New patriots
A new generation joined in Melaque’s recent community parade celebrating Mexican Revolution Day.
Still in strollers, these very young parade participants were pushed by their mothers, also dressed in festive Mexican colors, hair pulled tightly back, some with bullets worn across their chests representing revolutionaries fighting for a more democratic Mexico.
This is a story of three of these young patriots who each have a slightly different tale to tell, since their mothers all hail from other countries.
Lara
Lara Sobral Quirojal, almost two years old, is accompanied by her mother, Rocío Quiroga Mundin, originally from Galicia, a self-governing community in Spain.
Rocio’s husband and Lara’s father, Diego, was born in Mexico. His grandparents emigrated to Mexico due to the lack of work in Spain at that time. Diego’s mother, who was born in Mexico and grew up in Spain and Mexico, married a Greek with whom she had Diego and his siblings. Rocio comes from a family of fishermen and says she and Diego are happy working and living by the sea.
Asked what inspired her to take young Lara in the parade celebrating Mexico’s Revolution Day, Rocio replies: “I would like my daughter to defend her culture and traditions and to know where she’s from – Mexico, Greece and Spain … I stand up for roots and culture from every part of the world and want my daughter to be proud of her origins.”
Rosy
Young Rosy rode in the parade with her mother, Aynsley Parker, who is originally from Canada.
Aynsley spent her childhood traveling with her family to Mexico’s Pacific coast. “I fell in love with the area, people, food, culture and, later, the warm surf,” she says.
Aynsley taught at a surf camp north of Puerto Vallarta, and taught yoga in the Costalegre area, so she could spend more time here. She then met Alejandro Amador Navarro, who was born and raised in Melaque and whom she eventually married. The couple decided to stay here for good.
“I married into a big loving Mexican Catholic family that offers me so much support as a mother,” she says.
Aynsley and Rosy attend Educación Inicial classes in Melaque, led by Monica, Alejando’s aunt, Here, mothers and their babies get together twice a week with others enrolled in the program to play, learn and socialize.
“We decided as a group to enter the Revolution Day parade to bring awareness to the class,” says Aynsley. “For myself there was personal motivation to participate in order to celebrate my daughter’s Mexican roots.”
Melody
Bright-eyed and with hair as light as cornsilk, young Melody smiled from her stroller alongside the other babies participating in the Revolution Day parade. Her mother Cathy Pollard Noble, originally from Canada and boasting the traditional bullets across her chest, representative of the revolutionaries of the time, lives in Barra de Navidad with her husband Rick.
Melody was born here and is a citizen of both Canada and Mexico. Cathy says her friend Aynsley encouraged her to join the early education classes. “I was apprehensive to go in the parade as obvious foreigners,” says Cathy, “but I knew the experience would benefit Melody so I pushed through my apprehension. The experience was good and I definitely felt accepted and welcomed.”
Melody continues: “The history of this holiday is about every day people joining the fight for a better country, so really it can and should be celebrated by anyone willing to fight the good fight, foreign or national. I am grateful to the community for involving Melody in their history.”
El Día de la Revolución is on November 20 and celebrates the beginning of a ten-year struggle that began in 1910 with the uprising against then dictator President Porfirio Díaz. Nowadays, students and workers get the day off on the third Monday of November regardless of which day it falls on.
Happenings of interest
•Everyone is welcome to meet at the Jardín in Barra on Sunday, December 1 to start decorating the plaza for Christmas.
• The 1st Bow Wow Bingo of the season is planned at Albatroz Restaurant Bar in Melaque on Monday, December 2. Proceeds go to help our four-legged friends in need. For more information, contact Maurie at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
• The Farmers Market in Barra de Navidad will be held every Thursday beginning December 5, on the corner of Veracruz and Puerto Navidad.
• The tianguis are held on Wednesdays in Melaque and on Thursdays in Barra.
• The Costalegre Rotary Club funds community projects in Barra, Melaque and the Cihuatlan area. Don’t miss their Mexican Christmas Dinner, Dance and Auction on Wednesday, December 11, to be held at El Manglito restaurant in Barra. For tickets and information, contact Teresa Linklater at 314-125-0145 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
• The Christmas parade on Sunday, December 15 starts from the Jardin in Barra and goes to the church in La Colonia Ejidal. There will be gifts and activities for the children. All floats need to be present by 5:30 p.m. Parade start time is 6 p.m.
• The Centro de Arte y Cultura (CENAC) in Melaque is hosting the first Costalegre Book Fair on Monday, January 27, 2020. Organizers are looking for published book authors who are willing to speak about their craft, inspiration and output. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Cafe CENAC, Las Cabanas 15, in Melaque. For more information contact Mark Butkus at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 001-773-844-2747.