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.
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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The amount of money needed to complete the utilities projects being what it was, SuperPrez started pushing for a mandatory deposit to a bank account. He brought it up at several juntas (meetings), and most seemed to think this was a good idea. However, we needed to open said bank account before any deposits could be made.
So, since we wanted this to be a non-lucrative community account rather than a personal or business account so that SAT wouldn’t charge for taxes, there were some hoops to jump through. The bank required:
Legal Status of the Organization:
The organization must be legally established in Mexico. This often involves registering with the appropriate government authorities. (We were registered as an Asociación de Colonos (Community Association) in 1995.
Legal Documentation:
Articles of Incorporation: Provide a copy of the organization’s articles of incorporation or equivalent legal documents. (We submitted the Acta Constitutiva)
Bylaws: Submit a copy of the organization’s bylaws, which outline the internal rules and regulations. (We actually don’t have any established bylaws, but there’s some wording giving the Asociación legal power over the individual lots on the property certificates and in the Acta Constitutiva.)
Tax Identification Number (RFC):
Obtain a tax identification number for the organization, known as Registro Federal de Contribuyentes (RFC). This is typically obtained through the Servicio de Administración Tributaria (SAT) in Mexico. (Super Prez had to make several appointments to get this.)
Board of Directors:
Provide a list of the current board of directors, including their names, addresses, and official identification. (This would be la mesa directiva. Since the secretary didn’t have an RFC number, just Super Prez and I were listed on the account.)
Proof of Address:
Submit proof of the organization’s registered address. This can be a utility bill or other official document. (As there are no utilities in La Yacata, we couldn’t actually use my ‘office.’ Instead, SuperPrez used his home address. The bank did an ‘inspection’ to verify its validity. The bulk of the documentation is in my house, but there were enough items in Super Prez’s possession to pass muster. The accounting spreadsheet is in Google Docs, so he could access that from his computer at home to show the inspector, and it was all good.)
Official Identification:
Provide official identification documents for the individuals involved in the organization, such as passports or national identification cards. (Of course, my permanent residency card and Mexican driver’s license weren’t enough of identification. I had to go back to show my US passport, too. Fortunately, it hadn’t expired.)
Bank References:
Some banks may request references from other banks where the organization holds accounts. (Super Prez has a business and personal account at this bank serving as a reference.)
Application Form:
Complete the bank’s application form for non-profit or non-lucrative organizations. (There must have been 50 pages at least that Super Prez had to sign, digitally sign, and/or submit his fingerprint. I had just a single paper to sign.)
Minimum Deposit:
Be prepared to make an initial deposit, as required by the bank. (The bank required a $1200 pesos initial deposit. I brought $1500. They then charge 600 pesos for bank insurance, but it seems to come with a yearly allowance for the maintenance of up to $1500 for painting and remodeling of the office. That would be nice to access.)
This process took literally days! The first official appointment was 3 hours of both Super Prez and I sitting there while the banker set up the account. Super Prez had already been in previously to get the logistics and required documentation list. Then, since I didn’t have my passport, I came back the next day, only to find the banker had gone on vacation. I went back a second time, and she was still on vacation. Finally, the third time she was in, and less than 10 minutes later, I was added to the account.
There were some glitches in the matrix confirming for me that banking is one of my least favorite things to do. First, the day of the first official bank appointment, I took a spectacular spill on the road in the centro. What happened was I got off my moto and stepped into a pothole, wobbled across the street and down the block, struggling to regain my balance until I finally fell inches from a parked car. The muchacho washing cars there came over to help this old lady up. At least 20 people saw my fiasco, and I banged my knee pretty good.
Then, when I tried to deposit money into the account, I couldn’t. It seemed I needed a different number than the one on the paperwork. So when I went back with my passport, I asked, and the woman gave me the number I needed. I was able to make several hefty deposits (hefty being a relative term here) after that.
However, I was able to access the account online with the special QR code reader and password. So, it looks like we’re good to go for community banking.
One random Sunday in September, my husband comes in and says there’s a community meeting starting. Color me pink, but I couldn’t figure out how that happened since I’m on the mesa directiva (board of directors) of La Yacata, and I hadn’t called junta (meeting).
So I put on my shoes, stop what I’m working on, and head out only to find the meeting has moved from down the road under the mesquite, which is the normal location, to RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE.
I asked who arranged the meeting. Someone says it was on the radio, so here they were. And I’m like, well, since you have gathered together, let me give you a quick update on what’s going on.
La Yacata is lovely after the rains.
A month or so previously, Desarollo Urbano (the town planning committee) requested our presence for a meeting in the presidencia (town hall). I don’t know what happened to our invitation, but it arrived just 24 hours prior to the meeting. It would not be in our best interest to miss this meeting, as all government summons are taken with the utmost seriousness. Super Prez found me on WhatsApp, and I ran my butt on my moto over to where the secretary lives to see if he’d be able to make the meeting as well.
I passed Rigo, one of the vocales (understudy of a sort), sitting on a bench drinking at the entrance of La Yacata, and mentioned the meeting to him. He said he couldn’t make it as he had another meeting at the courthouse. Ok, whatever.
At 9 a.m. the next day, Super Prez, the secretary, and myself meet up in the atrium of the presidencia (town hall). We marched our badass selves to the Desarollo Urbano office only to find that the director in charge had forgotten about our meeting and was in the midst of some other very important activity. So we stood cooling our heels for nearly an hour and a half.
While we waited, the dude that had been sitting next to Rigo drinking showed up in his partly buttoned shirt and huge sombrero. He hadn’t been specifically invited to our little party, but it seems that Rigo had sent him as his stand-in. Ok, whatever.
La presidencia de Moroleon (town hall)
Finally, we were able to see the director, and he explained that the presidencia was attempting to regularizar (put in order) any fraccionamientos (neighborhoods) that pertained to the municipio (which is Moroleón). Super Prez gave him a general run down of what urbanization La Yacata had (nothing that worked) and the general apathy of the colonos (residents). He asked that we turn in some paperwork so that he could see where we stood legally and maybe give us some options on how to obtain those vital servicios (utilities).
First was a copy of the acta constitutiva, which is a document that was drawn up when the Associacion de La Yacata was formed. Super Prez, as the son of the original owner, had this. Then he asked for the registered members of la mesa directiva (board of directors). This committee is determined by popular vote at an assembly of residents. Super Prez, the secretary, and I (along with 3 understudies called vocales) were “elected” as it were about 10 years ago. Nobody else has wanted to step up and challenge us until now. And it’s not like we LIKE what we do. We don’t get paid. We’ve had to appear in court when La Yacata was sued (3 times). And it’s generally a hassle. Anyway, this document listing our positions needs to be renewed, so we couldn’t turn that in.
He also asked for the topographic plans, which we had, thanks to Super Prez, but he’d had to bring them back later as he didn’t have the plans with him. With that, the director said he’d be in touch, and we left.
Back to the impromptu meeting…I shared this information in condensed form with those who had gathered at my door. Then, a slight man with glasses began to speak. He said that we needed to renew the activa constitutiva because it had expired. To do this, we could head to Morelia, which is in Michoacán, get it done, pay 8000 pesos, and then pay the 2000 pesos fine to register it in the state of Guanajuato, which is where La Yacata is located.
Then he said we needed 5 people to form a mesa directiva. Remember, it’s not like I love being a member of the board, but to be informed like that that I was to be ousted by this guy, well, it was a little surprising.
Some of the more vocal attendees began with how they wanted to see progress and the current mesa directiva has done nothing and blah blah blah. Profe Juan, who had briefly held the position of association president before renouncing in a huff, pointed out that the problem was with the colonos, not the mesa directiva. True dat. We had done everything we could to protect the properties owned by the colonos and when we provided an estimate on how much it would cost to install the utilities, the assembled said they weren’t interested.
I was pretty incensed at this point, and my Spanish went right out the window, I’m sure. After all we’d done, how could they possibly say we’d done nothing? One lady with an infant started in how she didn’t know what was going on because we hadn’t had a meeting, and I got up in her face about how if she’d registered her lots when she bought them like she was supposed to, I’d have explained all this. Perhaps not my finest moment.
Then the horse guy started in on more of the same, how there’s no progress. And I got huffy and said that if certain people, like himself, would pay the fees for certain obligations we had as a community, perhaps things would be different. As the treasurer, I know exactly who has paid and who scampers off when it’s time to dig deep and hand over cash.
This woman then said it wasn’t important who paid and who didn’t. I begged to differ and said so. It showed what type of person you were, whether you were a responsible member of the association or not.
Later, when I told my friend that I screamed at this lady with a baby, she said I was supposed to kiss the babies, not yell at their moms. Oops! Guess I’m not politically savvy here–again, not that I ever wanted this position. I believe I’ve mentioned that.
Anyway, the slight man with glasses said we needed to have another meeting. They picked the date and time, and I said fine.
After the junta (meeting), I went to talk to this guy for a bit. He was positive the acta constitutiva was up in June of this year since it was constituted in 1993. I said I wasn’t sure of the dates. I told him that we owed the predial (property taxes) for the past 10 years on the community and that we hadn’t finished paying for the demanda (lawsuit). He said that establishing a new acta constitutiva, we aren’t legally responsible for those, but we’d have to change the name of the community. I said currently, the association was registered as La Ayacata. I’m not sure if this was a spelling error or by design, but it was easy enough to become La Yacata dropping the A.
He also said that I needed to have an RFC (Registro Federal de Contribuyentes), which is a tax ID number, more or less to be part of the mesa directiva. I had one and told him that. He seemed surprised, me being a foreigner and all. He said you could only get it by going to Morelia, which again seemed odd to me since it’s another state. My boss at the school I worked for back in the day had done the transaction for me. No trip to Morelia was needed.
At this point, I figured I’d wasted enough time with all this. I asked him to bring a copy of the reglamentos (bylaws) that he was proposing to the next junta (meeting). He felt, as did some of the attendees, that we should start enforcing a multa (fine) for those who didn’t come to the community meetings and that for those who didn’t want to pay the cooperaciones (community fees), the association should seize their lots.
These seemed troubling to me as the majority of the owners were older females who eeked out a meager existence selling tortillas or buñuelos in town. It was a hardship for them to close their stands for the day and come out to La Yacata just to hear blowhards tooting their own horns. It also didn’t seem right to repossess a lot that had been duly paid for, undoubtedly with blood, sweat, and tears, because they didn’t have the funds for the next project. So I wanted to see his proposals in writing.
I immediately called Super Prez to tell him about this attempt at insurrection. As the acting president, it was his decision to convocar (convoke) a community meeting, and he hadn’t been consulted. I tried to explain what was going on, but I was a bit upset and probably not too clear.
I asked when I could stop by to talk to him in person, and we set up a time that worked for both of us. I also sent him an email with all the information gleaned from this hostile gathering.
Surviving Mexico 