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 Estimated reading time: 3 min. |
  Marcelo Sola |
In the very heart of El Bolsón a significant number of creators gather to trade a wide range of handicraft products. Come and see this clear cultural exponent of the “42 parallel Andean shire”.
Opposite the city square and at the foot of the Piltriquitrón Mount, hundreds of craftsmen gather on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays to trade their products in one of the largest fairs in South America. |
Mentioning El Bolsón, undoubtedly implies talking, among other things, about the hippies, its fair and its handicrafts.
That is where I am heading for, willing to see most of the two hundred and fifty stands that invite tourists to observe and taste original and delicious regional products.
Among these “commercial units” I manage to see pottery, wool, leather works, dry flowers, home-made jams, handicraft beer, fine fruit, craft forged knives, candles of different sizes, shapes and colors, dishes and countless items and artistic expressions that embellish this site. |
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Everything is a party. At a distance, I manage to perceive a species of drum that resounds making afro-American sounds. Seduced by the mystical drumming, I let myself be carried away to the spot from where the music comes, trying to find out what it is about. |
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Meanwhile, the murmur of the people gets mixed with the tunes of guitars and flutes that let “sighs” flow out in the air. The cordiality of craftsmen makes me stop at every second. I soon get to Gastón (23), an unbeatable tapping who shows his skill to make the bongo drum sound. It is incredible to see the skill of this young boy who, as if he was possessed by a contagious rhythm, does not stop tapping on the tense goat leather that acts as a patch. |
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I continue walking and I see Leo (57), carving lenga wood. The intense hammering of the tireless carpenter hammer rapidly gives shape to a leaf in relief.
In front is María (60), hard-working as no one. She weaves sheep wool into a sweater that will surely make some kid feel warmer during the next winter season.
Visitors take the color of craftsmen and these merge into the color of the landscape. Everything is beholding and fascination. The smell of incense and aromatic candles shrouded me in the vertigo of the fair. My senses trigger out in all directions, accompanying the addictive frenzy of the ritual that has been celebrated for more than thirty years. I just continue walking, smiling, and watching… |
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Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, from 10am to 5pm. |
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Opposite the Pagano square (8430) El Bolsón. Río Negro. Republic of Argentina. |
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When passing by El Bolsón, do not miss this clear exponent of the number and variety of craftsmen that inhabit the shire, where several of them have their workshops open to the training of the different native expressions. |
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What to buy: all products are handicraft. We recommend you take your time to watch the vitraux, the textiles, the leather works and to taste the homemade jams and the handicraft beer. |
During the seventies, the first young members of the hippie movement arrived in the area. Brandishing the flag of the return to nature and the rejection of industrialization and consumption society, they settled down at El Bolsón to live in a community and produce their own supplies, working the land and making crafts.
The first ones to arrive were the staff of the opera rock “Hair”, which had been presented in Buenos Aires and some cities of South America. They were followed by the “Comunidad del Arca”, who settled down near Mount El Radal.
That trend left their mark on the present population and is revived in the fair, the organic production farms and the various cultural and artistic events presented at El Bolsón. |
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