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Sorry for not keeping it updated. Got to keep this short so I’m just going to give a brief update and share some pics. After my last post I went to visit the house of my dear friend Mariana Botey who is finishing her PHD dissertation in Tlaxcala with her son Jacinto and her mother Carlota. This was an extremely inspiring and beautiful visit as Mariana’s academic research is fascinating and revolutionary, and she’s not shy to share. Her child, 5 year old Jacinto is fascinating, bilingual, a talented musician with a taste for punk rock. I missed her husband and friend Ryan who is NYC working. Unfortunately the 5 days I spent in Tlaxcala was puro r and r as I was enduring a terrible head and chest cold. Thank you so much for the hospitality Carlota and Mariana. The only pics I took in Tlaxcala was with my film camera so no photos yet.

After Tlaxcala I was given keys to the Botey family apartment in La Condessa (DF) and I stayed there a couple of more days. Hard to leave. It is a wonderful artistic and intellectual house with fascinating literature and history as Señorita Botey is a retired (though always active) congresswoman and an amazing worker on behalf of Mexico’s poor and indigenous people. This apartment was home of the The Salinas Museum (<link) where Vincente Razo, Mariana’s brother, turned the bathroom and the area above the toilet into a homage to President Salinas while he held the presidency. Hundreds flocked, media turned out. There’s even a book about it. The toilet is now turned back to normal and I’m proud to say I blessed it, many times.

Next, I made my way to Patzcuaro where I visited my family in the nearby pueblo, San Juan Tumbio. It was quite cold up there at night but it was nonetheless beautiful and the air is clean. The family is doing well despite many hardships I was told about with US Immigration and the economy as the lifeblood of this community is work in the United States.

Now I’m back in DF making good use of The Salinas Museum again and preparing to head to the Guatemalan Border.  Enjoy the pics:


Daniel Hernandez (friend, fellow chicano en DF and LA Weekly Contributor) Sandra de La Loza legendary space chola and Echo Park artist.


You have to push through hours of this crazy traffic to get out of DF on the way to Tlaxcala.


En La Condesa (DF) with Mariana Botey, always stimulating and never a dull moment.


They made zines too! LOL. Visited the Museo de Antropologia while getting a new tire for mi ruca.


The BMW dealer in DF was dope. Forgot which district it was in but its near La Condesa. Very clean, very professional shop. The only downside was they cleaned my bike (without asking me) spotless so it no longer looked like I drove it from Cali


The drug war in Mexico is in full swing. More have died in the last month than Iraq and Afghanistan. Convoys like this are a common sighting. Most of the soldiers hide their faces behind masks and people I talk to are calling Mexico, The New Colombia.


View from my hotel room in Patzcuaro’s little square.


I did some offroad exploring outside of San Juan Tumio to try to find mi tio abuelo juan working in his orchard.


A Sosa cousin who happens to be named after my grandma Dolores (rip) and mi tio Abuelo Juan.


My cousin Sergio who told me the last time he saw me I was as tall as his knee. Apparently he stayed with us at my house in Santa Cruz.


My adorable cousin Jennifer (left) who was raised her whole life in orange county. She’s starting a new life in San Juan Tumbio as her parents were deported. This was our first meeting as we took a walk to the house my grandfather was born in. Tio Abuelo Juan on right.


Another shot of the house my grandfather was born in.


One of the many lakes around Patzcuaro where we enjoyed a nice fish lunch.


If you have any doubts about mi tio abuelo’s health, here he is hopping a fence.


This is an orchard of Avocados mi tio abuelo planted.


Mi tio abuelo inspecting the fruits of his labor.


Mi primo Manuel examining the next harvest. He stays in shape he says, “so I can run for two days if I have to.” He’s separated from his family a otro lado due to migration problems.


Mas Primos, “Pancho Pistola!!”

Thanks for keeping up with me!

~ by sosanista on November 1, 2008.