In Mexico, shapes, colors and materials have combined with man's skill and the popular imagination to produce a phenomenon that extends beyond its borders: its craftwork. Enormously diverse, whether for everyday use or for decoration, Mexican handicrafts form a mosaic that has not lost its roots or its creative, innovative features.

Consequently, one of the country's main attractions are its handicrafts, which vary considerably from region to region. Thus, visitors will be able to take home a set of earthenware crockery from Michoacán, a piece of Talavera china from Puebla, a dining -room set from Colima, red glass goblets from Tlaquepaque, a shawl from Saltillo or a poncho from Oaxaca, an earthenware jug from Tonalá, an embroidered blouse from San Cristóbal, a piece of silver work from Taxco or a brightly colored animal figure from Oaxaca, to mention just a few of the types of craft work available.

Glass, leather, wood, wrought iron, straw, cloth and thread, among other materials, contribute to the creation of a craft work universe that has made Mexico famous throughout the world. Just use your good taste and judgement to distinguish what is genuine wherever you go.

Artesanias (handicrafts) can be bought in the villages where they are produced, or in shops and markets in urban centers. In towns and cities, a wide range of wares usually of good quality can be found. But travelling to the villages gives tourist more of a chance to observe artisans at work.

Prices are not necessarily lower in the villages. For instance, in Oaxaca city, which is the major clearinghouse for handicrafts from all over the state of Oaxaca, the number of stores and markets selling crafts helps keep prices competitive. Prices are also lower in Oaxaca than they would be after shipping to Mexico City or elsewhere.

Some towns and cities with large numbers of resident foreigners or tourists interested in crafts, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, San Miguel de Allende, Oaxaca, have stores offering handicrafts from all over the country.

Museums can also be good sources of information and examples of handicrafts. Many towns have artesanias museums showing local crafts and techniques, sometimes with items for sale. The upper floor of the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City, is devoted to the modern lifestyles of many of Mexico's indigenous peoples, and it's interesting to compare these displays with the artefacts of their prehispanic ancestors in the ground-floor archaeological sections of the museum.