Category Archives: La Yacata Revolution

June 14, 2024 · 7:41 am

Insurrection in La Yacata — Letter to the Governor Part 3

The Tuesday after we delivered the letter to the appropriate offices, I received a call from the governor’s office asking what exactly we were looking for. I’ll admit that I’m not at my strongest when talking on the phone. I can’t hear well, and I don’t have the visual cues to help me decipher what is being said. Anyway, I did my best, standing out in the road since the phone signal in the house is variable.

I told the governor’s secretary that we didn’t have any basic utilities, which was our primary need. She said that was something the municipio would need to address. I said that we’d been trying for 28 years to get servicios (utilities) and were rejected time and time again. Those documents were included with the letter. She asked if we were “regular,” and I said we were in the process of regularizing (which means conforming to the requirements for a fraccionamiento-neighborhood). She asked about escrituras (deeds), and I said we had the escritura global (one deed for the entire property). I didn’t feel like I had explained myself well, and she said she really should talk to the Ingeniero (Super Prez), who was listed second in the document. She said she’d check into things and call back. I don’t know why she didn’t just send an email with this information.

But she called back. She asked if I had something to write with. I grabbed something quick. Then she said I should call this number …. And gave me some numbers, but the phone call ended before I heard the final two digits. Now, a normal person would just call the person back, but I never had saldo (minutes) on my phone because the signal is so spotty that I never make phone calls. I was distraught, believing I had totally messed this up. However, doing a reverse search on the partial phone number, it seemed she was giving me the number for Secretaría Desarrollo Social y Humano.

Before we got any further in this process, Super Prez was called to the presidencia to answer for our crimes (writing and delivering this letter to the governor). Super Prez did much better than I would have done soothing the ruffled feathers. He made it clear that the letter’s intent was to solicit financial support for La Yacata with the understanding that those funds would need to be channeled through the municipio of Moroleon.

The architect in charge of Desarrollo Urbano tried to turn it back on us and said we hadn’t been back to follow up on our regularization process. Super Prez responded that it didn’t mean we weren’t working on it. In fact, the limpieza de pozo (well-cleaning) crew was back at work to finish that project so we could move to the next one and determine the quantity and quality of the well’s water.

It’s possible that the presidencia felt our appeal to the governor was an attack on their administration since the governor is part of a different political party and this was an election year. It’s also probable that no one in the presidency had read the letter to the governor in its entirety (it was 8 pages long) and just read the accompanying missive from the governor’s office. Had they done so, they would have seen that we made no disparaging remarks about the current administration, that paragraph having been removed judiciously at Super Prez’s recommendation before the letter was delivered, and that we lay the blame squarely on Chuchi, who was dead and wouldn’t protest.

Super Prez returned to Desarrollo Urbano a day or so later with an entire PowerPoint presentation printed out to explain how we were working with FE Guanajuato to apply for funding and infrastructure support. He said that seemed to appease the powers that be somewhat.

Super Prez also took this opportunity to present our petition once again to change the registered uso de suelo (land use) from agricultural to habitation. Before 1995, the area that encompasses La Yacata was farmland, and plots were rented for individuals to plant. The asociación de colonos was formed with the understanding that the classification would change. It was never approved, even after being submitted to 10 different municipal administrations. Without this document, nothing else can be approved.

I’m not exaggerating when I say it feels like we are tilting at windmills in this process to create a habitable community, the windmills being the antiquated processes in place that are preventing this. Perhaps we are foolish to believe we can overcome these obstacles to basic necessities. Well, I guess we’ll hope for the best.

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Want to see how it all began? Pick up your copy of La Yacata Revolution: How NOT to Buy a Piece of Heaven in Mexico today!

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Tagged as homesteading in Mexico, La Yacata, living in rural Mexico

May 16, 2024 · 7:11 am

Insurrection in La Yacata — Letter to the Governor Part 2

I had my son handwrite the letter, as suggested by FE Guanajuato, and leave room for signatures at the end. Then I asked the neighbor down the road, a teacher with a great big booming voice if he would read the letter at the next community meeting. I’m glad I took that precaution because the guy who usually brings a sound system (speaker and microphone) couldn’t make it to the junta.

And so the reading began. As he read, the Profe edited a few things that he felt were inappropriate (not reiterating Chuchi’s name but using the phrase “dicho persona” which means ‘aforementioned person’). The colonos were quiet and attentive. After it was concluded, the feeling among the assembled was much lighter than it had been, as if their concerns and issues were finally heard. I took the opportunity to ask everyone to gather together for a community photo, and most everyone was happy to oblige.

I also asked property owners, especially those with houses or fincas (buildings), to send me pictures of themselves in front of their homes. The aim was to personalize these stories and La Yacata, so that we are seen and heard. I took pictures of La Yacata as well, the bola de agua (water tower) that was rusted and abandoned, the rough conditions of the roads, and the pozo (well), or rather the well cover as the infrastructure to pump the water is not in place yet.

The next week, I went to the photo place and printed out the pictures I had taken and those that I had sent to me to include with the letter. I also made copies of the Actas de Defunción (death certificates) of the property owners who have died without realizing their dreams of a home in La Yacata. Other documents that went in the pile included the results of the three lawsuits that Chuchi enacted against La Yacata, which were decided in our favor, and the water, electric, and sewer projects that were not accepted by the presidency over the years.

Palacio de Gobierno del Estado de Guanajuato

This large stack of evidence was then to be taken to the governor of Guanajuato’s office in person. Super Prez and I made a trip to Guanajuato the Friday before Semana Santa, only to arrive and find out there was a flower festival (El Día de las Flores) and the offices had closed early. The governor and his immediate staff would return en 15 días (2 weeks) after Easter break.

We didn’t make it back until the Thursday before the next junta. The trip was rather uneventful. We arrived, parked, and entered the governor’s palace. We spoke with the sub-secretary, the secretary of the governor’s secretary. Neither the secretary nor the governor were present. Election campaigning had started, and although the current governor can not be reelected, the idea was that the same partido (political party) stay in power and the secretary remain at her post for the next six years.

The sub-secretary read through the letter. She said that programs were available for situations like ours. She stamped the copy of the document we brought for that very purpose, and that was that. She said that typically, petitioners are contacted within 5 days of petition presentation.

Then we walked half a block to the DIF (Desarrollo Integral de la Familia) main office. The sidewalks were in deplorable condition (I tripped and nearly fell twice), and the whole area smelled like sewers. Super Prez commented that we had little chance of funding when there weren’t even functional utilities where the governor lived and worked. Valid point. But undeterred, we marched into the DIF office and talked to the receptionist who took our papers, stamped the copy, and sent us on our way, promising to deliver it to the appropriate person. We asked the security guard outside the building to take our picture as evidence of our trip. And then we headed home.

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So you have big dreams of buying a few acres in Mexico and living the good life? There’s more to living in Mexico than you might imagine. In a land where everybody’s finger is in the pie, it’s hard to find the proper channels to get basic services like water, sewage, and electricity installed. When one community has had enough, they staged a coup and launched La Yacata Revolution. Follow along with their attempts to restructure the Mexican political system in microcosm. Viva!

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Tagged as basic utilities in mexico, homesteading in Mexico, living in rural Mexico, Mexico

April 23, 2024 · 5:02 pm

Insurrection in La Yacata – Letter to the Governor Part 1

Since FE Guanajuato was designed to assist rural communities in various ways, I decided it was time to ask for their advice on who we could contact and what we could ask for. The representative suggested that we compose a letter to be sent to both the governor of Guanajuato and the Mexican president, AMLO. She said these letters should be handwritten, and she would get us the correct address.

SuperPrez wasn’t as gungho as I was on this project. He felt that if it was as simple as writing a letter, everybody would do it. I wanted to give this assignment to another community member to get more individuals involved because I didn’t have the time. However, after considering the different options and their literacy level, I opted to just write it myself.

My goal was to make the reader cry. I know that seems counterintuitive, but we had to find a way to stand out from other petitioners. If we appealed to their emotions and told a good story, that would be a good publicity opportunity since it was an election year, well, then maybe, just maybe, we’d get some assistance.

I spent over a week on the letter’s composition. Then I sent it to Super Prez, who made some suggestions, most importantly to ensure that we did not mention or refer to the current municipio administration. Finally, I had my son double-check my Spanish, making sure I wasn’t accidentally using translated English idioms or phrases that could be misconstrued. I also told him to ranch-ify it a bit. Although it remained extremely formal, as in all written correspondence in Mexico, certain phrases were more often used in this area than others. I wanted to include as many of those as possible.

So, to sum up, the letter provided a condensed version of how the former person in charge had defrauded and then sued the colonos de La Yacata, which you can read in glorious detail in La Yacata Revolution: How NOT to Buy a Piece of Heaven in Mexico.

Then, I highlighted the difficulties encountered by some colonos, such as health problems, poverty, robberies, and, most importantly, the lack of basic utilities in La Yacata. Next was a list of those colonos who have died without their Yacata dreams being fulfilled, like my mother-in-law, and included the Actas de Defunción (death certificates) I had on file. I told you, I wanted to make the reader cry.

The next section discussed how La Yacata had been trying to meet the standards necessary for regularización for years and included the packet of papers from the muncipio that proved that. I also emphasized that we had never asked for financial support from any organization before. Then, at Super Prez’s suggestion, I briefly outlined our water, sewer, and electricity projects.

I ended the letter with a final plea for recognition and access to whatever support was available. Super Prez and I added our names, addresses, and emails. Then, it was time to present this to the colonos and get their signatures.

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Dreaming of a serene life in Mexico? Think again! La Yacata Revolution: How NOT to Buy a Piece of Heaven in Mexico is a gripping narrative that unveils the challenges of navigating bureaucracy, securing basic services, and facing the unexpected realities of rural living. Join the courageous community of La Yacata as they defy the odds, sparking a revolution to reshape their world. Get ready for a riveting journey of resilience, rebellion, and the pursuit of a better tomorrow. Viva la Revolución!