Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
It was time to go. I called for the bill, thanked Gabriela for allowing me to be her table
guest and headed back to AHA for the afternoon lectures on Mexican government and his-
tory. I might not like grammar, but AHA lectures were entertaining and informative.
From Gringolandia to Primolandia
Mary Carmen Olvera Trejo, Zacatlán's tourist director, sent me an invitation to the Apple
Harvest Festival. I hedged. I was studying Spanish in San Miguel de Allende, known as
Gringolandia for its large expat community, and I thought it would be a strain to rush to
Zacatlán for a weekend visit. Besides, I was reluctant to return to Zacatlán. Sometimes a
second trip spoils the memory of the first.
I had a week to go, and was enjoying the afternoon lectures. Mary Carmen sent a second
invitation, "Bernardo Mendez, Consul for Business and Commerce, will be here for the
opening." Bernardo was my friend, so I left the school, said good-bye to my host family
and headed south to Zacatlán de las Manzanas.
When I arrived at the tourist office Friday evening, Mary Carmen was typing on the com-
puter keyboard and speaking on her cell phone. Without hanging up she told me that we
would had to hurry to the presentation of WEY (Nahuatl for Big), a new magazine devoted
to the arts. I was expected to say a few words.
On the way across the plaza, I was stopped for an introduction. Since my article "Zacatlán,
Mexico's Brigadoon" was published in
Arte y Cultura
I had become a minor celebrity. We
tried to rush, but were stopped again and again. Each introduction, handshake and hug was
followed by, "Es mi primo (my cousin)." I told Mary Carmen, "This is Primolandia."
At the Casa Cultura, originally a 16
th
-century convent, I ducked my head under stone arch-
ways as we worked our way to a room where five young men would present their new
magazine.
When I was called upon, I asked, "Who is Elmer?" One of the five raised his hand. "You
took the cover picture?" I asked.
He said, “Yes.”
"It is beyond photography." I said, "This is art. Congratulations."
