by Luis Garcia

Photos by Autumn Swisher

I had the pleasure to attend the 6th Congreso Internacional de Perforadores Profesionales, and as  usual the Latinoamérica Body Piercing A.C. did not disappoint. Usually held  in fall during Dia de los Muertos, 2019 brought a change with it being held in the first week of April. Many attendees and instructors welcomed this, as the warmer weather made for more recreation time by the pool. The conference was held in Taxco, Mexico for the second year in a row. Taxco is a small mining town known for silver mining and silver jewelry.

The journey to the conference starts in Mexico City. Attendees and instructors met at LBP Board Member Axayacatl Nochipa’s studio, Ónix MX Estudio Tatuaje Piercing, for registration and to wait for the four large buses that would take us all down to Taxco for LBP. Many would dread a several hour bus ride, but the ride is always a lot of fun as everyone is excited for the conference and in great spirits. Before we knew it two hours had gone by and we were at the host venue. We had a few hours to settle down and have some lunch. Then there were classes before the opening party; a relaxed dinner by the pool with traditional local performers and dancers.

Now, let’s get to the best part of the conference: the classes and instructors! This year the instructors consisted of Sergi Tinaut, Didier Suarez, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Mauricio Torres, Aldo Gissi, Alicia Cardenas, Autumn Swisher, Paul King, Elayne Angel, Danny Yerna, Erika Gomez, Jef Saunders, Roberto Briseno, and yours truly. I got the chance to check out most of the classes taught by these instructors (except for the ones that were going on while I was teaching), and as usual all were stupendous. A personal stand out for me was Mauricio and Aldo’s class How to Elevate Your Studio to its Maximum Potential. They did some interesting things to make studio owners consider how they deal with their employees, and employees consider how they deal with their managers and bosses. Their approach created a great dialogue between the two groups. Another stand out for me was Paul King’s XXX History of Piercing in Porn, which isn’t shocking, as Paul’s classes tend to be very informative and entertaining.

Let’s not forget about the coveted jewelry expo, held in a lovely old church building. This year had more vendors than ever, featuring Namaste Adornments, Xamacalli, Gold Piercing, Tsar Jewelry, GL Pyrex Jewelry, Biometal, Industrial Strength Mexico, Diamonds MX, Kraken Jewelry, Ukuri Jewelry, Inari Organics, Quetzalli Jewelry, Gorilla Glass, Kiwi Jewelry, Sacred Symbols, Maya Jewelry, and Auris Jewelry. The expo hall was often packed between classes (and a little during classes), with everyone trying to maximize their time for buying all the gorgeous jewelry.

Mid week, the organizers set up a caminata (translation: walk or hike) through town to the center of Taxco and back. Guided by locals with donkeys carrying beverages, and local musicians, we walked through the small streets taking in the local architecture and artwork until we reached the zócalo (or “main square”), where we milled about the lively area and mingled with the locals. It made for an amazing evening.

As the conference came to an end, the Gala provided an interesting way to close out the event. After  dinner we were treated to a very powerful performance from Grupo de Danza Ozomahtli and Alfredo Martinez. The performance was a fusion of traditional Mexica (Aztec) and traditional Japanese butoh dance. They took us on a journey of all the animal energies of the Aztec calendar using slow rhythmic dancing that paid homage to Tlaloc, the Aztec god of rain.

The LBP always puts on a great conference for the Latin American piercing  community,  and  I  look  forward to hopefully being invited again to participate in the future. If you are a Spanish speaker, I highly encourage you to go and take part in this amazing experience.