Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Signs of the Times in Our Colonia

Yesterday I looked down the street and saw some painters working on a house. I couldn't see what they were doing but when Ned passed by on his way into town he called to tell me that it was a political sign. In San Miguel there aren't the roadside signs that we see in the USA. The advertisements and the political signs are painted on houses and sometimes they linger on for years. I don't know if any money passes hands for the privilege of having a sign painted on your house or not. Or maybe this is just a PAN supporter. This campaign is for the "Mayor" of San Miguel and the election is in July. It should be an interesting campaign this year with lots of rallys around town. Recently one of the candidates came down our street with a band to bring people out of their houses so he could shake hands. Then the candidate was followed by cars with the horns honking. Next time I'll try to get a photograph.

Yes, San Miguel has graffiti. We do have a task force that comes around and paints over graffiti and sometimes the paint-over is even a similar color. This graffiti was on a truck so I don't know if it will get painted over or not. Just like in the States there is an ebb and flow. Sometimes it seems to just explode on one street and then it will get painted over and we don't see anymore for a long time. Summer seems to be a busy graffiti time.

This looks like some strange accounting system doesn't it? Well it kind of is. Recently we have had a dengue fever task force going around checking houses for standing water. This is a good thing except for those of us who have fish ponds. We don't know what chemical they are using in fountains and what it might do to the fish. The inspectors don't know either. I think in general not many Mexicans have fish ponds. Fountains yes, fish ponds no. Besides our water circulates all the time and we have fish. After they check, they leave these markings on the wall beside the door so that the next inspector who comes around knows where things stand in this house.

4 comments:

Suzanne said...

Hi Billie,
My neighbor's partner was hired by someone running for office to paint political posters - so I think they get paid to do the work. I'll ask my neighbor if the politicians pay the families whose houses they paint. I always wondered how that worked.

RE: the parades, about 2 years ago, on a Saturday afternoon about 6pm there were about 20 Urbanos, all washed and covered with baby blue and white balloons and streamers with transito police and regular police in their cars & bomberos with sirens going for about 2 hours. I thought it was transito day, but it was a politicical rally. The politician gathered this group to do a run all over town - I don't know if he paid for it or not. He had cars with loud speakers sprinkled throughout the parade spouting his platform and he was at the end in a convertible with his wife and other dressed up young women waving at everyone. They ended up in the Jardin for a rally at the end.
Suzanne www.livinginsanmiguel.wordpress.com

GlorV1 said...

Speaking of graffiti, I just went outside to paint a small area on the lightpost that someone had left numbers on. This area where I live is beginning to fall astray and it's a darn shame. Your area looks really nice, quiet, and rather safe. Take care.

Steve Cotton said...

I can recall hobos leaving marks in front of houses in my small town in the 50s. I understand it was a language developed in the depression to describe the generosity of the homeowner. A perverted version of that same system is used by burglars these days to describe occupants and goods.

Coalminerswritedaughter said...

HI Billie,
What Colonial do you live in? We will be in SMA for the summer - July 1st in La Lejona.

Peggy