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"View Slideshow\n\nMexico has long held a special allure for gringos trying to escape one thing or another; its suitability for this particular task has been celebrated in works ranging from Malcolm Lowry's Under the Volcano to Tennessee Williams's Night of the Iguana to the songs of Jimmy Buffett. Interior designer Michael Schaible, who recently bought a home for himself in the historic and picturesque town of Tlaquepaque, understands. For Schaible, this arts and crafts center, famed throughout Mexico for its pottery, furniture, glass and metalwork, provides an enviable escape from the high pressure and high prices that predominate north of the border\u2014without any commensurate sacrifice in quality.\n\nJust a 20-minute cab ride from busy downtown Guadalajara, Tlaquepaque (pronounced tlah-keh-PAH-keh) was once known by a name that translated roughly as \"men who make clay utensils with their hands.\" With craftsmanship so closely tied to its identity, it's no wonder that the city has developed over time into a kind of bohemian artists' colony, albeit one with a decidedly upscale flavor. Many of the grand estates that once served as summer homes for Guadalajara's wealthy have been converted into shops, restaurants and galleries; patrons amble from one to another, zigzagging their way down Independencia until they are deposited in the large pedestrian plaza known as El Pari\u00E1n, where strong margaritas and strolling mariachis await to rejuvenate them.\n\nGuerrero Santos is famous for his glazed ceramics, which feature a motif of sun, moon and stars.\n\nMaking his way eastward toward El Pari\u00E1n, Schaible might start such a journey at Casa Pericos. There, brothers Diego F. and Pedro Somellera (the latter of whom is an architect) turn wrought iron, marble and wood into unique contemporary furnishings that nod to Mexico's traditions while looking indisputably forward. \"Their pieces are stunning,\" says Schaible. \"The quality is just unbelievable, and it's so much more affordable than what you'd find in the United States.\"\n\nJust a stone's throw from Casa Pericos is Io, another furniture store run by an architect, Ernesto Cruz. On a recent visit, the designer was especially impressed with a three-tiered chandelier, part of a collection developed by Cruz that is inspired by ornate 19th-century Mexican furnishings but crafted with a distinctly contemporary edge. \"It's made with the same techniques that are used in Murano. They used to do this type of glass in Mexico, but there just aren't that many people left who can do it anymore.\"\n\nAcross the street from Io is Antigua de M\u00E9xico, in a former mansion built in 1900 and now owned by husband-and-wife team Rosa Elba Alfaro and Alberto Alfaro Joffroy, the latter of whom is\u2014surprise, surprise\u2014an architect. To Schaible, the couple (and their team of devoted craftsmen) exemplify the astounding level of skill and attention to detail that is Tlaquepaque's legacy. \"Metal, glass\u2014anything you want, they can make for you,\" he says. Schaible was so taken by a hanging iron-and-beveled-glass light fixture designed by Joffroy, he adds, that he's using three of them in his house.\n\nAround the corner, on Ju\u00E1rez, sits a store whose specialty is lighting, Mauricio Preciado Dise\u00F1o y Arte. The first time he walked in, says Schaible, \"I was blown away by the scale of everything.\" Indeed, the shop's fixtures\u2014incorporating wrought iron, glass, tin, brass and other materials\u2014would look right at home in the ballroom of a 19th-century Guadalajaran aristocrat's country retreat. But Schaible loves something else about this store: \"You can take them a lamp, any lamp, and they will copy it perfectly. With electricity, with candles\u2014anything.\"\n\nSchaible loves something else about Mauricio Preciado Dise\u00F1o y Arte: \"You can take them a lamp, and they will copy it perfectly. With electricity, with candles\u2014anything.\"\n\nBack on Independencia, Colecci\u00F3n Herlinda Palacios reflects the tastes\u2014and in some cases the personal history\u2014of proprietor Linda Chapuy. Pottery, tin mirrors and other artisanal treasures abound. But what captivates Schaible is the old wood and iron gates propped up outside, many of which once graced the entrances of the village's haciendas. \"Linda grew up in Tlaquepaque,\" says Schaible, \"in one of the grand old houses. When I remarked on how much I loved a set of gates, she told me they were originally from her family's residence.\"\n\nFarther down, approaching El Pari\u00E1n, one encounters the studios of father-and-son artists Jess Guerrero Santos and Adrian Guerrero. Guerrero Santos makes his mirrors, pots and vases in a variety of media but is most famous for his glazed ceramics, which often feature a motif of sun, moon and stars. \"His colors are amazing,\" says Schaible. \"There's also a strong religious influence in his work, which I find interesting.\" His son's elegant, sophisticated pieces, notes the designer, \"are somewhat simpler, often with crackled glazes and with unusual touches,\" such as insect motifs.\n\nMichael Schaible hopes to have his Mexican escape completed by Thanksgiving, filled with as many locally made artworks and furnishings as he can get his hands on. \"It's so exciting to be able to work with these people,\" he says, noting that the level of craftsmanship is among the best he's ever seen. Adding to Schaible's delight is his discovery of the difference between Mexico's and Manhattan's ground rules of hospitality. His new suppliers have become his close friends. \"They're so warm and lovely. They've all invited me into their homes.\""^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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