Mexico is Worth Planning a Visit or Two

México is a magical place. It is truly enchanted. For us, and I am assuming for you too, the appeal of this country is so hypnotic, so magnetic, so enveloping that one can hardly come here without falling under its spell. Perhaps that is why so many gringos have come here for a small period of time, a vacation, and do not leave without buying a house. This is something we never recommend as a good thing but it is understandable.

What we do most emphatically suggest is to take a preliminary trip to several possible places you might want to investigate for expatriation. This is the only rational thing to do. This will prevent impulse buying of houses and making mistakes. Take notes, record them on tape or video, or whatever you have to do so that you can sort out things once your excited infatuation wears off.

We did this in February of 2003. We decided to check out Guanajuato after going through endless permutations of different parts of México. If you cannot actually make several trips to México due to costs (a reason that affected us) then do your homework in the States. You can go to multiple Mexican restaurants and talk to the owners and workers about where they are from or where their family members are from. This worked for us just fine.

While planning this trip, I realized not many of my fellow Americans knew much about México other than it is another country. In my circle of friends, I encountered the usual misinformation most Americans hold about México. They could, of course, recite to infinity and beyond the stereotypes, mostly the negative ones, but really do not have a solid grasp on the uniqueness of this country. Many Americans, especially the ones with money to spare, are frequent travelers to the artificial resort areas-places fun to visit but not really México. But your average American is not well traveled. México, though close and accessible, escaped being well known by its northern neighbors.

The truth is that Americans really know precious little about their south-of-the-border neighbors. America's negative stereotypes, political odium, and the ever-present and frequent anti-Mexican movements have too often buried the culture, history, and language of this magnificent country and her people. This is somewhat pathetic if you think about it. Americans really have only two foreign countries, Canada and México, to worry about. Compared with other peoples who sometimes find themselves surrounded on all four sides with different countries, each complete with its own unique language and culture, America and Canada have it easy. America is really without excuse in its ignorance of México.

What people do know is mainly rumor, innuendo, and myth. Why a people would rather live with untested and false assumptions about another group of people escapes me. I cannot fathom it. But it is, I am afraid, the state of things when it comes to México. As one of those Americans who was largely ignorant regarding México, I was on my way, my wife's hand firmly grasped in mine, to correct my long-standing ignorance.

In my pre-trip research, I learned many things that quite honestly amazed me. One was that México is a country of considerable ethnic diversity. There is a melting pot cooking in México. Of its 106 million inhabitants, about 60% are of the Mestizos ethnic group. These are the people who are the offspring of the original pairing of Europeans (mostly Spanish) and Native Americans. They comprise the largest of the ethnic groups in México.

Native Americans is the next largest group, comprising anywhere from 10% (the official number) to maybe 30%. These are the original Mexicans. This group is often viewed, perhaps with a little ethnic pride, as the "unmixed" racial group. Because of the Mexican government's propensity of using linguistic classification rather than tribal memberships, the official statistic is probably much lower than the actual reality. México's attempt to assimilate the indigenous people into the mainstream has resulted in most indigenous people losing their native languages, thus accounting for the 10%-30% discrepancy.

Further confusion exists in that many of the 60% number of Mestizos may in fact be hispanisized Native Americans. This could push the figure from 60% to 80% of Mestizos comprising the total Mexican population. This figure may forever be skewed as long as a language classification is used for census purposes. The Mexican states of Chiapas and Oaxaca have the largest number of Native Americans. The largest minority of indigenous people is found in Central México. The smallest minority is found in northern México.

The most surprising diversity in the México population I found was that within the 9% of so-called unmixed white European heritage, there was not only Spanish but also American, Yugoslavian, German, Polish, Russian, Jewish, British, Greek, French, and God only knows what other blood thrown into the mix. This was a fact of Mexican culture that had totally escaped me. Most of this "white" Mexican population lives in the México City, Sonora, Coahuila, Tamaululipas, Nuevo León, and Chihuahua areas. There were also some Mormon and Mennonite enclaves in some of the northern states.

But what really threw me was learning that an Ashenazic Jewish population has been living in México since the Spanish Inquisition. I cannot even begin to imagine what those people went through during such a dark and unforgiving time as the Inquisition. In addition, others from various Middle Eastern groups immigrated to México. Today, there are Mexicans of Lebanese and Turkish heritage. Some of the Mexicans who come from Jewish, Lebanese, and Turkish blood speak "Ladino"-closely related to Spanish.

During a dark period in American history when Orientals were run out of the country during the 19th and early 20th centuries, many eventually settled in México. Thus, México has a mixture of Japanese, Chinese, and Korean Mexicans.

There has also been an infusion of African blood into the mix. Most were brought to México as slaves during colonial times and comprise a mere 0.5% of today's population. They are located mostly in Veracruz and Yucatan, though there are also large groups in México City and other large cities. Most were brought here as slaves, but not all. What I did not know is that many fled to México from the United States to escape the discrimination they suffered during the early 20th century. Something very interesting to note is that some genetic studies show that most Mexicans now have some African blood. The strain has largely been absorbed into the population.

México has an amazing literacy rate of more than 92.2%. This breaks down to 94% literacy in males and 90.6% in females. You might be interested in knowing that one of the most common negative stereotypes I have encountered about Mexicans is that they are massively illiterate. This is clearly not true.

This trip to Guanajuato was serving double duty for my wife and me. Not only was this to be our most adventurous vacation yet, it also was a recognizance mission to test the waters, so to speak. We wanted to check out this central Mexican city for possible relocation. We planned to take Spanish classes in one of the local schools and stay with a host family. If you are not well traveled and would like to take a trip to México in a protected bubble that provides for all your needs, this is the way to go. At the airport, Chucho and Luzma Cardenas met us. They were not only our gracious hosts for two weeks but also became our good friends.

An outstanding and remarkable fact of Mexican history is how mankind arrived in the Americas. The implication of this escapes the average Joe but is most certainly worth a second or two of pondering. This was almost a supernatural event considering the timetable involved.

Man planted his first footsteps on this side of the planet perhaps as early as 30,000 B.C., making a series of nomadic adventures across the Bering land-bridge that linked Russia with what is Alaska today. These were a hardy lot of northeastern Asian people who, perhaps in the pursuit of their sustenance, game, made their way into unknown territory. The then ice-free corridor led them into a strange but plentiful land south over the Rockies and into the Great Plains. There they found an assortment of animals to hunt. And hunt they would, driving many of the animals into extinction.

What led these intrepid early pioneers further south was probably the continual hunt more and more game and perhaps even more plant foods for survival. How they trekked southward is open for speculation. Some think they simply walked while some believe that they had primitive boats in which they followed the shoreline southward. However they did it, southward they went, finding much warmer climates with a diversity of flora and fauna previously unknown but plentiful enough to meet their needs.

As time went on, more plant foods were interwoven into the diet, decreasing the need for the risky vocation of hunting large and dangerous animals for food. The wild animals they encountered in the Americas were every bit the prehistoric monsters of "Jurassic Park" movie proportions. An interesting story from archeology was about an event that took place around 11,000 B.C. Apparently, a brave hunting party had surrounded a mastodon in the area of what would become the ancient Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán. In the melee surrounding the hunt of a very scary and extremely dangerous creature, a woman was trampled under the foot of this behemoth.

Scientists discovered her skeletal remains and her misfortune. Hunting was dangerous, yet necessary, for survival. I think plant foodstuffs began, at some point, to look good. I am sure gathering nice, safe plants compared to facing an enraged mastodon became a no-brainer.

As time passed, the early settlers of the Americas continued their adventure southward, eventually becoming gatherers of edible plant stuffs as well as occasionally hunting for what wildlife they could find. Onward they plodded until they reached the furthest points of South America. They left groups of their kinsmen from Alaska to Patagonia. The amazing thing was not only that they survived the journey that ended sometime in 7,000 B.C. but also that it took 700 generations of their people and extended for more than 20,000 years.

Now, correct me if I am wrong, but these were men and women who had to border on the supernatural. A determined and most certainly a stubborn lot, they were not only first-class conquerors of what had to be a hostile land but were equal opportunity people. They actually took women on dangerous hunts for rampaging and vicious animals.

The Mexican people hail from this stock. In my view, this qualified them as a people I needed to know and know well.

The Heartland is where I've spent the majority of my time as an expat. It is here where my heart has its roots now and it will probably be here where I breathe my last. I can't say it is any one thing that attracts me to the Heartland of México. The city (my city) of Guanajuato is in a culturally unique place. Truly and actually in the geographical center of the country, this is a place frozen in time. "A frozen part of our history," as a resident of Monterrey puts it, "it is so difficult to realize that you are living in the 21st century." How right he is in his description. It seems here where even Mexican nationals from other areas of México have a little cultural shock when they come here. The rest of México seems to be catching up with the rest of the world while Guanajuato, smack dab in the middle-the Heartland-remains in a kind of suspended animation. I absolutely love that about this place.

The landscape looks dry and unproductive with a lot of poor people. Though poor in lucre, they are very wealthy in other things that tie them to this part of México. They have history, architecture, traditions, myths, legends, mothers, fathers, brothers, sister, and children that keep them here and keep the grounded to those things which really count. And these are the "things" that count to the Guanajuatenses. It is these things that they cherish and love. Should this not be the way all cultures function? There is the sense that these people understand and know what it is that will preserve them. In this way, they are very, very rich.

Perhaps it is this attracts me to the Heartland. I am old enough to remember America, small town America, being much the same way the Heartland of México is today. Perhaps I am here because it fills a void in my heart for what was and for that which seemed stable, sure, and right in the world. It meets a need now in my life that the country of my birth no longer can.

Just as the Heartland, and Guanajuato in particular, captures my heart so does much of México for other expats. Expats are scattered all over México and for different reasons. México holds many similar surprises as does the Heartland. There seems to be a tradition, a myth, a ledged, for almost everything or anything in this country. From pottery to chocolate, nothing escapes the story telling.

Pottery

"Talavera pottery is famous among Mexican crafts. At the end of the 12th century, the Arabs brought a kind of old, white pottery to Spain; these pieces were covered with white clay and glazed with tin. From Spain, this art moved on to Italy, from where it then spread to the rest of Europe. Later, between 1550 and 1560, it was brought to America by the Dominican monks of Talavera de la Reina, who founded the first ceramics workshops in the city of Puebla.

Nowadays, Talavera pottery recreates the styles and designs of its Pueblan and Spanish predecessors. These pieces are also decorated with indigenous and art nouveau symbols, and painted with extraordinary colors, the product of the fertile imaginations of Pueblan potters."

Mole

"This story of mole is quite funny. The Dominican Convent in the city of Puebla had to make a typical Mexican dish for a Spanish viceroy, and didn't know what to serve him. The previous afternoon, Sister Andrea had ordered a turkey to be killed; it had been especially fattened at the convent by feeding it walnuts, chestnuts and hazelnuts, and was supposed to be used to make a special meal for the Bishop. Sister Andrea began to select chilies and other spices; she placed them all in a clay pot and began to grind them. Suddenly, a nun came running in and shouted, "Sister, hurry up and grind." Sister Andrea replied, "for goodness sake, don't make such a fuss, Sister" (however, when she said this, it seems that she confused the Spanish word to grind "muele" with a different word, "mole", thus giving the dish its name: Mole Poblano). Once Sister Andrea had finished the mixture, she covered the pieces of turkey with it, placed them on a Talavera ceramic dish and, while on her way to the table, she came across a bowl of sesame seeds and sprinkled a few on top to give her work the final touch. After this dish had been prepared, the convent was filled with a delicious smell that made the all the other nuns' mouths water."

Chocolate

"Where does it come from? I am sure you have had a cup of hot chocolate with a delicious piece of cake, at least once in your life. But have you asked yourself where chocolate comes from? Here is an interesting legend for you. Quetzalcoatl loved the Toltecs and he decided to give them a special present: a plant that he stole from his brothers, the gods. They guarded it jealously because the drink they extracted from it was meant to be only for the gods. Quetzalcoatl took a small shrub with red flowers growing on the long-leaved twigs that bent towards the ground, offering their dark fruit. He planted the small tree in the fields of Tula and asked Tlaloc to feed it with rain, and Xochiquetzal to adorn it with flowers. The small tree bore fruit and Quetzalcóatl collected the pods. He took the fruit to roast, and taught women how to grind it, and mix it with water in calabash cups to make chocolate. This liquor was sacred and was drunk sour or bitter, which seems to be the origin of its Mayan name: kahau, from kab which means bitter. Later on, they mixed it with honey, and when the Spaniards came, they mixed it with sugar and milk. There are four types of cacao: cauhcacahuatl, mecacahuatl, xochicacahuatl and tlalcacahuatl, which they roasted. The other three were used as currency because the fruit was considered a symbol of wealth."

Myths and Tales

The Smiling Rabbit

An old man and his wife lived in a little house made of straw. They were very poor and all they owned were a rabbit and a young jaguar. When the old couple used up their last ear of corn, they decided to eat the rabbit and started heating water to cook him. When he saw that, the jaguar said to the rabbit:

-You won't get out of this one. The old people are going to eat you and they will give me a piece.

-No, my jaguar friend, -said the rabbit- the old folk are heating water to make hot chocolate for breakfast.

-That's not true. They are heating the water to cook you.

-Not at all. What's more, I can prove it. Get into my cage and you'll see; they'll give you the first chocolate.

The trusting jaguar went into the cage, the rabbit closed it and ran off. A long time went by and the jaguar tired of waiting for the old people to bring him his chocolate. When he realized that the rabbit had tricked him, he broke the cage and went after him.

After walking and walking, he found him in a cave of the kind they call sahkaberas (caves where people mine white earth). He was very angry and he showed his teeth as he said:

-I caught you, rabbit. I'm going to eat you.

-What's the matter, my friend? What are you talking about? I don't know you. I have lived here for a long time. Now excuse me, can't you see I am very busy?

My house is falling down.

-Oh, so you are not the one who tricked me?

-Of course not. But, please help me. Lean against this wall while I go get a log to hold it up and keep it from falling. And don't let go or it might crush you. So the jaguar stood on his hind legs and held up the wall.

A long time went by and the jaguar was tired. When he saw that the wall didn't fall down, he realized that he had been tricked again. He took off after the deceitful rabbit, even angrier than before.

This time he found him hanging from an elastic vine that made him go up and down. The rabbit was so happy thinking of how he had fooled the jaguar that he didn't notice when the latter took a great leap, pulled on the vine with all his strength and then suddenly let go. The rabbit went up and up through the air holding his belly and laughing, and finally he reached the moon. That is why on nights when the moon is full and red you can still see the rabbit bending over holding his stomach with laughter.

The Nahuales

One afternoon, my Uncle Luis told me stories about Nahuales, which are people that turn into animals, like pigs and burros and chickens, so they can take other animals.

He told me that one-day a man was walking down the road to deliver some wood when he ran into a burro that was carrying a pig, and he said to his partner:

-Look, man, I'm going to take that burro.

But when they got close to the animal, they saw that he had no tail and that the pig was not tied on, but just laid across him. The man whipped him three times and the burro started to talk:

-Don't hit me anymore. If you stop hitting me, I won't hurt you.

-Ah, so you are a Nahual. - said the man -. All right. And the Nahual answered:

-I'll be waiting for you in a while, when you come back from delivering the wood.

The men came back to the Nahual, who gave them carnitas (fried pork) and chicharrón (fried pig skin) to eat. He gave them each a pork hock to take home and they went on their way quite happily.

My uncle also told me that one night, my grandfather was passing by a house that was only a step away from his when he saw a dog about a meter and a half tall come out. His hair stood on end, he was so scared.

He was so frightened by the big dog that he couldn't move and he just stood there frozen for a long time. When he calmed down, he went home and told his family what had happened.

The next day, he left for work at dawn, because he was a laborer. On his way back, he saw the dog again; it was herding a burro loaded with sacks of corn that were so heavy that the burro was bending under them. My grandfather was so amazed that he couldn't believe what he saw. Days went by with nothing out of the ordinary. All was calm. Since grandfather was afraid of running into the big dog, he started carrying a rod to defend himself. On the third day, he was coming back from work as usual and he found the big dog inside his house. What's worse, it was taking his burro loaded with corn. Without thinking about it much, he started beating the dog and the dog talked:

-Don't hit me anymore.

And the dog knocked grandfather down with a machete. Next day, he found out that the dog was his compadre's* Nahual, and he said to himself: -My compadre is a Nahual and I gave him a beating, not knowing it was my compadre. That grandfather was sick a long time until he died.

People become Compadre and Comadre when they are godfather o godmother to the other one's children. But the word has also come to mean best friend or buddy.

Guanajuato itself is replete with its own set of legends like any other city in the country.

>Legend of La Bufa
>Legend of Pipila
>The Street of the Kiss
>The Mummies of Guanajuato
>Legend of La Calle del Truco

The one that seems to attract the most tourists is the Street of the Kiss or El Callejón del Beso. Though the actual callejon is there and you can go see it, it is not all that impressive. As popular as this spot is for tourist, and its accompanying tourist-trap gift shop, the actual site is so covered with graffiti to make it repulsive. However, the story that goes with it is kind of cute and here it is. My version goes like this:

"Once upon a time there was a girl, Doña Carmen, who met a boy, Don Luis, and they fell in love. But, she had an excessively cruel and opportunistic father who had plans to marry her off to some old coot in Spain that would have brought in the money to save his estate that was on hard times. He locked her up so she could not see her true love, Don Luis.

Carmen's handmaiden, Brígida, was on Carmen's side, and took a message to Luis to inform him of what was going down. Luis thought that he could get into the house via the closeness of the windows and balconies of the house and together they could figure this out.

Luis bought the house opposite of Carmen's and shocked her when she stepped out on the balcony to see Luis standing there no doubt with a worried look.

Then, without much warning, Doña Carmen's evil father comes rushing in and stabs his own daughter.
Luis reached over, and kissed the dying Carmen."

This is a land of enchantment and stories to delight everyone. If this is not an attractive appeal, I do not know what else might qualify.

I just love this country.