In this Mexican town, where millions of ornaments are artisan-made, it's Christmas every day

Located in the Sierra Norte of the east-central state of Puebla, Mexico, the town of Chignahuapan is one of the most visited "pueblo mágico" in Mexico during the Christmas season, where countless artisans hand-blow glass into intricate ornaments that are destined to find a Christmas-tree home in Mexico and abroad.

Chignahuapan has been producing ornaments since 1965, when the artisan Rafael Méndez — who learned the art of ornament-making in Tlalpujahua, Michoacan — established the first workshops in the town. Almost 60 years later, with hundreds of shops and workshops, this production drives roughly 80 percent of the town's economic activity, according to government figures.

Although ornaments are produced and sold year-round, Chignahuapan receives the largest influx of visitors from October to December. Tourists can find classic, round Christmas ornaments, as well as fun and unique designs ranging from animals and food items to fun characters.

Among the hundreds of factories and artisan workshops, manufacturing around 80 million ornaments a year, the Esnaviso factory stands out, whose history began almost 30 years ago with a small workshop.

“I began working here when the first factory was set up. It was a small workshop with only six people, we were only six workers and little by little it grew,” Antonia Bonilla Hernández, manager of the factory, said proudly.

Today, Esnaviso employs 60 people throughout the year, but that number triples during the Christmas season to help meet the ornament demand.

“We work all year round, the factory is open all year from January 1 to December 31,” said Bonilla Hernández.

Handmade process from start to finish

The Esnaviso factory is a common attraction in Chignahuapan, offering visitors a chance to learn and participate in the entire artisan process of creating the ornaments, from the glass blowing, chrome plating and to the final decoration and packaging stage.

"Everything is artisanal, made by hand, one by one," Bonilla Hernández said proudly. "Even if we see thousands, millions — they are all made, blown and decorated one by one by hand."

With this central factory and three shops, two in town and one in Mexico City, the company employs hundreds of artisans, most of them from Chignahuapan.

Since its start in 1992, Esnaviso has remained a family business, founded by Odilón Lozada and supervised today by his son Germán Lozada. Generations of the Lozada family work in the company, integrating themselves into every part of the process.

Globear, or the hand-blown glass process, involves the action of hand-blowing a glass tube that is subjected to the fire of a blowtorch. According to Bonilla Hernández, this is always the first step to shape the ornament, using a glass rod approximately 4 feet long that is heated with the blowtorch at a minimum of 600 degrees Celsius, or over 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit.

“A small bulb is formed and gives way into the shape of the sphere," he shared. The same method is implemented when making other types of figures but with more tools. "For example, for a bell (ornament), two rods are used, one in front and one in the back and is made into a ball and put back into the fire to give it the shape of the bell, and so, each figure has a different elaboration process."

After they are hand-blown, the glass spheres undergo an injection of silver nitrate and are placed in hot water until a chrome or mirror finish is achieved. They are then placed in a color bath, dried and moved on to the decoration area, where about 10 women paint each ornament by hand.

Once the entire manufacturing process is finished, the ornaments are carefully packaged to go on sale, either in one of the shops in Chignahuapan or online.

The traditional sphere ornament is the most commonly produced in Chignahuapan, but each workshop or factory creates its own designs. Esnaviso has more than one thousand designs.

“I believe that we have more than 1,500 models. We have many figures: owls, Santa Claus, fruits, characters, everything, we have an immense number of dolls,” said Bonilla Hernández.

Chignahuapan, a 'pueblo mágico'

According to the Secretary of Tourism of Mexico, a Mexican town receives the designation of "pueblo mágico," or magical town, when it is the site of "symbols and legends … with a history that in many cases has been the scene of transcendent events for our country, they are places that show national identity in each of its corners."

Chignahuapan, a town of more than 66,000 inhabitants according to data from the 2020 Population and Housing Census, has been a part of the Pueblo Mágico program since 2012.

To welcome the crowds of tourists that arrive during the Christmas season, the Plaza de Armas Central in the city's center — where a vibrant Mudejar-style wooden kiosk dating from 1871 stands — is adorned by its most emblematic product: a huge ornament accompanied by an equally imposing and luminous Christmas tree. The large and Instagram-worthy sign with the name of Chignahuapan welcomes tourists year-round.

In the same square is the Parroquia de Santiago Apóstol, a 19th-century Franciscan temple in baroque style, with a brilliant façade. Nearby is the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, one of the most visited sanctuaries in Mexico that houses a magnificent 40-foot, wood-carved image of the Virgin Mary.

Alongside the brick-and-mortar ornament shops, a local flea market closes down one of the main roads in downtown, where vendors sell a variety of ornaments as well as souvenirs, centerpieces and other Christmas decorations.

In addition to its dedication to the ornaments, this magical town offers an extensive Pueblan gastronomy, in which its sweets, preserves and traditional cheese bread stand out. The town is also bestowed with natural wonders, with waterfalls, lagoons, forests and hot springs.

At night, the town is illuminated by thousands of colorful lights, bringing out the brilliance and vibrancy of the handmade Christmas decorations.

Content with the thought that those same ornaments that bring joy to families at Christmas were once in her hands, Bonilla Hernández said she was grateful that this artistic tradition has not been lost.

"We see Christmas all year round, but we feel it when people arrive, when they say, 'Oh, I like that ornament for my tree,'" she shared. "I am filled with so much pride to be part of this tradition ... Through our work, we are also a small part of their home. Our work is present there, it is a great pride for us.”

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Diana García is a freelancer based in Mexico City for La Voz Arizona. Follow her coverage on X, formerly Twitter, @DianaGaav.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: In this Mexican town, it's Christmas every day. Here's why