The e-mail from my cousin in Mexico was fraught with anxiety.
She had lived in Puerto Vallarta for many years, and had settled down and married a wonderful Mexican man. Their life in Puerto Vallarta had been a simple one, but a happy one. They were both happy at their jobs, and life in this scenic west-coast resort city was buoyed by the constant stream of tourists from the visiting cruise ships. And this blessed white-washed city seemed to be a million miles away from the violence raging in much of the rest of the country.
But this letter was different. They’ve finally struck here, she wrote. The drug wars have finally reached us. The other day, someone tossed a grenade into a popular nightspot in town. And Puerto Vallarta would never be the same. The cruise ships and the tourists would stop coming, she worried. And when that happened, many of the jobs would vanish.
Her letter sounded, to me, like a mixture of shock, fear, and despair. And it reminded me of the placid country and the welcoming people that I used to love.
I remember well the brilliantly-colored floats on the canals at Xochimilco, where all sorts of waterborne vendors would glide up to your boat, and you could munch on freshly-picked ears of corn or just-rolled burritos or enchiladas, or just buy a beautiful bouquet or a piece of jewelry for your loved one.
I remember the murals of Diego Rivera at Mexico City University.
I remember the magnificent Zocalo in Mexico City, not only the central plaza of this metropolis, but also the soul of a nation.
I remember the mariachi bands gathering in the square each night, hoping for a gig.
I remember climbing the steps of the awesome pyramids at Teotihuacan, and looking down at the grassy fields which once served as a sort of lacrosse field (on which the losers never got to go home with their heads still attached).
I remember the magnificent natural setting of Taxco, the mountaintop city of winding alleys and red tile roofs and broad plazas and church steeples and wandering pigs and wonderful aromas wafting from open windows with chipped red or green frames and skilled artisans who created magnificent pieces of jewelry from raw silver.
And I remember Las Mananitas in the town of Cuernavaca, a world-class restaurant with whitewashed courtyards and rich woods inside and beautiful peacocks wandering haughtily around the grounds as if they owned the place, and memorable culinary creations from one of the best chefs in Mexico, and candlelit dinners at which you could linger for hours. A couple of months ago, Cuernavaca, too, fell victim to the violence. To the murders. To the bodies dumped in the streets.
Right at our doorstep, a beautiful country is slowly bleeding to death. And all we can do – all I can do - is watch.
And worry for my cousin.
Steve Winston
BLOG: www.stevewinstontravelwriter.wordpress.com
Steve Winston has written/contributed to 16 books, and his articles have appeared in major media all over the world. In pursuit of "The Story," he's been shot at in Northern Ireland, been a cowboy in Arizona, jumped into an alligator pit in the Everglades, flown World War II fighter planes in aerial "combat," trained in the jungle with a rebel militia, climbed 15,000 foot peaks, trekked glaciers, explored ice caves, and driven an ATV up an 11,000-foot peak in the Rockies, and - even scarier! - back down again...with the outside wheels hanging over the edge of a cliff with a 3,000-foot drop.
Comments
I emphasize that my writing on my blog is my own personal opinion, perception, feeling, etc. And it's fine for peope to agree or disagree. I could post a story I just saw yesterday about more violence in Mexico - and what it's doing to the fabric of the country - but I'm not sure what we're really debating here. And, furthermore, my purpose is not to debate. And it's not to report - or else I'd be a reporter on the ground in Mexico. Actually, I do have a number of souces besides the "headlines"...my cousin, as I mentioned in my original post, as well as a few others. And I noted Cuernavaca because there had been a drug-related assasination there a few days earlier. My blog is an outlet for relaying my own personal feelings about a place...as most travel blogs today are. And I can't NOT write about a place because it may hurt that place. I believe my feelings for Mexico were amply demonstrated in the blog post, as well as our subsequent conversations. I don't "create" sensationalism on my blog - I just talk about my own experiences, perceptions, and feelings. I think you may have more of an issue with the news media that actually reports from Mexico. I do wish you - and, most of all, Mexico - well. I
A police chief beheaded over the weekend. An American killed on the border. Grenades tossed last weekend. More than fifty people dead over the past few weeks. Even more injured. People in El Paso can hear gunfire from across the border. The situation grows worse very day, it seems to me; one of the drug gangs is even made up of former commandos in the Mexican army. Needless to day, there are spots in Mexico that have remained free of violence. But I stand by the statement at the end of my blog - "Right at our doorstep, a beautiful country is slowly bleeding to death."
What just happened in Ecuador, is what happened to the mayors of the Northern States in Mexico. The mayors were ambushed and killed by their own police forces for labor and land disputes, not because of any link to the ubiquitous term, "organized crime". Some killings and imprisonments are even thought to be political acts to preserve power in this election year, such as what has just transpired with the Michocanazo debacle.
As long as there is a 40 billion dollar business thriving on BOTH sides of the border, the transportation routes will be a target for illicit activities-just like during Prohibition and during the 80´s in Miami and this is where the violence will continue to occur-just like the violence that we occasionally see published in the US press when 22 people are shot in one day in South Chicago!
What we have NEVER experienced in Mexico is the US daily news of some crazed gunman/gunmen holding children and adults hostage or co-workers and then shooting them in cold blood. We have NEVER had a school shooting like Colombine or W. Virginia Tech, UT, etc. So Steve, too bad you weren´t here for the Bicentennial Celebrations where 20,000 Cuernavaqenses celebrated together in the town center, dancing, singing and enjoying the performances till dawn. Too bad you are not going to be in the Historical Center tonight enjoying Cuban Son, Celtic Dancers and African drums all playing live in the many open cafes and galleries. Cuernavaca is spectacular after our catastrofic rains with everything green and in bloom. Too bad fear prevails versus reality...
No need to worry. Mexico is not bleeding to death anymore than New Orleans or Washington DC. I have lived in Cueranvaca for the past 26 years and the sensational press is just that. There is no in-depth reporting sadly to say which gives this image that all of Mexico is at war. Nothing could be farther from the truth. But it takes looking farther than the alarmist front pages that are covered not once like in the US press, but repetitively, giving the impression that there are car bombs and grenades going off everywhere. NOT! The grenade launched in PV was at a bar that tourists and most nationals would not venture near, when only employees were there at 1AM which was found to be a settling of scores.. This case was resolved in less than a month, as most of the other incidents that have occured concerning the international cartels (Colombian,Mexican, Itallian, Chinese, African, etc.) of drugs, assault weapons (from the US), contraband and human trafficking etc. that includes well-known gangs in US prisons and corrupt custom officials on both sides that allow tons of drugs and guns to be shipped every week-too much for the illegal migrants to forcibly carry 1 kilo sacks as the anti-immigration fear-fanning fanatics would like other xenophobics to believe as they turn a blind eye to the basics of capitalism: NO CONSUMING MARKET, NO BUSINESS, NO PROFIT.
We are all living very normal lives here in Cuernavaca. But because people come here, sometimes with absolutely no knowledge of the history, culture, and political intrigue, what occurs here is reported with a very superficial slant and without a story. The recent violence last Christmas was due to an acceptance for many years of co-habitating with very rich, but questionable characters. Mexico has always been a draw for unsavory people escaping a past. This was related to me by my grandmother who lived here in the early 1940¨s!
As you may know, Cuernavaca has the highest per capita income for all of Mexico. The very wealthy have their multi-million dollar homes here on immense properties.
Thanks so much for your heartfelt letter about my blog post. I really apprecaite it.
As for your upcoming trip to Mexico, I wish you and your family a wonderful, joyous, and sweet time. I'm sure it will be a very special day. Enjoy the wedding!
Steve Winston
I read your blog and share some of the same wonderful travel experiences that you have had in Mexico. One of my favorite places to stay is Las Mananitas which leaves you with a everlasting impression of a beautiful cultural experience.
Being from Arizona, I work with some of the Mexico Tourism offices in promoting travel to Mexico. The drug wars have have crept into some of the most beautiful Mexican cities and you are right, all we can do is watch but that does not prevent me from traveling to Mexico.
Next month, I am traveling to Patzcuaro in Michoacan to take part in my nephews wedding to a beautiful Mexican woman that is from there. I can't wait to see a traditional Mexican wedding and visit Mexico's Colonial Heartland with my family. I'll blog about the trip when I return.