From Traditional Toys to the Ancient Ballgame at the Centro de las Artes de Guanajuato
As part of her book tour in Mexico, author and illustrator Laura Elena Rodríguez Garcidueñas presented Juego de Pelota: Descubre sus secretos con La Catrina Bohemia at the Centro de las Artes de Guanajuato in Salamanca
Laura was invited to take part in the event through Mitote por el Arte, a cultural collective in Salamanca. She was introduced to the audience by Blanca Estela Báez Peña, a Mexican psychologist, educator, and writer, who has dedicated much of her career to education and literature and is currently part of the academic community at Universidad La Salle Campus Salamanca.
The presentation took place during the first Encuentro de Juguetería Tradicional: “Herencia que juega”, organized by Fundación AIDECA as part of the XV Seminario Iberoamericano de la Artesanía. The event brought together around 50 artisans from different parts of Mexico to showcase traditional toys and celebrate the stories and memories connected to them.
Rosa María Rojas, president of Fundación AIDECA and organizer of the encuentro, welcomed Laura as part of a program dedicated to recognizing and giving visibility to traditional Mexican toys and the cultural heritage behind them.
Wooden cars, cloth and cardboard dolls, handcrafted figures, and many other traditional toys filled the space with color and reminded visitors of a form of play that has been part of Mexican family life for generations.
It was a fitting setting for Juego de Pelota, a book that also looks at play as part of Mexico’s cultural history. During her presentation, Laura talked about her research into the ancient ballgames of Mexico and about the people she met along the way—players, associations, and others who continue to practice and share these traditions today.
She also shared how La Catrina Bohemia, the character she created, became the guide for this journey, helping young readers discover the history and different forms of the Mesoamerican ballgame through an illustrated story.
Being part of “Herencia que juega” gave the presentation a special context. The event was not only about displaying traditional toys, but about recognizing the knowledge, creativity, and memories carried through them. In a similar way, Juego de Pelota seeks to bring attention to a cultural tradition that continues to live through the people who practice it.
For Laura, returning to Salamanca and presenting her book in a space dedicated to traditional Mexican creativity was another special moment during her tour. It brought together two different ways of understanding play, both connected by something very simple: the games and objects we grow up with can tell us a lot about our culture and where we come from.
Editorial Parangueo is grateful to Mitote por el Arte, Blanca Estela Báez Peña, Fundación AIDECA, and Rosa María Rojas for helping make this encounter possible and for creating spaces where Mexican culture, creativity, and community can come together.
