I was in Mexico during the month of October teaching a video editing class in Tzintzuntzan, near Lake Pátzcuaro.

During my time off, Petra and I visited the workshop of the multi-talented artist Esteban Silva. He and his wife run the Taller De-Lirio. It is a play on words because Lirio means lily (the plant), so the name is The Lily Workshop. But De-Lirio can also mean delirium.

Anyway, Taller De-Lirio makes paper from the lilies that are chocking Lake Pátzcuaro to death. You see, Lake Pátzcuaro is beautiful looking but polluted. The lilies that grow in the lake clean it but also dry it and consume most of the oxygen in the water. They can grow to a depth of 3 meters! So they are hard to eradicate.

Well, Taller De-Lirio is improving the health of the lake by removing the lilies and making beautiful hand-made paper from them!

But that is just a fraction of the work they do. They create gorgeous linocuts and print using lead-type. Their notebooks are exquisite to hold and to write on. They are works of art. We bought small and regular-sized notebooks for gifting. Additionally they conduct workshops regionally and nationwide, teaching children the art and craft of paper making. They also hire locals, mostly women, to help with all the work, which is, by the way, enormous.

If you are in Michoacán, a visit to Taller De-Lirio is a must. They are located in the town of Huecorio (see the interactive map). You can also visit their Facebook page and order notebooks directly from them. They ship worldwide. Enjoy the photos.

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3 Comments

    1. Author

      Hola Esteban. Me gustó el documental sobre la hermosa obra que realizan con los lirios y el papel. Todavía conservo algunos de los que compré cuando estuvimos allá en el 2015. Gracias por compartirlo. Lo compartiré. Mis mejores deseos de que continues con el empeño y amor que le has dedicado a tu linda comunidad. Saludos de Petra y Rubén

  1. This a a great example of how to feed two birds with one scone. The combination of ecology and art and social responsibility within a struggling world is a great model for us for mini-economies. It also looks like a great focus for some of your students (or you) to do a documentary.

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