Our Land

At this point we are starting our second week, Monday is vacation day number eight. We decided to go back to my tia Ofelia's house and spend the day there. It has been such an experience to visit the house where my dad grew up, to walk inside and still see those things that were there forty years ago, things I used to play with, things I still had engraved in my memory.

My grandfather owned a lot of land and before he died we decided to divide it amongst his sons and daughters. Tia Ofelia dedicated her life to take care of him and never marry. Therefore she got the best land along with the house. The more productive land was given to those that never left and my tio Eliseo and my dad being the ones that left when they were young picked the worst areas, the areas that were in the hills.

My dad and tio Eliseo were given the task of assigning the land to their siblings but ultimately my dad made the decision. So on this day my tio invited me to take a walk so that I could see the land that now belongs to us. So for the next three hours we took a walk and he showed me our land as well as his. He also showed me what he is doing with his part.

I am talking of a lot of land, back in the day land owners didn't just own a little piece of land, the owned acres and acres of it. We are talking hectares here. This is land that they live on therefore it's not very expensive. So no, selling our portion is not even a consideration as the land has been with the family for over a hundred years now.

Tio Eliseo has invested into making a road that allows them to drive in deep into the hills. One of the things they do there is make charcoal and now they can drive a pick up truck and load it once as opposed to making many trips with mules and donkeys to carry their product.

The one thing I liked is that they get up in the morning and go to work, but six hours later they call it a day. They really don't have to keep a strict 8-hour shift like we do as they all work for themselves. It's another world, another culture, a different way of living. They are poor people that seem to have everything they need while giving up the things they want. I wish we could be like that.

I will be posting a virtual tour of our three hour expedition into the woods. It was a day I really enjoyed and will remember for a long time.


My dad and uncle Eliseo made their life away from the country. When they were given the task of distributing the land they picked the worst areas for themselves. This image shows the kind of land they got.


This is another shot that shows how dense the vegetation is in this area. Believe it or not, they farm in this areas too.


This is my cousin Hector. He is cutting some of the old trees. With them he will make charcoal while at the same time he'll clear that area and leave it ready for farming.


Because of the tough terrain it took us almost two hours to walk through all the land my uncle and us own. I particularly love this image as my tio looks up as if thanking the land for being good to them. They live such simple lives there and the land sustain them and gives them what they need.


Some of the trees there are so old that if they could talk I could just imagine the stories they would tell.


My uncle had this road built. It stretches for about two miles and it allows them to drive in their trucks to load the wood and charcoal that they sell. Not too long ago this task was performed by using mules and donkeys. I think there is a significant difference in the load size that a mule can carry vs. what a mini truck can. He plans to have this small curvy road go all the way down to the river or stream.


This last image shows the contrast between the land my dad and my uncle picked for themselves as opposed to the land they gave their brothers that had made their entire life in the country and thus far have lived from the land. My tia Ofelia never married and she took care of my grandfather until his last day. She received the best land and also inherited their house. From her front yard you have a magnificent 300 degree scenic view. This is just one example of what she can see every morning.

Day Seven

Let me share yet one more of our vacation days. This is already day seven and it's a Sunday. We wake up and get ready as we will be attending mass. It's supposed to be a special day since my uncle is taking us to this little town call Agualuco.


Notice the circular shape of the church. The architecture is conservative, but I wouldn't know what style architecture it is.

The plan was to attend this small church in Agualulco a very small town between Santa Maria and Tetipac. We all got ready and again got in the truck and the bed of the truck and headed for church. Sadly there was no scheduled mass for this particular Sunday so when we got there it was empty.


The interior is beautiful too. It's kept pretty clean and while we were there some ladies were changing old flowers for some fresh ones.

At least it was open, so we all went in to see it. See, my grandfather on my dad's side raised a lot of the money used to build it, he did this during his last years of life and that is the reason that this particular church is special to us. I remember my dad asking us to donate a few dollars so he could send them to my grandfather in Mexico.





A couple more scenes from the church in Agualulco.








This is a very pretty church that is totally different from the rest. As this is not an old historical church but a new temple with a new design. The church is round and modern and in it's own way very pretty too. I know my grandfather was very proud. I had seen pictures from when it was being built so it was nice to actually see it finished and in person.



So, after a short visit we decided to keep going all the way to Tetipac. We got there in time to hear mass there. After mass we did some shopping and then we all went to eat to a small restaurant where two of my cosing work. If you are wondering what we ate, wonder no more, yes we ate tacos. Ummmmmm que rico!


My mom and tia going crazy shopping at the mercadito.

After we ate, we went to the mercado and bought more food, more gifts, and some miscellaneous items.



On a side note, did I mention that on day four we ate... drum roll please!!! Ready, yeap believe it or not but we ate SKUNK! Peuwww! We ate a little piece of skunk meat for medicinal purposes. Skunk meat acts as a mosquito repelent, and help for the skin not to get irritated when bitten.

Day Four

This is the house where my dad grew up. As you can see, it sits at the top of the hill where the vistas are a treat to the eyes and the air is so clean as there is no smog.


On day three while at the town we visited my mom's sister. Tia Emma is quite a character, she is a smart hard working woman that many years ago created her own world. We would ask her questions which she immediately answered and then she goes back to her world again. Miguel, her son is four years younger than I am and when I lived in Mexico him and I were like brothers. Seeing Miguel again after forty years was a highlight for me.

Migue was happy to see us too, that afternoon he drove his family to Santa Maria for an afternoon of drinking and some good ole reminiscing. We talked and drank for hours, it was already dark when he asked me to go with him to visit an uncle of ours that makes mescal at home. My uncle said hi to me and when Migue asked him if he could guess who I was his immediate reply was "Don't tell me this is Fidelito". Again, I was totally surprised to hear how this humble people don't forget.

During the next two hours I got a tour of his operation and got to sample some of the best mescal I have tasted to date, including one that tasted like pure fire. We said goodnight and headed for my uncles house, we were walking in the dark when the search party approached. Yes, my mom was so worried that I would get totally wasted as I normally don't drink that she sent my cousins to pick us up.

So, day four I thought would start with a huge hangover but as much as I drank the previous night I never felt or acted drunk, and there was absolutely no trace of me drinking, no headache, no upset stomach, nothing I was fine as a fiddle and ready to go visit my aunt Ofelia.

The anticipation of going to tia Ofelia's house was too great. This is the house where my grandparents lived most of their lives and this is the house where they died. This is also the house my father grew up in and the one we would stay on our yearly 1-week vacation. The house sits at the top of the hill and is located on the best land, it also has the best view imaginable, it's truly breath taking.





Seeing her after so many years was such a wonderful event, all of a sudden I felt as if I was nine again as again not much changed. My uncle changed the house a little but for the most part it was the same and the things they had back when I was a kid where all still there, it was as if time stood still. The only sign of evolution was the fact that there is electricity now, but everything else remained the same.


Another view from my tia's house. This one is truly breath taking. There are over 3000 maguey plants that my uncle planted that eventually will be turned into either tequila or mescal.


My tio took this opportunity to take us on a tour to see our land. My grandfather was owner of many acres of land which got divided amongst all the brothers and sisters. My grandfather willed this land to them while he was still alive and it was my dad that decided who would get what location wise. My dad's land is on the hill, it's acres and acres of land rich in wood and good for farming. It is now our land, but when you live so far away from it, it's hard to know what to do with it. Selling it is out of the question unless you sell to the family so for now it just sits there beautiful and untouched.

Going to the restroom at tia Ofelia's is something you do al fresco. My tio disappeared the whole day on day three and the reason was that he built this masterpiece of a restroom for us. My mom, my sister, and my niece are not used to not having one and this provided them with much needed privacy. Me, nah, I didn't need it.

To get water they must go to a nearby hole. I remember as a kid that it was far but it's only a good 2-mile hike down the hill and through a prairie. My sister, my niece, and I decided to go see it again so we asked my cousin Hector to take us there. To go to the water hole we had to pass through tia Amparo's house and tio Nacho's house too. They were so happy to see us and kept feeding us all kinds of freshly cut fruits. They really made us feel welcome.


Inside that little hole sits water that to me looked dirty and yet it is the good water that is used to drink. Some of the wells have gone dry but not this one.


Leaving the water hole. I wanted to go there because it is in a secluded area covered with tall trees. The sun doesn't come in much here, and as kids we loved going there to bathe.

Soon it was getting dark and the walk back to tio Eliseo's house was a long one, so we headed back and walked most of it but then my tio picked us up in the truck and drove us the rest of the way.

This was an easy and relaxing day, which was nice to have as the next day would be a busy one as the nearby town of Tetipac was having their patron's big fiesta and we would be attending.


My tia Ofelia and my niece. This is the way my tia still cooks. Her home made tortillas are the best. They grow their own corn and make their own maze. My niece attempted to make a few, after a few tries she had it down.



Here's me enjoying my day with tia Ofelia. Definitely a highlight of our trip.