Carneval in La Venta - Part 2

Oh man, this blogging can get a bit tedious when you live in a country where it seems every other day some sort of festival occurs...  So I'm way behind, and need to finish the story of our Carneval experience in the dusty little country town called La Venta.  I left off as we were being led into the home of Jesus, one of the guys we befriended after Janan's dad Al and our friend Ann Hillers bought a round of beer for all the men in the beer tent...

So, with typical over-the-top Mexican hospitality, our host Jesus (the one in the white hat above) led us into his rather large yet humble family compound, insisting that we join him for a meal.  Promptly, as tradition dictates, the women of the household, including his mother and a few aunts, got to work setting the table...

...and of course preparing the dinner in the kitchen:

Then, as if we were family or highly distinguished guests, we were served a wonderful, delicious country meal of rice with a tomato broth and pork.  Just what we needed after such a festive afternoon (and many rounds at the beer tent).

No doubt the Mexicans take hospitality very, very seriously, similar to (and perhaps partly derived from) the traditional Arab customs of hospitality, which dictate that the guest be treated, quite literally, as if royalty.  To Americans, unaccustomed to such treatment, it can almost seem to be too much, leaving one slightly embarrassed to receive such generosity...

 

It was a real honor and pleasure, and a tremendous and humbling experience to receive so much from those that have so little.  And it was a true gift to be a part of the joy that they felt in hosting us.  But all too soon it was time to say goodbye, and as darkness set in we wandered back into the streets, following Jesus' advice not to miss the next attraction of the evening:  the local cockfight...

Having been to a cockfight previously in San Miguel, I pretty much knew what to expect, but was completely taken by surprise to be recognized (along with Sam Hillers) upon walking in by "Lulu", our waitress from the last cockfight I'd attended 6 months prior (see "Palenque" blog of October 2010).

So we grabbed some prime seats...

...placed a few bets, and enjoyed the show along with the majority of the men (and a few women and children, too) of the surrounding community.  I even managed to win a few hundred pesos, somehow having a knack to spot the winners...

...and avoid the losers:

If I keep this up, I may have to get a jacket like this guys...

By midnight, it was time to depart - we had taken all we could from this little nothing-of-a-town hidden in a dust bowl of the Bajio.  It was time for us gringos to get some sleep.  

All in all, it was yet another incredible experience down here.  Mexico can't boast of its materialistic riches, but culturally this cup runneth over and over and over...