Nov. 12, 2006 –The other day, some friends were going to the city of Colima overnight on business and I went along. It’s about a two-and-a-half hour trip, mostly on good toll roads. We dropped a lot in elevation, as Colima is at about 2,000 feet, compared to the 5,000 here by Lake Chapala. Only an hour or so from the beaches of Manzanillo, it was hot and muggy. It’s a prosperous modern city.

And I was a happy camper, because two of my passions coincided: dogs and Mexican pottery.

In pre-Columbian times, the people in this part of Mexico created pottery that celebrated the simple joys of life. And in their tombs, they often put statues of fat little dogs. The pottery dogs we saw are generally quite happy, and they are described in a book I read as having a sense of humor.

(The people also ate the dogs at times, after fattening them with corn. You have to recognize the exigencies of their lives to accept this, I guess. It took me a little while, but the love of the dogs shines through the pottery.)

There happened to be a very nice artesania store in the next block to our hotel, the Maria Isabella. I chatted a long time with the owners, in English and Spanish. Among other things, they had two sections of modern copies of the Colima dogs. Both were imitations of actual centuries-old pieces, but the better ones were handmade and the poorer ones made from molds.

I bought two of the handmade ones, and then went back the next morning and got a third one I kept thinking about.

Here’s one, where the dog is wearing a human mask. This would be put in the grave with the newly dead person, so the dog would guide the person into the next world.

Comments from the old blog:

• Rosana, I love these dogs too. The one with the human mask is wonderful. Lucky you.

• I said…

  I’ve got it on my bedside table at the moment, really enjoying it! Once I get home, it will find another spot.
  More coming on the dogs, with some nice photos, planned when I get to my next blog entry.

• I have heard the legend of the dancing dogs of Colima but I cannot find any supporting info in print or on the internet. Do know the story? What is your source? Any info would be nice. Cheers! Terry Ryan (Toronto) Visited Colima in Feb’07 and loved it.

• I said…

  Terry, the hardcover book I bought in Colima is Perros en las tumbas de Colima, which is in Spanish, English, and French, published by the Universidad de Colima, 2nd edition 1998. You might be able to get it through interlibrary loan, or on ebay or abe.com or alibris.com