In the third installment of my Life in Rural Mexico series, I’ll introduce you to two groups of people who, I am told, are found in many rural communities in Mexico, not just my own.
Los Morosos means defaulters or delinquents, but perhaps the word could be best translated as “The Deadbeats.”
They may represent a substantial portion of the community and are so-called because they refuse to pay the annual service fee which keeps the community running. This cuota often pays for road maintenance, street lighting, gate guards, office upkeep, staff salaries and in the earlier days of my community, also included the distribution of piped water to each home for three hours every day.
Throughout the 50-year history of my Guadalajara subdivision, Los Morosos benefited from these and many other services without paying anything.
Why did they do that? The most common excuse was: “I’m sure the mesa directiva (board of directors) is pocketing some of the money they collect, so I won’t contribute anything.”
Enter on the scene a board president, who I will call Don Horacio, though that is not his real name.
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