José & His Wife Andrea with Their Kids
So on this day I was buying some fruit from a roadside stand (grapes and a mango) when a woman came out of her house to talk to me. She spoke zero English, and I speak almost no Spanish. The conversation was interesting to say the least! Her name was Marta, and she wanted to know who I was and where I was from. After a bit of awkward chatting, she motioned for me to come into her house. It was two small buildings (two rooms to a building) and a couple of courtyards covered with thatched roofing.
Taking Vincente to Vote
I followed her in and she proceeded to introduce me to her family, and poured me a juice. She had a large extended family living with her. I counted about 11 people living on that property. Marta’s sister Andrea and her brother José and his wife Andrea, their kids (Jesus Manual, Margarita, Linda, Carla, & Evelyn), and the grandfather Vicente Arceo. The whole family was of Mayan decent too.
The grandfather seemed to have diabetes or something similar because all the toes on his left foot were missing, and he only had 2 left on the right foot. Both were wrapped in bandages, and he stayed in a hammock all the time.
After a bit of laughing at my horrible Spanish, José asked me to help him put the grandfather in the back of their pickup truck. It was election day, and they wanted to take him into town to vote. So we put him in a wheelchair, and placed him in the back of the truck. The kids sat in the back of the truck to steady him while we drove, and they insisted I sit up front with Jose.
Jesus Manuel & the Chickens
We drove into town, and José honked the horn to all his friends he passed on the way. Everyone stared at me as we went by, sometimes with their mouths hanging open. It was pretty funny. I think José was showing off his new American friend. 
The voting location was beside a park, and it was filled with people wearing blue or red shirts, depending on the party they supported. While Vincente was inside voting, the girl Margarita took me to the park to wait in the shade. As soon as we sat down, old Mayan women were laughing and making all kinds of cooing sounds at us. Margarita explained that they thought I was her boyfriend. I smiled and waved to them and they all broke out in laughter.
We all went back to the home, and I stayed with them for another hour or so to practice my Spanish. The next day I went over with a friend from the hostel, Diego, and brought over a big bag of apples and kiwis. They made us a lunch of tortillas, with peppers and chicken. The chicken had just been butchered that morning, and Andrea pulled meat from the thing to prepare the meal (they have a chicken coop in back).
I went back one more time that night to say goodbye to everyone, and chat in Spanish some more. I have a little phrase book that we took turns handing back and forth to try and have a conversation.
Andrea, Marta, and Margarita
A bit later, a police truck stopped by the house, filled with cops. This made me a bit nervous for a second, as they were all staring at me. There are many police trucks in this area of Mexico, it’s just a pickup truck with a cage on the back and lights. The bed of the truck is usually filled with 3 or 4 cops, with another two in the cab.
I have no idea what they talked about, but they left 10 minutes later still staring at me in surprise. I don’t think too many tourists hang out at the house of a local family in this area.
Before I left, I showed Jesus Manuel how to make paper airplanes, and passed around a photo of my big family and pointed out how everyone was related to me. When they saw that I wore glasses in the photo, I was asked if my blue eyes were natural or colored contacts. I received big smiles of approval when I told them they were natural.
So this was my experience hanging out with a local Mayan family in Valladolid, Mexico. They were incredibly friendly people, and very patient with my lack of Spanish. I have decided that I really need to learn the language though, because I think it will greatly enrich my travels throughout Latin America.
Okay, so while fasinating, that was just a bit scary. Were you able to find out what the police were looking for? Yikes, I'm glad you're okay. Yep, learning Spanish could definitely come in handy. Got Rosetta Stone handy?!?!?
What a great experience! You are a man after my own heart, I love getting to know the people and the culture. You could not ask for a better life experience. Love Trish
I love hearing about your experiences with the people. You must have a kind and compassionate face–people seem to readily “take you in”–what an education you're getting! Don't you have a “languages app” on your iPhone?
Yes, but I try to avoid taking it out in public. It attracts too much attention. I usually leave it at the hostel.
I never did. I keep hearing from other travelers that the best way to learn Spanish is to take a 3 week course in Guatemala. Very cheap, and they speak slow there. I may do that this fall.
Hello Matt. My name is Sara and your Mom and I work together. You have a terrific mother , by the way! You must visit my daughter Danielle in Nicaragua. She is a volunteer in the Peace Corps and located in a site near Leon. You would have a place to stay.
Hi Sara. I may have to check it out!