Festival Artesanal de El Triunfo

Wow, have we ever been busy! We went to a terrific art/craft/performance festival in El Triunfo, and I was hoping to post some pictures of it while we were in Mulege. But the wifi at Casa de Los Suenos was having none of my antics, so I haven't been able to update the blog until now.

Anyhoo, one Sunday in March, when I did my usual morning calendar check, I noticed I had entered the "Festival Artesanal de El Triunfo, 11:00 - 17:00" on that date. We had driven through El Triunfo on our way home from Cabo, had purchased an outrageously delicious and authentic sourdough loaf there, and made a mental note to return again when we had more time. No time like the present! We grabbed our neighbors Lola and Manny, jumped into the Tundra, and headed up into the mountains for some culture.

El Triunfo is an old gold and silver mining town. In its heyday it was the largest city in Baja California Sur and a well-known cultural center. The mines shut down in 1926, people left, and now it is a sleepy town with a population of less than 350 people. Gustav Eiffel, of Eiffel Tower fame, designed the mine's smokestack. (If you remember from one of our previous posts, he also designed the metal church in the mining town of Santa Rosalia north of Mulege.)

Main street of El Triunfo (photo M. Fimbres)

We parked at the picturesque church, and started off at the crafts that were set up inside..

Apple vase...or three?

Tom enjoys a hand-crafted rocking chair

Not my style, but definitely photo-worthy.

Then we made our way to the numerous outdoor stalls...

Beautiful woven rugs

Que? Go Niners!

Men trying the free samples of Damiana, aka Mexican Viagra

Loved these dresses (photo L. Torgerson)

Not to mention the world class people watching opportunities!

We heard music and headed over to the performance stage, which was set up at the elementary school...

This singer was amazing! (photo M. Fimbres)

Beautiful Folklorico dancers ready to perform (photo M. Fimbres)

Talented Ballet Folklorico (photo M. Fimbres)

We had as much fun watching the audience as we did watching the performances!

Twirling her skirt, inspired by the dancers.

Mini cowboy complete with boots, buckle, hat and Cheetos.

We got a bit hungry and decided to walk to the famous Caffe El Triunfo for lunch. 

The streets were crowded with families (photo M. Fimbres)

Unfortunately the Caffe was way too crowded, although we did purchase some cold beers. Luckily a number of homes had set up ad-hoc food stands outside their homes hoping to take advantage of the crowd and make a few extra pesos. We found one around the corner from the Caffe and made do with some goat Birria (stew) and tamales.

 

The Birria was the best thing at this stand.

After lunch we walked over to the old mining works to admire El Triunfo's Eiffel Smokestack...

Suddenly the sky turned gray, the thunderheads rolled in and the skies opened up...

Here comes the rain!

...so we called it a day and headed back to La Paz. We all agreed it was a superb way to spend the day.

Lola and Manny enjoying the local color.

Here are more pictures from our day in El Triunfo: Festival Artesanal de El Triunfo

Also, Manny and Lola took some absolutely terrific photos: Manny and Lola's Photos of El Triunfo

Coming soon...our road trip to Bahia Concepecion and caravan with the McGuires and Davidsons (who drove all the way from Santa Cruz!!) to the surfing town of San Juanico. Stay tuned!