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It was quite an afternoon with singing, dancing and seeing lots of little ones do their best at recreating the Mexican Revolution.
There were lots of speeches, a great carne asada for the special guest, family and friends. I was thinking that I should have taken the pictures in black and white and we would have never known exactly what year the event was held in. One thing that is amazing about this culture is that they celebrate the most important dates in history with true vigor. They stick to tradition and even though they attempt to update it and bring it into the new millinium, some things just don't change.
Juan has been a folkloric dancer now for over 40 years and performed at the event. Recounting memories brought lots of tears all around and it was as if time flashed before us.
Juan's first assignment as a teacher was in a one-room school house high up in the Sierra. So high in fact, that after taking a three-hour bus ride, he had to walk or take a horse the rest of the way. I have been there and it is truly an amazing place with the most accomodating people in the world. On one specific trip, we arrived at 8000 feet and as we passed down the road the word spread quickly that "el maestro Juan Manuel" was coming. Keep in mind the houses are .5 kms apart. As we neared the end of the road there was a gathering of people all fighting to have "El Maestro" come to their house. Towards the end of the day, we were invited to eat freshly killed goat and "fritada" with homemade tortillas. Afterwards, they offered us their beds to take a nap before heading down the mountain. I will never forget that day, it seems as if it were yesterday. For all the bad we hear, I have a million good stories.
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