Day 5

Many of these little towns feed on tradition. We were lucky enough to participate in one of the most important days for the people of El Ranchito (The Little Ranch) if not the most important. On Friday, the fifth day into our vacation my uncle told us to get ready and that we would be leaving soon.

As I went outside I noticed that a few people were there. Most of them were my relatives which we had previously visited but there were a few unfamiliar faces too. Again, a full size pick up truck became a mass transportation vehicle. We started on our way to El Ranchito which was about 35 minutes away and picked up some more people along the way.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus is El Ranchito's patron and on this Friday they had their yearly celebration to honor him. El Ranchito is a very small place with a very small population, but people came from near and far as these kinds of religious events are very important to the people there.


The old lady facing my godfather is nearing 90 years in age, we picked her up by the side of the road as she was waiting for some sort of transportation to take her to El Ranchito. I offered to help her get on the bed of the truck but she politely declined and all by herself in about four seconds she was on top of the trucks bed ready to go. Needless to say, I was amazed.


Upon entering the street leading to the church we noticed how beautifully it had been decorated. The bells were tolling and the fireworks started burning. In a celebration like this they must burn close to a hundred fireworks. I noticed that they were setting up the altar outside the church, as they knew that the interior would not be sufficient for the amount of people that would be attending.




Again, I kept being introduced to a lot of people that in one way or another were related to me. More cousins and uncles just kept popping up from nowhere. The mass was long and beautiful, this was the day some kids would be doing their first communion and they just looked great in their white outfits. The Chinelos danced and the banda played as the people prepared to carry their patron all over town.
















The walk could not have been more emotional. It was probably a 2-mile walk but at a slow pace that took us around the little town, up the hill, through the fields and back to the church it took about an hour. It was an endless line of people, I was amazed at how much their faith means to them. There were very old people that waked the distance without complaining. All the while three guys at the end of the line kept releasing fireworks that echoed loud and could be heard as far away as Pilcaya.



Every five minutes different people took turns in carrying the image of The Sacred Heart of Jesus, the bells only stopped ringing when the saint was brought back to the church. As for the fireworks, they went on and on for most of the day.



As is their custom, after the procession, we all gathered in the back of the church's atrium and were treated to the best mole Verde I have ever eaten. At first I was apprehensive as I can't stand green mole but this was no Mole de Dona Maria, this was home made mole and I liked it so much I had to go for seconds.




After dinner and what seemed like an endless amount of good bye exchanges, we headed back to Santa Maria. We once again went to visit my godfather for an hour or two and then from there we went to visit yet another tio. Tio Aurelio, another of my dad's brothers is quite the character, he is a shy and quiet person until you give him something to drink, then the sky is the limit.


The truck is loaded with people ready to go back to Santa Maria. Oh wait, leave some room, I have to go up there too!

Unfortunately on this occasion he was just overcoming a scorpion sting. Apparently the first we were in Santa Maria they drove right by us on their way to town to take him to the doctor. During our visit on Friday, he was feeling a lot better but said he was still very numb. Mi tio and his wife have fourteen kids and most of them are still at home. After that day, they would go and visit almost every afternoon and kept my niece Maryita occupied by showing her the sights.


These are my tios. A couple of days before I took this picture, tio Aurelio had been stung by a scorpion and was still very numb. He was getting better though.

They walked us home when it got dark, and by this time we were ready to lay down and rest. It had been a very busy day.

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.

Day 3

Day 3 was town day. My godfather and my cousin took us there in their truck. Their truck is just a single cab so my niece, my godfather, and I had to ride on the bed of the truck.


To one side you see how the shaved the mountain to make the road. This is a dangerous area but it's one of the best paved.


But to the other side you can see this. We are literally standing on the side of the road looking down the cliff. The picture just does not make any justice to the magnitude of how high and dangerous this is.


Before the road it would take roughly four hours from Santa Maria to Pilcaya if we walked, and three hours if riding a horse or a mule. Now it's just a 45-50 minute drive. It is amazing how they slice the hills to build the road, it's a never ending winding road that in some areas is nicely paved and in others is just a dirt road. This roads are very dangerous due to the fact that to one side you have the mountain while on the other you have the cliffs. I was truly surprised to hear that not too many accidents happen considering the conditions.




Here in the US this may be against the law and totally unsafe. There it's a necessity and a way of life.





If it was a straight line, Santa Maria and Pilcaya are relatively close, but it's not a straight line and half ways through there is a canyon. Half the commute time is going down the canyon, crossing the river and then going up the canyon. The bridge has been there for over 100 years and I am sure was not intended to have car traffic but so far it's holding on. They are now building a new bridge made specially for cars to cross. Once that happens I am sure the old bridge will be forgotten.


The Bridge
It looks straight but I am actually at the bottom and it's a steep climb. Pictures can be deceiving.

We got into town and we decided to visit the church first. The church in Pilcaya is very old and is one of the few that has not been remodeled. It is not as pretty as other churches we visited but it certainly remains in it's original state.



The historic monument of mayor importance that the municipality has is "El Templo de la Purísima Concepción" finished in the year 1610 by the Franciscan priests in a baroque style.


A few minutes after visiting the church we started walking and this is where it got strange. As I was walking down the street a man riding on a bike parked it right in front of me, then looked me straight in the eye, smiled and extended his hand to shake mine. "I know who you are" he said then he added "You are Fidel's son". My jaw dropped open and I had to ask how in the heck he knew that. He said I looked like him. Keep in mind the last time I visited Pilcaya I was 9 years old, I am now 48. He then told me he is married to my cousin Irma.


We spent a good part of the morning saying hi to a lot of people, all whom at some level where family. Uncles, cousins, my mom's comadres. It was like the whole town was related to us. The few that didn't know who I was at first as soon as they heard I was Fidel's son they would immediately reply "Don't tell me you are Fidelito" (Little Fidel). It was weird that people would still remember me. Oh, some of you may be wondering, about the name. Just so you know, Jose is my legal name but at home among my family I am Fidel (my baptismal name)same as my dad's.

We did some shopping at the mercado where we bough food to cook in Santa Maria. We tried to halt our hunger with some tacos but this time the tacos where so salty that it was hard to enjoy them.


They looked really good, but unfortunately they were a little salty.


However, the fried taquitos at the mercado where extremely tasty. The lady let me have some for free as she said we were related, to this day I still don't know who she was.

After another hour and some more mingling with another bunch of people that knew us although I didn't know them, we headed back to Santa Maria where my tia Fabiela cooked a delicious caldo de pollo. It was good and tasty but all I kept wondering was, where was the water coming from. We spent the whole day with my godfather, who is also my mom's brother and one of the main reasons my mom made the trip to Mexico.

Blog Second Anniversary

Before I move on to day 3 let me take this opportunity to let you know that today is my blogs second anniversary. I discovered blogging by chance as I was commenting on an American Idol site. I signed up on blogger and the rest is history. I thought it would be a fad, something to do for a while but so far I am still here boring you to tears with all my family tales.

My very first post was about Father's Day. Mi chica and my daughters threw this Hawaiian Luau for us dads and we had a blast. (Read all about if by clicking here) (and here).

Yesterday we were supposed to have a luau all over again but on Saturday I started to get sick and got some sort of flu that knocked me down and kept me in bed all day Sunday too. Bummer! The whole thing had to be canceled. Anyway, I still had a great day as mi chica stayed by my side all day long.

So, here I am this will be my 412th post and I think I will continue for a while longer. I have seen many of my fellow blogger friends leave, some claim it got old, some claim they just don't have anything else to say. In my case I have made a few friends along the way, not too many but that's fine with me. Also this being a family related blog is visited by my family, and it is a good way of staying in touch with them.

Thank you for your continued support, without your visits this would be completely senseless. I am truly looking forward to starting this third year and I hope you all keep coming back.

Day 2

Day 2

As we got to Santa Maria late at night we could not see anything past the pick up's headlights so when we woke up the next morning it was time to take in the sights and admire the beauty of the open country. The air felt different, it felt clean, nothing compared to the air in Mexico City or Cuernavaca.















It had been close to forty years since I had been there and yet it was as I remembered it. Granted, there is a road that goes from the town of Pilcaya to Santa Maria and there is electricity but other than that its still pretty rudimentary. People there are definitely years behind us.

This is where clothes are washed by hand, we call it "el lavadero". It also served as our sink to wet our hair, wash our hands and faces, and brush our teeth. Water has to be carried and pumped manually. They don't have water service, the water comes from natural water holes and it doesn't look that clean. Yet that's all they have and that's all they use.

The house my tios are renting is very small. When he moved in it only had a small room and a bigger room. Then as he moved in he added another room and a restroom inside the house. Most houses there have the restroom outside and many don't have one at all. To take a shower we had to bring in about two buckets of water, one was heated up with a heating element that was plugged in the electricity while the other end was submerged into the water.


This is the little house my tios are renting. Notice that the door to the left is the small convenience store my tia runs, the door to the left is the bedroom. Even though it's not his, my uncle added and additional big room in the back. We decided to make this house our headquarters. All of our other tios wanted for us to spend the night at their places.

After eating a combination breakfast and lunch we headed to my Godfather's house (my mom's brother). He lives right behind the church in a house my grandfather built out of adobe some seventy years ago. All of a sudden we were surrounded by a bunch of kids,
it was a complete kindergarten of little nephews and nieces. Apparently most of the kids spend most of the day with them. My aunt is understandably overwhelmed with so many kids, but she doesn't really complain.

Again, once you get past how poor they are and the conditions they live in, you actually realize that it's not so bad. All the kids grow up in the great outdoors, they eat fresh food, they don't breath smog, and they grow up pretty healthy. All things considered that is not a bad trade off.


We spent most of the day admiring the beautiful scenery, we visited the church (the first of many to come)and spent most of the day with my mom's brother, later on we retired and went back to my other tio's house. Everyone wanted for us to spend a night or two at their house, they had all sorts of extra beds for all in one room but we decided to stay in the first house and turn that into our headquarters. There was no way we were hauling all of our luggage from one house to the other.


We said goodnight and went to rest as the next day we were going on our first trip to Pilcaya. Not too long ago the only way to go from Pilcaya to Santa Maria was either walking (a 4-hour walk) or by horse/mule (three hour ride). Now only a 40-minute drive.


Stay tuned for day three.


This may look like a small abandoned shack, in reality this was a restroom that was built for the priest. As I mentioned before restrooms are still few and far. The land owner did not allow for the restroom to be fixed so the structure just sits there collecting moss, weeds, and many other things.


This it he house my grandpa aided by all his kids including my mom built out of adobe some 70 years ago.


And here they are washing the dishes after we ate. Perhaps if you click on the picture to make it bigger you'll see the better.