Septiembre

The heat, my god the heat

I wrote last year about late summer on the Pacific coast of Nayarit, and how we all wither like wet rags in this, the hottest and most humid time of the year in this part of Mexico. That other article I wrote in August, but I did mention the specter of September. And whereas August is slow, there is still a trickle of late summer vacationers from Guadalajara and other Pacific-coast adjacent parts of Mexico trickling in to the beach towns to keep the economy barely afloat. But by September, even those stalwarts have headed for the hills (literally). August is slow. September is dead. Most of the restaurants don’t even bother trying to lure in the locals - they just shutter up for the month. They’ll open again in October, when the gringo snowbirds begin to flutter in. But for now, the beaches are all but deserted, save for the odd crocodile who got washed into the ocean from some recent storm. I try to strike up friendships with these leftover dinosaurs, but they’re having none of it. The cynical part of me says they are only interested in eating me, but maybe they just don’t like my avoidance of small talk. Undoubtedly, they want to keep the conversation light, while I keep trying to engage them in a discussion about the reasons behind the fluctuating peso.

The iguanas are in full retreat, hiding in the leafy mango trees (is this entire post going to be about lizards of various sizes? Spoiler: read the next sentence.) The dogs are vying for shade, panting, disinterested, reserving their energy for the October handouts sure to come. Even the mosquitos seem bored, halfheartedly nipping at my ankles while I halfheartedly care.

Lest I begin to give the impression that September is the hottest month in Mexico, let me clarify: it is only the hottest month on the Pacific coast. In Mexico’s central highlands, for example, the hottest month is usually May. On the Yucatan peninsula, July and August typically run hottest. Mexico is a big country, the climate is heterogeneous.

Speaking of heterogeneity, I am typing this from the much more refreshing climate in the state of Guanajuato, city of San Miguel de Allende. It is well past May, so it is no longer hot here. 24 degrees celcius/75 Fahrenheit in the daytime - I’m pulling the covers up at night. Tomorrow morning (“today” is Monday), I’ll return to my beach town, but for now, I’m in sort of a polar opposite from the place I described at the beginning of this post. It is very busy here, and the fact that I’m actually here on business is not what makes it so busy: San Miguel de Allende is a big year-round hit with the gringos. Many people dismiss the town because of this; but still, this place feels quite Mexican. In fact, as much as it is a hit with the gringos, it is probably a larger hit with the chilangos from Mexico City. A quick stroll through the centro had me dodging about 25 different wedding parties, many of which were likely weddinging (that’s not a word) here from CDMX. This place has its attractions, despite its detractors. In some future post, I’ll reveal some of my conflicted thoughts about San Miguel de Allende (I know you’re all waiting on pins and needles).

Mas septiembre

No - that’s not a typo in the heading; in Spanish, month and day names are not capitalized when they aren’t the first word of a sentence. Now that we’ve got that little un-asked-for grammar lesson out of the way, there is more to September than the crushing heat in Nayarit (where I’ve just returned - time flies when you’re typing). A few highlights:

September marks the final month of president Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s 6-year term. The 30% of Mexican voters who cannot stand Sr. Manuel López I’m sure are breathing a sigh of relief, but still - it is remarkable that he is leaving office with around a 70% approval rating. On October 1, Mexico’s first female president - Claudia Sheinbaum - will be sworn into office.

September sees Mexico’s Judicial reform drama kicking into high gear. This is not a subject I’m eager to tackle; it is massively controversial, with pretty much the entire world outside of the Morena party firmly against it. Many and better words have been written about it than I could muster. The Wilson Center has a decent (critical) synopsis of the reform proposal here, for those who are interested.

Finally, Mexico’s Independence Day falls on the 16th of September. The flag sellers are out in droves, the Chiles en Nogada are baking in the oven. Get ready for the grito, it’s going to be a long month.