BajaNomad

the people of baja

willardguy - 2-28-2012 at 06:50 PM

"generally speaking, they are friendly and hospitable, scrupulously honest, not too addicted to hard work, better educated than the average mexican, intensely patriotic, and fond of music and fiestas. like most mexicans they are easily angered but quick to forgive, strongly individualistic and proud,completely unperturbed by physical hardship, with little or no resistance to alcohol, and with a constant and overwhelming interest in the oposite sex. The men love to fight when inebriated, but as they go unarmed no one is seriously hurt. they have a provincial distrust of foreigners, but are willing to to accept a stranger on his individual merits. In the more isolated places the traveler meets with a disinterested hospitality sometimes carried to the embarrassing extremes, where the host gives up his bed , his meager food supply, and refuses to accept payment. In these circumstances a good article of exchange is a supply of .22 cartridges, often more welcome than money"
from the lower california guidebook. 1956
just thought i'd share.

Woooosh - 2-28-2012 at 10:06 PM

well, that helps me understand a bit more. In 1956 I wonder what the guidebook to Mississippi would look like. I'll bet Baja was rated higher.

:rolleyes::saint:

mcfez - 2-28-2012 at 10:12 PM

where the host gives up his bed , his meager food supply, and refuses to accept payment...........

So true.... even for 60 years later...

willardguy - 2-28-2012 at 10:16 PM

population of rosarito was a whopping 675 and the cost of a room at the rosarito hotel $5 single $8 double

BajaBlanca - 2-28-2012 at 10:24 PM

a family fed and hosted and bedded my sister - brother - mom when their car got stuck in the sand in santa rosallillita .... complete strangers took total care of them .... who the heck does this anywhere else ?????

chuckie - 2-29-2012 at 04:28 AM

So true, I have been coming to various parts of Baja since 1957..and could tell lots of stories about being helped out and treated well, "Back in the day"...People a little more wary now perhaps, but all in all ,Great people..

DENNIS - 2-29-2012 at 06:49 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by willardguy
"generally speaking, they are friendly and hospitable, scrupulously honest, not too addicted to hard work, better educated than the average mexican, intensely patriotic, and fond of music and fiestas. like most mexicans they are easily angered but quick to forgive, strongly individualistic and proud,completely unperturbed by physical hardship, with little or no resistance to alcohol, and with a constant and overwhelming interest in the oposite sex. The men love to fight when inebriated, but as they go unarmed no one is seriously hurt. they have a provincial distrust of foreigners, but are willing to to accept a stranger on his individual merits. In the more isolated places the traveler meets with a disinterested hospitality sometimes carried to the embarrassing extremes, where the host gives up his bed , his meager food supply, and refuses to accept payment. In these circumstances a good article of exchange is a supply of .22 cartridges, often more welcome than money"
from the lower california guidebook. 1956
just thought i'd share.


What a bunch of sterotypical BS. You forgot to include that they enjoy sitting and leaning against a cactus while taking a siesta.

Pescador - 2-29-2012 at 07:45 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by DENNIS
Quote:
Originally posted by willardguy
"generally speaking, they are friendly and hospitable, scrupulously honest, not too addicted to hard work, better educated than the average mexican, intensely patriotic, and fond of music and fiestas. like most mexicans they are easily angered but quick to forgive, strongly individualistic and proud,completely unperturbed by physical hardship, with little or no resistance to alcohol, and with a constant and overwhelming interest in the oposite sex. The men love to fight when inebriated, but as they go unarmed no one is seriously hurt. they have a provincial distrust of foreigners, but are willing to to accept a stranger on his individual merits. In the more isolated places the traveler meets with a disinterested hospitality sometimes carried to the embarrassing extremes, where the host gives up his bed , his meager food supply, and refuses to accept payment. In these circumstances a good article of exchange is a supply of .22 cartridges, often more welcome than money"
from the lower california guidebook. 1956
just thought i'd share.


What a bunch of sterotypical BS. You forgot to include that they enjoy sitting and leaning against a cactus while taking a siesta.


Dennis, you really should get out of Baja and into Baja Sur. That is a common sight here, probably because it is warmer down here. :spingrin::spingrin:

DENNIS - 2-29-2012 at 08:32 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Pescador
Dennis, you really should get out of Baja and into Baja Sur. That is a common sight here, probably because it is warmer down here. :spingrin::spingrin:



Yeah...I know.
oooops....just noticed the 55 year old reference on the passage. That puts it more into proper prspective. The cultural differences from then to now are huge.

DavidE - 2-29-2012 at 09:39 AM

At age 17, I remember standing outside a hut made of corrugated steel, plywood, cardon heartwood, canvas, and adobe blocks. Arturo had come to our camp and invited us to breakfast. Two young children emerged dressed in school clothes. Their uniforms were so brilliant they almost hurt the eye. The white part dazzled.

A moment later we were seated around the family cooking fire eating fish and hand patted tortillas. Our group member Rosie did all the translating. Six decades ago. I guess it was a lasting impression :-)

Barry A. - 2-29-2012 at 09:50 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by BajaBlanca
a family fed and hosted and bedded my sister - brother - mom when their car got stuck in the sand in santa rosallillita .... complete strangers took total care of them .... who the heck does this anywhere else ?????


Recently we were gone from our home in Redding, CA for 3 weeks----------during that time our main PVC 1" water line broke (tree root pushing on a large rock) and ran freely. My neighbor dug it all up, removed the rock, repaired the pipe, and covered it all up again--------a many hour project. When we got home I asked why the ground was disturbed in our front yard--------he was not even going to tell us about it. This kind of generosity exists everywhere, even today.

Barry

David K - 2-29-2012 at 09:53 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by willardguy
"generally speaking, they are friendly and hospitable, scrupulously honest, not too addicted to hard work, better educated than the average mexican, intensely patriotic, and fond of music and fiestas. like most mexicans they are easily angered but quick to forgive, strongly individualistic and proud,completely unperturbed by physical hardship, with little or no resistance to alcohol, and with a constant and overwhelming interest in the oposite sex. The men love to fight when inebriated, but as they go unarmed no one is seriously hurt. they have a provincial distrust of foreigners, but are willing to to accept a stranger on his individual merits. In the more isolated places the traveler meets with a disinterested hospitality sometimes carried to the embarrassing extremes, where the host gives up his bed , his meager food supply, and refuses to accept payment. In these circumstances a good article of exchange is a supply of .22 cartridges, often more welcome than money"
from the lower california guidebook. 1956
just thought i'd share.




The 1956 Lower California Guidebook cover, and a sample of the text (where pavement ended south of Ensenada for many years):




willardguy - 2-29-2012 at 10:22 AM

great read david. thanks for directing me to this book

LaPazGringo - 2-29-2012 at 10:34 AM

I enjoyed every word of the Erle Stanley Gardner books on Baja and they were full of what many might call fanciful notions of the Mexican people but when you experience it for yourself (as he did so often) you appreciate it more. I have some stories about breaking down in the desert between Puertecitos and Gonzaga Bay with my 11 yr old son (at the time) during late July. It was 72 hrs of hell at the time but I sure have some good stories now. What always has struck me about the Mexicans and what I think makes them different, is that when you share your problem with them, it then becomes their problem and the goal is then to solve that problem, not give you a quote for services. So many times I've been in situations where I thought I should have gotten the payment issue settled up front so there were no surprises later but never once has it turned into a disagreement. Other than the sleazy cops in Ciudad Constitucion and Rosarito, I've had nothing but positive experiences with people over the years.

David K - 2-29-2012 at 10:44 AM

My pleasure!

There were 4 editions of the Lower California Guidebook (1956, 1958, 1962, 1967) and additional printings in 1964 and 1970. By far the most popular Baja book for many years. The 1962 edition had the final maps and road log and the 1967 edition had revision notes.

In 1975, the book was updated to include Hwy. 1 and other changes on the peninsula by Walt Wheelock and the title was changed to 'Baja California Guidebook', and there was a 1980 edition, too.

Here is the 1962-1970 cover, and samples of text:










Here is the 1975 edition with new title and co-author (maps were also changed):