Due to Playa de Carmen has become more and more popular in the recent years, it’s normal that the number of souvenirs stores has increased in order to satisfy the demanding necessity of the tourist for taking a little piece that remember them, those glorious days in Playa. However, the majority of these stores just offer china-made stuffs which do not really represent the Mexican culture, it can be good treat for almost everybody, though.

In this post I decide to make a list for those who want an authentic handmade piece that represents Mexico. I'll mentioned some great options and where to find them.

Textile Crafts

Mexico is well known for the incredible long history of their textiles existed since pre-hispanic times, and it has been changing and enriching until nowadays. Mexican textiles are famous for their high quality and their really unique combination of colours.

[pinPicBlogInclusion id="97"]

The handcraft that you can find is so varied it ranges from very popular huipiles (traditional garment similar to a poncho) to purses, passing through houseware. In Playa del Carmen there a few spots where you can find this treasures and be completely sure you’re buying really authentic handmade pieces. Some of them are El Jaguar Dorado and Sol Jaguar.

Pottery and Sculptures

When talking about handmade crafts from Mexico, we can’t left out the beautiful art pieces made from ceramics, pewter and glass. The beauty of the Mexican crafts is a result of mixture of the autochthonous design with the craftsmanship techniques about how to treat the ceramics and the glazing obtained from the Spanish colonization. This way was born that we know today as Talavera Ceramics, a truly Mexican pottery.

[pinPicBlogInclusion id="55"]

If we talk about Talavera Pottery and Mexican Pewter in Playa del Carmen, we have to mention the shop on the 1st Avenue, “Siete Detalles”. When you go into this little shop you’ll find stacks from floor to ceiling of gorgeous Talavera pottery, ceramics, glassware, pewter and variety of home goods. They sell beautiful handmade crafts that use Mexican pewter. Every piece is unique, as it is the result of metal craftsman work, that give it a real artisanal aspect.

[pinPicBlogInclusion id="98"]

Another material that Mexican artisans work really well is Ambar, they obtained this material from fossil bearing rocks in the southern region of Chiapas. There is a spot in Playa de Carmen with a large collection of this type of folk arts, including jewelry and sculpture, its name is Ambarte. You can find them on Constituyente Avenue at the corner of 5th Avenue. They also sell crafts made from bee wax and really coloured yarn created by hand for the Huichol artisans. The prices are not low in this shop, but you can buy a really beautiful piece of art that worth every penny.

“Street” Art

Mexico is a country with a strong artistic culture, evolving since the prehistoric times. This ability to express in an artistic manner, it gets evident when we see the great quality and quite big artistic expressions of local people, who find on the street a place to show their talent. Considering there are not enough art galleries in Playa de Carmen, there is a local art scene that happens every Thursday night on the 5th Avenue, where pedestrians can admire and buy a wide variety of local artist and photographers work.

[pinPicBlogInclusion id="99"]

This is called Caminarte, is junction of the words walking and art, in Spanish. If you want an original piece of art, this is the place you can get it.

Mexican people definitely know how to work different materials to create gorgeous and really unique pieces of arts that resembles the authenticity of local culture. And Playa offers you the opportunity to have a part of that.