The Palm Sunday Concurso in Uruapan

Every year on Palm Sunday there is a large artisan competition and market in Uruapan, the second-largest city in Michoacán. Uruapan is significantly lower, and therefore warmer, than either Morelia or Pátzcuaro, and is the center of avocado production in the region. Michoacán produces 30% of the world's avocado crop, and that's a lot of avocados. Something like 40 millions tons a year.

It's about a 45-50 minute drive from Pátzcuaro to Uruapan on a good toll road (44 pesos, about $4), and despite being densely populated it's not too hard to negotiate the streets to get where you want to go. We drove immediately to a parking garage near the main plaza, which in Uruapan is a long rectangle, and headed first to a nearby small plaza where each Purépecha village in the region had set up booths to serve their traditional foods.

Having had only a bolillo with some butter and jam before we left, we were both ready for something more substantial. After cruising the various booths, we opted for a couple of blue-corn gorditas stuffed with cheese and squash blossoms cooked on a comal over a wood fire, with a spoonful of roasted tomato and chile salsa added as desired. The crowds of people happily eating, along with the smoke of the fires, contributed to our overall appreciation of simple, traditional food. Other booths served chicken with mole, uchepos (sweet corn tamales), corundas (tamales wrapped in corn leaves), and various soups.

Then it was time to walk a few blocks to the Fábrica de San Pedro, an 19th-century textile mill operated by an elderly American woman, where we could see the exhibits of the concurso. The Fábrica is pretty run down, with broken windows and derelict machinery, but like most old structures that once were magnificent it was a lovely space to show the beautiful crafts. The concurso displays the best of the best, but only a few receive top honors.

At one point the officials herded us toward the entrance, where the Michoacán governor made a short speech and officially opened the exhibit. He was surrounded by his entourage, but as Mark said there was absolutely no security in place--no metal detectors, no guys in dark glasses and suits with electronics in their ears, no searching of purses and bags.

We bought only two modest purchases for the new kitchen, which we'll leave with a friend rather than taking them home, but we made notes about what we want to look for when we return in the fall.

Then we walked back to the plaza, covered with canopies and filled with vendors. Most of the work is mass-produced