Thursday, February 4, 2010
Day 1 - Getting Our Feet Wet
In an unusual dry season rainstorm, Maria and I went to Rancho Huixcoloco and unfortunately found it ruins. We went in but were not allowed to film or go inside the buildings because the property is now in dispute and apparently owned by the wild animal park, Reino Animal (according to the guards). Only the guards and the acasillados (permanent residents of the hacienda) are allowed to inside the hacienda. The owners are not allowed inside and we were asked to leave. However, we met Don Angel and showed him some of the pictures from the original film. He said he remembered Don Jorge, the administrator of the hacienda, and offered to talk to us together with two other guys, Don Mario and Don Nabor. He also remembered Don Jose, the mayordomo del Tinacal (the boss of the pulque brewery).
The hacienda does not produce pulque anymore and the maguey fields are nonexistent. The church of the hacienda, the stalls, and the tinacal are all in ruin. We were told that pulque is now produced at a few of the other haciendas. Don Angel also told us that Rancho Huixcoloco is the oldest of the three in the area. They referred to it as the mother hacienda of the other two.
Don Angel said Don Jorge must be now 70-75 and he’s not sure whether he is alive or not. Don Angel said he thinks he was 16 at the time when Sanders and crew filmed Land and Water and remembers it being filmed. He also said, he used to be one of the favorite workers of Don Jorge.
The guard and Don Angel told us that to get inside the hacienda and film we need to get an official permission (in written form) from Reino Animal.
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