While street dogs can often be found roaming many towns in Mexico, five breeds are credited with being native to the country—Chamuco, Xoloitzcuintli, Chinese Crested, Calupoh, and Chihuahua.
Chihuahuas are small (most can fit in a purse or backpack), but they come with a big personality. They are the smallest breed of dog in the world. Ironically, they hail from the largest of Mexico’s 32 states—Chihuahua—which is 95,540 square miles or 247,460 square kilometers.
It’s not uncommon for them to act like they are a much bigger dog. While Chihuahuas are known to be extremely loyal, they don’t always play well with small children. They also aren’t a great breed to leave outdoors because birds of prey and coyotes have been known to scoop them up.
Artifacts have been unearthed in Mexico, including an Aztec rattle with a carving of a Chihuahua head on one end. A monastery not far from Mexico City also had carvings of this dog breed.
“The Aztecs conquered the Toltecs in the 12th century. Historians credit the Aztecs with refining the Techichi into a smaller, lighter dog. By the time Spanish conquistadors toppled Aztec civilization in the 1500s, the Techichi was so integral to Aztec culture it was considered one of Montezuma’s fabled treasures, once presumed lost forever after the conquest of Cortez,” according to the American Kennel Club. “But the hardy little dogs lived on in remote villages and, in the mid-1800s, when Americans began to take an interest in the breed, they found many specimens in the state of Chihuahua. So it was that this survivor of two lost civilizations gained worldwide fame as the Chihuahua. The first AKC-registered Chihuahua, a little guy named Beppie, was recorded in 1908.”
While the Chihuahuas’ roots run deep in Mexico, they are the most popular breed of dog in Germany.
Often when people think of buying in bulk it means something from a big box store with a ton of plastic wrapping. Just the opposite is true when shopping at A Granel in Todos Santos.
A granel is Spanish for in bulk. The goal is to eliminate all the packaging and keep as much waste from the local dump as possible. In the first 10 weeks of being open owner Kimberley Gutierrez refilled more than 1,000 containers. That’s 1,000 plastic or glass jars that didn’t become garbage. That number is just for liquid goods; it doesn’t count the number of containers she has filled with dry goods from A Granel. She keeps track daily with a chalkboard that customers can see. This reinforces how they are contributing to keeping waste out of the landfill.
Instead of buying a product in a container, customers bring in their own vessel like a used a used yogurt container to have it filled with something from A Granel. People can also buy a reusable container at the shop. Gutierrez is quick to say that not everything needs a pretty label like one finds at a traditional grocery store. A homemade label with tape and ink to identify the contents works just fine. And no reason the same jar can’t be used for years.
Kimberley Gutierrez at her store A Granel in Todos Santos. (Image: Anne Patterson)
A Granel takes things a step further with bins and dispensers being repurposed, whether it’s recycled wood and pallets or the 5 gallon buckets for product.
“A Granel is providing an amazing service for those of us looking to de-plastify, stay healthy, source hard-to-find ingredients like tahini, or all three,” Todos Santos homeowner Anne Patterson said. “Her inventory keeps growing; which now ranges from household to body care and even to the gourmet like olive oil from the Valle de Guadalupe.”
A slew of bins and jugs fill the small store. Some are for dry goods like flour, some contain cleaning products, others are full of hard to find items. Ninety percent of the products are from Mexico. Olive oil from the Valle de Guadalupe is the best seller, along with peanut butter and tahini. After that, cleaning products and vinegar are popular.
“The most challenging task was and continues to be sourcing products I can get in Mexico. I get most everything from the mainland,” Gutierrez said.
The goal is for customers to be gringos and local Mexicans. The prices are so most everyone can afford them.
“When I saw the first Todos Santonian filling up dish soap and laundry soap it was my best day. Those are the people I was really trying to target,” Gutierrez said.
She and her husband have lived full time in Todos Santos since 2017. She is from Canada, while he is from Mexico. They had a place in Cabo since 2012, but knew three years ago it was time to move to Baja full time with their then 2-year-old.
Gutierrez opened the doors to A Granel on Feb. 28 before anyone in Baja knew what COVID-19 was. That has not been a problem. Clientele has steadily been increasing; even to the point to where she has needed to hire someone to help in the store. Inventory changes weekly, with new products being added based on customer demand. If she gets a handful of requests for the same thing, Gutierrez will add it.
“It’s been an adventure. Who knew I would be opening the store smack dab in the middle of a pandemic?” Gutierrez said. Despite the timing, she had remained open by making a few adjustments. “I don’t allow entrance to the shop. I now have the cash desk at the door. It fits perfectly, like it was the place it should go. We do all the refills ourselves. They hand us containers or drop it off. No one is touching anything. It works out better for cleanliness and safety for us and the consumer.”
In between each customer any bin she or her co-worker touched is sanitized. They are constantly washing their hands as well.
Gutierrez hopes demand will continue so she could have two more stores in the area by this time next year.
Tracy Durland, from left, Phyllis Brzozowska and Susan Green of Todos Santos practice harmonies. (Image: Kathryn Reed)
A rhythmic melody filled the room; soothing, as though it were intended to lull a listener to sleep.
The intent of Comfort Singers of Todos Santos is to bring calmness to the person who is being sung to, as well as to caregivers and anyone else who may be there. It’s a loose knit group of women (men are welcome) who want to provide solace to those in need.
“The important thing to note is we are not a performing group. Our aim is to sing, to bring comfort,” Tracy Durland explained. “Building a safe culture of kindness and concern for one another in the choir and for those we serve is our fundamental motivation.”
The group is taking its lead from Threshold Choir, whose mission is “singing for those at the thresholds of life.” Often that threshold is the end of life or at least being in hospice care. Threshold Choir is an international nonprofit with more than 150 chapters. It started in the San Francisco Bay Area of California in 2000.
While the Todos Santos women have a desire to create a Threshold chapter, it takes a minimum of six people. They are looking for members. The transient community and limited full-timers, along with a small group of “customers” may thwart that intent. That doesn’t matter, though, because those involved are happy and eager to help how they can. That is why the singers are looking to be part of Comfort Care, a program started by ACTS (Asociación de Colonos de Todos Santos) in 2017. Comfort Care assists people in the greater Todos Santos area with health and end of life issues.
“We figured when Comfort Care is offered, this could be offered,” Durland said of the singers.
Phyllis Brzozowska, who is one of the Todos Santos singers, has been involved with a Threshold chapter in Portland, Oregon, for the last decade.
“It is one of the most meaningful things I do in my life,” Brzozowska said. “I think about and sing the songs to myself. They are very affirming of life and supportive. To me they can apply in almost any situation.”
The Portland chapter gives a broader definition to threshold than just end of life. Nursing homes, Alzheimer’s care centers, hospitals, weddings, and memorial services are places chapter members have sung. They also sing for the nurses and caregivers, even new moms, because they all also need comfort and support.
“I always feel like I get more than I give because it’s such a beautiful experience to be part of,” Brzozowska said. “There is something about each situation that is different. I would say in general it feels like a privilege to be part of such a sacred time with other people.”
The songs are simple, even repetitive. The belief is that the less complex the music, the more relaxing it is. Most are harmonies, which the Todos Santos women are working on as they learn the lyrics. The goal is to have this be a bilingual choir. Many songs provided by Threshold Choir have been translated into Spanish. No instruments are used – just vocal chords.
“Finding our way to evolve as a useful community asset goes hand in hand with learning the songs and becoming a group of harmonious singers,” Durland said.
For more information about Comfort Singers of Todos Santos, contact Tracy Durland at 612.154.4729.
Other than startling me at times and irritating me when they poop on my pillow, I got used to sharing my home with geckos.
They would stay high enough on the walls to avoid AJ the dog, though I’m not sure what she would do if one would have come across her path. They didn’t want to spend much time in the open when I was around. Darting behind a picture frame or squeezing into an opening or out the door was their response when they saw me.
Geckos live inside and outside in Baja. (Image: Kathryn Reed)
While they are nocturnal creatures, they are out in the daytime as well. I’m not sure whose heart jumped more when we scared each other.
Most of these little creatures in Baja are the Common House Gecko. Mexico is also home to the Tropical House Gecko, American African House Gecko, and Mediterranean House Gecko. Throughout the world there are 1,500 species of geckos. Most Common House Geckos live five years.
Even if you don’t see a gecko, they make noise–most often at night. A high-pitched screech of sorts signals they are staking out their territory or interest in a mate. The two or three quick chirps can be disconcerting, especially at night when the lights are off.
The nice thing about having geckos inside is that they eat almost any insect, as well as spiders. There are tricks to get rid of them, but I don’t see any reason to.
It’s their poop that is most annoying because it can be found anywhere. It’s distinct because of the white tip on the dark tiny turd. This is the crystallization of uric acid from their urine because lizards poop and pee from one hole. Not a day would go by that there wasn’t gecko poop on the floor. The outside table was a favorite spot for them to relieve themselves, too. It was like cleaning up after children on a daily basis.
It takes help from the front vehicle to pass on the highways in Mexico. (Image: Kathryn Reed)
It’s amazing how even though each country has its own set of rules for the road, all one usually needs is a driver’s license—no test of any sort. The test, well, that can seem to come with each mile or kilometer marker.
With another trip along the 1,000-mile Baja peninsula behind me, I have a greater appreciation for some of the idiosyncrasies of driving in Mexico. There can still be plenty of head scratching in Mexico; mostly that comes with signage and lane markings. Still, I wish drivers in the U.S. would adopt a few of these “rules”.
Drivers in Mexico watch out for each other. Every time lights flashed at me from an oncoming vehicle it was a warning of some sort. It could have been traffic was stopped ahead, often it was animals on the pavement or side of the road—goats, cows, horses were the norm, sometimes a cop had someone pulled over. I always slowed down with that subtle flash of headlights, which was a good thing. I eventually got in the habit of flashing my lights as a warning.
People in orange vests sell food and beverages to travelers stopped by road construction. (Image: Kathryn Reed)
It took a little time to get used to the left signal not meaning the vehicle would be turning left. When I got accustomed to that, I had to remember the left signal might actually mean the person was turning and not be cavalier about passing. The left signal is probably my favorite Mexico driving ritual. The vehicle in front uses this to indicate when it is safe to pass. So much of the highway system through Baja is one lane in each direction, with turnouts an extreme rarity. Passing lanes don’t exist, so this buddy system is imperative.
It’s not that one should blindly rely on another driver, but that left signal is an indication to floor it. (In the Jeep flooring it is necessary to pass, especially with a full load.) While there are plenty of no passing signs on the highway, people ignore them. It’s like they are decoration. The unwritten rule for passing in Mexico is do it when you want. I loved when truckers would signal because sitting up higher I presumed they had a bigger picture of what was ahead. This left signal alert was easy to learn to help drivers behind me.
When road construction required drivers to be stopped a while, enterprising individuals would come out with food and drinks. I never partook because on the long drives I always packed plenty of snacks, water and Coca-Cola Light. Such vendors would probably be illegal in the United States, or permits would be required, and lawsuits would ensue if someone got ill.
Mexico is more carefree, with a culture that seems to care about each other—even on the open road.
The Todos Santos-Pescadero dump was not built to handle all the garbage created by gringos. (Image: Kathryn Reed)
“The systems worked until we showed up.”
That is the assessment of Susan Mittelstadt who for 20 years was an employee of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Montana. She was speaking about solid waste and in particular the landfill where trash from Todos Santos and Pescadero ends up. The “us” being gringos.
She said rural communities throughout the world, including in the United States, have similar issues with an influx of people overrunning infrastructure designed for a smaller population. Mittelstadt labeled it an “environmental justice issue,” noting how last year there were 8,000 landfill fires in the U.S.
She and others spoke earlier this year at the ACTS (Asociación de Colonos de Todos Santos) meeting on infrastructure. This nonprofit, whose motto is “together we are strong”, wants to be the bridge between concerned residents, the government, private businesses and other groups that are identifying problems and working on solutions.
Vickie Butler, ACTS vice president, said, “We probably cannot depend on more money from La Paz.” That means solutions will have to come from the people.
While Roberto Tito Palacios, delegado for the region, was at the gathering that brought out more than 100 residents, he didn’t have much to say. Still, he supports the efforts by the gringo community to work with the government and locals to find solutions.
The landfill has been a growing concern of many people because of the fires that occur there. Natural combustion is the problem. Water won’t put them out; it takes dirt and moving the debris around. These fires are an environmental nightmare as the smoke drifts to the coast, settling over the communities of Pescadero and San Pedrito. People are breathing the toxic plume, it’s settling onto agricultural fields, and seeping into the groundwater.
The dump is on land owned by the Todos Santos Ejido, it is the government that operates it. The road leading to it is also government owned.
The Zero Waste Alliance was recently formed to bring together interested parties to work on short- and long-term goals to deal with solid waste management in the area. The Tractor Project is one of the success stories. Money has been raised to lease a tractor to work the dump, and pay someone to drive it. Since the tractor’s arrival, there have been no major fires, according to Caitlin Allen. She is part of the Alliance and a key player in the Tractor Project. Moving the waste helps prevent the waste from heating to the point it ignites.
It’s not a perfect solution, though. That worker and the firefighters who are called out to help extinguish the fires don’t have safety gear. They are inhaling the fumes and whatever else is percolating there. Money is needed to keep the tractor running – gas and maintenance, cash to pay the driver, and ideally funds to buy safety equipment. A Go Fund Me account has been set up by the alliance to raise money to keep the Tractor Project alive.
As the Alliance’s name states, zero waste is the group’s ultimate goal. This means nothing would ever end up in a landfill. Garbage would be recycled, reused or composted. The Environmental Ministry of Mexico in 2019 proposed a zero waste program for the entire country. It is being fought by the plastics industry.
“It’s important to get organics out of the waste stream,” Mittelstadt said. “Compostable plastic needs to stay out of the landfill like all plastic.”
Multiple people reported that 80 percent of what goes into the Todos Santos-Pescadero landfill is organic material. This is primarily landscape debris, not food waste. The Alliance’s first meeting about composting saw 30 people turn out. Allen said people in Pescadero are willing to donate 2 acres for community composting.
Martine Gonzalez, a gardener in Todos Santos who was not at the ACTS meeting, has organized eight of his clients to buy a mulcher at a cost of 3,000 pesos each. These residents use organic compounds on their respective properties, so the end product is organic as well. They, then, have access to that product for their gardens. The device is at one of his client’s homes. It’s a closed system to prevent pesticides from contaminating their product. It is an example of what can be done on a small-scale basis.
It is going to take education and the work of like-minded people to create the change needed to fund projects and improve the solid waste system that is being strained because it was not built to handle the number of expats who live in the Todos Santos-Pescadero area or the tourists who visit.
Essential workers vs. it’s essential to work. How do you convince people not to work when there is no social safety net, when there is no savings account? Can construction crews be 6 feet apart and not share tools? Are agricultural workers being given instructions about how to distance themselves? Will gringos pay their workers even if they are told to stay home?
These are questions being asked everywhere as the coronavirus seeps into each corner of the world. Not every country is going to be able to come up with a $2.2 trillion plan to help its citizens. Mexico, like many others, is a Third World country without the resources of the United States.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development says per capita Mexico has half as many hospital beds as the United States, and one-fourth the number of nurses. While Mexico was ground zero for the 2009 swine flu pandemic, it is not on the forefront of testing for the coronavirus.
As of March 29, Baja had 23 confirmed coronavirus cases. Baja is divided into two states. As of March 27, there were eight confirmed cases in Baja Sur – all in the Los Cabos area. They were either foreigners or someone who was in contact with a foreigner. This makes sense because cruise ships and planeloads of tourists kept coming even after other parts of the world were shutting down. As of March 30, all of Mexico had 993 cases, with opera legend Placido Domingo one of them. He is hospitalized in Acapulco.
A gas station worker in Mexico wears gloves and a mask while working near San Ignacio in March. (Image: Kathryn Reed)
Baja Sur Gov. Carlos Mendoza Davis on March 27 addressed his constituents, saying, “The situation is already difficult and the days to come will be more difficult, which is why government and society must work together to maintain jobs and lessen the economic repercussions. It is important for everyone to remain home as much as possible, and to follow the recommendations of the sanitary authorities.”
It wasn’t until last week that the Mexican federal government told people to say home. Schools are closed. Beaches are off limits throughout Baja Sur. Still, some people are doing what they want like continuing to surf. The military is patrolling, having been to Cerritos, the popular swimming/surfing beach near Todos Santos. For these limited resources to be wasted on getting gringos to abide by laws in a country they are visitors in is sad and wasteful. Since I drove through La Paz on March 23 checkpoints have been set up for anyone entering the city. Randomly people are having their temperature checked.
My last full day in Todos Santos (March 22) a car started going around neighbors telling people in English and Spanish to shelter in place. This type of broadcast is a normal way for information to be disseminated in this town. Announcements in English, though, are extremely rare. ACTS (Asociación de Colonos de Todos Santos) is the nonprofit helping fund the vehicle to make the announcements. It is also working to help provide for the local community.
“We are asking our members and supporters to consider a monetary donation to supply the food banks with essentials such as beans, rice, milk, eggs, etc. We want to make sure that anyone in need at least has enough to eat. While we still have money left to contribute to the food bank as well, we expect that the effects of this pandemic could go on for weeks if not months, and our current funds are not enough,” an email from ACTS dated March 29 said. Donations may be made online; note the donation is for the food bank.
Saint Judes Medical Center in Todos Santos is a private urgent care that gringos can afford to go to, but few Mexicans. They sent out a notice stating, “There will be a 200-peso charge per consultation until further notice, and until the coronavirus pandemic emergency gets controlled. The cost of masks, gloves, gowns, etc. has quadrupled.” (That’s about a $10 fee.)
The masses go to the Todos Santos Centro De Salud. The doctor in charge reported having almost no supplies for hygiene and protection for patients or staff. The Padrino Children’s Foundation, which assists area youth with medical needs, is helping fill the gap. “There is currently a critical shortage at our Todos Santos Centro de Salud of very basic supplies to protect both patients and staff. Items needed include paper towels, soaps, Chloralex or chlorine bleach, antibacterial gel, and protective wear such as masks, gloves and gowns. If you have more than you need of these items, please take them to the office of Padrino Children’s Foundation in San Vicente from where we will safeguard and dispense them as needed.” To make a donation, go online and enter a note to designate the purpose.
Buses full of agriculture workers in Baja. (Image: Kathryn Reed)
I decided on a Friday that I would leave that next Monday (March 23) for South Lake Tahoe, California. While Todos Santos was home, it was temporary. I didn’t want to be a strain on a system that could become overburdened by non-residents. While I don’t trust the U.S. or Mexican governments for a variety of reasons, I still knew I would feel more comfortable in the United States. Plus, the U.S. State Department had issued a Level 4 travel advisory saying anyone who wasn’t permanently living abroad should return to the United States. I wanted to go while I could. While I was still in Baja restaurants were closing, others suddenly started offering delivery and to-go options. Events were being canceled. I stopped playing tennis, believing germs could be transmitted on that felt ball. We had already stopped shaking hands and high-fiving.
When I drove through the San Quentin area of northern Baja last week the workers were still seated in buses cramped together as they went to their jobs. This is a huge agricultural area, with so much of the produce being exported internationally and sent to other areas of Mexico. Workers were waiting to get their empty boxes to take to the field; lined up next to each other as though nothing in the world was different. No masks, no gloves, no social distancing.
Of all the gas stations I went to in Mexico in the three days of travel north only at the Pemex at the turn off for San Ignacio in Baja Sur did the attendant wear gloves and a face mask. I thought this smart for all the people he would be encountering, plus the exchange of cash/credit cards. The attendant at the agricultural inspection station in Guerrero Negro, the line between the two states of Baja, had full garb on for protection. The military guy next to him was in his regular uniform. Neither approached my vehicle, instead they waved me on and said safe travels. At the gas station just north of Guerrero Negro the attendant wanted me to pay in cash. I always pay for gas with credit card and intended to keep doing so. Plus, I didn’t have many pesos on me. He took my Visa. I totally understood, though, why he wanted cash. The peso to dollar value is plummeting, meaning the Mexicans are getting screwed. This is why I wasn’t surprised the hotel in San Quentin only took cash (I had been warned of this via email) even though the credit card device was out in the open. They also were using their own (pre-corona) exchange rate. Again, fine by me.
I was in Cabo San Lucas on March 20. Again, no social distancing. Along the marina some restaurant workers wore masks, while at the neighboring eatery no protection was obvious. Some tourists walked about, with boat tour operators hawking their services. At Costco the paper towel was gone, as was all but one package of toilet paper. Clorox wipes were being handed out as people walked in; some took them to wipe the cart, others passed on the offer. The food court was buzzing with people not social distancing. It was alarming watching a woman lean on the counter and into the window; not a great scene with her breathing into the food prep area even under normal circumstances.
At that time bars were supposed to be closed in the La Paz region, which included Todos Santos, but Los Cabos said they could stay open until 2am. That has since changed, according to directives from the governor.
The Baja Sur governor has said:
All health-related decisions will be made in the General Health Committee where all municipalities have representation.
If needed, the Secretary of Health will set up make-shift hospitals to treat pulmonary ailments outside of the established hospitals.
The crisis will be handled with remote medical assistance, meaning that those presenting flu-like symptoms must refrain from going to clinics. Instead, they need to call 227.26843 where cases will be evaluated by a physician and, if need be, medical personnel will make a house call to make a diagnosis and take samples for the COVID-19 test.
A social assistance program will be developed with the support of the municipal governments to cover the requirements for sustenance of those in greatest need.
Gyms, bars and casinos will close. Also, in order to avoid crowds, the access to public beaches will be restricted. No gatherings with more than 25 people will be allowed; and for this reason, religious organizations are asked to suspend their services. Restaurants are asked to observe the protocols regarding distance between tables and hygiene procedures for the food preparation and the establishments themselves. Also, the community is asked to favor take-out and delivery modalities when buying food.
The municipal transport directions will supervise that drivers and concession holders will sanitize their vehicles.
A concerted effort to provide water to all will be conducted; and the suspensions of water service, due to non-payment, will be lifted. It is important to point out that the community is asked to use water sparingly to avoid waste.
It’s impossible to tell the time of day in Todos Santos by when roosters crow. The squawking seems to only be at night in this Baja town. All night.
Roosters have a pecking order, with the dominant male sounding off first, and then the others chiming in afterward. It’s a symphony of sorts at times in the neighborhood.
They are probably sleeping through the day because they were cackling all night. If only I had that luxury.
In other parts of the world a rooster’s distinct call is usually about two hours or less before daylight. This is normal. Earlier this decade scientists at Nagoya University in Japan conducted a study to learn more about the habits of crowing roosters. They discovered the animal has an internal clock to tell when the break of day is. The light in the sky isn’t relevant.
Besides signaling the start of a new day, roosters get vocal when danger is nearby. He is alerting the hens a predator is about.
This area is home to coyote, gray fox, raccoon and bobcat. All of these animals are nocturnal, which could be the reason roosters are doing their job throughout the night. A hen isn’t going to be able to win a fight with any of those creatures.
When I lived in Sonoma County in California my neighbors built a chicken coop, rooster et al. My window was nearby. Working nights meant I wanted to sleep and not know when daybreak was. The fortunate thing there is we lived on quarter-acre lots so it was easy for them to move the coop to accommodate my hours.
While it’s nice to have an alarm clock, it’s also nice to be able to turn it off. Not so with roosters throughout the hood.