Coleadero & Aniversario

[ Zacatecas, Mexico ]

Saludos, buenas tardes, and a very Happy Halloween to one and all.

Attached are the promised photos from Día de la Raza’s coleadero in San José de #Mesillas, and the small anniversary party I stumbled upon the next day in #Corrales. A big thanks to Banda La Chacaloza De Jerez (or their road-crew, anyway) for directing me to the incredible, #Modelo-steeped festivities! And my most heartfelt thanks to the folks in Corrales for feeding me, letting me dance, and providing some shelter from the afternoon rains: ¡Muchas bendiciones para ustedes y los suyos!

Enjoy…and as usual please comment, like, and share if the spirit moves you.

Nos vemos,
—jim

This seems to be everyone's favorite snap from the event. After each vaquero would make his run, he'd ride back to the end of the chute and join the other competitors in watching the next run. That's Banda La Chacaloza De Jerez on stage in the background. They'll feature more prominently in some other photos.
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The road into San José de Mesillas. Such a delightful day for two-wheeled escapades.
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When I rolled into town--which seemed oddly deserted--I asked an abuela where I could find a small shop or a restaurant. I didn't understand everything she said, but something about a holiday and how usually I could get anything I wanted but not today. Then she directed me to the town center, where I saw this giant band-bus, met part of their road crew, and was eventually directed to the stadium at the edge of town. It just so happened to be on my route...
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After riding past a very long line of cars seeking entry/parking, and being waved on by police working security detail, I was able to ride right up to the edge of the stadium. The atmosphere was a lot like rodeo-meets-county fair, and they had vendors to match: every kind of food, beer by the lake-full (but only Modelo, as far as I could see), cowboy hats & belts & belt buckles, fresh fruits, candy, you name it. But for me, the vaqueros were the main attraction.
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No matter how my fellow Texans may view themselves, they have a long way to go to match the per-capita quantity of cowboy hats worn in public here in Mexico. I had already noticed this fact, but this day was off the charts. This was the less-crowded portion of the stadium, as most folks were in the bleachers that lined the chute--and therefore provided the best view of the event itself.
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By the time *I* saw the competitors, they were hurtling out of the chute and into the main arena and had already failed, or succeeded, to bring down their quarry. It did provide with some nice visual counterpart with the band, and I particularly like this shot of the cowboy putting on the brakes as the band plays on.
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Some younger vaqueros pose for the camera. Of course cellphones are universal everywhere on the planet at this point, but I was amused to see that most of the cowboys were wearing special holsters to carry them.
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A competitor heads back to watch.
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As soon as one competitor was done, the next was barreling down the runway. Just a slight variation on the other shot, but hey...I couldn't decide.
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My kind of stadium food!
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Literally no one was camera-shy on this day. And there were a good many cowgirls riding this day.
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When I finally left, these two were watching the back entrance to the stadium lot. We had a nice long conversation and then I headed once again into the quiet backcountry.
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The next face I saw, which you might not recognize from the previous post, was the shopkeep in Corrales...
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...another quick view of his shop's interior, from whence I heard the live music I told you about in last Friday's post. Just to beat this into your memory: these tiny tiendas (shops) are the best thing ever. They always have basics, almost always something cold, and reliably have at least some fresh pastries, made locally.
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When I went looking for the source of the live music, there were only a couple of really young kids playing outside. I asked about the music, and soon all these folks came out to see what was going on.
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I was immediately invited inside and offered a meal. I said "yes" to caldo de pollo (chicken stew, more or less) and had a much-needed warm meal after that morning's climbing, light rain, and strong winds.
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I was just starting to take some pictures of the band when the skies opened up and it started raining like a, well, like a, ummmm, well, it started raining real hard. The band quickly relocated underneath the one outdoor roof in the family compound...
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...here. If you can take your eyes off the delicious elote long enough (try not to notice grandpa salting his up just at the photo's edge) you can see a small trench heading off towards the back fence. My hosts had to dig that during the downpour because the whole central area was filling up with water, threatening to put out the elote-flames. DON'T EFF WITH THE ELOTE, PEOPLE! IT WILL NOT BE TOLERATED!!! 😉
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Some of my afternoon compatriots, hiding, like me, from the rain. It was pretty cold, too. Fortunately someone decided it was time to dance...
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...which warmed things up a bit. These two ladies were the most talented couple of the bunch, and I have video to prove it!
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At this point, the rain was getting out of hand, and everything had been moved to make room for the preparation of chicharrónes. If you've been to Mexico, you know what that is. If you haven't been to Mexico, you probably still know what that is. Hint: it involves a pig. And that's all I've got for you from this incredible afternoon. Not much later the rain stopped and I said my goodbyes.
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Banda La Chacaloza De Jerez Bicycle Touring Corrales Dancing Mexico Music San José de Mesillas Trans-Mexico Tour

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The Transglobalist
Photographer, cyclist, paraglider pilot, backpacker, skydiver, writer, explorer, musician, hitchhiker, digital nomad, and American dissident.

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