READERS’ FORUM

Cien por ciento Mexicano
By Jerry Davis

The master of ceremonies kept telling us, the crowd that half filled the bullring last Friday, “Este espectáculo es cien por ciento Mexicano!” I thought it was 110 percent Mexican.

First, the show started late. When the foot stomping, whistles and catcalls grew more and more insistent, he announced that in spite of the “technical difficulties,” the show would begin. It was a horse show, so the only difficulties I could imagine were a colicky or lame horse. The problem was the microphone. The MC and the female vocalist couldn’t sing without it and they mistakenly believed that we had come to hear them, not to see horses perform.

Following long tradition, there were two classes of tickets—sol and sombra. The sunny side is cheaper, but when the show is scheduled for 7pm, you only have sun in your eyes for a few minutes. I whiled away the time sipping a beer and watching the sunset.

The horses were ridden by charros, the traditional Mexican horsemen dressed in huge sombreros, vests and silver-studded riding pants. Even though it was a performance of dressage, they used stock saddles and western-style bridles and bits.

It is natural for a cantering horse to “lead” with one foot, depending on if he is circling right or left. One horse changed leads from left to right on the count of three and then back again. Soon he was changing on the count of two or every two strides, and then on every stride! For those of us who barely are able to stay on the saddle and “steer” at the same time, it was an extraordinary example of control.

The horses were Spanish or Aztec, which was explained as a breed resulting from the cross of Spanish Barbs and American Quarter Horses. All are immensely strong and fit, most with massive muscular necks. Appearing effortless, dressage riding requires great strength, flexibility and athleticism on the part of the horse and a seemingly relaxed and imperceptible control by the rider.

If Roy Rogers had been there he would have been envious of the sound system. The vocalist who, like Roy often was, was mounted, but with a now-functioning handheld microphone, singing full volume for all of San Miguel to hear. A local mariachi group played and our cowboy gave us sad corridos, which are popular folksongs, laments of lost loves and/or lives. Essentially, all are sung to the same mournful tune and have titles such as “The Black Helicopter,” “Hitting the Dust” or “The Falcon of the Sierra,” which gives you an idea of the genre. Some mariachi groups, if you give them your name and a good tip, can compose a corrido on the spot, with you as the hero.

Mayor Jesus Correa, was in the stands and the MC pointed him out, calling for a warm round of applause, but only jeers and catcalls were forthcoming. Politicians have tough hides, and the taunts were all good natured, of the “thumb your nose” variety. The queen of the San Miguel Fair was more enthusiastically greeted when the MC called for whistles of appreciation. When he asked for visitors from “La Union Americana” to identify themselves, he got zero response. Are we ashamed of ourselves, did we not understand that “La Union Americana,” is the US or are we just shy? My excuse is that I am a permanent resident, not a visitor. We are a pretty uptight group. When he asked us to stand, stretch our arms up and shout, because he said we had been sitting for so long, we gringos were more restrained than the natives. Starting with one section and moving like a wave around the ring, we stood, stretched, shouted and sat, to repeat it again as the “wave” lapped on our “shores” again. Silly, but fun.

Xenophon, the ancient Greek and the Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria would have recognized many of the dressage exercises, but not the trick roping. “La Riata” is a traditional part of any charro exhibition and this one ended with the rider twirling a huge loop of his rope around himself and his horse as he rode around the ring and then out the exit.

We were treated to mounted dressage, long-line driving, and precision riding and of course, a parade of flags. Brandy Presidente maintains this riding group to promote its product, something of which we were constantly. They also have a wonderful collection of fancy Mexican saddles and charro costumes that they lend to museums.

I like to attend events that appeal to the locals more than the expats, because it is a chance to participate in the culture of the town we have adopted. While we will never be fully accepted, we are shyly welcomed. Kids, fingers sticky with candy, crawled over my legs. Mothers apologized profusely when one of them spilled the dregs of my beer. Someone in the rows behind sprinkled us with what I hope was beer. Lincoln Center it was not, but maybe it was more fun.

Jerry Davis has been visiting Mexico for almost 50 years and has lived in San Miguel for the last three. He enjoys experiencing the richness and diversity of Mexican culture.







LETTERS

Editor,

I would like to alert people that credit/debit card cloning is still a danger at the ATM machines in San Miguel. I went to the ATM at Banorte on San Francisco near the Jardín to withdraw money from my US account. I tried to use the ATM that allows you to just slide your card through a slot without sucking your card in. After sliding my card, that ATM didn’t appear to be working, so I used the one next to it that takes your card in. I got my money and receipt and didn’t think much more about it. From my receipt I know that that was Sunday, September 16 at 2:27 pm. Two days later someone had used that information to clone my card and start making ATM withdrawals from my US account. Over the next 3 days they made 8 ATM withdrawals at Banamex to empty the account of US$3,000. When I went back to the ATM, I realized what had happened. The actual black slot on the front of the ATM had been replaced on that Sunday with a smaller white slot that they had used to record the magnetic strip on my card and somehow capture my PIN number. That allowed them to clone my card.

After closing my US account, I reported this to Banorte and they took a copy of the ATM receipt to investigate. I feel that all the banks need to be more vigilant in preventing this kind of tampering with their ATM machines.

Mike Baumgartner



Editor,

Marionettes are popular on an international level as tools for education and for promoting the arts. I suggest that, were San Miguel to join the many cities, world-wide, that hold international marionette festivals, such a project would enhance our entry onto the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. The festival could well be coordinated with the Cervantina in Guanajuato. By such timing, it would replace the welcome gap caused by the demise of the Sanmiguelada, attracting a cultured and peaceful international audience. The festival would certainly replace the perceived loss of revenue that the local entertainment industry fears will be the result of the end of the running of the bulls.

It’s something to think about.

Mireille Rita Grovier