An array of bowls from Baja Woods Cookware at the Ranchero Festival. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Tradition. That is what El Mercado Ranchero in Todos Santos is selling.

For the last four years, ranchers and artisans have gathered in front of the store on Calle Morelos to celebrate their culture, share with locals and expats what they have made, and demonstrate their crafts. It started with 12 artisans, and included 48 this year.

Fresh meat is grilled during the festival in Todos Santos. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Much of what is sold in the ranchero store comes from people living in the surrounding mountains of Todos Santos and over in La Paz. One never knows what might be on the shelves. Pottery is often there, as are skulls from bulls. People like to paint them or display them in some decorative form. Food includes cheeses, honey, butter and organic eggs. All from the ranches, not mass produced in some factory.

At the street festival Doña Mari demonstrated how to make a sugar cane candy that resembled taffy; a process that is 100 years old. The concoction was spread on what looked like a slab of granite. Then she took the substance and began working it on a wooden knob resembling a hook on a coat rack. This kneading of sorts thickened the candy and changed the color to a light brown.

Knives are like art; each is unique. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Across the way was a man heating coals in order to turn metal into knives. The blades as well as the handles are works of art; so are the sheaths. They are often a regular item at the store.

Furniture and food were for sale, as well as pottery. Marcos Agúndez, who doesn’t use a wheel for his pottery, but instead crafts it by hand, sold out of his goods in the first 20 minutes.

Baja Woods Cookware in La Paz makes items out of neems, pine, hibiscus and mesquite. With each being one of a kind, those who dawdled in their decision-making lost out to more decisive shoppers.

While the festival is once a year, the store is open year round.

Ranch store deets:

• Open Monday-Saturday, 8am-5pm.
• Phone: 612.140.0568
• Email: elmercadoranchero@gmail.com.