Del Cobre Old Town Cooper

Thousands of miles south of San Diego, in the province of Michoacán, Mexico, there is a town called Santa Clara Del Cobre. This settlement is small, with cobblestone streets, lone adobe church steeple, and a smattering of fountains; nonetheless, the town hums with activity. The indigenous people have been forging copper here for a millennium, and almost every shop in the area produces cooper products. Generation upon generation of families melt this semi-precious metal into plates, vases, lamps, jewelry and a hundred other designs. This is where Leobardo Cheran, the owner of Authentic Mexican Copperware, comes from. This is where his family works and lives, and creates the products that he carries at his shop in Fiesta Del Reyes in Old Town.



Leobardo grew up working with copper. In fact, his entire family works and owns shops in Santa Clara Del Cobre. Years after perfecting his craft, and his dreams of starting his own store realized; he’s almost hit the year mark in his copperware shop in Old Town. If you happen to walk through the heavy red doors of this shop, you are instantly taken in by hand painted purple, orange, and red butterflies expanding their wings across warm copper plates; the vibrant vases adorned with red flowers and gold vines make you feel as if the art is actually coming alive. Copper rings and earrings forged into waves and circles, thick bracelets ornamented with a summer garden scene, each crafted piece handmade and unique.



Ana Cano, co-owns this store with her soon to be husband, and she will tell you that each piece they carry will never be formed again. The designs, the shape and style of each item will always be different. So, while Leobardo’s family is miles away from San Diego, you can still walk through the cobblestoned courtyard of Fiesta Del Reyes with its fountains and activity and envision that you are stepping into the original Santa Clara Del Cobre family shop; if only for a brief moment.