There were five of us.  Aldo picked us up at the Donna-Rio Bravo International Bridge  crossing and drove us to his mother’s house in Rio Bravo, Mexico.  The city is not a tourist destination, rather it’s a working class city with street level homes and small businesses intermingled throughout the neighborhoods.  It was my first opportunity to see how the real people live in a foreign land, in a culture different my own.

Our purpose for the day was to meet Aldo’s mother, Yolanda, have lunch, tour the city, eat dinner and return to the border before dark. 

Now, in case you haven’t heard, many of Mexico’s border towns have experienced high levels of violent crime and Rio Bravo is no exception.  In November 2007, the city’s mayor was gunned down along with five others in front of his sister’s restaurant. 

After entering through the kitchen door, we were warmly welcomed in Spanish to Yolanda’s home.  While the exterior is simple and inconspicuous the interior is very inviting, decorated with a heavy, formal Spanish influence.  The dining room is set-off in warm appetizing colors. 

The mahogany table was set as if she had been expecting state dignitaries for lunch.  We showed up very casually dressed in blue jeans and tennis shoes. as we would have for an invitation to an American home on a weekday afternoon.

Yoland had prepared a marvelous selection of traditional tamales as-well-as others wrapped in cabbage leaves with a third variety wrapped in spinach leaves.  They were served with refried beans and a baked potato. 

The potatos came from a nearby taqueria.  The best baked potato I've ever had.  It was filled with Mexican cheese and crema fresca that gave it a flavor and texture I didn't want to stop eating.

The living room was decorated in cool, soothing colors and traditional art.
 Heavy, plush furniture held plenty of soft, comfy pillows.  It was a place where a group might assemble after dinner, enjoy beautifully crafted desserts and sip steaming hot coffee with pinkies held high.  We didn't, of course, but the setting instilled the thought.

I didn't know what to expect in a Mexican home, but this level of elegance was far beyond my imagination.

Before lunch, we went to the Taqueria El Guerro Fajas for those marvelous baked potatos.  The shop is an open front restaurant where you can watch the cooks prepare your meal.  They graciously allowed me to take pictures throughout.

Here the cook is preparing chopped beef tacos.

The chopping block looks to be the rough-sawn stump of a Mesquite or Ebony tree.  Whichever, I don't think it would pass inspection by the county health department in any U.S. state during the past twenty years or so.

That is not meant to disparage Mexican methods. This type of restaurant kitchen is a big part of Mexican life and heritage.

Charro beans are a  common  side dish with lunch., although we didn't have them today.

After a spectacular lunch, Aldo and his younger brother took us on a tour of the city.

The sidewalks seemed very narrow  and utility poles seemed more prominent  than what I'm used to seeing.  Other than these two points, this could be Main Street USA.

Oh yes, they even have Chinese restaurants.

I was very surprised to see so many people on the streets.  In the central park there were more than 30 people preparing it for a bishop’s visit the next day.

Everything from the paving bricks to the benches, the bandstand and even trees were being cleaned and painted for his stopover.

The project’s crew chief told us he had lived in Toledo, OH where he worked in the petroleum industry for sixteen years before retiring and returning to Rio Bravo. He prefers living in the U.S., but acknowledged that his home here is paid for and his entire family lives nearby.

On the square in front of the “Casa de Cultura,” a mariachi band serenaded Vicki and Jim. 

Their instruments and uniforms had seen better days, but that didn’t curb their enthusiasm, they even followed us to the van to continue with the entertainment.

Our visit to Rio Bravo was over much too quickly.  It is just not possible to see all there is to see in four or five hours.

None of this is to say that I recommend indiscriminate travel to Mexico’s border towns, but if you have a local escort who knows the city you will have a rare opportunity to experience life in another culture as you never have before.

This statue, dedicated to the memory of former mayor (1993-1995) Juan Antonio Guardo Anzaldua, marks the date of his assassination by the Gulf drug cartel.  He was shot down in front of his sister's restaurant  in downtown Rio Bravo, November 2007.  At the time of the shooting he had again been a candidate for mayor and promised to rid the city of the cartel and to expose corrupt government officials.

While Rio Bravo has not been a tourist destination, primarily because it had not been  located near a convenient border crossing, that may change soon. The Donna-Rio Bravo International Bridge, not far from this neighborhood, opened last December to passenger car traffic.

When the border violence dies down, vendors such as this, will see dramatic increases in the volume of their businesses.

This lady was selling, among other tasty treats, Churros.

Churros are deep fried pastries coated with cinamon and sugar,  sometimes filled with jam or honey.  Delicious.  Aldo and Gail are waitng for their order, which we all shared.