The Lion and the Buffalo

by Margaret Fleming

Anybody driving into Puerto Peñasco on  Blvd. Juarez lately can hardly have failed to notice an interesting shop just past the Hotel Lluvia del Mar. When you pass over the melon-sized speed bumps, look to the right and  you will see two splendid metal animals guarding it--a lion and a buffalo. The lion has an open mouth with realistic teeth and a bristling mane made of tiny metal strips; the buffalo, whose head is lowered ready to charge, has a shaggy coat fashioned from hundreds of metal curlicues. Both animals are almost life size and are truly impressive works of art.

The wrought iron shop is called Santa Verónica and belongs to Carlos Quiroz Colocio, who came here from San Luis Rio Colorado, where he has been a successful worker in wrought iron for over 20 years. In addition to the fanciful animals, he makes and displays more utilitarian articles such as beds, chairs, tables, gates, chandeliers, and lanterns. Walking through his display is like touring a museum, with works of superb craftsmanship everywhere. The accompanying photos will give you an idea of the beauty and variety to be found at Santa Verónica.

The shop has a large outdoor area where many of the wrought iron pieces are set up. You can sit at elegant tables shaded by large trees and relax. Many of the tables have tiled tops in designs featuring marine life. Snails are a popular motif. We saw them in the back of a love seat and the top of a table, among others. We were also quite taken by a coffee table with a glass top over a large dolphin made of hammered metal, which gave it a three-dimensional quality.

Inside the shop are several rooms full of more samples of Carlos's craftsmanship. In the reception area, attended by an attractive young woman named Florencia, is a large table which Carlos did not make but obtained from someone else. It consists of an elaborate wooden mosaic in an intricate Aztec design, topped by a round piece of glass. Carlos has steadfastly refused to sell it, despite many offers. On the rear wall are a number of small ornaments crafted from different metals, depicting sea horses, pelicans, insects, and fish. There is something for every taste, and if you don't see what you want, Carlos will design and make it for you.

Behind the shop is a workshop with an outdoor forge. Here several skilled young men were working, and we watched, fascinated, as one of them took a red-hot strip of metal from the forge, hammered it on an anvil, then bent it around a spiral shaped "jig," and hammered it into perfect alignment. It's always gratifying to watch someone who is an expert craftsman work at his trade.

Carlos Quiroz has been commissioned by the Mayan Palace to produce gates and other wrought iron works for the new hotel, and is hard at work on it now. In addition to the workshop behind the store, he has two others in town and thus can do large-scale installations for mega-developments like the Mayan Palace.

Santa Verónica's telephone number is 383-6582. It can be viewed on the Internet at http://penasco.com/veronica/index.htm