BajaNomad

Shells of San Roque

LisaR. - 7-31-2009 at 11:48 PM















[Edited on 8-1-2009 by LisaR.]

nancywinpdx - 8-1-2009 at 12:46 AM

nice photos, thanks!

shari - 8-1-2009 at 06:09 AM

CARACOLES!!! which in slang here mean...holy cow!
these are some of the mountains of caracole shells that get dumped nearby san roque from when the fishermen clean out the conch inside that then gets frozen or canned.
They are delicioso...comparable to abalone.

Bob H - 8-1-2009 at 11:41 AM

We just love this area of Baja! Thanks for sharing your shell photos.
Bob H

Natalie Ann - 8-1-2009 at 03:37 PM

I have a bracelet made of that shell honed to 2" long, 1/4" thick rods which are woven together.
It's beautiful and I get a number of compliments on it, how it catches the light.

Hey shari.... I know you make jewelry... do ever you use this shell?

Nena

shari - 8-1-2009 at 04:05 PM

hmmm...never used it no...can you take a picture of your bracelet and show us all?? are sure it's caracol shell? love to see it!

Natalie Ann - 8-1-2009 at 04:50 PM

shari - I'll take/post a pix when I return to Berkeley.
Am I sure it's the same shell? I'm rarely sure of anything.;D
This was made by a Oaxacan woman doing handicrafts out of her kitchen in Ensenada. She said it was the shell of the small conch... and certainly the colors look the same - that beautiful gold/tan, smaller areas in shades of opalescent blues and pinks.

Apologies for the hijack, folks. The pictures were inspiring, LisaR.:spingrin:

nena

Bob H - 8-1-2009 at 06:18 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Natalie Ann
Apologies for the hijack, folks. The pictures were inspiring, LisaR.:spingrin:

nena


Nena, this would qualify as an outstanding hijack! I'm looking forward to seeing what you are talking about. And, it relates to the photos in the best way!
Bob H

Geo_Skip - 8-2-2009 at 05:04 AM

Hey, Lisa,
Thanks for the photos. I missed taking any ground level photos of the shell middens in Asuncion and San Roque. When I researched my first trip to Asuncion/San Roque..earlier this year...I saw the white spots all over behind the town and nearby. From the Google air photos, I assumed they were prospect pits for magnesite (a magnesium hydroxide mineral...very white in color) because the maps shower a magnesite mine to the north. It was a pleasant and cultural surprise to see that they were recent shell piles.

I want to see those guys crawling around on the bottom alive....Fossils and minerals are old habits not my only interests..and Asuncion/San Roque have plenty of the fossils and rocks...but fish are also fun. Looking forward to my next trip . Ah and Natalie, I have a few of those "conches" in my tiny yard here in Berkeley... and many many more Tiger Paw Shells ("mano de leon"..from Guerrero Negro .. the 2000 trip) but I got my conches the HARD way...walking the beach. If My car had better clearance or four wheel capability, I would have wandered off the main road and collected bags full to decorate my place. (a Prius may be The "Official" Car of Berkeley and is a joy to drive a thousand miles to Asuncion...but going off road... Not) The pearly luster is impressive but the shells I brought back are not very robust. I will have to go back for more.

Thanks again for the report and photos.

woody with a view - 8-2-2009 at 06:43 AM

caracol is very tasty indeed.

so is every snail called caracol? i see a couple different shells there. there are the triangular shells with the dark "bark" that peels off to reveal the pearly opalesence and the low streched shell (for lack of a better description)?

shari - 8-2-2009 at 07:51 AM

all those shells are caracoles and yes folks here call all kinds of snails caracoles...or caracolitas for the wee ones. Last year, a company was buying the shell so people were out in those middens gathering them up in sacs...and they got 10 pesos a costal/sac.

More caracol photos.

BMG - 8-2-2009 at 09:02 AM

On the beach.


Up close inspection.



Removing the meat.


The foot is interesting.


[Edited on 8-2-2009 by BMG]

shari - 8-2-2009 at 09:29 AM

great photos of the conch removal process....I have made necklace pendants out of the foot before...also the pink hue is from caracoles that have had that reddish seaweed attached to it.
Caracol is the 3rd biggest commercial product here after lobster and abalone. The sea bed is literally littered with them...the divers just stroll along the bottom and gather them and put them into their net bags...cool job eh.