Casa de Artesanias, located in a bright pink building right next door to Parque Agua Azul, is administered by the state of Jalisco and is one part folk art museum (though all is for sale) and one part craft store. It hosts little markets on Sundays with lower prices, but I just wanted to check the place out and had no problem going on an early Saturday afternoon.
The store is filled to bursting with pottery, sculptures, paintings, textiles, jewelry, and furniture. You enter the building's foyer and have two options: turn right and head toward a museum-style gallery, or turn left and enter a two-story annex filled to bursting with products representing all of Mexico's varied art styles. It has a very Tonalá and Tlaquepaque feel to it, but you benefit from the whole thing being indoors and more manageable due to its smaller size. Also, staff is very hands off so you won't feel pressured to buy anything.
Mural to the left of the entrance.
One word of advice would be to ask permission to take photos. Everything is for sale and as such you should respect the space and at least pretend to be interested in buying something. I asked as soon as I walked in, but another employee still approached me to make sure I knew this wasn't just a museum. I explained my Top 20 list and how this was my last stop. She had no problem letting me continue snapping pics. I bought an adorable little owl sculpture for 65 MXP. Of course, he fell off the table and chipped his ear as soon as I sat down at Starbucks to type this blog up. I'll see if I can somehow fix it in the US but I'm not hopeful. *cries* At least the damage is on the backside...
I wish I had found this store sooner. I can only image how much more unnecessary yet beautiful craftwork we would have purchased over the last two years.
There's not too much more to say. I'll simply leave you with a hodgepodge collection of my favorite items, though you could literally spend all day in this one store and not see everything.
All in all, I give this one a goofy face and a big thumbs up.
And as for the Guadalajara Top 20 list? MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
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