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For over forty five years the Mc Farland family has been on the cutting edge of custom designed silver jewelry in Ensenada. Mario Sanchez keeps Los Castillo Silver on the front line of fashion and class.

Ensenada.com: Mario, tell us a little bit about your history and Ensenada?
Mario: I was born in Ensenada as well as my father and my mother came to Ensenada at the age of thirteen from the state of Puebla, so my family has many years here Ensenada and knows very much about the history of this town.

Ensenada.com:  what are the major changes that you've seen in the past years?
Mario: Totally, Completely, Ensenada has changed like any other place. Ensenada has grown from maybe fifty thousand people when I was born to somewhere around a half million people now, you can just imagine, Ensenada has changed and grown with many new buildings and many people come here from different places. Ensenada is now very nice town and nice place to be.

Ensenada.com: How did your family started the silver business years ago?
Mario: My father was fortunate enough to meet one of the best designers in Mexico. His name was Antonio Castillo who passed away eight years ago. They met in the Taxco region which is in the state of Gurrero Mexico near Acapulco. My father was a bar owner back then and also involved in exporting abalone. Antonio used to make pieces of jewelry using parts of the abalone shell that he purchased from my father. Antonio offered to pay for the shells with his finished pieces of jewelry but my father had no interest in jewelry because he was in the bar business. When my father showed some of pieces that Antonio had made to my mother she took an interest in opening a store in Ensenada. In 1969 my mother opened her first jewelry store in Ensenada, Los Castillo Silver making what we believe are the finest pieces of silver jewelry, not just Ensenada but in all of Mexico.

Ensenada.com: Where did you attend school and what involved in the family business?
Mario: I went to school in three different places. I began studying medicine in Guadalajara then continued my career in Mexico City and completed my education in this state of Mexico Taluca where I began to practice medicine. After four years in Taluca, my father made me a business offer to invest in a clinic if I would return to Ensenada. In 1986 I returned to Ensenada and my father and I built a clinic where I practiced medicine for almost eighteen years.

Ensenada.com: So you had your own clients, you're a successful doctor in Ensenada, what brought you back to the silver business with your mother?
Mario: Back in 1995 Mexico had very difficult economic times. Many of the people choose to use public service for their medical attention rather than to see a private physician I decided to start working part time at the silver store for my mother to make ends meet until the economy picked up. By that time my mother had opened a second store.

When the economy picked up where I believe I could go back to practicing medicine full time my mother had expanded to four stores and Ensenada. I was very involved in managing the businesses for my mother and I had to make a decision to continue in the silver business or returned to practicing medicine. My mother told me that if I was to leave my management position she would have to sell the stores, so she made me an offer to become a partner of the business. I decided to leave the clinic and become a partner in the silver business.

Ensenada.com: Los Castillo Silver is one of the exclusive silver stores in ensenada. Tell us about your designs and the origin of where they come from?
Mario: We have six or seven suppliers in the Taxco region to work exclusively with our stores and no one else. Our exclusive suppliers now have a second generation making handmade pieces of my mother designs and their business has grown along side of our business. 95% of the pieces at this time, from Taxco. However we now have a workshop of our own making designs in Ensenada. My niece who went to school to study designs in Monterey is also working with my mother, both of them designing exclusively for Los Castillo Silver.

Ensenada.com: I know that you have gotten away from practicing medicine nine years ago. Tell us about your short leave from the business for a few months and your involvement in professional boxing?
Mario: I have a niece who is married to Erik Morales he is a three time world champion boxer and two years ago hid training doctors became ill and he called me to come give him some help. So I had the opportunity for the first time to work with a professional boxer for two months it was a great experience and I'll never forget it.

Ensenada.com: All four of the stores are called Los Castillo silver located in the main tourist area on Avenida Lopez Mateos in Ensenada. We are standing in your newest and 5th store called "The Gallery" or " Galleria de Los Castillo" this is more of an exclusive project. Tell us a little bit about your new store and the difference here from the other fine pieces you have in your other four stores?
Mario: Well I have my own ideas and we discussed this project for about two years. This store is where we display one of the kind pieces which we feel of the finest designs. Not just in Ensenada but in all of Mexico and the finest pieces from all of our stores.

Ensenada.com:  Mario I wish you the best of luck with your new Gallery and people can always find all of your stores www.LosCastilloSilver.com. thank you for taking the time to chat.