Buying Nativity or Creche in old san juan?

[calenita]

I was in San Juan 10 years ago in early December and bought a nice little nativity scene there. Gave it to my mom as a present and would love to find another this time for me. We will be in San Juan on the 29th and 30th of December - leaving on the 31st. I'd love to find another nativity. This one was purchased in old San Juan somewhere. Would this kind of thing be available lots of places or a particular place in old San Juan? Thanks. Our cruise leaves Dec 31 and I would love to find some nativities in the other islands too, so we will see.

Thanks!

[cjnky]

I'll be there a week after you, so let me know if and where you find one!

[calenita]

I did find some nativites in San Juan, but a note to the wise - most are made in Peru. If there is a llama on it, this is not from Puerto Rico, even if it says Puerto Rico on it. Some of the stores in Old San Juan say when the articles are actually made in Puerto Rico. Of course, the Puerto Rican stuff is more expensive - about 3X more than the Peruvian. I ended up buying a small pottery figure of the Three Kings - the wisemen - which is a big holiday in PR - Jan 6, Three Kings Day. Not inexpensive but unique and made in Puerto Rico.

[Aviator of the Seas]

I was in San Juan 10 years ago in early December and bought a nice little nativity scene there. Gave it to my mom as a present and would love to find another this time for me. We will be in San Juan on the 29th and 30th of December - leaving on the 31st. I'd love to find another nativity. This one was purchased in old San Juan somewhere. Would this kind of thing be available lots of places or a particular place in old San Juan? Thanks. Our cruise leaves Dec 31 and I would love to find some nativities in the other islands too, so we will see.

Thanks!

 

Puerto Rican artisans are very proud of their craft. I will go out on a limb here (CC rules for locals making recommendations), but most places where you can find authentic crafts have some sort of endorsement from the government, which give artisans and their clients tax breaks. So, many times near the docks you will find open air booths selling handicrafts during special events. There are also some year-round stores that sell handicrafts from sanctioned artisans on consignment, the main one being Puerto Rican Arts and Crafts. In those you will find a large selection of religious crafts, including nativity scenes.

 

You might also be interested in hand-carved wooden Santos (saints), which is a very popular tradition here. There are santos for every ocassion, including Christmas.