Los Antiguos

Some of the most interesting people to watch here in Guanajuato are the old people. Most of the old people here have either lived here for their whole lives or the majority of their lives. They seem to have a set routine that they follow every day. For example, the man who sells vegetables on the street corner is there every morning when I walk by carefully laying out his bags of green beans and the round, green fruit that I don't know the name of. He is so deliberate and precise as he lays them out. He sits their all day, and it makes me happy to see that when I pass by later in the day, he has sold some of his wares.

Life in Guanajuato must be hard on the body. There is a lady that I see walking at least once a week that is bent in half - literally at a right angle - from her waist. Maybe it is just because I worked at a chiropractor's office this summer, but it looks like an painful and difficult way to go about life. She walks with a cane and moves incredibly slowly. Many of the elderly people here are bent or twisted from a long life of carrying heavy loads and walking everywhere, but this woman is the worst. Sometimes I see the older people leaning on the arm of a relative, but mostly they just go about their business at their own pace. Once somebody asked how the old people maneuver the steep callejones and the response was that they simply move slowly and steadily until they reach their destination.

Quite a few of the beggars in town are elderly. They sit patiently on the sidewalks holding out their hand or a plastic cup for people to put the money into. Most of them wear more traditional clothing - for the women, this means, skirts, aprons, and headscarves - and a few even wear the indigenous garb. The man in the picture above is one of the beggars I see every day. He slowly makes his way up the main street in town throughout the day. Sometimes he stops to rest by leaning against a corner or sitting on the doorstep of a building. He walks with a cane and always wears the same clothes. Sometimes people give him loaves of bread or something else to eat instead of coins. Someday I would like to hear his life story.

On the other end of the spectrum are the wealthy old people. These people live in the ex-haciendas and have huge families and no financial worries. They have lived in Guanajuato for their whole lives and are familiar with the quirks and characteristics of the city. Many of them have made their money by working for the government or large businesses, and others have money because their family has always been wealthy. They are free to lavish gifts and huge meals on their grandchildren. My host dad's parents are people like this. They live in a large home with an indoor courtyard and they clearly do not lack for anything. They dress stylishly and are less likely to be bent over from having to do manual labor.

One thing that can be said about the elderly is that they are very devout, especially the women. They come from a generation where religion was not just being baptized into catholicism, but rather something that involved everyday devotion. Not only are the old women often seen in the churches praying, but they worry about their family's lack of devotion. My host family is catholic, but they do not attend mass on a regular basis and their lives do not revolve around the church. My host dad's mother is concerned about this. I know this because I was in the room during an argument between the mother and her sons. When we left her house, she specifically blessed each of her sons and prayed that they would not disregard the religion she taught them.

I like to watch the old people as I walk around Guanajuato. They have so many things in common and yet all have their own stories. This blog is purely observations that I have made by people watching. Someday I will get up the courage to ask the questions that will allow me a glimpse of what their lives have been like and what Guanajuato used to be like when they were young.