Las Chicas de Saltillo : Las mas uapas de Mexico

Cuavia Carrillo Peraza

On the death of my girlfriend, Cuavia Carrillo Peraza

My girlfriend died on Thursday, November 5th, at 7:20 pm local time in Tepic, Nayarit Mexico. She was 37 years old. I had been her boyfriend for a scant seven months. She died in hospital, and was surrounded by those who loved her most .. me, her mother Sofia and her 10 year old daughter Cecy.

Those are the bare facts of the situation. I am writing this about her in an effort to mark her passing, more for mself than anyone else. Another bare fact.

I am posting this on the internet, on this blog, because I cannot think of any other way to immortalize her. I know that this must sound ridiculous to any anonymous reader who chances to pass by, but nothing published on the internet ever disappears, so here we go:

She was a beautiful woman, but quite sick with what was supposed was asthma when I met her.

She did not have the money for doctors, so I began taking her to doctor after doctor to try to get a decent course of treatment for her. We finally found a doctor whom we felt might be the one to help. He started her on an aggressive course of treatment not only for her asthma, but for the Cushing's Syndrome she had developed over the years when, due to lack of money, she had used excessive amounts of prednizone to treat her symptoms.


During the course of this "treatment" she went into a deep crisis from which she never recovered.

I loved her very much. Everyone she knew loved her. She lived in Tepic for six years prior to her death, working as an English teacher in various schools. The last one she worked in was Universidad Viscaya.

I persuaded her to quit working so we could concentrate on improving her health.

Irony at this point ran out into the street and got crushed beneath the wheels of a bus.

She died much as she had lived; gently, slowly, and with little complaint. It is impossible for me, a Canadian, to express the level of sorrow I am feeling at having discovered this great treasure in Mexico, and then to have watched it slip through my fingers due to the years of medical maltreatment she had received from others, inflicted on herself and that I caused through my bungling enthusiasm.

The only consolation I can rescue from this tragic experience is the knowledge that for the seven months that I knew her, she was a happier person, according to her family. This is a very small comfort to me, for having lost a great, too-short love in my misbegotten life.

I shall try to keep in my memory always her optimism, her love of laughter, her gentleness, her keen intelligence, and most especially her love and empathy.

"That time of year thou may'st in me behold,
When yellow leaves, or none, or few do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare, ruined choirs where late the sweet birds sang......:

...This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong
To love that well which thou must leave ere long"

Wm. Shakespeare, Sonnet LXXIII

The Old Curmudgeon

Why I Love Mexico

I’ve got this diplomat friend (a very good friend, sorta like a brother if you know what I mean) , a greek dude, and he’s married to a RegioMontana (a ravishing lady indeed as most RegioMontanas tend to be).

Anyway, I was conversing with her in Spanish (she speaks perfect Greek, both ancient (Attica dilect) as well as modern but I alway prefer to converse with her in Castellano since it allows me to practice what’s left of my Spanish.)



Anyway we were talking about Mexico and it intrigued her why I was so much in love with her homeland.

Well I sez to her: “how can you not be in love with a country that gave birth to Siqueiros and Rivera, to Frida and Celo Velasquez, whose conservatories raised the great Placido Domingo, whose opera houses and auditoriums hosted Callas, and of course (lest I forget) the country that gave us my good ol’ friend (who honored us in the past and still continues to do so with his visits here in Greece, and in this very house; although to be honest I had met him several times during my stay in Mexico as part of my “visits” to Mexico city) Carlos Fuentes.”



 Here’s a bit of Siqueiros for you.
Timeless, isn’t he?

Monterrey Nuevo Leon : Mexico's Industrial Powerhouse

Monterrey Nuevo Leon, which translates to Royal Mountain or Mount Royal or Montreal in French, is one of the most impressive cities of the world, combining strong industrial prowess, culture and a vibrant and exciting nightlife. Monterrey is many times called “The Sultana of the North” and the city’s inhabitants are typically referred to as RegioMontanos or RegioMontanas.

Monterrey’s industrial might is notable especially in the areas of steel, cement, glass, financial services, as well as its ability to draw foreign investments in the areas of high technology and telecommunications. The Monterrey Steel Foudry, or Fundidora operated from 1900 until 1986 and is one of the industrial establishments credited with helping achieve the city’s growth and financial prowess. The Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma produces world class beers such as Tecate and Sol (commonly refereed to as Rubias) and the excellent local Indio beer (referred to as : Morena). The Cerveceria was founded by the Garza Sada family, one of the pillars of the Monterrey business community and is currently owned by Heineken International.


Monterrey Nuevo Leon is also home to world class higher education institutions such as the Tec de Monterrey which was founded through the philanthropic activity of Don Eugenio Garza Sada, an MIT graduate noted philanthropist and established businessman who died at the hands of kidnappers. The Tec, or ITESM, is active in the areas of the applied sciences and engineering and its research activities and curricula are equivalent to the level of institutions such as Sanford, Berkeley and MIT.

The city’s exciting nightlife consists of an elaborate array of districts and municipalities hosting a variety of entertainment facilities including restaurants (Chinese, Greek, Italian and Tex Mex), bars, malls, parks supported by strong infrastructure and impressive hotels.

A midnight stroll under a full Mexican moon in the romantic El Barrio Antiguo (the old quarter) is highly recommended, while the youthful fervor of the posh municipality of San Pedro Garza Garcia which also boasts a very active nightlife is ideal for bar hopping, shopping, dining and general entertainment. Monterrey’s and San Pedro Garza Garcia’s nightlife are sure to leave someone with pleasant, romantic and unforgettable memories.
The nearby resorts of La Laguna (The Lagoon) and Cola de Caballo (Horse’s Tail) just outside of Monterrey provide an ideal place for summer camping, hiking and outing.
Access to the Monterrey Nuevo Leon can be achieved through a number of highways as well as the local Mariano Escobedo Airport which connects to most international airports such as Fort Worth and Houston.