.Best Ethnic Arts & Crafts Store: Some candles and the subcomandante

Corazón del Pueblo

For some East Bay residents, nothing says “I love you” quite like a collection of parables from Zapatista leader Subcomandante Marcos. They’ll be thrilled to discover Corazón del Pueblo, an East Oakland cornucopia of Mexican crafts, clothes, books, and even traditional games like Loteria. At Corazón, you can buy traditional dresses and shirts from Jalisco, Oaxaca, or Veracruz, and shop for Mexican-made jewelry and tin crafts. Of course, the requisite posters of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera are available, but that’s not the real treat. The real flavor lies in the clothes, bracelets, and devotional candles, which aren’t worshiping an idealized artistic past but actual art in the here and now. The devotional candles, for instance, are all made by one woman in Oakland, and the thought that she has found a way to spend her life mixing wicks and wax together is the real essence of living art. Go find it at Corazón del Pueblo.

Readers’ Pick:

Global Exchange
2840 College Ave., Berkeley, 510-548-0370
GlobalExchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/stores/

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