Tlalpujahua (Michoacán, Mexico) is far from the Arctic, yet in this small town, every day of the year feels like Christmas.
Year-Round Festivities
Tlalpujahua – a place specializing in Christmas decorations.
Over 20 years ago, when Chinese manufacturers began to dominate the hand-painted Christmas decoration industry in Mexico, artisans from Tlalpujahua started considering marketing their glass products in stores across the United States. The hardworking hands of Tlalpujahua’s artisans endure temperatures reaching 600°C, the necessary heat to melt glass.
Since Joaquín Muñoz and María Elena Ruíz learned glassblowing techniques to create Christmas ornaments, this product has become a tradition in Tlalpujahua. The twinkling lights in the colorful windows of shops capture the attention of many visitors during the Christmas season.
Alfredo Muñóz, son of Joaquín and María Elena, recalls that after a period of making Christmas decorations for a local business in the U.S., his parents returned to Mexico.
In 1960, Joaquín conceived the idea of creating Christmas ornaments, and within a short time, he employed over 1,500 people to produce approximately 15 million Christmas decorations. He established the largest glass ornament manufacturing workshop in Latin America.
Artisans breathe life into glass products.
Today, according to Alfredo Muñóz, glass production accounts for 70% of the town’s economic value, providing income for 27,788 residents working as artisans, factory workers, and service providers in tourism.
Visitors can find any type of Christmas decoration in this town. Approximately 60% of the glass ornament production in Tlalpujahua is exported to countries such as the United States, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, and Europe.
The Responsibility of Preserving Tradition
Currently, Tlalpujahua has over 400 production workshops. Molten glass is shaped like a viscous syrup and attached to a blowpipe. After that, air is blown through a tube, causing the glass to expand like a balloon and be shaped by spinning, rolling, or blowing.
Artisans decorating Christmas baubles.
With creativity, the glassblowing artisans transform long glass tubes into various shapes, from round ornaments for Christmas trees to fruit, candy, and animal figures. The products are then adorned with sparkling colors.
For Alfredo and his siblings, preserving this traditional craft is a significant responsibility as they are the children of the first artisans in Mexico. The “101 lessons” from their parents have trained many renowned glassmakers.
They are always preoccupied with their craft, maintaining it as a cultural heritage to pass down to future generations. This is why they participate in international conferences every year to modernize their technology and designs. Upon returning to Mexico, they implement new ideas to ensure they bring innovative styles and trends to their customers.
Christmas decorations in Tlalpujahua are very diverse.
All decorations are of high quality and cannot be found anywhere else. Looking through the shimmering glass pieces, one can empathize with the sweat of the artisans who create them.
The elegant pieces from the Muñoz family have crossed the borders of Mexico, adorning palaces such as the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City and the White House in the United States.
Tlalpujahua sparkling at night.
“Every handcrafted product here is a unique creation, meticulously made by hand. Although they may look similar, each finished piece is one-of-a-kind. By shaping the material under the influence of heat, artisans breathe life into them, creating works of art,” shares artisan Javier Vidal Ramírez.
The Christmas workshop held year-round in this area is an attraction for tourists. Tlalpujahua also hosts an annual celebration from early October to mid-December known as the Ball Fair (Feria de la Esfera). Here, artisans showcase their products.
