Surviving Mexico

March 18, 2024 · 7:13 am

Water, water everywhere?

Although we wanted to focus on getting the sewer situation squared away first, the presidencia (town hall) insisted that we figure out where we would get water from as our highest priority. Those of you who read La Yacata Revolution might remember that at one point, a pozo (community well) was drilled. It was later closed and a lawsuit filed as Chuchi (the guy in charge) hadn’t bothered with the proper permits.

The current administration in town seemed more open to work with us on getting the pozo legalized because there was no extra water in town that could be diverted to our little village or community or whatever La Yacata happens to be called at the moment. We needed to prove that the pozo was viable if we wanted to advance towards getting escrituras (individual property deeds).

Well, alrighty then. The first thing we did was have a video of the interior of the well done to see what condition it was. That didn’t get very far because someone (and you probably know who I suspect) had sabatoged the well with a giant boulder. We did this in November.

In February, we had enough money in the community account to hire a well-digger company to come and smash the boulder to bits. It took two days, but the pipe was cleared. The employees of the company left quite a bit to be desired in the intellect department. It was blazing hot, and they hadn’t even brought a bottle of water. So La Yacata purchased a garrafón (container) of water and ice and delivered it to keep the workers from collapsing.

There was still the matter of the pozo being “irregular” that we had to deal with. Super Prez and I headed to the ConAgua office in Celaya to ask about that. My concern was that there would be a HUGE fine levied for the clandestine well. Super Prez and I speculated how ConAgua even knew there was a well being dug in the first place if no permits were requested. My thought was that perhaps the well-digger went and reported it after Chuchi didn’t pay him for his work.

It was blazing hot when we arrived and I hadn’t been feeling well for the previous few days, so I was less than 100% on this mission. However, I knew how important it was, so I mustered on. We signed in at the security office and marched around the front because the normal entrance was sealed off for some reason. We passed a fountain with no water, and I found it ominous that the WATER COMPANY couldn’t even keep a fountain going.

We didn’t have long to wait and were ushered in to talk to a ConAgua employee. Super Prez did all the talking, I was feeling quite miserable at this point although I hadn’t made any complaints. This needed done, so by golly, it was going to get done. The employee looked over the documents we had, which included a closure notification and a lawsuit for quantities of water rights that were never paid. The lawsuit was settled with the default of Chuchi’s house. He had made the application for the water rights in his own name rather than the community, so he alone was liable for their payment. He did this with the thought of charging the colonos of La Yacata whatever he wanted for their use, making a hefty profit, only it backfired on him.

So, with the lawsuit settled, La Yacata was in the clear. The employee gave us a checklist of things to legalize the well and didn’t seem to think there would be any problems down the road. He did say that there was a water crunch in our area and that water rights were hard to come by. Good to know.

Before we left the compound, we strolled over to a separate building that housed a couple of lawyers, specialists in the realm of water rights, apparently. They checked their database and confirmed that water rights were hard to come by in our area. So they added us to the waiting list with an approximate wait time of 9-12 months if we were lucky.

When I finally got home, I was running a fever and went to bed, where I stayed for the next week. I even posted on the community Facebook page and the Whats App group that I would not be able to talk to anyone for a few days because of illness. That’s how sick I got.

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Want to read the prequel? La Yacata Revolution: How NOT to Buy a Piece of Heaven in Mexico is available on Amazon!

Natural Healing — Hoja Santa

There are approximately 57 species of Piper indigenous to Mexico and 1457 worldwide, but less than 10 percent have been studied. Unfortunately, local names often apply Hoja Santa to several unrelated plants. Piper auritum and Piper sanctum are two species that share the names hoja santa or hierba santa. Although it is tempting to say the two are synonymous, as you can see from the picture below, the leaf structure is a little different. Then to make matters more complex, according to one study, Piper sanctum is an erroneous classification and more properly classified as Piper commutatum. Be that as it may, in many cases, Piper auritum and Piper sanctum are used interchangeably in Mexican herbalism.

Piper auritum is also known as acuyo, jaco, hoja de anís, momo, yuva ntoo, x-mak-ulam in the Mayan language. The santa or holy part of this plant comes from a story of how the Virgen María dried her holy son’s diapers draped over this plant. However, I couldn’t find much more than brief references to this legend.

Medicinally, a tincture made from the entire plant is used to treat asthma, laryngitis, bronchitis, and other types of inflammation such as rheumatism, venereal diseases, and toothaches. Other uses include treating diarrhea, coraje (anger issues), ear infections, snake bites, and stopping hemorrhaging. The leaves are made into a decoction for indigestion and abdominal cramps. Two cups of water are boiled with one leaf and drunk before meals.

The Chinantec people drink a decoction of leaves to aid in childbirth. The Maya apply the leaves for wound healing. The leaves are boiled and applied to the affected area to treat skin infections. For fever, a wash is made from boiled leaves. Warmed or toasted leaves are placed on the abdomen for cramps. In Yucatecan traditional medicine, a tea is prescribed to manage diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.

Piper auritum’s sassafras-like flavored leaves are used in Mexican cuisine as a flavoring and to wrap tamales. The fresh stems are eaten. This is the only Piper variety that is utilized as a food source.

Plants in the Piper species are antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal. They have antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory, anti-parasitic, anti-diabetic, and neuropharmacological activities, giving them a preventive potential for several chronic disorders. The compound piperlongumine or piplartine found in most Piper plants has anti-cancer and anti-neuroinflammatory properties.

One study has shown Piper auritum has an anti-inflammatory effect similar to that of the anti-venom serum, supporting its traditional use in treating snakebite. It also has high antiglycation activity, which treats, prevents, or reverses skin damage. The leaves improve renal function and inhibit insulin resistance. Studies show that Piper sanctum is also anti-diabetic and antimycobacterial.

Hoja Santa Tea for Cough

2 hoja santa leaves (Piper auritum)
1 limón cut into pieces (Citrus aurantifolia)
pinch of orégano de monte leaves (Lippia graveolens)

Wash the hoja santa leaves. Bring ½ liter of water to a boil. Add the ingredients and boil for five minutes. Drink three times a day as symptoms persist.

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Interested in natural remedies? Uncover herbal remedies from traditional Mexican sources for healing and wellness in the Exploring Traditional Herbal Remedies in Mexico series.

Construction Update 2024

Funds have been low, so we haven’t done much work on my son’s house in the last few months. There’s been some wall patching, one bulto (bag) of cement at a time. It’s coming along, but SLOWLY.

The one project that did get finished in February was the fireplace, and it’s gorgeous! As we did for the other two fireplaces, we used stones gathered from La Yacata, which kept the cost down. The idea is that the second floor of my son’s house will serve as a sitting room/bedroom. I’m so impatient for things to be done.

My son being silly with the pile of tile behind him.

Other projects are underway. The shower tile has been put up and the bathroom fixtures purchased, but not installed. The flooring for the first floor has been purchased. It was too good of a deal to miss. The tile was 40% off until February 29. So, although I couldn’t afford the pegazulejo (tile mortar), I did buy 52 square meters of tile. We’ll see when that gets laid.

My son with the Puppers helping fill the pool.

The pool was also cleaned and filled this week. I have been in there floating about every day since. I would say that the pool was a great investment overall. It’s been unseasonably hot so far this year, with no end in sight.

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