For five months of the year, the monarch butterfly resides high in the mountains in the state of Michoacan, Mexico. Have you ever wondered about the people who live there, and what their lives are like? Here Blake students Jessica Erickson and Jennifer Hanson describe their recent visit with a family who lives near Cerro Cincua, one of the four monarch santuaries that surround Angangueo. We thank them for sharing this sensitive and beautifully written portrayal with us.
As you read this report try to imagine yourself visiting with this family, as Jessica and Jennifer did. As a class, discuss how your life compares to that of the people of Angangueo, Mexico. Then share with us your ideas about the Challenge Question found at the end of this report.
A Spotlight on a Campesino Family Near Cerro Chincua
by Jessica Erickson and Jennifer Hanson
The scientists at Llano de las Papas introduced Jennifer, Jessica and Mrs. Steiner to a campesino family named Salazar. They live on a farm in a mountain valley and raise animals and some small crops for a living. Don Francisco Salazar de Jesus took us inside the building where the family cooks its meals and in which a few of the nine children sleep.
The building was wood with ceramic tiles on the roof to protect the family from rain. The room was filled with smoke from the stove in the middle and only beams of light slipped in between the logs of the walls; they have no electricity. Part of the floors were dirt and parts were wood and chickens and other foul were constantly running in and out of the house. Sections of the walls were covered with worn pieces of cardboard to shelter the interior from the harsh winter wind.
Maria Loretto, Francisco's wife, sat us down on the worn wooden chairs against one wall. She began to show us how to make corn tortillas, describing the entire process. Due to the cold weather in the mountains, the family is unable to grow their own corn and therefore must buy it from a nearby market. According to the family, January and February are the coldest months of the year and April and May are the warmest.
The first thing Maria did to make the tortillas was to soak the corn kernels in water and lime (the mineral) over a low heat for about an hour to soften them. Next she drained the excess water off and put the softened kernels into the nixtamal. The nixtamal resembles a meat grinder and is used to mash and grind the kernels into a pulpy substance that looks like wet mushy rice.
The dough that was created using the nixtamal was then placed on a large smooth stone used for kneading and further grinding. Maria took a large cylindrical stone, like a rolling pin, and worked the dough until it became smooth enough for tortillas. Next, she took just the right amount of dough from the larger dough mass, shaped it into a small ball, and placed it in the tortilla press. There were two sheets of blue plastic placed in between the dough and the press that kept them from sticking together. The tortilla press was much like a waffle iron but smooth. Maria closed the top half of the press over the dough and moved a bar to clamp the two plates together. Upon releasing the bar, she removed a perfectly round tortilla and then turned to throw it on the stove behind her.
The stove was a rectangular metal box on legs that stood a foot and a half off the ground. In the corner, a tin smokestack rose out of the stove to take the majority of the smoke through the roof to the air outside. A big pot of water sat next to the smoke stack. On the remaining surface of the stove, several tortillas could cook at a time on the charred white surface. One of the older boys periodically came in to put some more wood in the stove, leaving the door open to allow oxygen to get to the flames; a metal basket sat below the stove door to catch any ashes or wood chips that fell out. After about two minutes, Maria flipped each tortilla and after about five more minutes she removed them from the stove and placed them in a wicker basket on the table.
While we ate the freshly made tortillas we talked about the life of the campesino and looked around the cabin. The nine children were all able to go to the "Escuela Primerio: Pedro Ascencio" right near their house for the first years of schooling, but after that, they have to go to Angangueo if they wish to continue school. Unfortunately, for each child that goes to school in Angangueo, it costs ten pesos a day. A year ago the father had been too sick to work, and one child had to miss school because the family couldn't afford it. The children that don't attend school at all stay home and take care of the family and the animals.
Income is the biggest problem that the family faces. The economic crisis has caused prices to go up on everything, and they continue to climb. Francisco goes several times a year to Mexico City to earn money for the family. According to him he makes only twenty pesos a day and the round trip to Mexico City and back home costs eighty pesos, so going away to work is not always worth it. To make a profit when he gets back, the father must stay in Mexico City for over a week. A few years ago, the government gave Francisco money to start a carpenter's shop which now sits unfinished beside his house. The money ran out before Francisco could finish the project.
The government has offered very little assistance since Don Francisco began his carpenter's project, yet there is help for the children. A special type of milk is brought to the family every month. The milk has been treated in a way that allows it to not need refrigeration and therefore can sit anywhere and not go bad. The milk is called "Leche DIF" and it is delivered in containers much like juice boxes. Don Francisco said that one major problem with the government assistance for the poor is that there is money, but the great majority of it doesn't reach those who need it.
The (monarch) reserve closest to this family of campesinos is called Llano de las Papas, or Cerro Chincua. In the past, it hasn't been open for tourism, due to concerns about potential damage to the area. Don Francisco hopes that it will soon be opened so that he can benefit from the increased tourist traffic in the area and be paid to serve as a guide.
Depsite the fact that this family has so little, they remain optimistic and generous. They encouraged us repeatedly to eat their tortillas and got out salsa and salt for us to eat with them. Someone once said, the poorest people are the most generous.
How to Repond to Challenge Question #9
1. Send an E-mail message to jn-challenge@learner.org
2 In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge Question #9
3. In the body of your message, give your answer to these questions:
* If Sr. Salazar earns 20 pesos per day, how many dollars does he earn per day?
* How difficult do you think it would be to support a family of 11 on
this income?
* If the people living near the monarch sancturies are
quite poor, how might this effect the monarchs' winter home?"
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