herbnick

Thank your for your reply. I have seasoned several molcajetes this way and found them very workable. However this metate has more and deeper holes than I have ever seen. I tested an area outside the usable part with a grinder. This is very hard material and to make the surface as usable as one would want it would take hours with a grinder without assurances that there would not be equally sized holes under the surface ground off. The metates I have seen in Oaxaca did not have surfaces like this one. Unfortunately I am not in a position to drive there to pick up a new one. I was hoping that the map discussed in the 2005 string would help me find a feasible source and would really lke to see if the map was published. But thanks again , I really appreciate your input.

I don't know if I'm doing this correctly but here goes. I recently bought a metate y mano from gourmet slouth and was very disappointed that the surface was quite porous. In exploring alternatives on the web I found your posting. I have taken Seasons of my Heart weekly classes with Susanna Trilling several times and after soaking the dried corn with cal over night spent one day with her taking the soaked corn to the market, rinsing it and having it ground for tortillas. We then made tortillas and sopes etc. I do have a hand grinder but wanted to try to use the metate as some of us did in Oaxaca. Thus my purchase. I'm interested in your search for places that make metates and wonder if you made the list of summary you mentioned. I hope you are still active on this site