Made by hands of the Otomí tribe artisans, the Lelé doll is a national icon in Mexico. Lelé (baby in Otomí) has long braids, a headband of colorful bows and wears traditional clothing of her creators. While preserving Otomí culture, the handmade doll represents the efforts of thousands of Mexico's female artisans.
Previously, a large inflatable version of Lelé has traveled to Barcelona, Los Angeles and now San Antonio as part of their third edition of the Pueblos Mágicos International Trade Show which started at the Pearl on Thursday.
Pueblos Mágicos (Magical Towns) International Trade Show is an opportunity to experience the many towns located near Querétaro. The seven towns include Bernal, Jalpan de Serra, Cadereyta, Tequisquiapan, San Joaquin, Amealco and Pinal de Amoles.
“We want the people in Texas and [the] US [to] know something about Querétaro, and we want to generate that motivation to visit us to enjoy a vacation to enjoy the people the culture, buildings, all the history that Querétaro has,” said Vasthi Zamorano.
Zamorano is a promoter of the tourism ministry in Querétaro. She was originally born in Mexico City but moved to Querétaro. She didn’t grow up with the Lelé doll; however, that didn’t stop her from collecting them later on.
“The traditional dolls started like a toy for the Otomí girls,” said Zamorano. “I have a collection with many colors, many sizes,” she said.
The iconic children’s toy has been in households for generations since the '70s.
The Lelé doll was declared a Cultural Heritage of Querétaro. She also has a museum in Amealco De Bonfil, Queretaro, and the iconic giant Lelé doll has toured the world, appearing in cities like London, China and Japan.
Lelé’s reveal was accompanied by a performance by Azul Barrientos, a multi-genre artist featuring folk, jazz, and Afro-Latino styles.
Although Barrientos is opening for this exhibit featuring muñeca Lelé, she’s never owned one growing up.
“I've never had one but I'm excited about the doll just as anybody else,” Barrientos said. “I saw a photo and I was even more excited, so beautiful.”
While the Lelé doll was being put together, Barrientos admitted to glancing to her right during the performance to check if it was ready to take a photo with.
“I've been singing of course, but then I’m looking like, is it ready? Can I go take a photo with it now?” she asked.
Flor Cortina is a San Luis Potosi, Mexico, native but currently she lives here in San Antonio. She heard of the event and knew she had to take one of Lelé’s new biggest fans—her daughter.
Cortina experienced Lelé’s peak popularity during the '80s and '90s, but she also saw people lose interest over time. She wanted to make sure her daughter was educated on the doll’s cultural significance.
“It's really big, yes, [but] people are losing that they're not so familiar with it,” said Cortina. “It's something that I want to show my kids because here in the US, they don't know much about it. It's getting lost sadly.”
Her daughter owns three Lelé dolls and Cortina still owns her original that she's had since a child. Cortina made sure her daughter had a real handmade Lelé doll by checking small details including if there’s a diaper attached.
“Now they have commercialized them and they're a little bit different, but the real one will have a little diaper.”
The 15-foot Lelé doll will stay on display at Pearl Park until Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. each day. Pueblos Mágicos will host authentic Mexican cuisine, artisans, music and cultural events at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center on June 28 - 30 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
