Shapes and colors that come to life in the hands of María del Socorro of Mazatlan

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In a trade in which he mixes ingenuity and imagination, he has created for 44 years the piñatas that the Mazatlecos break at their parties

Mazatlan Sinaloa.- From the traditional peaks, to those of fashionable characters, any piñata can take life in the hands of María del Socorro Rendón Lizárraga.

She learned this trade thanks to her husband, Manuel Díaz de La Cruz, 44 years ago, and at the time of death of her life partner, in 1994, she was in charge of the family business. With the experience acquired and the passion to make piñatas, his life has been full of shapes, colors, and figures that have cheered thousands of Mazatlecos.

Since 1975 he has dedicated himself to making piñatas, a work in which creativity and patience are mixed, and that result in figures that boys and adults alike. That is not paid with anything, and more as it is an article that rejoices and helps to live with friends and family healthy.

At first, it was difficult to make a piñata, but now you can finish one in less than two hours, line cardboard with newspaper, paste and then dress it with Chinese paper.

Remember that she and her husband started making the piñatas to sell them to the candy stores and then they set up the business with which they took their children forward. There she follows, proudly performing this noble trade.

THE ELABORATION

In Las Mil Piñatas, his business located on Guillermo Nelson Street, in the city center, works against the clock with his two children to keep this tradition alive, and above all bring joy and color to the Mazatlan families this Christmas season.

Cardboard, a container with paste, china paper, crepe and flipchart, are your work tools, but especially old news. Doña Mary knows that without a newspaper there are no piñatas. Therefore, perhaps these letters serve to wrap the body of the next piñata that a customer asks for.

One month after he turns 65, he gives life to any design that customers ask for with prices ranging from 35 (mini), to 120, 150,180, 300 and 350 pesos, depending on size and figure.

Remember that years ago customers arrived with drawings, photographs or newspapers with the design of the piñata, still keep two boxes full with those requests, now with technology, they already bring the idea to the cell phone.

At Christmas, the most wanted design is the star of seven peaks, while the rest of the year the requests of its customers are from different characters, from Spiderman, Goku, Captain America, Wonder Woman, numbers, princesses, to Transformers, which is the most difficult figure to create.

We start with Piñatas de Cepillín, Mafafa, casitas, baskets, Dora the explorer, Hello Kitty, but everything changes and in December the figures they are looking for are the traditional star, boots, Santa Claus, snow monkeys and the children take them other types of figures, so we have assortment for adults and children, who are looking for fun and enjoy the inns and Christmas

Mrs. Mary

For this reason, he explains that in these months he closes the orders of characters and is dedicated to elaborate pure figures alluding to Christmas, because they are made in series up to ten, it is trimmed, pasted and assembled quickly, while in the special ones It lasts up to a week in one piece.

HARD TIMES

The sale begins to pick up at the end of November, with the beginning of the preposadas in the works and schools. Then come the celebrations in the colonies, until the New Year.

Acknowledges that times have changed, as little is sold and there is a lot of competition. At present, for the Christmas season, she and her children make a little more than 150 piñatas, which is nothing compared to the 1,500 or 2,000 that they did 15 years ago.

Before I did have staff, but most of them are doing piñatas in their homes, they even take away even customers, because they give them cheaper and do not pay tax, they take out the cost and what they have left of profit is good, but the Sun rises for all, God bless us

Mrs. Mary

The woman from the municipality of Concordia points out that she has been able to survive because she has clients from all over Mazatlan, for many years. His daughters now come to buy piñatas for their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

‘WAR’ OF PIÑATAS

For several months, characters like Buzz Lightyear, Spider-Man, princesses, Batman, among others, are “in trouble” in Mexico. His images are among the favorites to make piñatas, handmade objects made with colored paper that are frequently used in children’s parties.

But now the piñateros face the authorities that have confiscated tons of merchandise for violating intellectual property rights in different states of the country, although many artisans disagree, because they say that the piñatas are not exact reproductions, but a cartoon of the characters, so it cannot be said that they plagiarize the images.

Doña Mary confirmed that a few months ago they kept their doors closed in the business because personnel from the Attorney General’s Office seized piñatas from Disney and Marvel figures.

Fortunately, they didn’t come here, I asked God to protect us a lot, because I keep up with this and it is a problem because children want character piñatas, I have more than 40 years in the business and I had never seen that, that they will take them or ask you for money for letting you sell

Mrs. Mary

True to tradition, in remembrance of her husband and hoping to have a good sale to help her get the expenses of her home, she is still in the process. Between the role of China and the paste, he hopes that one of his piñatas will be in each Mazatlan home this Christmas season.

FROM CHINA

The piñata is of Chinese origin, then it went to Spain and from there to Mexico, a country that adopted it and transformed it into a tradition.

CHRISTIAN HISTORY

The birth of piñatas in Mexico is linked to Christian history and its evangelizing expansion. The religious adopted this way so that the original peoples of Mexico became familiar with the concept of sin, and thus the star that is broken every Christmas was born, symbolizing the 7 capital sins (pride, greed, lust, anger, gluttony, envy and laziness ) to which you must give up.

For 44 years Maria del Socorro has been making piñatas.

Source: el sol de mazatlan

The Mazatlan Post