In Reynaland, boredom is not an option
By Françoise Lemieux (Abr 11) December 26, 2008 San Miguel de Allende

Raul Reyna Viscaya is a master of reinvention, starting with himself. In 49 years, he’s gone from poverty on the rancho to entrepreneurial success in San Miguel, with many colorful stops along the way. Not one to rest on his laurels, he’s at it again. But this time, it’s art.

Reina’s many incarnations began in 1959, in Rancho Tres Palmas, about 25 kilometers northeast of San Miguel. The youngest of 12 children, he grew up in a rambling old adobe house with 24 bedrooms and a huge mesquite tree in the courtyard. The Viscayas had once been wealthy—a long, long, time ago. Reyna’s father inherited the century-old family home, its mysteries and rumors of buried treasure, and no money. Dad farmed and cared for livestock, while Mom ran the house and a tienda in one of the rooms. Their son, the last child left at home, helped them both.

Reyna’s education was homespun. “My mother would put me in front of a book and a notebook while she washed clothes,” he says. ‘Read me this, then write it out,’ she’d tell me. If I didn’t, I got a strong pinch.” His farmer father taught him his trade, the attendant skills and then some. “Papá made his own plows out of mesquite,” he remembers. “Then others in the rancho had him make theirs.” Not surprisingly, Reyna grew to be quite a handy young man.

After his father’s death, 19-year-old Reyna convinced his mother to sell the rancho and move to San Miguel. They bought a small house on Relox and he set out to look for work. The big city wasn’t kind to Reyna at first—nobody would hire him. To them, he says, he was just another kid from the rancho who didn’t know how to do anything useful. Out of desperation, he agreed to a plan of his sister’s, a nun at Las Monjas. She taught him another family skill and sent clients. For the next eight months, he did embroidery to support himself and his mother.

Finally, he found a job as a waiter. Not long after, more work came along from a nearby carpenter. No more embroidery! Reyna spent the next two years working literally night and day, saving as much money he could. “Some days, I‘d only get a couple of hours rest,” he recalls with a smile.

Reyna finally went to school when he was 24. “I’ve only come to learn to divide,” he warned Maestra Carmelita at the Escuela de Sollano, “and then I’ll be leaving.” He needed division in order to progress as a carpenter, so he underwent a formal education…for a couple of weeks. Then he got back to work.

His many labors paid off when he was able to buy a small carpentry workshop and quit his jobs. He began making and restoring furniture. By now a confirmed workaholic, Reyna also started selling at markets around the area—used clothing, pens and pencils, anything and everything. “People started saying to me ‘Raul, you’re good at selling things,’” he remembers. “‘I have a chair or a table,’ they’d say. ‘Will you sell it for me?’”

In 1982, Reyna heard Hotel Colonial on Canal (now the Plaza Colonial) was being remodeled. He tracked down the owner and bought all his vintage doors, on credit. Soon after, in the front room of Reyna’s house, San Miguel’s first used furniture bazaar, La Puerta Vieja, opened its (old) doors. Sensing a budding market, he kept buying beat-up doors, carrying them home on his bicycle. Soon, Reyna had five stores in town. He bought a truck and started driving all over the region, bringing back treasures to fix up and sell.

He opened Casa Reyna 14 years ago on the road to Celaya. It’s hard to miss the barn-like emporium, festooned with objects from the beautiful to the bizarre—stone carvings, ancient doors, massive “Harleys,” strange cultural relics. Even Cinderella’s pumpkin carriage was once part of its ever-changing display. In 2000, Reyna opened another roadside attraction—a second huge store on the highway to Querétaro.

His shops are a baroque blend of gallery, museum, yard sale and grandma’s attic, whose eccentric abundance would make Gabriel García Márquez blush. In Reynaland, boredom is not an option. Sensory overload, maybe, but never boredom. And we’re not just talking about the merchandise. Interspersed with antiques, bric-a-brac and oddments are Reyna’s offbeat displays of creativity (the fishing boat staircase at the main store, for example). And now there are the sculptures.

Reyna’s most recent obsession began with a case of buyer’s remorse. About three years ago, he bought the contents of a defunct silver mine, sight unseen. When a mountain of iron junk of dubious marketability (including 1,600 shovels, 160 wheelbarrows, a bunch of minecars and scores of picks and chisels) was unloaded at his place, he got a bit nervous. “What am I going to do with all this stuff?” he wondered.

The question dogged him for the next year, regularly waking him up at night. The elderly shovels weren’t exactly flying off the shelves. Finally, an answer came. “I got this idea to make a shovel into a mask,” explains Reyna. “And then, I thought ‘hey, maybe I can make an animal.’”

This epiphany, however, lead not to more good nights’ sleep, but to fewer. Soon after, visions of a wheelbarrow ostrich woke Reyna at two in the morning and propelled him to his workshop. “My wife thought I was crazy,” he explains, “but I didn’t want to lose the idea.”  Inspiration routinely hauls him out of bed now, sending him to either notebook or studio. Mrs. Reyna is not as thrilled with this rampant creativity as her husband. “She is always mad at me now,” he says with a ‘what-can-I-do?’ shrug, “because I don’t let her get enough sleep.”

Maybe he has gone a bit nuts. Or perhaps he’s a visionary. Either way, he’s turned a pile of dross into a body of work. His materials include discarded industrial equipment, dead mufflers, old rebar, junked tools and worn-out horseshoes. The resulting sculptures are large and whimsical, yet grounded in attention to detail and affection for both animals and objects. Reyna’s reincarnations run the gamut from tractor dinosaurs to a meatgrinder chandelier (a personal favorite) to the myriad manifestations of the shovel. He’s created over 100 sculptures for his first show, the latest a life-size rearing stallion made of 600 horse shoes.

Raul Reyna, the gregarious man with the booming voice—the embroiderer, salesman, junk collector, antiquarian, carpenter, artist—has always enjoyed life. But now he’s really having fun. “If you find what you really love to do, you’ll be happy for the rest of your life,” he gushes, beaming. “I’ve been very lucky.” 

Reyna’s art has transformed his life and his landscape. Ostriches now roam the grounds of Casa Reyna and firewood-laden burros loiter in the shade. Pegasus forever strains for the sky, while titan motorcycles await their mythical riders. Dinosaurs keep silent vigil over his vast and quirky empire. And Reyna? Well, he keeps waking up his wife and turning trash into art.

Françoise Lemieux is a writer, photographer and recovering thrift-store junkie 

living in San Miguel.
Adobe a cheaper option for construction
By Jesús Ibarra (Jun 6)

Casita Linda is a nonprofit Mexican organization founded in 2001; its primary goal is to provide simple, decent housing for the most disadvantaged who do not have proper homes. The organization focuses on helping those whose resources are so limited that they cannot apply for government housing programs. An architect and artist from Querétaro, Pedro Urquiza, has recently brought some innovative ideas to the construction process.

Urquiza studied architecture at Anahuac University in Mexico City and then earned a master’s degree at Harvard University and another one in construction management at Georgia Tech. In 1980, he began offering a new option for construction: using adobe instead of concrete. He has built several adobe houses in San Miguel in neighborhoods such as Los Frailes, mainly for expat residents.

Urquiza spoke about his ideas and his contributions to Casita Linda.

Jesús Ibarra: How did you get involved with Casita Linda?

Pedro Urquiza: They invited me to give a conference with some architecture master’s degree students from Rhode Island School of Design, one of the most renowned schools for architecture in the US. Their project was to modify or redesign Casita Linda’s construction scheme. I really did not know what Casita Linda was doing. When they explained the program’s goals to me and I talked with them, I thought they had great potential. I told them they should inject some new blood into Casita Linda and try to introduce people to the culture of building houses another way. I told them about my experience with constructing adobe houses and the reasons for using this material.

JI: And what are those reasons?

PU: Old houses in San Miguel or Querétaro, Morelia or any other Mexican colonial city are made of adobe, but usually people do not know this. Adobe is much cheaper than concrete. A house made of adobe does not need internal wall supports. I used to build large adobe houses, 4 or 4.5 meters high, and they would cost the same as a concrete house 2.5 meters high. Adobe also has better insulative properties. A house made of adobe would be cooler in summer and warmer in winter. A concrete house is generally warm in summer and cold in winter.

JI: Are people receptive to building adobe houses?

PU: No. Mexicans think that a house made of adobe would not be sturdy, but they have the wrong idea. Although adobe is constructed with mud, it is even sturdier than concrete. In South Yemen, in the time before Christ, they built a city in the middle of the desert with natural air conditioning. They built towers 11 or 12 floors high, very close to each other, of adobe. Because there are only small spaces between them, that area is shaded, and the desert wind cools as it passes between them. Adobe has been used in architecture for 3,000 years, in everything from the Roman circuses to cathedrals. Even architects and engineers in Mexico are not convinced about using adobe. At the university, we had several classes about structures and materials, and it is not easy to accept that there is a better material than those they taught us at school. On the other hand, Americans widely accept adobe houses. 

JI: How did you get to know the benefits of adobe?

PU: I was born in an old hacienda in Querétaro, so I always knew old buildings were made of adobe. Once, I saw a photograph of an igloo. There was only the igloo with the blue sky behind it; all the rest was ice. I thought that if the Eskimos had not used the local material, ice, for their houses, they would have died. An igloo is made of ice blocks held together with more ice. It is the same with adobe: it is made of mud and cemented with mud, and it is available anywhere.

JI: Does adobe differ in quality from place to place?

PU: Yes. For example, the adobe from Querétaro is not of a very high quality. It has a lot of clay, which makes it susceptible to humidity. When this happens, we have to add organic matter, which can be straw or horse excrement, to the adobe. But the quality of the adobe does not greatly affect its utility. Some adobe houses in Querétaro are more than 750 years old and they have not fallen down. If the soil had a lesser amount of clay and more sand, the adobe would be of a better quality. 

JI: How did the Rhode Island students take to your ideas about adobe?

PU: Very well. I first taught them how to build an adobe vault. The 16 students enthusiastically participated in the construction. The construction workers who assist me were astonished that a bunch of inexperienced students could build a vault. When they finished building it, they all stood on top of it and it supported their weight. Then, they learned how to make a wall, and finally they decided they were ready to build an adobe house. They built it for Casita Linda, in the neighborhood of Ejido de Tirado. They spent a week excavating the foundation and two more weeks building the house. They understood perfectly that there was no need for internal supports, and they also understood that a vault can exert sideways force, so they built two opposing vaults. The house was for an 11-person family, so they built it with two floors. It is so easy to build an adobe house that a family can build it themselves, especially considering that many of the fathers are construction workers. Families in rural communities usually buy the material for their houses little by little, until they have all the bricks, cement and gravel and sand needed for the house. Building an adobe house would be cheaper for them. 

According to Jean Gerber, a member of Casita Linda, the nonprofit organization intends to modify its construction scheme, including Urquiza’s ideas about the use of adobe. To contact Casita Linda, write to jean@casitalinda.org  or go to www.casitalinda.org. 

Message from the front lines: Mexico City
By Georgeann Johnson (Jul 25)

Por la Vida de los Pueblos del Maiz was the name of the conference I went to in Mexico City several weeks ago. Several hundred people filled a large room to share knowledge and strategies for how to defend Mexico against transgenic corn. Waves of acronyms flowed from the microphone as different people spoke. La Red en Defensa del Maiz Nativo included CECCAM, CENAMI, CONTEC AC, GRUPO ETC, OJARASCA, SER MIXE and more. Campesinos, legal analysts, indigenous groups, journalists, educators, etc, came from many parts of Mexico to participate in one forum on the growing defense of corn and culture of Mexico. Not to mention the food security of this country and others.

In Mexico, as in the US, the greatest danger to food security is ignorance. While the US generally thinks of “food security” issues in terms of salmonella outbreaks, the greatest threat to food security anywhere comes from the monopolizing Monsanto, a biotech giant who is munching its way across borders, strewing terminator seeds before it, and planting patent minefields as it goes. The large majority of both populations don’t have a clue about the looming dangers to food security from transgenic foods and terminator genes. I, myself, was alerted by seeing the documentary The Future of Food, and then reading an article about Monsanto and other biotechnology giants entering Mexico in a few months time.

Actually, the infiltrators have been arriving in the grain bags of giant agribusiness companies for the last several years. Unwitting consumers buy GMO masa and innocent farmers plant seeds from animal feed. And most campesinos haven’t a clue that what has been growing, and cultivated, for 8,000 years in this country, can be undone by biotechnology.

Here in San Miguel de Allende, there is a growing group of concerned citizens who want to undertake a local defense of the current and future food supply of San Miguel. It is very important that we get informed. Start by seeing The Future of Food. If you would like to get involved in local efforts, check out ongoing efforts at www.theseedunderground.blogspot.com  and www.vidaverdesma.wordpress.com. 

Georgeann Johnson is a local San Miguel resident and concerned co-founder of Vida Verde citizen action group.

It’s been a family affair
By Lou Christine (Aug 15)

(L to R) Diego Rivera, Enrique Fernández, Dr. Rodriguez Gaona Instituto Allende was the first to establish itself in the early fifties as one of the big-three multicultural centers in San Miguel. The other two are Bellas Artes and Biblioteca Pública. The hacienda running alongside Ancha de San Antonio, built in 1736, was once the summer home of the prominent De la Canal family during the high-water mark of Mexico’s colonial era.

Over time the landmark deteriorated, until the late forties, when two-time Guanajuato Governor Enrique Fernandez Martinez and his wife, Nell Fernandez Harris, renovated the complex and created Instituto Allende.

The dynamic twosome, along with the American Stirling Dickinson and Peruvian educator Felipe Cosio, realized a joint dream by creating what would become a bellwether art and language school that launched San Miguel as a cultural destination.

The muralists Diego Rivera and David Siqueiros showed works at Instituto. Famed maestro Rufino Tamayo was an artist in residence. Mexican presidents, international movie stars and celebrities visited and took part in the happenings. Hordes of talented students from Europe and the Americas attended. Many stayed on. Scores of its alumni, along with those who taught there, have become the elite of San Miguel’s present-day painters, artisans and craftspersons.

Nell Fernandez, the last survivor of the founders, passed away in 2002. By then, her sons Jaime and Rodolfo were already at the helm with sister Barbara sitting on Instituto’s board of directors. Earlier, Jaime had pursued a career in tourism and politics, first becoming director of tourism for the State of Guanajuato and then mayor of San Miguel. Rodolfo made the Instituto’s educational projects, administration and enrollment his calling. Each brother developed his own focus, not always seeing eye to eye. Eventually they split the real estate between them. Rodolfo moved the art and language departments to another part of the property, while Jaime held onto the more familiar portion, including the main courtyard with its imposing entrance.

What was once the school has been converted into a bevy of activities, while maintaining its ancestral majesty, which includes one of the best views of town, showcasing the Parroquia in all of its splendor. Jaime converted dormant classrooms into shops, galleries and restaurants. He maintains an office dedicated to tourism and guest housing. Instituto Allende hosts the popular art and craft fairs frequented by locals and tourists alike. The property has become widely sought after for gatherings and concerts, with emphasis on full-service weddings.

These days, Jaime’s two daughters, Daniela, 29, and Andrea, 23, have become integral parts of the family business. 

Daniela left San Miguel after attending José Vasconcelos School and enrolled at the Stanstead School in Quebec and in Tours, France. She then attained a degree in sociology at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. She earned a minor in international studies in Reading, England, finally going back to Quebec to achieve her master’s degree in sociology at Concordia University.

After returning to San Miguel, she opened Cafesito, a small coffee shop on the periphery of the property, then started up a full-fledged café inside Instituto that’s popular with locals and tourists. Last year, Daniela ventured off to New York City and took courses in catering at the New School, a university founded in 1919. She and sister Andrea have recently began a catering business out of Instituto that they’ve named Magnolia’s.

Andrea has been no slouch. She recently graduated with honors from Johnson and Wales University in Providence, a school renowned for international hotel management. During her studies in Rhode Island, Andrea took a semester to study culinary arts at DCT School in Vitznau, Switzerland. Like sister Daniela, she enrolled for more formal education in Quebec. Due to her credentials, Andrea received a number of tasty offers both in San Miguel and Mexico City, but she’s elected to remain close to the roost, managing dad’s new Mi Casa Restaurant, also situated inside Instituto, while working hand-in-hand with Daniela in the catering and event-planning business. 

Like their parents and grandparents, uncle Rodolfo and aunt Barbara, the girls are major proponents and supporters of San Miguel. They appreciate the importance of the town’s traditions. In 2005, Andrea was chosen to be the Queen of Fiestas Patrias that takes place here each September.

Their mom, Pakina, is somewhere in her youthful forties and an artist herself. She is an Instituto Allende Master of Fine Arts grad and keeps her steady hands in family matters and business. She’s part owner of La Terraza Restaurant off the Jardín, promotes a line of jewelry and is part of a benevolent junta that achieves scholarships and financial assistance for female students here in town. She also runs a household and assists her daughters in various projects. Señora Fernandez balances out the busy family as an encourager and sage, acting as the calming influence when things become too hectic.

What is happening at Instituto Allende is an extension of a dream with deep roots that has always striven for our town’s continued ancestral splendor.

Las pandillas de San Miguel
Compiled by Atención staff, from the blog by Richard Lander (Apr 18)

Moving to San Miguel usually requires some initiation—taking your garbage out in your pajamas at 7am, falling for the tenth time on the cobblestone streets, getting a healthy dose of Montezuma’s revenge.

Richard Lander disects the initiation into the “gangs” of San Miguel—which one do you belong to?

For the complete run-down, visit his blog at http://richland.wordpress.com/. 

The Doing Good Works Gang

The underlying theme to San Miguel is art. When you come to San Miguel you either make or buy art. But not everyone has the talent, eye or wallet to make or buy art. These poor souls were lost in San Miguel until the Doing Good Works Gang was formed. It took a long time to get this gang off the ground. The first step was finding a cause. It had to be fun, not involve a lot of time, leave members free for bridge games, not involve getting dirty, not cost a lot of money and provide a place to meet other expats. That is why the SPA was such an early hit for a cause. But first they had to get rid of the all the ugly dogs with a city cull. Another easy one was the Library. The worst downside was dust on the books.

The next step is raising money. Early in the morning they invade the Jardín and set up tables staffed by volunteers who coerce other gangs and tourists to support their cause.

They use guilt to extract money from tourists. If you are a tourist reading this, then remember to always say you are going home tomorrow so you will never be there for any of their events.

The last step is publicity. What is the point of doing good works if no one know about it. Never give anyone your email address as it will be flooded with stories of their good works. Whenever anyone tells you about their good works be impressed.

Warren Hardy Gang

This gang is identified by the yellow bag they carry announcing they are part of the Warren Hardy Gang. Warren is one of the few men to develop a large well organized gang in San Miguel.

He and his partner Tuli have been here since 1990 recruiting members. They have four levels of membership. Level 1’s can be seen struggling with their power verbs in the Jardin. They are constantly telling Mexicans what they want, need, like, can, have to and where they are going. Sometimes it is a question and sometimes it is a statement. Level’s 2’s live in the past and tell Mexicans what they paid, saw, ate, cooked and where they went. Few Mexicans understand them but they smile nicely and say something they will never understand. Level 3’s and 4’s are all very tense and have seven levels of tension. They can be understood by Mexicans and are very dangerous as they can now buy real estate.

Facelift Gang

The origin of this gang’s colors and theme came from a misunderstanding. Helen Patterson came to San Miguel in late October 1992 for a facelist or “mascaracuero” which means mask to hide an old lady in spanish.

November 2 was the first day she felt well enough to venture forth from the spa after her surgery. As she walked the streets she began to cry when she saw all the Day of the Dead pictures, carvings and objet d’arte. Self centered, speaking not a word of Spanish and knowing nothing about Mexican customs she thought that the town had put on this festival to cheer her up and to celebrate her new look. Immediately she bought a house in Centro and remodelled it with some of the proceeds of her divorce. As more and more facelifts were done in San Miguel, Helen, still speaking no Spanish nor knowing anything about where she lived, recruited fellow macaracueras into her gang. Each November 2 they parade in the streets of San Miguel showing all women they can look like the Day of the Dead if they want.

Finally you can find it!
By Lulu Torbet (Sept 5)

All of us in San Miguel have had the frustrating experience of trying to find the location of a printer, a list of hardware stores or the address of a restaurant in the local directories—from Juarde to Conexiones to the San Miguel phone directory. All, to different degrees, are spotty and inconsistent, with gaps big enough to fall into. 

Maybe you’ll find the phone number of a printer, but no address (and your Spanish isn’t good enough to get information over the phone); there may be a couple of hardware stores listed in each directory (with or without address); and your favorite restaurant isn’t listed in any directory, so you resort to paging through Atención, hoping they’ve run an ad this week.

Even expats who have been in San Miguel for some time seem to embrace the custom of their adopted country and become muy Mexicano on the concept of addresses and directions. So when someone tells you about a great little restaurant in colonia San Antonio called Cha Cha Cha, they’ll say something like, “Turn off the Ancha onto the street across from the Instituto. Go down a couple blocks until you come of one of those streets with a date, you know 5 de mayo or 20 de enero or something. Turn right and go two blocks, maybe less, and it’s on your right. I think it’s a yellow building. You can’t miss it! Aaarrggh!

SMAmap to the rescue

To the rescue comes SMAmap.com, an interactive online map that allows you to search by name of the establishment, address, or by type of business or service. Simply type in all (or part) of the name of a street, restaurant, gallery or any type of business. For example, your search for Cha Cha Cha will take you immediately to a map with the restaurant location highlighted. You will see that it is on the corner of 28 de Abril Norte and Rosales. Zoom in as close as you choose and print out the map; you can also send a copy to the friends you’re meeting. When you get there, try the albondigas.

Andy Baltimore, formerly a computer consultant for Fortune 100 companies, and Rick Wendling, who was the voice and data network manager for a multinational insurance company, developed SMAmap.com. SMAmap offered them the opportunity to pursue their interests in information technology, while providing a much-needed service to their new community. The map currently covers almost all San Miguel city streets, and roads in some parts of the campo. Over time the map will be expanded to include the entire municipio.

A community collaboration

The great advantage of an online map, of course, is that it can be changed and updated as San Miguel changes—and as we’re all aware, the city is changing fast. Baltimore and Wendling think of their project as a collaboration with San Miguel’s residents and visitors, who are invited to add their own businesses or studios, their favorite restaurants or shops, simply by clicking “Add new location.” All listings are free. New contributions will be added during the weekly update. 

One of their goals is to promote local artists and businesses, especially those that make San Miguel so special but do not have the resources to advertise. They are also encouraging sanmiguelenses who are interested in finally having a complete directory of our town to “adopt a block” and ferret out all the possible listings on their block or street and post them to the site.

More to come

Baltimore and Wendling have lots of ideas for expanding their map and related services. There is already a real local weather page (Did you know that weather.com’s information comes from a weather station in Querétaro?) and a directory of other San Miguel websites, including links to sites for Events and Festivals, Classes and Workshops, Artists, Galleries, Restaurants, Hotels and more. A Spanish-language version will be available in September at SMAmapa.com.

One planned enhancement is a Green Map, where you’ll be able to locate anything related to environmentally friendly businesses, services and sustainable living—maps and directions to organic farms and restaurants, recycling centers, green builders and more.

So check out SMAmap.com next time you’re looking for something in San Miguel. And if your favorite hang-out—or your own business or service or studio—is not on the map yet, just click on “Add new location” and fill out the form. Questions? Suggestions? Contact Andy Baltimore or Rick Wendling at webmaster@SMAmap.com. 

Lulu Torbet, the author or ghostwriter of over thirty books, as well as a photographer and painter. She is the co-author of Gringo Haiku, a pithy summing up of her life in San Miguel since she moved here in 2005. A complete list of her books can be found at www.lauratorbet.com ; her photography at www.lulutorbet.com.  

What about the motos?
By Lila Shaw Lash (May 30)

When I moved to San Miguel after several years of traveling, I was disoriented and car-less. Transportation seemed necessary but elusive, as cars were nearly impossible to navigate through the narrow, traffic-clogged centro streets. Who wanted to deal with all that? Enter the lovely, easy-to-drive, zippy moto-scooter. I took the plunge and fully committed to living in San Miguel when I went to the Honda dealership and plunked down a hefty deposit on an adorable little Wave 100 scooter, whom I christened Isabella.

Considering our current energy crisis, not only in Mexico but around the world, the idea of spending 25 pesos a week on gas, and participating in minimizing my carbon footprint, was important in my decision. If we left our SUVs at the dealerships where they belong, and enjoyed Vespas, Hondas or Italikas—you can imagine the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. It would be astounding.

As if the environmental impact alone is not important, the parking situation in San Miguel is enough to discourage you from ever leaving the house. There are parking lots on Cardo, Insurgentes, Mesones and a few others, but parking a moto is a dream. Being able to maximize half and quarter spaces not being used by poorly parked cars is both smart and efficient in managing traffic and parking problems in San Miguel. The moto spaces that are infrequently designated can be easy and convenient.

I am quite content with my peppy little moto, and most regularly park it in the spaces designated for them. But occasionally I need to park it outside of these designated spaces, most regularly in front of the Biblioteca. Sometimes the designated spaces are too full, sometimes cars are parked in the spots designated for motos, sometimes I just get a bit lazy. Last week, I had one of my lazy days and parked it in front of the Biblioteca’s main entrance. When I walked out to leave, Isabella had disappeared. Of course, my first thought was that it had been stolen. This is a common occurrence as motos disappear every day in San Miguel. I estimate it takes a group of strong men about two minutes to lift one into the back of a waiting truck and flee the scene. Against what would have been the norm, I hoped Transito had taken her away. Fifteen minutes later, my hopes were confirmed—she was resting soundly in the impound lot behind the Tuesday Market on the Salida a Querétaro, having been ticketed for being parked outside of the designated spaces.

To liberate her, I would need to obtain the original factura and note of sale from Honda, drive to the Presidencia with my proper FM3 identification, visit the Transito office to find a copy of the original infraction, take the infraction to the window downstairs, walk to the other ticketing office to find out how much I needed to pay, return to the original window to pay this amount (99 pesos!), take a stamped copy back to Transito, who then gave me a receipt and directions to retrieve Isabella from the impound lot.

As I was jumping through all the hoops, I couldn't help but wonder what this process was saying about the city's attitude and policy towards moto-transportation. Atención reporter Jesus Ibarra, attended the transportation colloquium in February and reported that the traffic experts in attendance were encouraging mass transit options in San Miguel to assist in alleviating traffic problems. These same experts also concluded that moto-transportation was another alternative to individual cars clogging the city streets. When asked about the city’s policy or campaign for moto-transportation, there was no comment about future plans or projects to support the use of motos. If currently registered motos far exceed the amount of alloted spaces in designated parking, is this encouraging their use?

Being a moto driver, I also understand the other side of the discussion. Car drivers frequently report motos parked in car spaces, or parked too close to already parked cars. Unfortunately, this is often due to the limited amount of moto spaces alloted by the city. If small corner parking spaces are hard to utilize and make maneuvering difficult for city buses, I would recommend reclaiming more of these for moto use. Also, if the city wants to be truly encouraging of transportation alternatives for San Miguel, especially as our bid for UNESCO is being reviewed in Quebéc this summer, I encourage officials to look more kindly on transportation of the two-wheeled variety. In addition to all the environmental and common sense it makes, they're a blast to drive!

Lila Shaw Lash thoroughly enjoys her moto-scooter, Isabella, and hopes other sanmiguelenses join her in converting to two-wheeled transportation.

Mexico by the Glass
By Dick Avery; Photos by Janet Avery (Jul 18)

Lost in the Valle

When zooming up the Ruta del Vino in the “Napa Valley” of Mexico, the Valle de Guadalupe, in the eternal quest for delicious vino mexicano, it is easy to miss some of the out-of-the-way wineries.

 That’s exactly what I, with my intrepid “staff photographer” Janet, did and almost missed excellent examples of the smaller, artisanal producers of the good juice.

Vinisterra Winery was founded in 2002 by a local businessman, Guillermo Rodriguez, and his winemaker/partner, Christoph Gaertner. They combined their talent, money, and expertise to produce 4000–5000 cases per year of a remarkable array of wines.

About 60 percent of the grapes are sourced from local growers, the balance coming from the winery’s own vineyards. All display their youth in their styles. We tasted the line across the board (have to do the research, you know!). We led off with a Domino Blanco, 65 percent Viognier, 32 percent Palimino, and 3 percent Muscat.

Flavorful and crisp, it’s reminiscent of a superior blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. This was followed by the Domino Tinto, a fresh, flavorful field blend of various Rhone varietals, plus some Tempranillo. The Domino rosé offered a light, floral, perfumy, rosé blend of 60 percent Grenache, 35 percent Tempranillo Blanc and 5 percent Muscat. Definitely different from the run-of-the-mill rosé. The Domino line recalls Guillermo’s passion for the game of dominos. The reds, though youngsters, displayed nice balance and stuffing, with chalky tannins. They’ll be delicious in three to five years. The ‘03 Grenache/Tempranillo blend impressed me with rich, muscular, intense, earthy flavors of 
dark fruit, spices and herbs. This could be Sylvester Stallone’s house wine. Definitely an up-and-comer on the Mexican wine scene.

J.C. Bravo Winery is a classic textbook example of the small family-owned and operated niche winery. This was also difficult to find—most of these outfits don’t receive the public and don’t spend a lot of money on signs, but I, being ever the intrepid reporter, used the power of the press.

Located after several calls by a helpful hostess at another winery, we were advised to “go to the end of the road, turn right, at the next stop sign look for the beige house with the big tree.” There, standing around a couple of elderly pickups were several guys, pounding down the brews, waving us into the driveway. Hey, we thought, this has got to be the place.

The very affable Juan Carlos Bravo received us on the back porch of his house, and we were joined by the beer lovers, one of which was Juan Carlos’s brother, Martin. That turned out to be fortuitous, since Juan’s English was on a par with my Spanish, and Martin’s English kind of saved the day.

The star here is the Rhone varietal, Carignan. Actually, it’s the only wine Juan Carlos produces. Production is miniscule compared to the big guys, only 400–500 cases a year. Almost never seen as a stand-alone varietal, Carignan is usually blended with other red juice to form various Rhone blends. Earthy, intense, with aromas of ripe berries, plums, and spices, it’s a fruit bomb on the palate! This is a full-figured girl who matches well with grilled meats on the barbie.

Juan Carlos is a student of local wine guru Hugo D’Acosta, who has guided many of the Valle’s smaller wineries from idea to reality. He might be considered the Andre Tchelistcheff of the Valle (Tchelistcheff was a consultant and advisor to many of the early and now famous Napa Valley wineries). He shows the “newbies” how to get the most from their vineyards, what varietals work best with various soils, etc. Many of the relatively new producers have started out under his guidance.

Juan Carlos is a prime example of the “new wave” of local winemakers in the region who have learned the art and skill of hand-crafted, extremely well-made vino, and who are carving a niche market among wine lovers. Salud!

Dick Avery is head sipper at VinoClubSMA, a local wine club devoted to the enjoyment of “boutique” vino mexicano through free wine tastings. His website is www.vinoclubsma.com.  He can be reached at vinoclubsma@yahoo.com. 

The Belly of the Beast
By Blake Kutner From March 21, 2008 Atención

Headed out to the country

Luckily, though, for every couple of days when Mexico seems too similar to the US, we get one where it’s totally kick butt. That was today. Ricardo is raising lamb, a type of Australian lobster that looks a hell of a lot like a fresh water crawfish, wine grapes and broccoli at his farm south of San Miguel near Dolores Hidalgo. Pretty sweet place, especially if your name is Blake and you happen to love lamb and crawfish. We got to his house and immediately busted into full catering action. I, of course, got the glorious assignment of breaking down the whole lamb. And I mean whole. Head, tongue, eyes, liver, heart, lungs, kidney etc. Fresh doesn’t even describe it. Warm is a better word for what we are dealing with. As in only a few hours from life. It was interesting though because in my fairly limited experience with whole lambs, they have all been from one farm and thus all of one variety. This was a Mexican variety that is a little more tropical (no wool), very prolific (each female averages 3 2/3 kid litters in her first 2 years) and dines on a diet exclusively of broccoli. Needless to say, not real fatty. Actually, extremely lean with quite thick membranes between muscle groups. Breaking a lamb usually involves either a very heavy cleaver or, as we used at Laiola, a hacksaw. Mexicans seem to be big fans of power tools, so we used a sawsall. Makes a pretty scary scene to a small Mexican child to see three gringos in the kitchen breaking a 40lb head-on lamb with a sawsall. Anyway, we got it done. Here’s the menu we broke out:


1st course: Grilled Rack of Lamb and Australian Lobster Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette and Roasted Garlic Herb Butter

2nd course: Lamb Loin, Heart, Liver and Kidney Crostinis (on Fernando’s Ciabatta and Focaccia) with Garlic and Rosemary or Tapenade

3rd course: Leg of Lamb two ways—Grilled Hind Leg Wrapped in Hoja Santa Leaves and Fore Legs Roasted with Orange-Ginger Vinaigrette

4th course: Lamb Neck, Chickpea and Tomato Tagine with Vegetable Couscous

5th course: Fig, Balsamic, Caramelized Onion and Thyme Tart, Plum, Ginger and Vanilla Tart and Local Goat Camembert

At the break between the 2nd and 3rd courses we went out on 4-runners and mules—the ATV, not the animal—to check out the farm in all its glory. First of all, you gotta like any place where eight-year-old boys and girls can ride 4-runners completely unsupervised and wild style. Mexico seems to me like a real sweet, literally and figuratively, place to be a kid. At least, the Mexico I have been seeing. These kids have more freedom, more adventures and more fun than anyone since Huck Finn. Not to mention eating a pretty crazy diet ranging from Lucky Charms to lamb liver in the course of one day.

Unfortunately, neither the wine grapes nor broccoli were currently flourishing, so we hung out with the lamb for a while and watched the dogs chase crawfish. Anyway, we had a great day out on the ranch. Hopefully we’ll get back there once his newer and better wines are ready.

Chef Blake Kutner arrived in San Miguel to participate in the opening of The Restaurant at Sollano 16. Kutner led the kitchen at Medjool in San Francisco, after cooking in kitchens in New Orleans and Spain. Before moving to San Miguel, Masterton honed his kitchen skills in New York as the chef de cuisine at Tavern on the Green, before taking the helm at Zibbibo when he returned to California.

Health & Safety in Mexico
By Robert H. Page, MD and Curtis P. Page
From March 28, 2008 Atención

Obtaining Mexican Social Security (IMSS) Health Insurance

Expats living in Mexico have other considerations and better economic choices not commonly shared with the short-term traveler.

First, there is no need for evacuation to a home country. Second, because many expats have developed a working understanding of Spanish and a comfort level with Mexican culture they can often find lower costs for just about everything including health care. With the right research, health care is extremely affordable in Mexico with or without health insurance. Many comprehensive private insurance policies are very affordable.

The Mexican government, through the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS for its Mexican initials), provides affordable health insurance for all residents of Mexico regardless of nationality. (See “Mexican Health-Care System in Plain English,” at the www.MedToGo.com website.)

There are varying opinions on the quality and user friendliness of the IMSS system. But the following interesting health-care statistics might help you decide what is best for you:

Although less than 3 percent of the Mexican population possesses a private medical insurance policy, 52 percent of the country’s total medical expenditures are for private medical services. In fact, more than 25 percent of Mexicans with IMSS insurance pay for their medical expenditures out of pocket. As a general rule, Mexicans tend to prefer private health care to the state-run system.

With this information at hand, we recommend that individuals or families living in Mexico purchase an affordable, Mexican private health plan. We have listed various carriers, with comparative analysis in our Mexico: Health and Safety Travel Guide (2nd Edition, March 2007).

How to Apply for IMSS

IMSS insurance is available to all foreigners residing in Mexico, with exclusions or limitations based on pre-existing illness as detailed below. For some reason, however, the insurance can only be applied for during certain times of the year: January, July, August, and most of February. You pay the inexpensive annual fee (approximately US$250 per year) in one lump sum at the time of application. 

The application process may be daunting, so expect bureaucratic delays. If things go smoothly, you have lost nothing. To avoid any potential hassles, we recommend that you ask for an agent who will complete the legwork for you for about US$50–75.

Once approved, applicants are assigned a primary care physician who must certify the health of the individual via general examination. Your appointment also enters you into the IMSS database, which will enable you to receive care if you become ill in another part of the country. You will also be required to fill out a health questionnaire disclosing any pre-existing conditions. Your coverage will activate six to nine months after approval, but once accepted you will be covered for life, as long as you continue with your yearly premiums. To apply you will need:

• Two photocopies of your current passport and immigration documentation

• Copies of either your FM-T, FM-2 or FM-3 (tourist/expatriate visas)

• Duplicate copies of your marriage license (if applicable)

• Two copies of a most recent utility or telephone bill in your name or a renter’s lease agreement in your name

• Three passport-type photographs


Exclusion Criteria and Insurance Limitations

As a foreigner applying for IMSS, you may not receive treatment for pre-existing illness for the term of your coverage. These exclusions do not include treatment for any other illness that is acquired during your stay in Mexico. Pre-existing illness is defined as:

• Malignant tumors (cancer)

• Chronic degenerative disease such as that which is seen with long-standing diabetes, liver disease (cirrhosis, hepatitis, etc.), kidney disease (renal failure or renal insufficiency), heart disease (previous heart attack, arrhythmia, or valvular disease), lung disease (chronic bronchitis, emphysema, etc.), neurologic disease (multiple), cerebrovascular disease (stroke or TIA), peripheral vascular disease, and many others. 

• Drug or alcohol dependency

• Psychiatric illness

• HIV positive status or history of AIDS

• History of traumatic or muscular injury that continues to require treatment

Further, you can not receive medical care benefits for the following conditions:

• Benign breast tumors in the first six months after acceptance

• Births in the first ten months after acceptance


In the first year after acceptance you also cannot receive the following surgical procedures:

• Lithotripsy for kidney stones

• Surgery for gynecologic conditions except for cancer

• Surgery for vein disorders

• Surgical procedures for the sinuses, nose, hemorrhoids, rectal fistulas, tonsils and adenoids, hernias (except for herniated spinal discs), and other operations that are also considered “elective,” or voluntary, rather than required

In the first two years after acceptance you cannot receive surgery for orthopedic conditions.

In addition, your IMSS insurance will not cover the following:

Aesthetic or plastic surgery, eyeglasses, contact lenses, hearing aids, the surgical correction of astigmatism, lasik surgery or the equivalent, treatment of self-inflicted injury, preventive care, treatments for behavioral or psychiatric disturbances, dental care (except for extractions), or infertility treatments.

Robert H. Page, MD and Curtis P. Page, MD are authors of the MEXICO: Health and Safety Travel Guide and the Healthy Traveler Regional Series. For more information visit medtogo.com.