Giggle of Girls, Funicular, Animals, Something Extroadinary, Queen of England Visits

Giggle of Girls Sighted Entering Tunnel

I was on my way from Silao to Guanajuato about to enter the new tunnel entrance to the city when I found myself following a truck, the back of which was loaded with girls. They appeared to be about seventeen or so years old. Ah, I thought, I would once again be able to write about the girls of Guanajuato and use my own collective noun invention, “A giggle of girls,” to describe a truck-load of girls. Just before entering the tunnel on this bright sunny day, I saw the girls smiling and laughing. At the entrance there is a small hump in the road and as the truck entered the darkness of the tunnel there came a loud squeal from the girls, caused I suppose, from a combination of the surprise of unexpected blackness and from young bladders lifted in the air and let down suddenly, or whatever it is that makes young people go “Whee!” at carnival rides or when cresting a hill.

I smiled at hearing the familiar squeal. It was similar to the girlish and joyous screams we heard at the showing of the movie “Titanic,” a couple of years ago. Do you remember that scene where Leonardo DeCaprio, looking mighty fine in his tuxedo, stands at the top of the grand staircase of this ill-fated ship? All the girls in the theater at this showing in Guanajuato let out a spontaneous squeal of delight.

There is something about the girls of Guanajuato. They always seem to be smiling and laughing. Do they know something we don’t know? I wish they would let us in on it because they seem to be having a wonderful time. They hold hands a lot as they walk together down the street. You also see them holding the hands of their mothers, grandmothers, and smaller children. And when you see them walking with their boyfriend, they smile and look up adoringly at the guy. Yes, with adulation. Now this is where I have a little trouble with this behavior. The young fellows they are walking with have the bills of their baseball type caps turned to the rear. I have trouble understanding why boys wear their caps this way and I will never understand why girls would give these jerks the time of day. Of course, there is a little age difference between them and me, and I just can’t wear my hat that way.

Funicular Construction Halted

I thought by now I would be riding the new funicular, that cable driven car that is being constructed from el Plazuela de la Constancia to el Pipila monument. Now the word constancia in Spanish means certainty but the cable car project came to a sudden halt a few months ago. I read in the paper that the ecology department here had put a stop to it because the developers had cut down some trees. Usually these things get resolved by making the developers plant ten trees for every one cut down. I later learned that the developers faced a bigger problem. It seems that they were building the funicular on land that someone else owned. So the project remains on hold.

I have been told that property ownership records in Guanajuato are considered private and that the city cadastral office, the agency that keeps these records, will not release them to a non-owner. The consequence of protecting one’s privacy in this way is that arguments over who owns a particular piece of land are frequent. This is all the more the case because people can claim land by possession, or squatting on it for a certain amount of time. If you buy land here the safest thing to do is to build a wall or fence around your property, wait a year, and see if anyone shows up to claim your land. I am told that this is not the case in all parts of Mexico, although there is a term that one hears coming out of Mexico City-paracaidistas, which means parachutists. These are people that seem to come from nowhere, who somehow land on your property, build a little house, and then it’s “say hello to the new neighbors” time.

In my previous profession, regional planning, I sat in on a number of meetings discussing the problems of the cadastre, the official record of ownership of real estate. One meeting in Washington with the U.S. Geological Survey·, our nation’s premier mapping agency, officials there said yes, they knew the cadastre is of vital importance, but they didn’t want to get involved in any way with property ownership questions. I learned just how screwed up our land ownership records can be in the U.S., where at least the records are public and open. I wonder how they will ever straighten them out in a place like Guanajuato.

Animals

There are many pressing needs in Mexico and it is hard to know where one ought to lend a hand. I continue my interest in the Society for the Protection of Animals not because I think that what they are trying to do is the most pressing need but because it is so difficult to find people and resources to help in this area. In other words, animals are far down the line of priorities, as people perceive them. I think it is an area of activity that especially needs some help. The prevalent feeling here is that we ought to help people before we help animals, which misses the point that we can help people by helping animals. This is going to be a long struggle.

Bruce Feldman, a veterinarian from Berkeley, who is restoring a house in Guanajuato and occasionally visits here, recently sent me an article from a publication, Animal People-News for People Who Care About Animals. The article contained statements applicable to third world countries that illustrate just how difficult our task is.

Stabilizing numbers of street dogs or cats and beginning to achieve a reduction typically requires sterilizing approximately 70%. …until the rescuers reach 70%, sterilizing part of the population can actually increase the number of dogs and cats because there is less competition for food among pregnant females, who then bear more live young, and nurse longer, and because more puppies or kittens from each litter survive.

The article went on to explain that in parts of Asia, Africa and Latin America, millions of animals are being poisoned, shot, drowned, electrocuted, or gassed with car fumes, which are the typical fates of street dogs and sometimes feral cats. In those places rabies continues to kill thousands of humans each year, the majority of them children who play with street dogs. Conditions are not quite that bad in Guanajuato but the situation is not good.

We recently visited the city of Queretero. This is such an elegant city it is always a pleasure to visit there. The city supports an opera company, symphony orchestra, ballet company, several posh country clubs including a polo club, and it has a beautiful colonial historic district. We have not visited the posh country clubs, nor entered any polo matches but we do enjoy the colonial center of Queretero. Remember the song, Everything is Fine in Kansas City from the musical, Oklahoma? Well, that’s how I think of Queretero. Everything seems to be fine there. For one thing, they don’t have dogs running loose. The central historic district is as neat and as beautiful as can be. We asked at a shop where we were making some purchases how it was that there were no dogs on the street. La Señora, the shopkeeper, said that the city picked them up immediately and that if the dog had an owner, the owner had a few days to reclaim the animal.

The City of Guanajuato operates a perrera, a truck with a large cage in its bed that is used to round up stray animals. The animals are taken to the city of Leon and destroyed. Judging by the fact that one sees a fair number of dogs running loose I don’t think it is in constant use. I suppose when things get bad, the perrera is hauled out for a run to pick up animals.

I was told this story by a veterinarian in Guanajuto that I believe illustrates the problem. A few years ago in the nearby City of Dolores Hidalgo, which does not have a perrera, they asked the authorities in Guanajuato if they could borrow the vehicle to round up stray dogs. When the dogcatchers tried to capture the animals, people came out of the colonias with clubs and chased the animal control people away. No one was going to take there animal! I can’t be sure of this, but it is my belief that the success of an animal control program may be dependent on providing an opportunity for pet owners to rescue their animals if they should be on the loose and are caught. I know that putting down one’s pet, even when it is necessary, is an extremely painful event. I can only imagine the horror and rage that must come to a person whose dog or cat is picked up and destroyed before there is any chance to rescue it. Although it might take years, I continue to hope that we can build an animal shelter here in Guanjuato that will provide that second chance for animals. The need is great and resources are few. If you are interested in helping, send me a check in care of my son, Nathan, and I will see that it is converted to pesos and given to the S.P.A.

Our friend, Sandra Ward, is operating an interesting program that is dealing with the problem in a very direct way. With funds she has collected, she is able to subsidize the sterilization of dogs by cooperating veterinarians. This program is meant for people who cannot afford the cost of this operation and are committed to caring for their animal and keeping it off the street. A lot needs to be done. If you would like to help with this program you can send a check to: Sandra Ward

A.P. 3-7

36082 Guanajuato, GTO

Mexico

Something Extraordinary

A few weeks ago, Carole and I had the opportunity to meet Jan Copeland, a young American who is the pianist for the symphony orchestra here. During the conversation she mentioned that she had visited Salamanca, which is a town about fifty miles from Guanajuato. At one time Salamanca was probably very pretty but today it is blighted by fumes from the huge Pemex refinery located there. I asked why she had visited Salamanca, and she told us the story of the orphanage, which is called Ciudad de los Niños, of a concert she had heard performed by the children of the orphanage, of an idea and a dream she had that was quite inspiring. She told us that she had sent out sixty letters to music organizations in the United States telling them of her idea. I think her letter says it all quite well and I want to share it with you.

Dear Colleague:

I am the orchestral pianist for the Orquesta Sinfónica de Guanajuato, a full-time professional orchestra under the patronage of the University of Guanajuato, located in the capitol of the State of Guanajuato, México. In addition to Mexican musicians, our orchestra includes many European string players and U.S. wind and brass players.

Two weeks ago, while preparing the Mozart Coronation Mass for the inauguration of the new governor, we encountered something extraordinary, a children's chorus, 40 of more than 300 children from a nearby orphanage. Nothing extraordinary in that, right? But, we discovered that they had prepared this difficult music with almost nothing­¾just a little old padre who knows a little about music and who had a couple of recordings of the mass. We were amazed that they had accomplished so much with so little!

You probably receive dozens of letters each year asking for a donation of money for a charitable organization. I am not asking for money and I am not an organization; I'm just one musician with a dream that I hope will become a reality.

Several members of our symphony orchestra have pledged to give music classes to the children of the Ciudad de Los Niños (Children's Town - like the U.S. Boys' Town, only with girls too) and we are seeking a real chorusmaster for them. To begin a serious music education program, they will need chorus music, mostly ecclesiastical Latin, Italian or Spanish texts at first, basic elementary music methods, possibly with recorders for early training, and mostly¾instruments, including wind, brass and stringed instruments (full and reduced sizes).

I foresee the day when these children will not only sing the Mozart Coronation Mass, their own orchestra will accompany them! Yes, I know it's a big project, but not an impossible one. You can support this effort by spreading the word throughout your membership to help the dream grow beyond that of a sole musician into an organized, functioning body of fellow musicians who will know that they have helped create and nourish a community of young musicians where, before, there was nothing:

Yours truly,

Jan Copeland

P.S. Perhaps your local schools or churches could spare the parts to just one choral work, or you or your neighbors have an instrument gathering dust in the attic? I will be personally indebted to you, as well, for advice and logistical assistance.

PLEASE CONTACT ME:

Mtra. Jan Stella Copeland

Apartado Postal 561

Guanajuato, Gto. C.P. 36000 México

E-mail: Sisteregg@Yahoo.com

The initial response to Jan’s letter has been splendid. I have seen some of the e-mail messages coming in and this seems like the sort of project that people are interested in helping. A temporary collection point has been established with the Music Educators National Conference (MENC) in Virginia. Sue Rarus, MENC's Director of Publicity has been of tremendous help. If you can contribute instruments or scores please contact her.

It is hoped that we can obtain a collection site for the instruments on the U.S. side of the Mexican border, such as Laredo, Texas. One of the problems is to get these instruments across the border without paying duty. I know this sounds rather strange to Americans as to why there should be any problem with our sending orchestra instruments to an orphanage in Mexico, but the instruments are subject to duty. Jan Copeland and others involved in this project believe that we can enlist the help of the new governor and, if necessary, the new president, Vincente Fox, to get an exception. But chances are, we can only count on one, possibly two shipments. In other words, we can’t keep getting permission to transfer the instruments to Mexico.

Although Jan did not ask for money, some money will be needed. There is a need for such things as instrument reeds and repair materials. There is the cost of shipping and other expenses. The group doesn’t have an official name yet but it does have a treasurer, our friend, Bob Hawkins. I call the group, “Amigos de los Niños.” If you would like to make a contribution from Guanajuato, give the money to Bob:

Bob Hawkins

12 Plazuela Mexiamora

Telephone: 732-4704

(Special note: After a great start the project fell through because of problems on both sides of the border. The choir at the City of Chidren Orphanage is still going but without the improvements invisioned.)

Queen of England Visited Guanajuato in 1976. Is Bush Next?

Yes, it is true. Queen Elizabeth II visited Guanajuato twenty-five years ago. The city had just paved the Panoramica Highway that rims this beautiful city and the Queen was offered the opportunity of viewing Guanajuato from vantage points along this road. When Her Majesty stepped out of her vehicle her heals slowly sank into the fresh blacktop, making her, at least for a few moments, just another selected short subject. No one talks about this incident in Guanajuato, but the Queen, who was crowned in 1953 and became the legitimate monarch of Great Britain at that time, has not made a return visit.

Reports have been going around that Vincente Fox, who legitimately was elected President of Mexico last July may have a meeting with George W. Bush, who was, oh well… The meeting is scheduled for February in Guanajuato. Of course the Mexicans are very proud of Fox and the honesty of the election that brought him into office. Regarding Bush’s becoming president of the United States, the Mexicans, who have experienced decades of fraudulent elections, are very understanding and I don’t think they will hold it against him regardless of how he came into office. Choosing Mexico as the first foreign nation to visit was a very astute decision. Carole and I will probably miss this visit of presidents. With three other couples from Guanajuato, we will be visiting Barra de Navidad, a former Mexican fishing village on the Pacific coast, but which is now a favorite wintering place for Americans and Canadians. Guanajuato is expected to have a large turnout to see President Fox, who is from this state and is the former governor.

By the way, did you notice that after Chief Justice Rehnquist administered the oath of office, that Bush leaned over and quietly said to Rehnquist, “Thanks, thanks a lot, goodbudy.” I couldn’t see it but I think he also winked. Also, it is not true that Katherine Harris has been appointed ambassador to the Court of St. James. Some of Bush’s advisors thought that would be a little bit cheeky, so, they are proposing that she be appointed ambassador to the Republic of Mongolia where she is expected to be less visible.

O.K., I know this all sounds a little bitter. We supported Al Gore and were disappointed in his loss. It seems to me that inasmuch as we can’t do anything about it we might as well enjoy the humor that comes with George W. Republican supporters of George Bush should at least not begrudge us the only pleasurable thing coming from the conclusion of this election.

Our education president wants to know, “Is our children learning? (Grand Rapids, 1/11/00.)

He says, “My education message will resignate amongst all parents.”(New York Post, 1/19/00)

To the Boston Globe, he said, “A key to foreign policy is to rely on reliance,” (1/23/00)

The Associated Press quoted him, “There is madmen in the world, and there are terror.”

Oh, there is so much more. Let’s hope that they don’t script Bush too tightly so that we can get the real George W. and not some phony baloney puppet, and then, and then, we can enjoy the next four years. Another good one is, “Ha, ha, Ralph Nader, the joke’s on you! Now we know that it does make a difference who gets elected”

Comments on Visit to Spain Issue

Several of you wrote or e-mailed me to say how much you enjoyed the Trip to Spain Issue of Letter from Mexico. Thank you, thank you! It’s nice to know that someone is reading these things. Many of you commented on your own visit to Spain and compared your impressions with mine. I enjoyed receiving these remarks.

Ken Clark, of Madison, Wisconsin, said regarding the suit of armor with the peculiar extrusion that I encountered in the royal palace in Madrid, that this armor wouldn’t fit men from Wisconsin. To that, all I have to say is, that if they wore this armor in Wisconsin in the winter, it would fit just fine, with room to spare.

Peter Olmsted from Ann Arbor, Michigan, who frequently visits Guanajuato with his wife Ginny, wrote:

“Charlie, I remember seeing a suit of armor at the tower of London which had a protrusion similar to the one you describe in the palace of King Juan Carlos. The one I saw was said to belong to King Henry VIII. I know there was always competition going on between Spain and England. Could it be that one of these kings had heard of the other’s manly enclosure, and tried to outdo the other in splendor? I’m sure you will know the answer. Peter”

Yes Peter, I do believe I know the answer. The protrusion on the armor of Henry VIII was longer and thicker than on the armor I saw in Spain. That’s where the expression, “There will always be an England,” came from.

There was one little incident that occurred in Spain that I forgot to mention that may be of interest. Throughout the cities of Spain I never saw a monument of Francisco Franco, who was the Fascist dictator of Spain from 1936 until his death in 1975. He came into power by leading the rebel Nationalist Army to victory over the Loyalist Republican forces. Given my political orientation, I was pleased that there weren’t a lot of Franco statues around but I asked our English-speaking tour guide if I could ask her a political question. Our guide was a PhD major in linguistics and to me was expertly knowledgeable about everything in Spain. She sighed a bit and said, “Go ahead.” I asked her, what do the people in present day Spain think of Franco? How is he regarded? The answer was interesting. She said that the Civil War was terrible, just horrible. The killing, rape, atrocities, and torture among former friends were something awful. The old people, who experienced this, don’t want to talk about it. The young people, who did not live through any of this, don’t know what happened and so they don’t talk about it either.

Later, actually the last day of our trip, I came across a little kiosk that sold posters, pins, and souvenirs. I bought a poster with a picture of a Spanish lady dancer. Underneath it said, “Gran Festival de Baile, con la sensacional actuación de,” and under that the shop keeper printed, with stamped letters, “CAROLE MONTEMAYOR.” She was dancing¾Fandangos, Sevillanas, Rumbas, Seguidillas, and Tarantas.”

I also noticed a huge array of pins representing Spanish flags, sports clubs, and the like. I found a pin that I thought was quite handsome and would look good next to the pin given to me by the officials at the Village of Montemayor. I asked the shopkeeper what the pin was and he said it was some kind of club? The pin consisted of a cluster of arrows aligned vertically. “What kind of a club,” I asked. He mumbled something and finally said it was the Falange Española, the only legal party in Spain under Dictator Francisco Franco. I decided not to buy it.

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· The U.S. Geological Survey is a marvelous federal agency that keeps track of our mineral and water resources in addition to producing maps. Someone has figured out a way to cash in on the work of this agency by selling topographic maps of locations where aliens have “landed” on earth. Now why didn’t I think of that? Check it out on the internet:

http://www.aliensonearth.com/catalog/pub/usgs/ufo