Manalisco

Manalisco

HISTORY

It means water mantel from the Zapoteca dialect as once I was toll. It is located on the North East of the State of Jalisco in Mexico on the district of Yahulica which is the biggest town on the area. It is located about two hours driving from the state capital or Guadalajara which is the second biggest city on Mexico. It is a city unlike the typical stereotype of it people. The people are mostly white and are direct descendent of Spanish. The predominating families as the which are the mayor prospectors of the town and the ones own the properties around town after Manalisco toward Yahulica, Huscilco and Cuquio. It population therefore is predominately white.

CLIMATE

Manalisco is surrounded by mountains all around and it. The climate is a semiarid and the only three grounds naturally is a mesquite which predominates as well as some spiny bushes with the foliage similar to the mesquite. Also, cactus is another predominate vegetation. Eucalypts grow are also found in the edge of the rivers. However, there is not Major River that is creek for the most part of the year. It only rains during the summer time and at that time is the only time when everything is green and grass covers the ground. The rest of the year the whole area is brown and everything is dead.

TRANSPORTATION AND COMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS

Not till about 1985 it didn’t have a pave road, but just a dirt road. The telephones were not install instill about 1990 to the houses before that only there was one phone for the whole town where it has it operator. Even, now for a lot of people it is the only source of communication to the outside world despite the technological advance of the cell phone. The last I knew which was about three years there was no people with the internet on town. Even with transportation not till about 13 years the only way out was by a bus that came once a day to go to Yahualica and another to Cuquio. Now, there are several a days to go to both town and two time there a bus that take you to Guadalajara. Most people don’t have cars even if they can afford them. They are not of much used unless is for business purposes. Recently, they number of people with motorcycles as grown which are more practical to move around town. Because Manalico is on a hole since is surrounded by mountains no television or radio signal were able to enter to town except one channel and few radio station. Therefore this town has been disconnected from most of the world. With the exception for those that could afford it there was a time in which Parabolas like dishes were able to take signal and take hundreds of channels at not charge except that of the dish. However, the station block that and we were no longer able to even watch TV. Because of the town bought a dish that could transmit the signal of another channel to the whole town, but it became useless four years ago since the TV station change the transition waves again. Now, the only way to see more the one channel is by buying the expensive service of a dish. For this reason, the favor pass time of a lot of people on town is to gossip about other peoples business.

COMMERS

Now talking about businesses there only little stores three mayor one all in the center of the city close by the church where only the basics are sold. There are not even clothing stores for that you need to go to Yahulica or somewhere else. At one point mine friend mom use to sell some clothes but or Tere a lady that now have a groceries stores. There is a bread store but only open in the afternoon and the bread is brought from Yahulica everyday. There are no restaurant except little "Fondas" of food places that only sell at night. And two of the popular "Fondas" sell food in their house. One is down town and there are two taco stands. There are about three hair salons and two bus stations. There is a clinic which is the Centro de Salud which is a government place run by a inter send by the government. There only two other doctors’ aunt Esmeralda and Doctor Alfonso and both of them have their own pharmacy also for about five or so years a dentist has been working there too. With this I cover all the business. However, the church is the one the gets the most money. With this bring me to mine next topic religion.

RELIGION, CELEBRATIONS and TRADITION

Catholicism is the predominant religion with the exception of two families that are Protestant.

The only mayor even on town are Las Fiestas de Enero or the Parties of January. A lot of people US or Guadalajara come to visit as well as the surrounding towns. There are game and music and the whole town goes to the center of the city to celebrate. It is a religious celebration in which a religious figure is worship and brought to temple in a worshipping ceremony and in January is the time it goes to Manalisco. People go walking all the way from Yahulica to Manalisco in a peregrination to bring this religious figure or a Christ with long hair. The other mayor celebrations are the weddings and baptisms. Funerals too are occasions where a lot of people attend.

Also, on the Sunday people like to go to the Kiosk or a gazebo like place on the center of town with places to sit and rest with shade three and benches a beautiful surrounding the kiosk.

EDUCATION

There is only one kinder garden, two elementary schools one private run by the nuns and one public. The is one middle school in which I was the four class to attend it before that one no middle school it was first open on about 1990. However, when I attended school there was no kinder garden. So we attended in a room of the public school which was divide on two turns one in the morning and one in the afternoon. I this school in the afternoon attended for seven years with classmates. Were thought by four different teacher during this seven years meaning that there were time when we had the same teacher the next year. We were still on the same class room all year or maybe couple years. Our school had a basket ball court and a volleyball court but we like more at recess time to go and play and run around the school always with our same group of friends because it was difficult for another person to join in the group.

FROM MY RECOLECTION

As for me I am 23 years old and live there for half mine life. I no sure exactly how life is now because I only visit couple of time since I left. However, when I return everything seem to be the same except that people have grown old move or die, but things seem to continue to work the same and the same things were observe.