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Go Back (to archives)We have been looking for quite a while for some bar stools for the counter in our house. Last weekend, we were driving down the Cholla Bay Road when John suddenly slowed down and said, "There they are." We stopped, parked, and walked back to look. The shop where he had seen them was Artesanias del Desierto, and its owner is Antonio Romero.
Antonio makes everything out of saguaro wood, and he has some really lovely pieces. The stools we bought have round seats inlaid with strips in an octagonal pattern. Antonio also had end tables, coffee tables, dining tables, chairs, benches, and shelves with different patterns of inlaid saguaro wood strips. His artistry and craftsmanship are notable, and his prices are very reasonable. A set of dining table and 4 chairs was $300. Smaller tables were priced from $30-$50. A love seat that we particularly liked was $120. Perhaps the most original item of furniture we saw was a stand fashioned from a large saguaro skeleton. The ribs had been removed from about 1/4 of its circumference and three shelves set in. It would make a good place to display small art objects or perhaps a vase of flowers.
Antonio has lived in Puerto Peñasco for 45 years. He's been in his shop, just across the railroad tracks from town on the Cholla Bay Road, for 6 years. He has a workshop in his house, which is where he makes all his items for sale. Besides his artistic wood furniture, Antonio sells some clothing, pottery, glassware and shell decorations. We wanted to buy a couple of glasses and asked him how much they were. He told us he didn't know because they were his wife's department, but that he would call her. She owns and manages a fast food restaurant on the other side of the railroad tracks. He stepped out into the street and whistled, then turned to us, chuckled, and said (in English) "That's my phone." The communication was perfect because right away a woman came out of the restaurant and started walking toward us. When she arrived Antonio introduced her as his wife Luz.
Luz is a very friendly, cheerful woman. She invited us over to her restaurant, whose name is Tienda JL. It's a small place with 4 or 5 tables. Everywhere was evidence of her husband's handiwork. A mirror on the wall was framed with inlaid saguaro strips. An L-shaped counter was decorated with wrought iron scrolls. Some stools like the ones we had bought were at the counter. She showed us a long wooden rod mounted on the wall. The tip had attached to it several symbolic Indian objects such as an arrowhead and feathers. That's when we found out that Antonio is a Yaqui. We knew there are many of them in Tucson, but didn't expect to find any here. Antonio says there are only a few in Puerto Peñasco.
Luz has operated her store here for 3 years. She sells ice cream, raspados (crushed ice with syrup), sodas, snacks, hamburgers, and Mexican food. She cooks lots of hamburgers for Mexicans, but when Americans come into the shop they don't want them; in Mexico they want tacos, burritos, and chimichangas.
On the counter Luz had two gallon jars full of brownish liquid. We asked what they were, and she said they were poor people's medicine. One preparation, made with pineapple, is called tepache and is good for the heart. The other, called bulgaros, is good for the whole body. It is made from water and brown sugar and is naturally fermented into a vinegar. It makes you hot when you first drink it, but then calm all over. The recipe comes from Calcutta, where it was used by Mother Teresa. Luz knew a Phoenix man who used it and lived to be 96.
The topic of health and long life led us to Luz 's grandmother, who lived to be 136. She attributed her advanced age to strict health rules that she always followed. For instance, she always got up early, drank water, and defecated before sunrise. She cooked with herbs and drank chocolate; she never ate pork or used butter or lard. She drank lots of tepache but only one small glass of wine daily. A frequent meal was beans with tortillas made of flour and cornmeal mixed. She wore only natural clothing made from cotton or linen and sisal sandals. Obviously this regimen was effective.
Luz and Antonio have been married 38 years and have 4 children. For 21 years he has been a member of the Programa de Vigilancia para la protección de la flora y la fauna silvestres. His primary responsibility is to look out for and protect wild animals.
There are so many interesting people to meet everywhere. We were really happy to have gotten to know these new friends.
MAS ESPERANZA PARA LOS NIÑOS
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