Free enterprise in Mazatlan

I am writing this to salute the enterprise of the people of Mexico and Mazatlan in particular. I am especially impressed with how hard the people work, often to make just above survival income.

The first instance of this is the unoffical parking attendant, carwasher. Mazatlan does not have parking meters, but most blocks have their resident car watcher, car wash attendant. This is a man that stays on his block all day and into the evening. Although there is no charge to park, most realize that a small propina, (tip), will assure that your car will not be broken into, keyed, etc. Five pesos is generally adaquate. As this is about 40 some cents, this is cheap parking with a guarantee of safety for you car. Also, this same person will wash your car while you are out doing your business for around 50 pesos. Although we first balked at this, now we often avail ourselves of this service. With the use of a couple of rags and a bucket of water, you car is shiny when you return. These men carry themselves with pride and dignity as they support their family in a way they know.

One day last fall we were walking down the street when a bicyclist stopped to talk to us. He turned out to be a dentist and he gave us his card. Although skeptical of his approach to drum up business I reported to his office when my cleaning was due. It turns out he is a highly skilled dentist with certifications in endodonics and restorative dentistry. He personally cleaned and polished my teeth with the latest equipment. He also performed a checkup and discovered one small cavity. He said it would probably be okay to wait until I returned in the fall, but I scheduled an appointment with him to have it filled. The cost of the cleaning and check up was 300 pesos, around $25. He filled the tooth for $40 on my next appointment. Of note is I didn't know he had given me the shot to numb the area of the filling until I started feeling the numbness. I thought he had just been preparing my mouth for the shot, but he had already done it with absolutely no pain. With this and a cleaning last spring, my years dental expense was well under $100.

Alehandro and his crew maintain the community where we live. They keep both pools clean, all the lawns mowed, all the plants watered, and trim the palms. On top of this, this crew is available to perform almost any side job needed for a propina, (tip). Many people in Marina Gardens have hired Alehandro and his crew to do many jobs, both skilled and unskilled. I would guess that they make as much or more from the extra services that they perform after their work day is over than they make with their pool maintainance and landscape contracts. We have been happy with their work that they perform with integrity and a smile.

We continue to be impressed with the ingenuity and dignity of the hard working Mexican people. This is the great majority of the people of our adopted city in traditional jobs or in jobs they have created. They ethic here is that all work has dignity. Again, we salute our hard working Mexican hosts.