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.
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!
Surviving Mexico 