Cafe y Chisme Corner

Stories, cultura, and gift guides rooted in real Latino family life. Read, share, and find something that feels like home.

Cafe y Chisme Corner

Amate Paper Art: The Bark Paper Mexican Artists...

In my grandfather's study, there was a framed painting of a tree of life bursting with birds and flowers, painted directly onto what looked like rough, textured bark instead of...

Amate Paper Art: The Bark Paper Mexican Artists...

In my grandfather's study, there was a framed painting of a tree of life bursting with birds and flowers, painted directly onto what looked like rough, textured bark instead of...

Huipil: The Woven Garment That Tells You Exactl...

My tía Rosa keeps a huipil folded in tissue paper at the bottom of her closet, one she bought at a market in San Cristóbal de las Casas thirty years...

Huipil: The Woven Garment That Tells You Exactl...

My tía Rosa keeps a huipil folded in tissue paper at the bottom of her closet, one she bought at a market in San Cristóbal de las Casas thirty years...

Talavera Pottery: Why the Blue-and-White Cerami...

My tío has exactly one Talavera platter he refuses to let anyone else wash, a wide blue-and-white piece with a chipped rim that's carried every tamale, every turkey, and every...

Talavera Pottery: Why the Blue-and-White Cerami...

My tío has exactly one Talavera platter he refuses to let anyone else wash, a wide blue-and-white piece with a chipped rim that's carried every tamale, every turkey, and every...

Milagritos: The Tiny Charms Latino Catholics Pi...

My abuela kept a cigar box of tiny metal charms in her nightstand drawer — a leg, an eye, a heart, a little dog, a house no bigger than my...

Milagritos: The Tiny Charms Latino Catholics Pi...

My abuela kept a cigar box of tiny metal charms in her nightstand drawer — a leg, an eye, a heart, a little dog, a house no bigger than my...

Papel Picado: The Paper Banners That Turn Any P...

Every October, my mother climbs onto a kitchen chair with a roll of masking tape and a shoebox of paper banners she's kept folded in tissue since I was a...

Papel Picado: The Paper Banners That Turn Any P...

Every October, my mother climbs onto a kitchen chair with a roll of masking tape and a shoebox of paper banners she's kept folded in tissue since I was a...

Alebrijes: The Wildly Colorful Creatures That S...

My grandfather kept a small paper-mâché creature on his dresser for as long as I can remember — a dog with butterfly wings and the face of a fox, painted...

Alebrijes: The Wildly Colorful Creatures That S...

My grandfather kept a small paper-mâché creature on his dresser for as long as I can remember — a dog with butterfly wings and the face of a fox, painted...