MERIDA CHRONICLES: Italian leather artisan perfects his craft in Merida

Text/photos by Robert Adams //

 

MERIDA LEATHER ARTISAN MASSIMO learned to make fabric bookbags in his mother’s curtain shop in Rome. From meeting the needs of neighborhood schoolchildren, Massimo moved on to learn techniques of crafting leather handbags, backpacks, portfolios and other handmade items.

 

Now the Italian craftsman plies this trade in Merida, where one year ago he opened his own retail shop to sell to the public and meet with customers who seek him for custom-made orders.

 

He also maintains a stand at the Saturday Slow Food Market in Merida, and his bags are included in an annual juried crafts show in Merida and displayed at shops in high-end hotels in the Riviera Maya.

 

Massimo, who does not use his surname in his craft work, moved to Mexico from Italy 25 years ago, settling first in Veracruz and then in Cancun. After moving to Yucatan seven years ago, he set about to build clientele for his high-end leather ítems.

Photo: Robert Adams


“There is a growing market in Merida for artisans who do high-quality work,” he observed in an interview at his small store in Colonia Mexico. “There is no one who competes directly with me now. I do all types of repairs as well as design and make my bags.”

 

Massimo said he and his wife moved to Mexico from Italy at the urging of Mexican friends in Rome. He still has brothers in Italy and returns to visit, although his last trip was four years ago.

 

“It’s 10,000 kilometers away,” he noted with a wistful smile.

 

Massimo is a member of a small but tight-knit community of Italians in Yucatan. His store, located in a small comercial center near the intersection of Avenida José Díaz Bolio and Avenida Líbano, is part of a group of Italian shops called Puras Cosas Buenas. The other stores sell ítems ranging from organic honey, cheeses and dairy products to herbal cosmetics.

 

Most of these items are produced at Rancho Las Aguilas, a farm in southern Yucatan owned by Italians. They also opérate a hotel, restaurant and spa at the rancho, which is near Oxkutzcab,close to the Yucatan-Campeche border.

Photo: Robert Adams


Massimo buys most of the quality goat- and cowhide leathers he employs in his work from suppliers in Nuevo León, Italy and the U.S. state of California.  He also makes dyes he uses to treat the leather. He likes to experiment with other materials as well, including Yucatecan hennequen fiber. “This is a mixture of materials that represents a fusión of Mexican and European styles,” he commented.

 

Massimo, who earned a Rome university degree in information technology and worked for several years in this field in Italy, says he has taken other jobs at times to make money. But since his formative years in his mother’s curtain shop, he has always considered himself a craftsman.

 

“This is my passion,” he says simply.

 

— Robert Adams

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