Efrén and his family in Humirá
A couple of nights ago we stayed in Humirá with some of the most impressive people we've met on the trip. Humirá is right before the really big climb out of the second canyon out of Creel, and we got there about 4:30, knowing we had about 25K and more than 2000 feet of climbing ahead of us. We stopped to chat with a farmer out working with his whole family on clearing trimmed wood from their apple orchard. When we decided to bail for the night we rode back and asked them if we could stay at their place. That's how we met Efrén. We helped with the wood-hauling until dusk, and then set up the tent. They fed us beautiful blue corn tortillas in the evening (we got to see the whole process).
Anyway, you might want to meet Efrén and his wife Lola some time. They live in a tiny two room house with no electricity or running water, but struck us as some of the most integral people we've ever met. It was amazing to see the girls studying by the little car-battery-driven light (on Friday night) and talking with Efrén about what their life is like and such. Although they're what we would consider quite poor in resources, they are community leaders - the day we left they had organized a community-wide highway trash pickup. And Lola is a community health worker.
Efrén would someday like to organize a foundation that could somehow channel help to the people who have even less than he does, especially Tarahumara but also the very poor mestizos. He invited us to come back after our trip and help set it up.
One of the biggest needs he mentioned are shoes and blankets. So if you read this and are going this way bring some extra shoes and blankets to drop off.
It is amazing to see how poor people can be but still be wealthy. I think the difference between the poor and the people who are in poverty, is a state of emotions and acceptance and community support. People can have nothing but they can be secure in what they have. People can have everything but have nothing because they have fear of losing it all. Or perhaps it is the fear that creates desperations and therefore real poverty..
We could have spent many days learning from this family.