Tag Archives: expat life

April 14, 2025 · 7:36 am

Chicken Feather Guy’s Chueca

During one of our Yacata business receiving days, the Chicken Feather Guy showed up to demand recognition of a certificate he had in his possession. Everything that came out of his mouth was a lie. But we’ll get to that in a minute. When things ended up not going his way, he started spouting threats. He threatened legal action. He threatened to go to the presidencia (town hall). He threatened bringing his moros (I expect he meant his henchmen…disagreeable individuals that will do his bidding.)

Unraveling the tale wasn’t all that difficult. Here’s how this started. Chuchi, the previous person in charge, sold lots to the left, lots to the right, lots that didn’t exist, lots with other owners, and so on. This lot in question was part of a parcel that belonged to Super Prez’s father, and he has the documentation to prove it. Chuchi sold it anyway to an elderly gentleman known as Fidel el Pancho Villa. Good ol’ Pancho Villa came out regularly with his personal albanil (bricklayer) on his tricycle and eventually a sort of finca (structure), complete with wagon wheel window, evolved. We called it la chueca (the crooked house) because, man, was it crooked.

Eventually, Pancho Villa died, and his son found the certificate. He came out one day to La Yacata to talk to me about it on a huge spotted horse. I told him that, unfortunately, this certificate was not valid. For clarification, he’d need to speak with Super Prez. So he did. I don’t know if he rode his horse there or not; Super Prez never mentioned it. But the conversation occurred.

Knowing that the certificate was not valid, the son of Pancho Villa sold it anyway for $5000. The new owner, Huesos (Boney), had some chickens and came out for a while, but less than 6 months later, he sold the lot to Chicken Feather Guy for $3,500 and a potrillo (colt). He told Chicken Feather Guy there were problems with the lot, having talked to me about it, and that he was selling the certificate as is. Chicken Feather Guy came to me with the certificate, and I told him the same story. He seemed to accept that and dismantled the structure that Pancho Villa had built so that he could at least recoup some of his investment.

Ten years later, he shows up during our “office hours.” I told Super Prez that I wasn’t getting involved because he just infuriates me. Super Prez said to him that the certificate wasn’t valid. Chicken Feather Guy insisted that it was because my husband measured the lot. Then he said he had a certificate issued by us, which wasn’t true. Then he said no one ever told him the certificate was invalid. Of course, I know that I spoke with him personally. I confirmed with Huesos that he had as well. My husband and the Cow Barn Guy had also talked to Chicken Feather Guy about the lot have problems.

Super Prez asked him to bring all his documentation so we could meet again next week. Chicken Feather Guy hemmed and hawed and then again said he’d go directly to the mayor’s brother. Super Prez countered that he had just come from a meeting with the mayor’s brother, indicating that wasn’t a valid threat. Chicken Feather said he was going to bring everyone involved, Huesos, Pancho Villa’s son, and my husband. Super Prez that was a great idea. Chicken Feather Guy left in a huff.

Minutes after he left, I happened upon Cow Barn Guy with Huesos on my walk with Cocoa. I confirmed the story as I knew it and both verified that they had told Chicken Feather Guy about issues with the lot, and he bought it anyway.

As Chicken Feather Guy is a disagreeable sort, I’m sure we haven’t heard the last of it.

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La Yacata Revolution: How NOT to Buy a Piece of Heaven in Mexico

Dreaming of buying a few acres in Mexico and living the good life? 🌴☀️ Think again.

In a place where everyone has a finger in the pie, securing basics like water, sewage, and electricity isn’t as simple as you’d hope. When one off-grid community had enough, they didn’t give up — they revolted.

🔥 La Yacata Revolution is the true tale of how neighbors took matters into their own hands and tried to restructure the Mexican political system—on a grassroots level.

Viva la revolución! ✊
📖 Read the story here: La Yacata Revolution

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Filed under La Yacata Revolution

Tagged as Community life in rural Mexico, expat life, La Yacata, Mexico Life

March 15, 2025 · 3:29 pm

My Stupendous Fall

Walking around La Yacata has always been a bit of a treacherous endeavor. The roads are uneven and filled with what my son and I call “ravines” from the intense gullywashers during the rainy season. The sidewalks are about as safe as any sidewalk in Mexico, meaning not very. Ramps to garages make steep drop-offs. Sidewalks broken to lay water or drainage pipes and then reset are accidents waiting to happen. Tree roots push the cement nearly vertically, and so on.

Well, that accident waiting to happen finally did. I was walking along with Cocoa, and I stubbed my foot on a piece of sidewalk that wasn’t level. I didn’t fall immediately. No, that would have been less spectacular. Instead, I stumbled along for another 10-15 feet, gaining momentum until I finally fell. My head hit a rock just off the edge of the sidewalk. I saw it clearly as a was hurtling through space and time towards it.

I may have blacked out for a second, because I don’t remember sitting up. Or maybe I do. It’s a little hazy. It couldn’t have been for more than a second, though, because my head laceration hadn’t started to bleed yet.

Super Prez and one of his workers were up the road doing some road measurement things when I fell. They approached while I sat there on the sidewalk, a bit stunned. Cocoa wouldn’t let them get very close.

My Spanish flew out of my head and I started what must have seemed like babbling to them in English. My husband was working down at the corner and I knew Cocoa wouldn’t let anyone but him approach. With a conscious effort, I switched to Spanish and relayed this information to them. Then the blood started gushing from my head.

My glasses were missing a lens and I couldn’t see with the blood in my eyes anyway, so I just sat there until my husband arrived. He tried pulling me up, but that wouldn’t do. I got up myself. Then he took my arm to shuffle me to the house. Again, that wouldn’t do. I could walk fine; I just couldn’t see. I gave him Cocoa’s leash and put my hand on his shoulder to guide me.

After the bleeding stopped, my husband left me with Cocoa and went back to work. My son didn’t get home until later in the afternoon, even though I tried calling him. He immediately cleaned and dressed my head, and I went back to bed. I contacted my teaching job and sent them a picture of my face to explain why I couldn’t teach that day. I had five classes that afternoon, so it was a financial disaster, but it just wasn’t going to happen.

I probably should have had stitches. The wound on my head took several days to scab up, and I’m pretty sure it will leave a scar. I used Árnica Mexicana (Heterotheca inuloides) and sábila (aloe vera) to treat my injuries, with some cola de caballo (Equisetum hyemale) wash for inflammation.

The following day, I let the people of La Yacata know I would be unavailable. While that didn’t completely stop them from bringing questions or documents, it did lessen the number of visitors. Not that I could see them anyway, as my eye had ballooned up quite a bit. I received a few kind messages wishing me a speedy recovery and telling me that I was “needed” by the community. It’s always nice to feel valued and essential.

I requested that I be allowed to teach without my camera on over the weekend because my eye was still so horrible. The company said I could as long as I started the class with it on and explained why I was turning it off to the students. The whole point was I didn’t want them grossed out, but I did what they outlined because I was just too tired to look for another job.

The following Thursday, my shiner was still vividly purple, but the swelling had gone down enough to manage tasks and send out the message that I was back in business. There were so many Yacata things to get done and nobody but me to do them.

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Filed under Health, La Yacata Revolution

Tagged as expat life, living in rural Mexico

December 5, 2024 · 6:09 am

Blogs About Mexico Worth Reading – AhoritaYA

Debbie Vorachen from AhoritaYA is today’s featured blogger.

Love brought me to Mexico! I fell in love with a Mexican man while he was dancing Mexican folklore at a festival in the Netherlands, where I was volunteering as a guide for another dance

group. That happened in 2012… it’s 2024 now, and we are still going strong – we even built a little family, and there are 4 of us now. I moved to Mexico in January 2014 and have lived here ever since.

AhoritaYA is about the cultural differences that you will probably face when moving to Mexico. As for the name, it has to do with the concept of time. Most expats and immigrants who move to Mexico come from countries where time is seen as something punctual, whereas in Mexico, it is seen as fluctual. When someone in Mexico says ‘Ahorita’, it will not be now. ‘Ya’ also means ‘now,’ hence the gathering now now (Ahorita YA).

AhoritaYA focuses on all of Mexico! I blog about Mexican culture and society in general and even wrote a book about this. As an anthropologist, that’s a project that lies close to my heart. I blog because I am a cultural anthropologist and a writer; it’s what I love doing and part of how I make a living.

These three posts reflect the importance of understanding Mexican culture and Spanish when you live here, temporarily or permanently.

3 Most Common Mistakes When Moving To Mexico

9 Mexican Movie Classics to Enhance Your Spanish Skills

Settling into Mexican Life: The Weekly and Monthly Must-Knows

I find it challenging to balance the right amount of information and not be seen as another example of gentrification in Mexico. Some people do not like to read a lot and have a prejudice quite quickly – they then don’t know why I live here and why I blog/wrote a book.

My best experience in Mexico has been integrating into my Mexican family. The worst experiences I’ve had in Mexico have been having to deal with any trámite (paperwork) at all.

For anyone planning on moving to Mexico, don’t just pack your belongings! Prepare for the move mentally, too – indulge in any information you can find about Mexican culture and society and learn (Mexican) Spanish.

I plan on staying in Mexico probably forever, although my dream would be to live 50/50 in

Mexico and the Netherlands.

I have big plans for my blog and wish it to be the number one resource on Mexican culture and society.

Connect with AhoritaYa on: