Hasta Luego Hermosillo
Trip Start
Jan 11, 2006
1
6
Trip End
Jun 21, 2006
Hermosillo, Mexico
Thursday, May 11, 2006
I incorrectly stated in my last entry that it would be my last from Hermosillo, but lucky for you I couldn't finish! This should be on the shorter side, but hopefully action packed and not sleep-inducing in the least.
A student currently studying at Michigan Tech, originally from Venezuela, is doing her Masters' Thesis on the Rio Yaqui basin, the largest river in northern Mexico. Her field of study is environmental engineering, but she is focusing her project more on the sociological and economical aspects of the basin, as opposed to the technical aspects. About 3 weeks ago she arrived in Hermosillo to give a brief presentation on her project and recruit sociology students from the University here to conduct surveys in Obregón, a city cut in half by the Rio Yaqui. The surveys seemed somewhat abstract to me, but they are designed to get an idea of what sort of economic value the people give to the Rio Yaqui and the services it provides. I went two weekends in a row, and each time was paired with a sociology student and let loose in the city to survey to our heart's content. It went surprisingly well, and people seemed to genuinely open up to me despite obviously not being a native Spanish speaker. On the whole, families with lower incomes were much more friendly and open to talking, while families in houses that resembled castles had personalities that mirrored their dwellings. It sort of reminds me how a dog will gradually take on the appearance and characteristics of its owner after time, and how you can tell an owner by their dog. This is of course not always true, and a few times the wealthier people were extremely friendly and inviting. I was also intrigued by Monica's Venezuelan accent, and how although very different from Mexican Spanish, was completely understood by both myself and any Mexican she talked to. I think it's great how learning one other language can open up all these other countries.
This past week, a group of students from Michigan Tech, the University of British Colombia, and Laval University in Quebec traveled to Hermosillo for a field study of the Sonora basin and the water problems it faces. Seeing my dad in Mexico felt strange, as did having Katie come visit, but walking into the University house and seeing some of my good friends from Tech here in Mexico was just downright dreamlike. The week started in Hermosillo with presentations on the geology and hydrology of the area, visits to newly installed wells, and instruction on geohydrological techniques such as pump tests, sub-surface surveying, and GPS. The wells here are drilled to 300m deep, nearly 1000 feet, to reach water. For comparison, the water table in Michigan is rarely more than a few meters below the surface, although sometimes they will drill deeper to encounter cleaner water, in the range of 30-50 meters. We also visited the dried up reservoir, which was built in 1994. The reservoir was built as flood control measures, and ironically flooded in 1995 when the water was released into the river and lost into the Sea of Cortez. That marked the start of a 10-year drought in the area, and the reservoir has been dry since 1998 or 1999, and is currently being used as grazing land for cows. This has other dangerous implications, as the cows excrete waste into the field, and if the reservoir is to be filled in the future, the feces will surely contaminate the water.
At this point, the group left Hermosillo and followed the path of the river east and north, with visits to small towns along with way. In Aconchi we visited hot spring tubs and had a meeting with 8 mayors of the surrounding towns regarding their most dominant water problems, mostly revolving around treatment of wastewater and upgrading irrigation techniques. Flood irrigation is still the primary technique used, and in an arid climate dumping water on crops to let some infiltrate while the majority evaporates is neither practical nor efficient. Drip irrigation is started to become popular but there is much work to be done. One major told us at the meeting that their drinking water is clean and of the highest quality, while the next morning he informed us at a well that traces of feces have been found in the wells nearest the river. He was too embarrassed to tell us in front of his colleagues the night before. Our last stop was the city of Cananea, the site of a famous open pit copper mine once owned by the infamous Mr. Green. One of the stories telling the origin of the word Gringo, Spanish slang for an American, comes from the people of Cananea telling Señor Green to go home, hence, Green-go or Gringo. The other story I've heard is Pancho Villa shouting to his Mexican soldiers to chase after the American soldiers wearing green fatigues, and the Mexican soldiers not speaking English simply heard their general shouting Gringo instead of Green, Go! Anyway, the mine is a massive scar in the Earth and is actually visible as a giant white blotch in the north of Mexico when viewed from Google Earth. The sheer management of such a mining operation is impressive by itself. I found it interesting that the city has no wastewater treatment, and the mine is using 100% of the pure wastewater to assist in the smelting process of the copper. Sustainable? Not exactly. Profitable? Hardly. Enough to support a town of 30,000? Most certainly.
Our last two trips involved visiting a vineyard that had implemented drip irrigation, Kino beach, and the small town of Punta Chueca, our departure point when we visited Isla Tiburón a couple months ago. This time in Punta Chueca was much more interesting and cultural, as we had a meeting with a few leaders of the city regarding their water and wastewater situation. I also ate octopus and sushi for the first time, and I must say, I am becoming quite enamored with seafood. There is no doubt I am getting spoiled living this close to the ocean!
One neat thing about this trip with the Michigan Tech students is the relationship they had with each other. Five of them are in a grad school program combining a year of schooling at Tech with two years in the Peace Corps, then a return to Tech to defend their thesis related to sustainable development in developing countries. Tech offers several degrees in this Masters' International program, civil engineering, environmental engineering, and forestry, among others. It is an excellent and efficient program that I've been interested in since hearing about it a couple years ago, and now after talking to each of them about it I think I'm sold. This past week was the last time they'll be together until they return from their Peace Corps assignments, and we all felt drawn in to their nostalgia and stayed up late most nights just hanging around and talking. Three will be going to Africa, near Mali or Ghana, and the others will be in Central America near Panama, all working as water and sanitation engineers.
Whew, I think that's it. I'll be finishing up school here within the next week and half, and then hitting the road for a month. I can hardly wait to be updating from somewhere south as we attempt to gain a fuller understanding of that neighboring country just below y'all. Take care, my friends, and I wish you the best until our paths cross once again...
Saludos,
Jeff
P.S. If you have any requests for genuine Mexican gifts, send them my way! I'll be happy to bring anything legal that I can purchase back for you.
