"bad boy"

We had a weird experience today. To put it in context, I have to say that all the people we’ve met so far here in Ixtlan have been very friendly and helpful. Well, anyway, today we decided to go for a hike to the top of a nearby mountain, where there’s a lookout. Several people told us how to get there, and we followed their advice. The path to the top was beautiful, with great views of the surrounding mountains and Ixtlan in the valley. Eventually we made it to the top, which is at en elevation of 2300m. The hike took about 1hr, and the kids did surprisingly well. They were having a good time, and really enjoying the views. When we got to the lookout at the top, I was taking pictures of a monument that was put there to commemorate a fight between Zapotecs and Aztecs, which took place in the fourteen hundreds; then a man showed up, and asked us, in an unfriendly way, if we had a permit to be there. We didn’t know anything about a permit, although now both Ed and I recall reading in our tourist books that the lands here belong to the community, including the forest, and permits may be needed. Anyway, nobody we spoke to here, including the people who gave us directions, told us anything about a permit. We told the man we didn’t know about it, but we’d be happy to buy one. His manner got more aggressive. His whole demeanor was very mean and hostile. He said we’d have to pay a fine, and tried to contact someone on his radio. He then asked us where we are from. We said the US, and he got even angrier. He said that he doesn’t like the US; he said that when he was there, he wasn’t treated well, and that he doesn’t want us here, in his land. I told him in my best Spanish that we are sorry that he had a bad experience in the US, and that we would not treat people poorly. I tried to tell him that we’re peaceful people and respect others, but he was angry at Americans, and told us we shouldn’t be treated any better than he was when he was in our country. Then I told him I was actually Canadian, and showed him my passport, which he took. At this point, 7 kids in their 20s also arrived at the lookout. He went to them, and without saying anything else, started harassing them about a permit. They didn’t know anything about a permit either. They were pretty taken back with his behavior, just as we were. He gave them a hard time for a while, and then started walking away with my passport. We started walking after him, and I asked him for my passport, and he said that he’d give it to me when he is ready to. By this point, Sena and Aiyana were scared, and started crying. Ed wasn’t scared at all, and he thought that this guy couldn’t do anything to us. But I felt threatened. I told him we wanted to go now, but he said that we had to wait until he contacted the commissariat, or the police station down in Ixtlan. Hearing this was actually a relief for me, bc I was sure that the police would be much nicer than him. He was still trying to get his radio to transmit, and every once in a while, he’d repeat to us that he doesn’t like people from our country and doesn’t want us here. The kids were crying still, and I could smell alcohol in his breath. I asked him where he was in the US and what happened to him there, but he just kept repeating the same lines over and over. I told him again that I was sorry about what happened to him, and that not everyone treats Mexican poorly. He wasn’t moved though. Finally, he got in his truck and told us to wait there, bc another truck would come to get us and bring us to the commissariat in Ixtlan. He left with my passport. This was a great relief (that he left), and the kids stopped crying. We went to where the other people were (the Mexican kids he was harassing), and stared talking to them. They were also upset by his behavior, and soon enough, we were all laughing and everyone felt better. Aiyana kept referring to the man as the “bad boy”, and everyone thought this was funny. The Mexican kids ended up being really nice and helpful. After half hour wait and no truck, we all decided to walk down to Ixtlan. 10 minutes into our walk we heard a truck coming up; it was the truck he had called for us, and the driver ended up being super nice and friendly. He was smiling, and told us almost apologetically that yes, we did need a permit, but he knows that there’s no way to know about it until you get to the top of the mountain (where there is a sign). We told him about the other guy’s behavior and he just shook his head. He said that he was drinking. He asked if we wanted a drive back down the mountain, and we all got in his truck. Things were going really well, when we saw “bad boy” on the side of the road. Now he also had a huge machete hanging at his waist. Our driver got out of the truck to talk to him and get my passport. Again, the guy was talking in a very angry tone, and soon he started arguing with one of the Mexican kids that were with us. Things cooled off pretty fast though, bc it was clear that he was the only one who was out of line. The driver got my passport from him and we started driving again. When we got to Ixtlan, we went to the ecotourism office, where I guess we should’ve gotten our permit, and we spoke to Yesenia, the woman who’s in charge there and who knows us well. She was appalled to hear about what happened to us, and she said she’d speak to her boss about the guy. She made us pay 60 pesos, about 5 dollars, for the permit, but then when the driver left, she gave us our money back, which was a little weird. She said she just wanted them to see that we paid, but that we don’t really have to. Finally, I told her that I did not want to get “bad boy” in trouble; it seems that he’s got enough problems already, but clearly his behavior was over the top, and maybe someone should talk to him about that.

So I have a lot of feelings about this incident. I felt fear at the time, especially when it was just us and him on top of the mountain. Ed said that he wasn’t afraid at all, and I know he wasn’t. But I’m not used to people being so aggressive, and I felt intimidated. However, once we were physically away from him, I feel really sorry for this guy. It was very clear that he is angry and hurt about what happened to him in the US, and he’s dealing with it by taking control the only way he can, by harassing us because we’re American. I’ve been thinking about how unfair it is, that when we come here, people are so friendly and nice to us, so respectful and giving. Yet when a Mexican comes to the US, their experience is so very different. Most people around here that have gone to the US have done so illegally; they’ve worked hard while they were there, and got paid very little money, most of which they send back here to their families. There’s so much discrimination and negativity towards Mexican people when they go to the US. Ed and I both spoke to different people, all of which had a difficult experience in one way or another. Now that I think of it, I am upset at how some people in the US treat Mexicans, and how this gives a bad name to everyone. I am actually very surprised that more people here do not feel animosity towards Americans. Too bad that “bad boy” picked us to take his anger out on; as Ed said, people who travel like us are probably less likely to mistreat people who come to the US.