargaining clout. But bargains abound in Rosarito, and bargaining is definitely expected.

In San Diego, an unadorned, 24-inch cement birdbath can carry a price tag of $65. In Rosarito, a better-quality birdbath, with a cherub centerpiece, is just $20. A 36-inch clay patio furnace, which can be bargained down as low as $20 at Rosarito's Pancho's (if you're making other purchases), is a nonbargainable $65 or more in Old Town.

Insider Tips

Most Rosarito pottery shops carry similar merchandise and are owned by members of two extended families. If you can't find something at one place, ask and they'll probably send you to a cousin just down the street. The best bargaining strategy is to browse a place, ask pricing questions as you go, mentally tally up everything you want and ask for the best price if you buy it all there. You should get at least 20% off for multiple-item buys.

Best Shops in Rosarito

Pancho's and Consuelo's offer just about every shape and size of funky clay or cement animal that can hold a plant or function as a fountain. Pancho's is consistently one of the fairest dealers in the field and will take the time to explain why a 6-inch Oaxacan pot costs $5 while a 24-inch Rosarito pot may only cost only $4. These two shops are located side by side on the east side of Rosarito's main street near the north end of town. Call 011-52-661-20101.

Curios Tizoc, like others along pottery row, has a veritable farm field of pots and statuary from which to pick. A scalloped 30-inch-wide fountain with base is just $40. A 24-inch stone lion is just $10. Two-tone ceramic suns are $8, and smaller suns run between $3 and $5. Prices and selection are good at this establishment just south of town, and the atmosphere is low-key. Located just south of Rosarito, on the Old Road.

Virgo Mexican Art, also on pottery row, is a good combo stop. There's a full selection of gardenware outside and reasonably priced furniture and crafts inside. Virgo is usually a great place to bargain for pigskin furniture. Located just south of Rosarito, on the Old Road. Call 011-52-661-22357.

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