Mezcala and More

A Trip to Mezcala 

When Ginny and Gary suggested a trip to Mezcala we were all in.  We'd driven through the little town about 15 km (see I'm thinking metric after only THREE years) east of Chapala but never dawdled-- much less taken a boat ride to the island of, of course, Mezcala.  There are many interesting facets of Mezcala, some of which I will enumerate now:

1) It is where Mezcal, a strong drink much like Tequila --but fermented not distilled-- originated before the Spaniards arrived;
2) Mezcal was well loved by the denizens but made them violent drunks and they killed each other with abandon, forcing authorities to ban mezcal in the town;
3) This made them even grouchier and now they smile very little;
4) Our guide from Chapala regaled us with tales of how, as a teen, he would ride his horse to Mezcala and they would throw rocks at him;
5) The small, but interesting museum had fascinating artifacts which, in retrospect, overwhelmingly had to do with killing others by numerous methods at various points in time.

So, with that profile of the town and its denizens in mind, we will continue on to the history of Mezcala.  Very, very long ago (no specifics) there were cave dwellers who were also fisherman but probably not farmers.  They could live in caves, yet fish, because the mountains come crashing down on a vertiginous slant into the waters of the lake with nothing like an alluvial plain (that just popped into my head from 6th grade geography).  When bored, they made petroglyphs.  When angry, they killed each other with stone mallets with large indentations looking much like meat tenderizers. Actually, if my translation was correct they WERE  used to tenderize their victims. (See numerous previous entries about cannibalism and eating warriors souls -- I can't go through it again).

Time marches on and the tribes morph into a branch of the Aztecs with their attendant gods, rituals and weapons.  There were MANY rituals involving blood and water (two favorite things).  They had tiny little clay pots and they would hold them below their ear and slice their ear and the blood would run into the pot. They would then take the pots and throw them in the lake with little statues of the fertility god.  I am not exaggerating when I say there are thousands of these in the lake.   We went to a ceremony where they threw 500 back in on just one day.  But I digress.  The Aztecs were famous for their skillful methods of subduing other tribes and sacrificing large numbers.  We move from mallets to various forms of knives as the preferred killing method.

On to the Conquest!  Suffice it to say that the inhabitants disliked the Spanish as much as they disliked everybody else and they were just so much more feisty than the other native inhabitants! Mezcal is, according to our guide, the only part of Mexico that Spain never actually subdued.  Later during the War of Independence, the people of Mezcala held off the Spanish for 4 years using the Island of Mezcala as the point of defense.  The Spanish had 8,000 soldiers, the locals 1,000.  The Spanish brought in 15 warships.  The locals had some pangas and canoes.  The Spaniards had the latest weapons.  Locals had clubs, knives and mezcal.  After four continuous years of fighting (1812-1816) the Spanish just said something like: "Jeeze, these people are nuts.  We're getting nowhere.  Load up as much of that mezcal war juice as we can get on these ships and let's vamoose."  I think that's what they said.  Anyway, the Spanish Crown actually wrote a decree saying the land was theirs, they were autonomous and just stop already.

Fast forward to the Revolution of 1910.  I know the Independence/Revolution thing is confusing here. The only point I  want to make is that it isn't just the Mezcala men who are a bit aggressive.  Ever hear of Adelita?  She led a group of women soldiers (bandoliers strapped over their impressive chests) into battle in support of freedom.  Guess where she is from.  C'mon guess.  Yep, Mezcala. And she only died in the 1980s.  Probably with a gun in her hand.

So, on the boat and off to the island we went.  We were met by a policeman fully rigged out with the requisite weapons, a clipboard to record our entry, and a T shirt that said something like "Cavorting Corpses" on it.  Folks were sitting on logs drinking tequila (how insensitive in mezcal country) and whiling away the afternoon.  I will let the photos do most of the talking but a few quick points:

1)  It was a fort until about 1825 or 1830 (see end of Revolution)
2)  It was a prison from 1830(ish) to 1855 (ish)
3)  It was the Alcatraz of Mexico and all the nastiest characters were housed there
4)  Everybody had a 15-20 lb. iron ball (really) tied on them which made swimming off island more challenging.
5)  The prisoners roamed free but the guards and officers locked themselves into the prison headquarters each night.
6)  It is said that once the Lake waters receded so much that the prisoners just walked off the Island.  Our guide said he didn't believe it.  But I've heard it (and read it) many times.  So, I'm just believing it because I want to.
7)  There are many scorpions there and the guide thoughtfully caught one (pregnant no less), removed the stinger with a stick and displayed it proudly for us to play with.  A fine end to a fine day.

No self respecting Mexican town, no matter how small, is complete without the town plaza with the bandstand and the Catholic church --- in this case one with twin towers.

A fruit stand on saw horses.

Gary, Deirdre, Victor (our guide), Brenda (Victor's wife) and Ginny enjoying birreria and beer.

In Mexico the young are taught the value of work at an early age, even if that requires a chair.

Walking to the panga for our trip to the island.

This tree is called a Palo Blanco and is said to be over three hundred years old.

The roots of the tree cling to the rocks.

And beneath the tree is the ubiquitous altar to the Virgin.

Beneath this Virgin are many local, ancient symbols.

A side view of the chapel on the island, built when the island was a prison.

The ruins of the old barracks walls.

The fort is on the highest point on the island and housed the guards for the prison.

This fort comes complete with a moat and drawbridge.

The interior walls of the fort.

Looking back from the top of the fort to the mainland at "El Crocodillo", because this section of land looks like a crocodile.

From the top of the fort you can see the large shade tree inside the fort.

La Islas Chica next to Mezcala. A single family lives on the island.

These are part of a fish farm pilot project started in Mezcala to raise cat fish.

This was the structure used for solitary confinement, as well as torture.

A scorpion (minus stinger) on our guide Daniel's hand.

A view of Mezcala from the boat on our trip back, with the distinctive twin spires of the church.

Feliz Cumpleaños a Lety

Our friend Lety turned 71 a few weeks back and invited us all to a fiesta where she works.  "She works?" you say. "At 71?" Well, that IS impressive but it's more impressive that she works as a riding instructor on some very spirited steeds. Oh, and Lety kayaks.  Hard. Long distances.  And she teaches that too.  She is cool. The show they put on at the stable (which I would happily live in) was amazing. Photos will do the trick.  I loved the dog that jumped on the cantering horse.  I wonder how many horses died of fright before they found one that would tolerate that sort of thing.

Deirdre posing with one of the horses.

Trompe l'oeil decorated the sides of the building...

as can be seen in these two photos.

Our friend Lety on a Fresian horse.

Lety's students line up before demonstrating their skills.

Lety in the interior ring on another beautiful horse.

The students demonstrate their riding skills as Lety looks on.

Lety again observing her students...

as they demonstrate their jumping skills,

and show that horses can indeed fly.

These next series of photos show a unique ballet with a ballerina, a horse & rider.

A horse balancing on a small platform,

and a rider directing his horse around a pole without using the reins.

Ballet folclorico with a horse...

was also part of the show.

One of the most interesting parts of the whole show...

was this demonstration....

of acrobatics as seen in this series of photos.

And here the dog has jumped on to the back of the horse for a free ride around the ring.

The ballerina returns in a new costume...

and poses with the dog.

Finally Lety speaks after everyone has wished her feliz compleanos...

and receives applause from all present, including the performers.

The Chili Cook- Off

It's a three day event for charity with contests for chili and margaritas and bands and artisans held in a '60ish water park (Tobolandia -- great name).  Amusingly, they didn't close the water park so you had geriatrics swilling margaritas while sopping wet kids were racing by with tubes to throw themselves into the Lazy River. It's pretty much chaos but diverting.  Our Doctor was one of the emcees which is just the way it is down here where mingling between doctors and patients is not regarded as the eighth deadly sin.  Just Chillin' -- our new neighborhood go to bar/bistro won the margarita contest with their superb Huggy Margarita and we all rejoiced.  They had been robbed and vandalized a couple of weeks before (competitors? extortion? quien sabe) but the plucky trio of thirty something owners were back up and running in a day.  The Gringo community stood beside them and have flocked in large numbers since "the event".  We may tolerate graft, corruption and moral ambiguity in other areas of our ex-pat lives but do NOT screw with our neighborhood bar.

The Sisters of Just Chillin' -- They won!

Santiago (our Dr,) and Chuck (former voice of the '49ers) emceed the event

You CAN have a chili cook off and water park functioning simultaneously

Purely Purim

Patty and Avrum invited us to the Purim party at the synagogue saying, "Oh, you'll love it.  There is a lot of cross dressing and it's the only time in the year when Jews get drunk."  Well.  That was intriguing so off we went.  The Kick Off was the play -- the religious basis of which is well known to most Jewish people and the rest of you can look it up.  This was where the cross dressing came in.  Esther was a male named Michael Sullivan (don't ask how He ended up in a synagogue) and his wife was the male lead.  The same gender reversal permeated the rest of the play.  It was, I believe, loosely based on Guys and Dolls.  They had rehearsed strenuously for one hour a day for TWO WHOLE days and the results were as you might imagine.  But positive reviews were not the driving force here.  Let me regale you with some of the original lyrics our pals concocted:

"When you see a mensch sitting on a park bench,
With more Manischewitz wine than at Pesach time
Ad lo dada or sh'lach manos, I'm giving it to you honest
You can tell that it's Purim time in Adar."

I have no idea what that means.  But the food, as usual, was great and company excellent.  No one was drunk by Anglo/Irish standards.  Looking forward to the next religious event that I barely understand but enjoy immensely.

The plunger was a nice touch.

With two hours of rehearsal memorization did not appear to be an option

We felt Joe, normally macho, was quite fetching

We don't think piñatas are central to Purim but quien sabe?

Yep.  Michael Sullivan in the floppy hat.  

Told you he was fetching.

House Tour

We set off on the house tour with Ginny and Gary and we were all very excited because the Taj Mahal had finally been included.  Well, not the real one.  But everyone calls it that-- which it really isn't-- because it really looks more Middle Eastern.  I was sure Iranians had built it because you see such things (regrettably) a lot in L.A. with big lions out front.  But I am getting carried away.  Let's go in order.

House #1 - Joan and Howard's House

It's always fun when you end up at the house of friends.  Which we did with house #1.  It is beautiful but the story of how Joan and Howard ended up there is better.  A couple lives in a monastery (oldest house in Ajijic) but decides to build a new house and move into it and sell the monastery.  Joan and Howard buy a house.  Then the monastery couple decides to stay in the monastery and rent the house. They ask Joan and Howard if they want to rent their new house and because it is so super (more super than the one they just bought) they move into the rental and rent the house they just bought.  So Ajijic.

Howard ushers us in 

Amazing lake views for everywhere which we somehow failed to capture

Joan welcomes Gary and Ginny

Incredible art and folk art.

Sunny, sunny kitchen

House #2 - The Taj Mahal

OK.  Just look at this thing.  It does not belong here.  It probably does not belong anywhere --but it is interesting in a peculiar way.  It is for sale.  When we moved here it was for sale for over a million.  It is now for sale for $750K.  The real estate agent, when pressed to provide attractive selling features, could only come up with "well the foundation alone is worth $500K".  Turns out the people who built it were Americans who "had traveled widely". Oh well.

Behold the Taj!

Everything had that air of 50s tiredness -- well the patterned slat blinds conjured the 70s

I will give it views.

Less than handicapped accessible 

Words fail me....

It reminded me of an architectural wedding cake

Yep.  Heart shaped.

House #3 -La Floresta

This was a relatively newly built house.  It was on the market when we were looking for about $700K.  It was really well laid out but it was kind of dark inside (the bane of houses with little/no side lots).

Guess the owners are Canadian, eh?

That isn't a casita at the end of the pool but a wall -- clever, huh?  I mean eh?

Very nice kitchen

No.  It is not an observatory.

They have a wine cellar.  A real one where you walk down and there is a table with chairs et al.  Cool

House #4-  Our Nostalgic Favorite

This house was right in the Village and reminded me in some ways of the house we rented before we bought.  True, it did not have a giant mirror on the ceiling over the master bed or an 8 person jacuzzi in the master bath but it did have a huge lot and was of the same age (but more appealing architecture).  It was the kind of place where you could picture vintage country weekend parties with people lolling around the tennis courts in whites while others sat on the lawn sipping gimlets. God, I'd love to do that!

Imagine my shock when I discovered OUR lawn furniture at this alien house.  Michael and I had it made
in Tonala for our rental house.  The rental house owner paid for it and then sold it!  I don't know why,
but I feel aggrieved.

Now that is a yard begging for a croquet party.

Weekend house parties, people in whites, croquet mallets over shoulders, sipping cocktails -- can't you see it?

Perhaps my least favorite ever Ajijic mural.  It looks like he's trying to net the cows.

Good mountain views, no lake views, note tennis court

The old swimming pools were REALLY deep.  I don't know why.

Once again, we have rambled on too long.  It's just that a lot of stuff happens.  Thankfully.  Only a little bit of winter left.  Be brave our northern friends.