The Latin American Influence

This is a photo of a shop window on South Congress that belongs to Turquoise Door. They sell jewelry and artifacts from the Southwest and Latin America. (If you click on the picture, you can see us, although I'm obscured a bit.)

Texas borders on Mexico. From Austin, it is only a little farther to Mexico than Dallas. You can get to Mexico from Austin quicker than you can get out of the state in any other direction. Still it is 234 miles to Laredo (374 kilometers). But the influence of Mexico (and Latin America) is strong. What is now Texas has been under six flags since the natives who were here when Europeans showed up ranged over it. (Mexico, Spain, France, Republic of Texas, Confederate States of America and, of course, the U.S. of A.). So this was Mexico once. You will see lots of people with Southwestern and Latin American decor in their homes. And on their bodies with Mexican and Southwestern Indian influenced jewelry. It is not really our thing, but shops like this cater to the residents (and tourists) who love it. I've shopped here for other people. Skeletons and skulls are popular artifacts, used in the Day of the Dead celebrations. As are colorful and fantastical wooden animals, handmade in Oaxaca (a state and city of Mexico).