While visiting San Miguel de Allende this year for a vacation and to deliver a two day lecture on artisans at the Instituto Allende, I managed to further explore the city I had visited last year and was delighted to keep findings so many more treasures in San Miguel. La Esquina, Museo del Juguete Popular Mexicano, a museum of Mexican artisan toys, was one of those treasures. Young or old it should definitely be on your list of places to go to in San Miguel de Allende.
Last year was the first I heard of the museum of toys and I promised myself I would get there but there was so much to do in San Miguel de Allende that I let it go to the wayside. I knew I would be coming back, so this trip I was determined to visit La Esquina and on a beautiful sunny day my mother and I took a cab (she was not climbing the steep hill) and set foot in toy land Mexican style.
The museum is not that old, it was established in 2010 to showcase the collective heritage of toy making from all regions of Mexico. Angélica Tijerina, the museum’s owner, has taken over half a century to collect the over 3,500 toys with the desire to preserve the crafts and skills of the toy makers she encountered as a child when her father would bring back toys for her from his travels. The museum also acts through its foundation as a source of information and resources for Mexican artisans today while also teaching them the business side of being an artisan and how to market their products.
What you see when you get to this beautiful four story Spanish colonial is an explosion of color. Admission to the museum is $4.99 and starts with small rooms of toys and an atrium with an enchanting garden. The offices of the foundation on are this floor (along with a gift shop that offers toys made by the artisans).
There are four themes to the museum: the first room is the Playing House, which focuses on dolls made from cloth and other materials. It’s like living in one big doll house. The second room is Unforgettable Companions, here you see toys that focus on transportation – from horses, bike trucks and airplanes. In La Esquina's third room the theme is The Fair, where you will see all things related to the fairs from ferris wheels, clowns, musicians, instruments, and games. The fourth room is Toy Geography, which focuses on artisan communities around Mexico. On the top floor there is a beautiful terrace with some of the best views of San Miguel de Allende.
As usual I ended up taking way more photographs than I thought I would as the details in the toy making were quite extraordinary. The materials ranged from wood, to wheat, to textiles, I can go on. The subject matters of the toy makers were quite vast, giving a cultural look into the everyday life of Mexico along with traditions, myths, and history. There was a video of one of their artisans on the top floor explaining his craft and what he is doing to make sure it is still passed on. Since the subject of my lecture was keeping artisan skills alive the museum really touched me with its mission. It was hard not to want to play with the toys so I can only imagine how the children feel when they visit this toy land paradise. Here is a very hard edit of the museum and the magic of toys.
The inside entrance to the museum.
Kitchen toys.
Planes, trains and automobiles.
A merry go round made of straw.
Lucha Libre!
Fair toys.
The Theatro.
Toys of a Mexican woman weaving.
A day at the circus.
Shopping at the mercado.
Coco Cola Truck.
Mexican Marionettes.
Tortilla Ville.
Depiction of Mexican wresting at its best.
Video of Mexican artisan toymaker.
The Wresting Arena at La Esquina.
The circus is in town.
Portrait with skinny mom.
The beautiful rooftop view of San Miquel de Allende.
Cinco de Mayo scenes on the rooftop.
Toy rooftop kitchen.
Mexican clay dolls.
The gift shop.
Farewell! Mom and I loved every second of this magical place.
