La Noria

This was a tour day in Mazatlan. Donna had arranged for Marco to take us to an outlying village, La Noria; the Tequila Ranch; and the Rancho Hacienda Las Moras (I think I’m close on this one???).

Angel and I met Donna, Jerri, and Susan at the Villa about 9:00. Marco arrived shortly after. We loaded into the van, and drove east from Emerald Bay, soon crossing the north-south four lane highway that stretches between Nogales and Mexico City. Gringos have a near straight shot on this well-maintained toll road from the states to Mazatlan.

After crossing the freeway, we drive on past small ranches and “orchards” of mangos. Marco tells us that there are about a dozen varieties of mangos grown in the area. The different types provide fruit at varying times throughout the year. The small ranches in the area raise beef and animal feed crops.

We stop briefly at a small “drink distribution center”. Here you can buy aqua in the bottle, sodas, and beer. Marco grabs the large cooler, positioned between he and I in the front seat. I go into the building with Marco. He greets a friend and orders a variety of drinks. The amigo opens the cooler, places into it a large block of ice, and then grabs a dangerous looking 12 inch ice pick, and starts whacking away at the chunk until it is chipped away into ice cube sized pieces. I check the guy’s hands and arms for old scars, or new wounds. He has completed this act swiftly and with great dexterity, but I can hardly believe he’s never impaled himself. No evidence of error though. I ask Marco, “Quanto es?”. He says, “Gimme a hundred, amigo.” I pull out a hundred pesos. Marco pays his buddy. Marco gets change, and hands it to me. He then grabs the, now full cooler, and we’re out the door.

Back in the van, Marco points us toward La Noria, a small village in the lower elevations of the Sierra Madre. He explains to the group the different types of reptiles, mammals, arachnids, and insects that live in the area. Reptiles include corral snakes, rattlesnakes, and Gila monsters (large iguana-like, but poisonous lizard). Mammals include cougar, jaguar, wild hogs, wild burros, and coyotes. Scorpions, black widow spiders, and other flying, or crawling thingies top off the list.

I ponder my slow and painful “death by snake or insect bite”, while the van moves on. We pass the Tequila Ranch that we will be visiting later. Marco makes the ranch the second stop of the trip, so he’s not guiding “drunk on their butts” gringos through the quiet streets of La Noria. Smart move.

We soon arrive in la Noria. It appears to be a “sleepy little place”; little traffic, and few people on the street at 10:00 in the morning. The streets are clean. The buildings are brightly painted, and seem to be well-maintained on the outside. Marco pulls over to the curb in front of, what he calls, “the hardware store”. We disembark the van, and go inside. In the “hardware store we find three gentlemen. Two are engaged in work, one is not. One man is constructing a leather sheath for a machete. Another appears to be the storekeeper, and is manning the counter. The final man is sitting on a stool and talking to the others. Marco greets the men, and then walks behind the counter where he begins pulling out animal furs, leather sandals and purses, sombreros, and various and sundry other items for our perusal. He then guides us through a door and into a “back store” area where we find a leatherworking operation in “full production”. It all kind of “blends together” looking back through my tequila haze of yesterday, but it seems to me that we wandered about viewing several pieces of leatherworking machinery, things that slice and stamp; then visited a saddler; and finally watched a “master” sandal maker (14 pairs in a day) work his magic. We then returned to the front of the store where we purchased some craft items. Angel and I picked up a “wall hanging”; wood carving with colorful dyed leather. Donna bought a few leather purses, sandals, and I think, a mask or carving. I’m not sure what Susan and Jerri bought as I was busy taking photos.

After the hardware store, we walked to the local butcher shop, where they were grilling strips of beef to be ground into a stringy, but very tasty affair called, machaca. We watched them grind the beef, and then walked next door, where we observed a tortilleria in action. The tortilleria is where tortillas are made. This particular “factory” store was a two-person operation and nearly fully automated. The “mass” of corn-based dough is loaded into the hopper of a large machine. The machine “swallows’ the dough, cutting and flattening it into six or eight inch diameter tortillas, which are then transported on a belt into an oven, where they are quickly baked. At the “finished” end of the process, the tortillas are hand stacked, weighed, and paper wrapped into one kilo bundles for sale. Very efficient, and pretty cool to watch!

Marco next led us into what appeared to be a private home, with a courtyard and room for rent. He spoke to the Senora owning the establishment. Marco then headed out to the courtyard where he picked up a long bamboo pole. He used the pole to dislodge ripe oranges from the tree, which were then “juiced” to provide fresh drink for our late morning lunch. Marco’s first attempt at getting the fruit resulted in a mishap that bruised his ego, as well as his cajones. Somehow, the pole got a little “spring” to it, and bounced back, doubling him over with an audible “eeeeeahhh”! I missed a good photo opportunity, but we all had good laugh at Marco’s expense. Being a tour guide in Mazatlan is dangerous work.

After Marco’s “accident’ we gave him time to recover, then seated ourselves at nicely placed table inside. We were served warm machaca, cheese, frijoles, corn tortillas, and salsa. The food was accompanied by fresh orange juice and a sweet red cold tea made from a type of flower (the name escapes me right now). To me, it tasted like a cross between cranberry and pomegranate. After our meal we continued on our “walking tour” of La Noria, visiting another saddler, more sandal makers, and the town cathedral, before returning to the van.

Our last stop in La Noria was a “pottery guy”. We drove up a narrow dirt road to a modest home where we were greeted by a “slightly wild looking”, but very friendly fellow and his cute little boy. He invited into his “outdoor studio” and began to pull out a few pieces of pottery, while talking to us in espanol. Marco disappeared. The “pottery guy” kept on gesturing and speaking. He then uncovered some fresh, moist clay which he had us “smell” for approval. Donna had been there before, so she explained that the clay was pure and free of organic materials, which would make it of lesser quality. The fellow had me stand on top off and overturned bowl to demonstrate the strength of the finished product. Marco soon returned and helped interpret while the gentleman made a bowl while we watched. The “pottery guy’s” trademark is the form of a scorpion on his finished pieces. This is accomplished by slapping a piece of wet clay down upon an unsuspecting scorpion, then making “it” a permanent part of the artwork.

The “pottery guy’s” little boy is a cutie and he entertained all of us with his antics. A photo of the little guy and his puppy is included in this post. We all enjoyed our time with the “pottery guy”, and Donna added a few pieces to her collection. I should note that the “pottery guy’s” family is very poor. Donna and Brittany generously donated some very nice children’s clothing to the family. I am sure that this generosity is much appreciated.

La Noria is a “must see” tour if you are visiting Mazatlan. I will post the “remainder” of our tour when I return home. Today is our final full day in Mazatlan. We will be leaving for our “real home” tomorrow, about noon. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing and posting photos about Mazatlan, over the past month. Take care, and “check-in” in a few days.