Preambulation:
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Without gloating, we took groups to this destination at
10,000 FASL many times during the 1980s and early
1990s. We were the first to touristically programme
groups of 20 to stay at this stunning destination. Many
ghosts and many happy people returning to
spend time. We were the first spend nights, in groups,
to this mystical silver compound. It is thought that 15%
of all the silver that left Mexico and arrived in Spain was
shipped from Real de Catorce.
Sad, Happy, and Stunning…
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The following remarks are partly apologia and partly explanation. We shall explore and expose various things, both commendable and lamentable. It shall be a review of things that we encountered during our last stay down at our place in Mexico, along with political activities which are American and Mexican, but more importantly, Texian.
I. THEREFORE, WE RETURN TO THE TOPICS OF CONCERN:
Several years ago, this writer decided to establish his own Hawaii and Shangri-La all in one place. He had always had this peculiar affinity for being comfortable in Mexico…he could speak the language and its variants…his wife spoke Spanish as well and had substantial white Arab, Celtic, Angosturan, Portuguese, Azorean, French, and Hebrew mix of a southern European.
She also allowed me to do everything morally advanced and anything legal so long as she managed the banks and IRS.We established a very successful small, first class / deluxe Excursion Company back around 1977. We covered every important, not-so-important, unknown, secret, very well known, common, mundane, or exotic place that could be reasonably and comfortably accessed and enjoyed. One is pictured above…which was a place that your Humble Servant delivered (him present at all times)…that had foreign tourists stay one, two, or three nights in what was essentially lunar, no-where, Huh? Mexico.
We struck out to form a place of retirement for my wife and me during our dotage at the age of 55 or so. That worked well until we approached and passed the retirement ages and conditions changed in Mexico, slightly but changed nonetheless. Our comfortable little Quinta Tesoro de la Sierra Madre allowed us a very comfortable…primitive…adobe…advanced…functional…picturesque…and all of that, and for many years we had that sporadic arrival of quircky tourists and birdwatchers and loungers and Euros and Japanese and Yankees…that steadily lost traffic due to the press and certain realities that are bad but nowhere year as bad as the "mainstream press" spins.
One thing remained the same. My boss had the checkbook…which is strange since she is essentially a General Purpose Accountant…!! I would go down (and still do) to our place…all legally bought, registered, fairly taxed, totally recognised by the three levels of federal, State, and local governing groups in Mexico our "Adobe Hut" with the lofty (but legally and morally correct) name of "Quinta Tesoro de la Sierra Madre".
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| A"widescreen" interpretation of the Hacienda de Santa Engracia…about 3/8ths of a mile to the East of the Quinta Tesoro de la Sierra Madre (1720 'til now). There is actually no curve…the rural highway is a very straight, dull, and boring and more improved as of December, 2019. Other improvements are underway. (Welcome to Mexico!!) __________________________________________________ |
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| Early Spring at the Quinta Tesoro de la Sierra Madre __________________________ |
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The Boss
begins the process of reminding her
granddaughter who The Boss is.
We have five (5) granddaughters (and not
one grandson).
They all obey their grandmother
But the grandfather…? Not so much.
The Grandfather's name is
"Hooz'dat?" according to the girls.
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But, we move along.
During the past four years especially, things gradually ground to a stop, with a bit of return to normalcy starting about 18 months ago. But the activity is nothing like our restoration of the Hacienda de Santa Engracia by backing the owners of said Hacienda with our promise that, during the late 1970s and early 1980s, we would deliver several thousand American (and other foreign) tourists who would spend pleasant time at that ancient and venerable old, resuscitated Hacienda from the first quarter of the 1700's.
In the late 1970s and during the 1980s and 1990s we pulled many, many busses and autos through the portals of parking area of that fine place.
It still exists, but is gradually returning to the inertia of it previous existence. We shall see if someday we can finish our efforts of restoring the
Hacienda de Santa Engracia's touristic visitation
to its previous resplendent impressiveness. It was truly a secret Dutchy on the edge of civilisation during the Spanish Colonial Period. It is all from another time.
My time ends fairly shortly on this planet and/or theatre. But the area around Santa Engracia (Holy Grace) continues to entrance Mexicans, Texians, foreigners of all sorts and social levels…we accentuate "all sorts" and of "all social levels.
For instance, I am not a Saint, and will never be. As are most of the people around the Santa Engracia catchment, they can trace their entrance into the area into the late 1930s and later. The Colonial populations was less than 6,000 souls…man, woman, and child.
The Hacienda was once over 600,000 acres in extension, but as we have stated...nothing like the population of to-day. To-day, 300 years later, it is approximating 400,000 rural and small-town folks…an explosion by best estimates of 2,000 times of the original colonial folks. As those before, so are those of the moment. As were those from before, so are those who came later…but the mystique of the entire zone…its birds and animals, its crops of citrus and specialty vegetables, and the passive / active art of the apiarists, etc.
It is a sad place to abandon or to sell-for-cheap, but my time has come. I am speaking of thinking about abandoning a place that had its own soul…perhaps a greater soul than my own. One small injury and another knee problem and just plain wearing out causes one to become reasonable. And yes, Virginia, I am talking about the Quinta de la Sierra Madre.
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My Eldest Brother
Dr. Milton Birchard Newton, Jr - Ph.D
Professor, Lousiana State University,
Schools of Geology and Geography
(Chairman various years)
1936 - 1988
(QEPD)
Seen with his pride and joy !
Daughter Helen
in those times (she looks like
a doll, no?)
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II. Therefore, we now turn to the matters at hand…..
The problem sociologically in the area where I am situated in Mexico…and where many outside the Yucatan and certain very few other places in Mexico are situated...is that we are inundated with people from Central America who have no catechism and who have horrid sociological pathologies during these times.
Suffice to say the Stork had to fly on overtime to deliver in Nicaragua and especially in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Many…many…many…and many more…and more yet…and many more yet…and many more beyond that…. come to flood us with their needs
And if we do not comply they will put us to the edge of the blade. It is the nature of the people who are born without souls…without catechism…or instruction concerning right and wrong…and who are dedicated to their own self-gratifications. They accuse us of the same things they are actually doing and then vigorously laugh about our catechisms and folkways.
Our lives are somewhat rigidly controlled by the idea that there is a Supreme Being and a Judgement of those who are born of the the flesh. The mass of folks who are coming up did not think…in my opinion…about anything except eating, procreating, throwing trash and going about their human digestive discharges.
All the while, they are charging Los Pinches Gabachos (Abominable Anglo Saxons especially Americans) for the bill. And…what about the Latins who are here, resident and citizen? The invaders from the South declare, "They are worse than the Pinches Gabachos!" according "them - the local Mexicans"…because "they" have sold-out to "La Gabachada (gringos).
The leftist press, which endorses all nature of false "democracy", declares that we who have some form of Catechism, however debilitated, are at fault because there are millions of human-looking bone-reapers, just looking for another piece of flesh on the back door or on the highway.
The fact of the matter is that many, many, many of the "intellectuals" of the latter 1700s and into the times of Rousseau, Thoreau, Emerson, and the other deranged (although talented) writers of the 1800 - 1930 period were weirdos who dwelt inside of their brains.
They thought of "Egalitarianism" and notions that would provide "proof" of the fact that all Men (people) are created equal and should remain "equal" among their many fellows, should be respected.
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Henry David Thoreau -
There are those who see
a certain resemblance to
a young Abraham
Lincoln in this
countenance.
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The fellow pictured to the above-left is one of those we place in the "kooky-bongo" category, because he was, is, and forever shall be a "Kooky-Bongo". The leftist press, which endorses all nature of false "democracy" and "kooky-bongoism", declares that we who have some form of Catechism, however debilitated, are at fault because there are millions of human-looking bone-reapers, just looking for another piece of flesh on the back door or on the highway. It is our fault that they eat human flesh and cause the rot of the soul due to their own avarice, self-indulgence, and egocentrism. In other words, it is their fault that we try to do the right thing.
He was, according to of his superior health and intellectual brilliance, one who understood of the value of the rule of thought that included any idiotic fad that crossed the gate. He lived to be well over 45 years of age…but not 46.
He understood everything well over the first 24 years or hours or minutes…before the "troubles" started. He, like Sam Houston, and thousands of other "community importants" fell for the "cure" of bone aches, psychological urgencies, bad dreams, various pains and vexes…oddly both Houston and his 'contraincante' Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana were addicted to lithibrium, and it showed.
We lament…and have had several complaints already, that the word "contraincante" is not a correct word or term for an unre-calcitrant enemy. The supposed leader of the Mexican Union…had only one Mexican Union and that was Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.
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Walden's Pond - Thoreau's refuge...
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The fact of the matter is that many, many, many of the "intellectuals" of the latter 1700s and into the times of Rousseau, Thoreau, Emerson, and the other deranged (although talented) writers of the 1800 - 1930 period were weirdos who dwelt inside of their brains.
The leftist press, which endorses all nature of false "democracy", declares that we who have some form of Catechism, however debilitated, are at fault because there are millions of human-looking bone-reapers, just looking for another piece of flesh on the back door or on the highway. According to the intellectual social engineers, we are obligated to allow the human-looking bone-reapers to eat those of us, and our children.
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Antonio de Padua MarÃa Lopez
de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrun
(and yes Virginia
that is and was his complete
and formal name given to him
by his family.)
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The fact of the matter is that many, many, many of the "intellectuals" of the latter 1700s and into the times of Rousseau, Thoreau, Emerson, and the other deranged (although talented) writers of the 1800 - 1930 period were weirdos who dwelt inside of their own brains.
They thought of "Egalitarianism" and notions that would provide "proof" of the fact that all Men (people) are created equal and should remain "equal" among their many fellows, should be respected.
We are given as an example of a self-indulgent ogre the case of Presidente General Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana. He understood everything well over the first 24 years or hours or minutes of his conflicted, self-absorbed, lithibrium fuelled life.…before the "troubles" started. He also valued 30 and 50 year old wines and 100 year old mescales and tequilas.
He, like Sam Houston, and thousands of other "community importants" fell for the "cure" of bone aches, psychological urgencies, bad dreams, various pains and vexes granted by lithibrium. Oddly enough both Houston and his 'contraincante (Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna - pictured left) were addicted to lithibrium, and it showed.
As he sits for the picture to the left, he is missing a portion of his lower leg…left on the field of battle against certain French armies who were concerned about Mexico not coming current with certain foreign debts that had gone seriously over term.
Truth be known…he won the battle, although he had to sacrifice a good portion of his corporeal existence. The overall result of the conflict was resolved by negotiation. Look up "The Pastry War" between France and Mexico.
Truth be known…he won the battle, although he had to sacrifice a good portion of his corporeal existence. The overall result of the conflict was resolved by negotiation. Look up "The Pastry War" between France and Mexico.
The French Army (and certain others) on the beaches at Vera Cruz in 1839 were not prepared receive Santa Anna nor his funny looking bunch of "Indians" who certainly could not stand up to the excellence of the French Army (and certain others), but they did. The fact remains, the Chameleon of the Mexican Military probably was, in the Americas, the greatest military leader of all times…in various ways. And, we include Washington, Bolivar, and others, but he was also a horribly flawed egotistical maniac, along with being a philanderer, a drug-addict, a murderer, a woman / wife abuser, an Indian hater, a Euro - American hater, a Texas - Texian hater, a complete monkey-crazy lithibrium and heroin kooky-bongo druggie (including the time at San Jacinto, before the Texian attack), and a really crummy President of Mexico at various times. Asides from that, he was just a regular fellow...
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Please address your commentary or questions to privatouring@gmail.com
EL GRINGO VIEJO
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