Where to Find Mexican Textiles at a Great Price

One of my favorite shops in Los Cabos is found on an unassuming corner of San Jose del Cabo, right up the street from the popular art district and town plaza. I probably passed Curios Carmela five times before I finally walked in. From the outside it appears to be just one of the many kitschy souvenir stores– but it is so much more! Sure, you'll find huge sombreros, silly shot glasses, and keychains in the shape of flip-flops, but they also have some very unique textiles from all over mainland Mexico– and at REALLY reasonable prices! In fact I use Curios Carmela as my baseline for all other souvenir shops in Los Cabos. Time and time again I have found that they price their gifts far below most other stores, and they have a huge selection– so best of both worlds!

Curios Carmela is located at: Calle Boulevard Antonio Mijares, Centro, 23400 San José del Cabo, B.C.S. I've included a few photos of the location plus an aerial google maps view, but the store is located on Google Maps so you should be able to find it fairly easily– it is on one of the main tourist streets in San Jose, right up the street from the town plaza. Because they sell so much in such a small space, you sometimes have to do a bit of digging to find the "good stuff". Below I listed a few of my favorite "finds" from the store.

Puebla Dresses

Puebla is a city in Mexico that is associated with Mexico's victorious second war of Independence. Today it is known for traditional Mexican handcrafts. While you can get Puebla dresses/garments in other areas in Mexico, they are thought to have originated in the city of Puebla, hence their name. I love wearing Puebla dresses, especially in the summer– they're so functional *and* stylish in the hot weather. Puebla dresses feature short sleeves, a loose fit, and beautiful embroidery, typically found at the neck and down the center of the dress. Sometimes there will be detailing near the shoulders on both front and back of the dress, but usually just the front of the dress is embroidered. The embroidery is done by hand and you can commonly find flowers, leaves, and birds; although it has evolved to other more sophisticated figures from the mix of cultures with forms of peacocks and complete flower arrangements. At Curios Carmela you can find both long and short Puebla dresses and Puebla t-shirts. The shirts usually cost around $350pesos, and the dresses range from $500-600pesos. They are sometimes referred to as "Mexican Peasant Dress" or "Boho Dress" state-side.

Jalapa Blouses

Jalapa blouses are a type of Huipil– the term for the beautiful Mayan blouse woven by indigenous women in southern Mexico (Oaxaca) and parts of South America. The loose fit of this garment is similar to the Puebla blouse, but the soft fabric and folk motifs make it quite distinct. Usually only the front part of the blouse is embroidered, either entirely or at the neck and bottom. They are commonly sold as shirts, but you can also find them in dress form. They come in a multitude of fabric and embroidery colors, usually monochromatic, but they do make a variety of multicolor (think rainbow) style. Jalapa blouses cost more than Puebla blouses because of the fabric (lightweight cotton, rayon, or silk) and threading used, plus the amount of time spent creating them. The full embroidered style costs $1500pesos, and the neck/bottom style costs $1200pesos. I've seen places charge double those amounts without batting an eye!

Otomi Textiles

The forms and shapes embroidered into Otomi textiles have ancient roots, dating back even before the rise of the Aztec Empire. According to legend, these shapes were preserved in prehistoric cave paintings of the Mexican Plateau– which inspired artists who used the designs as a template for their embroidery. Animals like birds and deer and plants like maize and sunflowers are delicately embroidered by hand in multiple or single colors decorating table cloths, pillow cases, quilts and clothing. Curios Carmela has entire wall dedicated to Otomi textiles. They are pricer than other embroidery styles, a coaster like shown in my photo above cost around $120pesos, depending on the style. Table-runners and pillowcases start at around $1000pesos and $550pesos, respectively; larger pieces start at around $2000pesos. They are truly one-of-a-kind pieces of art and worth the price.

A Little Bit of Everything

As you can see, Curios Carmela has an almost overwhelming selection of Mexican souvenirs, textiles, pottery, glassware, and other trinkets. Spend some time looking down every aisle and you're sure to find a great deal!

My favorite window-shopping is the Otomi wall, it is full of gorgeous works of usable art. I hope you find something special when you visit Curios Carmela!

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