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"Los Organilleros" Organ Grinders of Mexico
By Robbie Rhodes

"Los organilleros", the organ grinders of Mexico City, have been
in the news recently.  At
http://fotos.eluniversal.com.mx/coleccion/muestra_fotogaleria.html?idgal=13563 

  Luis Román Dichi, General Secretary of the Union of Organilleros of
  the Federal District of Mexico, said that at the moment there are 84
  crank-organs, of which more than 60% are made in Guatemala.

  "There were also some comrades who manufactured them in Mexico;
  they were for personal use and were made in the likeness of
  the working organs, hidden from the owners, but the high costs
  prevented more from being produced," said Román Dichi.

Román Dichi was also interviewed by BBC News, see the video at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25420470 

  "They deteriorate without proper maintenance.  Sometimes you find
  that people take pieces from one organ to use in another," he says
  in his workshop, where he also repairs others' damaged organs to
  boost his income.

  "Many just see this as a money-making machine," he explains as he
  replaces the pipes on a smaller Guatemalan-made wooden organ.

More about the organ grinders' organization at
http://www.organillerosdemexico.com/ 

Robbie Rhodes
Mechanical Music Digest

 [ There was also a segment on PBS in the last couple of days.
 [ I wasn't close enough to the radio to catch which show it was
 [ but I'll keep my eye out for a podcast of the show.  If anyone
 [ else caught the PBS segment, please post a link.   Thanks! --Jody


(Message sent Tue 14 Jan 2014, 20:12:11 GMT, from time zone GMT-0800.)

Key Words in Subject:  Grinders, Los, Mexico, Organ, Organilleros

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