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Churpa’s Dispatch from San Miguel #1

December 15, 2011 | Leave a Comment

By Churpa Rosa Rogers

photo by Chelsea Mcalister

When it comes to Mexico, I tend to experience one-sided culture shock: I am shocked by my inevitable and unwilling return to the United States, but rarely shocked to find myself down south. Even if it’s been a year or more, a return to Mexico always feels as natural as slipping into a warm bath. That said, I always experience a few days of jubilation at all the tiny Mexican details that make me feel so at home: the smell of cement dust and Mexican laundry detergent and tortillas;  dueling banda, corridos, and hip-hop blasting from the ranchitos that spot the seemingly peaceful countryside; the array of sagging cement balconies, unmarked construction holes in the middle of pedestrian thoroughfares, and other minor dangers that give a middle finger to our American culture of litigation.

Like the delicious smell of tacos al pastor or the late afternoon light saturating the Colonial facades of San Miguel de Allende, the constant murmur of Spanish soothes a soul battered by an overly long stay in the el norte.

photo by Chelsea Mcalister

Speaking of which, my friend Chelsea and I met a  kindly gentleman in Mexico City who offered to tell us about the nuances in Diego Rivera’s murals in the Palacio Nacional. As Angel showed us the panel that illustrates the Colombian exchange and the importance of American native plants, Chelsea and I exclaimed “Muy interesante!”. When Angel expounded on dogs as an Aztec delicacy and drew our attention to the various fat canines in Rivera’s murals, Chelsea and I exclaimed “Muy interesante!”. When Angel pointed out the image of a Spaniard branding an Indian slave, Chelsea and I exclaimed…well you get the drift. Sluggish from a long damp autumn in Oregon, my brain seems incapable of generating appropriate adjectives. Which brings me back to my annual realization: I don’t so much need to expand my vocabulary as I need to bring words that I already know into circulation. To brush up, I’ve been eavesdropping, reading Mexican Glamour,  and perusing the glossaries of two of my favorite books on Mexico:  El Monstruo: Dread and Redemption in Mexico City by John Ross and, of course, The People’s Guide.  Here’s some words I hope I’ll be using on this trip:

compinche—buddy

beso—smooth

neta—the coolest

zafarrancho–ruckus

banquetazo—big meal

fritanga—greasy fried snack

chelas—beers

Here’s some words I hope won’t be needing:

bruja—broke, poor

aguacero—downpour

caco–thief

bronca—brawl

fracaso—bungled mess, failure

foco—guerilla grouplet

vacunacion de rabia—rabies vaccination

 

 

 

 

 


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