Los Rayones - Eye Opening Day Trip

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Another Sunday and we took a day trip to Los Rayones.  The town is situated way back in the mountains.  In fact, there is only one way in and one way out.  The road is very well paved two-lane but no shoulder.  There are frequent pullouts though but didn't encounter any traffic.  A few motorcyclists traveling alone.  The elevation on the road fluctuates but the highest is 10,500 feet.  

There's the town, way down below!

Only 370 people live in the town so they are all related and date back to the early 1800s if not before under Spanish rule.  The town's original name was San Miguel de Tasajal.  Very little reference to that name though although I am still checking it out.  In the mid-1800s, the name was changed to Rayones by the then governor of Nuevo Leon, Agapito Garcia.  He thought it necessary to honor the Rayon brothers for their courage in the independence of Mexico.  There is a famous mural there depicting the brothers.  It was painted by Pablo O'Higgins, who was from the state of Utah but studied under the famous muralist Diego Rivera during the 1920s.  

Mural by Pablo O'Higgins preserved behind glass in the municipal office.  Pablo's remains are also buried in the town.  We passed the chapel on the way up not knowing it was there. 

Some spectacular views of the mountains on our way up and down.

Getting closer to town!

Once we arrived our first mission was to find a place to eat.  We had seen a sign on the road coming up the mountains that said, "Restaurante Oyervides, the most delicious food".  Well, with only a few hundred residents it seems to be the only game in town.  There were some women selling tacos and tamales in the main square but we were hungry, it was already 10:45!

Everything is centered around the plaza; the church, the mayor's office, the police station, the primary school, and a small "abarrotes" or grocery store with produce.  Very small!

This is the Restaurante Oyervides.  

The place is filled with memorabilia from the family's founder.  He was mayor at one time and opened the restaurant 40 years ago.  There is no menu and the daughter comes with a spiral notebook and reads off what they have for breakfast and lunch.  All home-cooked food and really worth the drive if you like good food!

We ran into a problem though.  When we finished, we asked the helper for the check.  He brought it and we pulled out a debit card.  He said they haven't had a signal for a few days.  He told the owner and she said there isn't an ATM, a bank, or even a gas station.  She gave us her cellphone number, her debit card number and asked us to deposit it sometime during the week.  We also added a pound of pecans to the tab without any issue.  She said we looked like honest guys.  

When we got back home we made the deposit.  We hardly ever carry cash with us anymore.  We did have about 400 pesos but she said not to worry that we might need it for an emergency on the way home.  There is literally nothing nearby for almost 90 km.  We passed nothing coming through the mountains. 

Next weekend we are headed to General Teran.