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| Ron Becker (left) and George Meza (right) walk into town. |
This year I brought my friend Ron for his first visit to the town. We arrived with the usual assortment of camera gear and boxes of gifts. Usually when word gets out that we are going from the U.S. to Unión de Tula, friends and relatives give us parcels of all shapes and sizes to take. For this reason along with carry-on and check-in baggage restrictions, we often underpack, and find ourselves needing to go shopping.
One of the first things we often do is buy cowboy hats and boots. (As the saying goes, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do.") Its funny, in the United States, none of us would think of wearing cowboy hats. However in Unión de Tula, it feels right to do so. These items can be found at rather reasonable prices in various shops near the central plaza.
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| Sombero Shopping in a shop about 3 blocks East of the Central Plaza. |
We went hat Shopping in a shop about 3 blocks East of the Central Plaza. (I believe at the intersection of Veracruz and Avenida Mexico). They had a great selection and reasonable prices. The owner of the shopkeeper speaks english and has spent many years in the U.S.
A word of advice: If your going to buy a hat for Unión de Tula, I suggest you get a "Resistol" or similar hat. The reason: Though felt "Stetson" style hats may look better, the "Resistol" style hats are more resistant to crushing and can be cleaned with simple soap and water. I have dropped my hat in mud many times while riding a horse to know this to be true.
While shopping, we met several interesting people and saw many products. Each year we go back we notice more and more items are available whereas in previous years they were not. There seems to be more commerce
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| The salesperson was so good, she talked George into buying a pair of boots as well. (Perhaps it was her smile.) |
in the year 2000 than in the past. Looking at the hills and new construction within and around the surrounding hills, Unión de Tula seems to be growing in population as well. (I heard Unión de Tula even has a web site now!)
While touring through town, we stumbled across a film crew in the central plaza. There was supposed to be one famous actor (and many many not so famous actors) in the movie. The set involved lots of shootouts, drama and even a romantic interest. The camera crew shot the movie in town for about 2 weeks and employed local towns people for help.
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| Luces! Camara! Accion! |
Each year we arrive I set out to try to accomplish to photographicly cover various aspects of life in of Unión de Tula not previously captured. Even though I have goals when I start shooting, I get very distracted with all the activities of the town at this time of year. Some of the things I wanted to cover is the school system, the cemetary and our generous host Paco.
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| Clothes vendor Patricia told us during the May and December celebrations, the population of Unión de Tula increases tremendously and the store becomes very busy. |
