And Magdalena Jaltepec might on first appearances seem like a sleepy little town with not a lot to see or do. But if you take a slow walk around town on a hot sunny day in late December you'll be amazed at what you find...
We start out from the museum, crossing the quiet town square. There's a Christmas "posada" outside one of the houses, a representation of Mary and Joseph looking for shelter before the birth. It will finally move to its church home at midnight on Christmas Eve.
We turn up to the new highway, "a dream" for the more remote communities of Jaltepec, shortening their journey time and connecting them with the villages and towns of the Mixteca beyond. But my poet-builder friend also tuts and frets at the inadequacy of the work and the shoddy design that will lead to flooding when the heavy rains come.
Our goal is the village graveyard or "pantheon" on the edge of the town. It's like exploring a miniature Mexican village including a full blown class structure. A simple pile of stones for the poorest residents, the majority enjoying a reddish flat stone. The richest or most powerful families display their wealth with mock chapels, ranging from beautiful to tacky to what can only be described as grotesque.
We meander down towards the river and the farm where my friend used to work. There are pumpkins sitting out to dry, split open so the seeds will catch the sun. Piles of corn husks. Beans waiting to be threshed.
The farm owner, the señor who taught him how to work the land, is butchering a large animal with the help of two of his grandsons. Snarling dogs prowl the yard, guarding the meat. His wife is washing the intensines, throwing blood-favoured water for the hens and turkeys to peck.
We finish up walking past the school, named after a local ruler ("8-tiger"), inscribed - as all the schools are - with a great quote: we write our own destiny. The kids are out playing football, wearing sweatshirts and long trousers in a defiance of heat that all teenagers here seem to share.
And finally meander back up to the town square. Empty band stand. Nursery children clutching home made Christmas decorations. Old folk passing the time of day. Church roof blushing in the sun.
Downtown Jaltepec on a busy Thursday afternoon
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