We decided to drive the 15 miles up Hwy. 89A from Cottonwood to Sedona to check out the community Christmas lights. This is a picturesque pullout along the way. Sedona's holiday lighting wasn't what we had hoped for, but we did enjoy strolling around the Tlaquepaque artisan village.
When in the Sedona area, you will hear Tlaquepaque mentioned often. Sedona has a t.v. channel dedicated to featuring the Tlaquepaque artisans, shops, and restaurants. When I saw the name, I assumed there might be a translation giving meaning to the word. What I didn't know is that my research would discover a whole story! I'll share it with you, as you scroll through the shopping village called Tlaquepaque!
Back in the 70's, Sedona had one stop light and most of the land was still open range.
Around that time, Abe Miller, a successful Nevada businessman, started coming to Sedona on vacations. Being in the real estate development business, he had an eye for possibility.
Abe was a traveler and he loved Mexico.
It was his heart's desire to build, someday, somewhere, a beautiful place reflecting the charm and mood of old Mexico.
The conceptual history of Tlaquepaque is truly a story of this man's love for beauty and perfection.
Under the influence of the lively creative arts scene in Mexico, it struck him that Sedona was a natural location for a living arts community.
It would be a village where artisans work out in full view and live on-site as well. It worked in Mexico and could work here.
He would call his artisan village Tlaquepaque after the colorful Mexican city on the outskirts of Guadalajara.
Tlaquepaque is a word from the ancient language of the Aztecs. Tlaquepaque means the "best of everything"!
