Dogs and Culture in Alamos

A fellow we met the other day told us Alamos is home to 10,000 people, 8,000 dogs and 11,000 roosters; he may not be far off the mark. I can't speak for the roosters (although they crow day and night)...but the dog life in this town is pretty in-your-face. Here at the Acosta Ranch there are three resident dogs that take pains to show their superiority and ownership of the place. One especially (we call her Lady) is a serious pack leader. She patrols from campsite to campsite several times a day, tail up, gaze direct, and all the other dogs defer to her. Apparently when one didn't, she bit him in the neck. The other two are her thugs, and they also patrol at regular intervals. Sometimes they'll play with dogs belonging to campers here, especially the 6-month old Lab pup who often wanders loose. Things seem to work out pretty well as all the visiting dogs (usually six or more) tend to mind their manners. Even Geordie keeps his distance from the resident dogs.

In town there are lots of dogs, either behind fences or wandering the streets, sometimes in groups but more often singly. The ones behind fences take pains to tell you you're not welcome, by growling and barking as you pass. The ones on the streets are more circumspect, sometimes cringing if you come too close. But even these ones in general look well fed and healthy. The first night we were here I woke up several times to a chorus of yipping and barking . I wondered at first if these were coyotes but I'm pretty sure it's packs of dogs communicating. I don't know what sets them off, whether it's someone coming by or maybe some kind of nightly ritual. In any case, the dog life in this town prevails.

We spent yesterday experiencing the culture of Alamos. We toured some of the beautifully restored houses, and attended an art gallery opening as well as the performance by the children of the Wizard of Oz. It was a treat to see the little ones in costume singing and dancing. The play was a little too long to hold the attention of some of the children in the audience and one little guy of about five in a cowboy hat climbed right up on the stage to take part.

There is a very relaxed feeling between the Mexican and Gringo families here. A group of American women raise money through the house tours and other ways to provide scholarships for village children to attend high school. The house tour was interesting and gave us an insight into the difficulties of actually living here. We heard about water shortages, termites, building methods and other details that made us realize it's not as easy as it seems to live here.

The art gallery was created in a partially-restored building. Apparently two guys rented it, cleaned it up, painted it out, and installed a show done by a young Tucson woman. It looked lovely with candles in niches in the walls and strings of lights in the courtyard. Everyone who was anyone in town was there last night at the opening, many in their fancy clothes. We keep seeing the same faces here and there in town. So after a week we're getting ready to be on the road again. Tomorrow we'll head south toward Mazatlan and the holiday crowds, probably spending one night at a campground on the way.