Here I am in the ancient colonial city of Queretaro, Mexico, northwest of the capital, visiting with my old friend Rafael Ruiz y Nava whom I have not seen in nearly 50 years. We graduated from TCU together in the spring of 1963 and have since gone our separate ways. While we have not been in contact with each other, I would occasionally hear of rumors about him from mutual friends. One of these – which turned out to be true – was that Rafael had gone with American Friends Service Committee to serve in Vietnam in 1968. But after only three months in Hue working in an orphanage he was evacuated in the wake of the Tet offensive, a traumatic experience which he has chronicled in excruciating detail. Afterwards, he disappeared altogether from my radar screen until a few months ago when I was visiting with old friends Elaine (Valencia) and Ken Kellam ’63. Over the years, they have remained my most reliable source of information about TCU matters. Fellow retiree Kellam has become a Starbucks habitué and has a regular circle of friends there he sees most mornings. Among them is a woman named Lisa who is a computer sleuth. Lisa used her investigative skills to locate Rafael via Facebook. (Yeah, I know, any teen-ager could have done that…..but Lisa did it for me!) Through subsequent email and phone exchanges, Rafael and I finally managed to re-connect.

The last time I had seen Rafael Ruiz was in New York City in the summer of 1964. He was studying at Union Theological Seminary and living in a flat on the upper West Side while working in the Columbia Men‟s Faculty Club dining room. I had been accepted into a Peace Corps training program at Syracuse University for Malawi which was to begin at the end of August. So I spent a few weeks with Rafael and his brother before heading down to the Democratic convention in Atlantic City to serve as a volunteer for President Lyndon B. Johnson, then driving my Volkswagen bug up to Syracuse for a Peace Corps training program, thus beginning a whole new chapter in my life which I would eventually describe in my memoir. It would involve teaching as a volunteer in a secondary school in the remote southern tip of Malawi in Africa. Meanwhile, Rafael completed his studies at Union and embarked on a career as a community organizer and practicing psychologist.

But before describing our reunion, first a flashback………….

Excerpt from my book Crossing Cultures: Memoirs of a Travlin’ Man (2006): “In the fall of 1959, during my freshman year, I began washing dishes in the TCU cafeteria to supplement my scholarship income. I came to know two students from Mexico who also worked there. One of them in particular, Rafael Ruiz, would become a very close friend and eventually roommate. Rafael was outgoing, affable, and charming, well known throughout the campus. He was an active member of Disciples Student Fellowship at University Christian Church as I was, so we spent a lot of time together. Rafael was quite small and had distinctly Spanish features, unlike most Mexicans whose bloodline was mixed. He was a very sensitive young man, concerned with the application of the social Gospel. I must credit Rafael with awakening in me a sense of social justice.

“It was the spring of 1960, and Rafael became involved with a group of students who were planning to picket a local cinema to urge them to admit blacks. This was the South, and the traditions of segregation died hard. Other students pointed out that we would be breaking the law and disrupting the normal flow of commerce! I must confess that I, too, was hesitant. Was this really my responsibility? After all, I didn’t know any black people. But Rafael persuaded me to go with him. As we walked back and forth in front of the cinema carrying picket signs cars would slow down long enough for the occupants to shout, “Go home, n___ lover! Shame on you, n___ lover!” This was probably my first real awakening to the race issue. My recollection is that the cinema in question remained off limits to blacks after that. In retrospect, it is indeed ironic that it would be a person from a developing country — this was before the term Third World came into vogue — who would introduce me to social inequality in American society!

Rafael was from Acapulco, where his father managed a hotel and restaurant. He was planning to go home for a few weeks in the summer and asked me to come along. It didn’t take much persuading. We began the lengthy journey in the Greyhound bus terminal in Fort Worth. This would be my first foray into a developing country, and I was fortunate that I would see Mexico through the eyes of my good Mexican friend. As we headed south across the border from Nuevo Laredo, the roads became rougher — even even rougher than in Oklahoma! — and the drivers more careless. We would buy tamales and soft drinks from vendors who ran alongside the bus when we rode into another town. It was a seemingly endless trip that went on for a couple of days. We stopped to spend the night in the city of Puebla where Rafael had relatives. Then it was on the winding roads of the highlands and down the escarpment to Acapulco Bay. The cool crisp air of Puebla gave way to the warm humid breezes of Acapulco. We stayed with Rafael’s parents in the Hotel Acapulco and went on excursions in and around the resort city, including a boat ride on the bay. I did my best to resurrect my high school Spanish. It was a wonderful visit, but the bus trip back to Fort Worth seemed even longer than the trip down.”

Galen Hull in 1960

Arrival in Queretaro and the Ruiz family reception 

I arrived at the modest Queretaro airport on December 18, 2013, and after a rather lengthy process of clearing customs and collecting luggage I was greeted with a signature bear hug from Rafael. These days he sports a hippy hair style, pulled back over his shoulders. Although he hasn’t grown any taller than when we were last together, he was as ebullient and energetic as ever. We piled into his Honda and onto an impressive system of freeways surrounding the city of Queretaro. The weather was nigh onto perfect: clear, dry, sunny and warm during the day and cool at night, as it would remain throughout my stay. I was told that this is typical of winter months as the rainy season tapers off toward the end of November into December. The absence of any central heating or air conditioning in the Ruiz home is a tribute to the mild year-round climate. As it happens, however, we would experience a heavy rain storm on the day after Christmas on our drive back from Puebla that would include thunder, lighting and hailstones. The rain held on throughout the night and into the next day (the day of my departure), bringing with it a chill in the air.

I had few notions of what to expect with respect to the city and its environs, but I was struck with how modern and fairly affluent the metropolitan area was, suburban sprawl over hills and valleys in all directions. In fact, the principal highways are not at all different from those on the U.S. Interstate system, except that they are cluttered with far fewer billboards. We made our way around the perimeter highway and onto secondary roads that soon gave way to a cobblestone path leading to the Ruiz property.

Twenty years ago, Rafael bought an acre of land out here in a semi-rural area, designed and then built a handsome villa in the traditional Spanish style with tiled roof, brick and stone walls and multiple archways. The property is located in the State of Guanajuato, adjacent to Queretaro State. Formerly the land belonged to an hacienda of several thousand acres that in the past century has been sub-divided into several lots on 60 acres accommodating 32 families. According to custom, those who inhabit the land should grow some agricultural product for commercial use. However, very few of the Ruiz family neighbors are living up to this provision. At a minimum, some families maintain a few goats, chickens and horses. The Ruiz property is graced by a wide variety of trees and shrubs, including ubiquitous cactus plants. In fact, Rafael planted an extensive cactus garden which he and his younger son Mike hope will eventually allow them to bring aloe Vera products to the market.

Rafael lives here with his wife Martha in relative proximity to his family – two sons and a daughter and five grandchildren. A second house is under construction in the back, adjacent to the cactus garden, which will house Rafael and Marta when his older son Luiz Nabil and family move into his present house. Luis is married to Hanna, a woman of Polish origin, and together they have two daughters. He is a partner in a business management consulting firm with some twenty employees that provides tailored systems applications services in accounting and management to clients. He says that while business was somewhat slow last year it is now picking up. Mike, the younger son, recently completed university studies in business and is hoping to apply his education to the new agro-business. Luis Nabil, Hanna and Mike are all avid runners. Having recently completed a marathon, they are now contemplating the Ironman. Both brothers are quite conversant in English. The daughter Carolina is married to Enrique, who has a business playing and recording music. His English is quite fluent, peppered with American idioms and slang, owing in part to his having lived in Salt Lake City for over a year.

Eleven-year-old Gonzalito, son of Enrique and Carolina, would accompany us on several occasions and prove to be a reliable helpmate to his grandfather (whom he refers to affectionately as abuelito). His father has provided him with the sobriquet Gonz, abbreviating Gonzalo. Gonz has an ear for English and was ready to learn new phrases. In fact, he latched on to the TCU fight song (well, the older version) right away and was apt to break into it at any moment:

Riff, ram, bah, zoo,
Lickety lickety, zoo zoo,
Hoo wah, wah hoo,
Let ‘er go, TCU! 

Between Gonzalito and his cousins, I’m hopeful of recruiting future TCU students.

The family compound includes a passel of dogs. There’s Toto, a little Chinese shitsu, who would adopt me and follow me around the house. Rose is a black female German shepherd and Perro (dog) is the male German shepherd. Their job consists mainly of greeting all entering vehicles at the gate, barking at passing cars on the road and the dogs next door, and sniffing whatever people bring from their cars. The two big dogs stage periodic ferocious mock fights, fangs barred and snapping at the opponent. Moments later, they are licking each other and pretending to be best buddies. The fourth dog, a golden retriever, is a former alpha male well past his prime who now just begs for a pat on the head. And then there is the Siamese cat, unobtrusive and polite, likely to be found sleeping in the sunlight.

Upon arrival, I was ensconced in a large second floor bedroom with ample bathroom space and facilities. The house would be at all times inhabited by a variety of family members, coming and going. Clemencia, the cook and maid, is crucial to the functioning of the household, a virtual member of the family. She is in the house before others are up, and manages all kitchen activities. Breakfast at 9 a.m. generally consists of frijoles, scrambled eggs, oatmeal, fruit and cheese with coffee and fruit juice. The highlight of each day is la comida, the major meal which is served around 3 p.m. and is a veritable feast – lentil soup, vegetables, chicken, and always tortillas or tamales, frequently served with mole sauce, frijoles and occasionally strips of cooked cactus (yes, cactus!) followed by desert – washed down with ample servings of red wine. The evening meal frequently consists of frijoles (yes, frijoles again) and rice.

Food is a central ingredient of life in the Ruiz household. And there is no more Mexican dish than mole. The most famous of mole sauces is said to be mole poblano, typical of Puebla. There may be numerous ingredients, but the two basic ones are usually chiles and chocolate. Clemencia has a recipe from her farm in the village of La Punta de Obrajuelos, not far from the Ruiz home. She uses the following ingredients: peanuts, raisins, pecans, sesame and pumpkin seeds, onions, green tomatoes, white bread soaked in canola oil, dried chiles (chile pasilla and chile mulato) – and packaged mole with almonds and chocolate. She places the chiles in boiling water, turns it off lets it sit, then fries everything else, grinds it up, adds broth for thickness and cooks for about 20 minutes. Serves usually with chicken or turkey, also with tortillas. 

Rafael – husband, father, grandfather, psychologist/counselor, manager – is central to the whole operation, shopping in town at the vegan store, coordinating household responsibilities, and tending to Marta, his disabled wife of over 40 years. Far from playing the traditional role of the omnipotent patron, he is the servant of all. Rafael is only semi-retired, still conducting frequent sessions of constelaciones familiares (family-constellations) for small groups on a regular basis. This is a method of dealing with family problems developed by Bert Hellinger. Born in Germany in 1925, Hellinger studied philosophy and theology, and for 16 years worked as a Catholic missionary in South Africa. Hellinger found that by using this process of bringing people together for discussion that many of their problems are related to family patterns, many of them unconscious. While experimenting with the idea of family-constellations Hellinger was able to identify which events within the family tend to disturb harmony. For instance, it is very important no one in the family is excluded or forgotten. The balance between giving and taking in relations should be fairly equal. Rafael is an ardent proponent of constelaciones familiares. 

Querétaro features an enormous aqueduct, running through the center of the city and consisting of 75 arches, each 20 meters wide with a total extension of 1,280 meters and an average height of 23 meters.

City of Querétaro 

My days would be filled with tourist trips around town and nearby sites. The first of these was a tour of the city of Querétaro, hosted by Enrique and his son Gonzalito. We bought tickets for a tour on the camioncito that goes around the city.

Santiago de Querétaro is the capital and largest city of the state of Querétaro with a population of around one and a half million. It is located in central Mexico, 130 miles northwest of Mexico City, southeast of San Miguel de Allende and San Luis Potosí. Queretaro is a historian’s sandbox, oozing with historical significance. The founding of the city is said to date from July 1531, and it is considered to be one of the cradles of Mexican Independence. During Spanish colonial times, literary circles were a popular pastime for the upper Creole classes, serving as a relatively safe place in which to discuss politics. One such group included names that would come to be known as the founders of the Independence Movement: Ignacio Allende, Juan Aldama, Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez, Miguel Domínguez and Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, the latter a local a priest in Dolores. Hidalgo and the others held secret gatherings in the home of Dona Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez, wife of the Corregidor (Governor) of the province) to discuss whether it was better to obey or to revolt against a tyrannical government, which is what he considered the Spanish colonial government.

On September 15, 1810, Hidalgo touched off an open conspiracy against the ruling Spanish administration when he issued his famous grito (cry). He thus played the role of a kind of Paul Revere, sparking what came to be known as the War of Independence. In time Hidalgo seems to have morphed into the Mexican George Washington as well. Although no major battles were fought here during the subsequent War of Independence, numerous significant events took place in the area. Another prominent person in the nation’s history is associated with Queretaro. In 1867, Maximilian I – installed as Emperor of Mexico by the French – was defeated in battle, taken prisoner, sentenced to death and executed by a firing squad in Queretaro. So much for the French empire! ​

The most prominent feature of Queretaro is the enormous aqueduct, running through the center and consisting of 75 arches, each 20 meters wide with a total extension of 1,280 meters and an average height of 23 meters. It was built by a powerful Marquis during the early 1700s, ostensibly at the request of the nuns of the Santa Clara Convent, in order to bring water to them and residents of the city from the highlands. Legend has it, however, that the Marquis really had designs on one of the nuns! Although this graceful, towering structure no longer serves the original purpose of providing water, it clearly defines the urban landscape. Not far from the aqueduct is the complex that originally served as Rafael’s residence and office and still provides both rental income and office space for his workshops.

In 1996, the historic center of Querétaro was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The city is notable for the many ornate Baroque civil and religious monuments from its golden age in the 17th and 18th centuries. In 2008, National Geographic listed Querétaro as one of the top 15 historic destinations of the world.

Today, Querétaro is generally recognized as the metro area with the best quality of life, the safest city in Mexico, and among the most dynamic in Latin America. In recent years, it has been experiencing social and economic revitalization as a strong business and economic center. It is one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the country, with its economic base in industries such as chemicals, paper products and machinery, attracting an influx of migrants from other parts of Mexico. The city is host to major corporations such as Bombardier Aerospace (an airplane assembly facility), Samsung, Daewoo, Michelin, Mitsubishi, Siemens, Bridgestone, Nestlé and others.

It is difficult not to be reminded of the long economic and cultural arm of Uncle Sam here. The modern shopping malls and streets reveal the presence of an array of American companies and brands: Kellogg’s, General Electric, Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, Office Max, Office Depot, Wal-Mart, Subway, MacDonald’s, Domino’s, Tyson’s, KFC, UPS, DHL, Century 21, John Deere, Hilton Garden, Marriott, Holiday Inn, and of course Starbucks. On one shopping trip, we went to Home Depot for paint and building supplies for the new home Rafael is building on his property. The Behr paint he bought was made in the U.S., as were many of the other products. Popular American Christmas music wafted through the aisles. It was as though I had not left home! While Rafael shopped, I made a casual inventory of items on the Home Depot shelves, noting just a few products made in Mexico. Nearby was a Blockbuster’s where Gonzalito was eager to rent a Harry Potter movie. Rafael winced when I remarked on the pervasive Yankee presence in the economy, painfully aware of the economic umbilical cord tying his country to the U.S.

The one sector that has not been intruded upon by foreign brands, however, is petroleum.PEMEX, the sole Mexican brand, reigns supreme, having been maintained as a state-owned monopoly since its inception 75 years ago. However, the economy has stalled and President Enrique Pena Nieto has recently embarked on a series of reforms intended to stimulate the economy. On December 11. 2013, the president published constitutional amendments to reform the energy sector. Seven days later, he gained the necessary approval from a majority of Mexican states, thus recapturing political momentum by enacting a significant strategic reform. Passage of the Constitutional energy amendment permits Pena Nieto to catalyze his reform program. The law allows the Secretary of Energy to grant licenses to private institutions, including foreign persons for all downstream activities, i.e. refining, pipelines, petrochemicals, transport and even management of gas stations. PEMEX willingness to enter into joint ventures with U.S. “independents” could produce sophisticated technology that PEMEX presently lacks and allow it to develop half-exploited fields. Within a period of two years from the passage of the law, PEMEX will be required to become a state-owned, profitable corporation whose revenue is dependent upon its own extraction and the profit contracts that it enters into. The reform represents a paradigm shift for Mexico; gone is the dominance of PEMEX. It is now possible to envisage increased investment and production in the energy sector. How long before we begin to see Amoco, Chevron, Shell, Caltex, and BP stations in Mexico?

Popular opposition to the energy reform initiative was summarized in the cry: “PEMEX, no se vende.” The Economist from Dec. 14, 2012, reported on a survey that indicates a high level of popular discontent with the government. Respondents said they continued to be worried about security, especially in their local communities where they are seeing an increase in kidnapping and extortion. Will this new reform bring about a sea change in the economy? The president has a lot on his plate!

I couldn’t help reflecting on how we Americans have become anxious about seeing Made in China on so many products we buy. But then, just when I was about to imagine the ultimate stage of globalization, I experienced something I hadn’t encountered in nearly all my travels elsewhere. I could not manage to change currency! No ATM machine would take my VISA debit card. Banks were not willing to change dollars to pesos unless I had an account there. On the surface, it would seem that dollars are not in very great demand! Happily, the conductor for a tourist trolley was willing to accept dollars in payment for our tickets to a city tour. And the next day, I went to a currency exchange outlet where they were happy to change my dollars for pesos at a considerably lower rate than the banks. Not sure what all this says about stimulating Yankee tourism.

Mural of Hidalgo and friends in Querétaro

San Miguel de Allende

Rafael, Gonzalito, and I took a short drive to the town of San Miguel de Allende, named for Ignacio Allende, he of founding fathers fame. On a morning in September 1810, Miguel Hidalgo called upon the locals who happened to be in the market and announced his intention to strike for independence, exhorting the people of Dolores to join him. Hidalgo assembled a modest army of some 600 men within minutes. With Ignacio Allende serving as the military leader, they marched their little army through towns of San Miguel and Celaya (near Querétaro) where they killed all the Spaniards they could find. Along the way, they adopted the standard of the Virgin of Guadalupe as their symbol and protector.

Today, San Miguel de Allende is a popular tourist attraction with a population of less than 100,000. During the 1900s, the town began to attract tourists in sizable numbers. Among them were American soldiers who came after World War II. Readers’ Choice Awards of October 13, 2013, announced that Condé Nast Traveler, considered San Miguel de Allende the most popular tourist attraction in the world. Hyperbole, perhaps, but still…

The streets and shops were festooned with piñatas and signs proclaiming Feliz Navidad. People were ambling up and down the narrow cobblestone streets and vendors were everywhere selling snacks and novelty ítems. I noticed more than a few American-looking faces, which apparently bears out their sizable presence in San Miguel. Many are, in fact, permanent residents. The most interesting attraction for me was the imposing Gothic cathedral that towers over the city central.

Pena (Monolith) and Finca Vai

Rafael kept mentioning that I should see what he called the monolith, a large rock formation similar in dimensions to the Rock of Gibraltar. Henrique was available to take me there, and this time Carolina and Ludwig, their older son, came along. Located in the foothills of the Sierra Gorda mountain range, the formation is known simply as la pena. It rises up behind the village of Bernal, which exists today primarily as a tourist town. Our visit was notable mainly for the lunch we enjoyed in one of the many fondas in town. We ordered gorditas, a kind of Mexican sandwich which roughly translates as “little fatty,” in reference to their appearance – stuffed corn tortillas – (and possibly your appearance as well if you eat too many!) There is a wide range of gorditas such as those with Relleno De Queso Fresco. I also did a little gift shopping in the Bernal boutiques.

On the way back to Querétaro, we stopped at a place called Finca de Vai (a farm that produces a variety of cheeses.) We went on the tour to see how the cheese is processed from the cow to the packages available for sale in the farm store.

Galen Hull and Rafael Ruiz

Puebla and Christmas in the Ruiz family compound

The Christmas Eve gathering of the nuclear Ruiz family in Querétaro featured a splendid feast of turkey – expertly prepared by Enrique and Ludwig, basted and cooked in the oven with a blend of spices – and all the trimmings. (Clemencia was given the day off.) There followed exchanges of gifts from under the tree accompanied by chants and clapping, as each one opened his present. Rafael’s Christmas present to me was a jar of mole and a picture book of Mexico!

The following day we formed a three-car caravan and headed to the family heartland in the city of Puebla, the second largest city in the country. The three-hour trip from Querétaro to Puebla on Highway 57 would skirt Mexico City entirely, thanks to the recently completed beltway (Arco Norte) around it. Here in Puebla is where Sr. Gonzalo Ruiz, the family patriarch, would settle, raise his family of four and establish a successful restaurant business. For a time, he went to Acapulco to manage the Motel Acapulco, which is where I met him in 1960. Back in Puebla, in 1973 Sr. Ruiz built a handsome villa on a sizeable property on a hill overlooking the city. While Rafael was traipsing around the world and then various places in Mexico, two of his siblings, Wilma and David, took up residence in the Ruiz compound. Wilma and her husband Carlos, a successful lawyer and political administrator, eventually would build a large additional wing that serves as a recreational center and banquet hall as well as Carlos’ extensive collection of tequila bottles.

Here Wilma and Carlos hosted the traditional potluck Christmas dinner attended by more than 100 extended family members, young and old. The pool table provided a convenient place on which to present the wide array of dishes. Most notable to me was the bacalao – consisting of dried fish mixed in a sauce of tomatoes, olives, and various other ingredients. Deserts of flan and custard were also on offer, courtesy of Gonzalo and David, both of them in the pastry business. Gonzalo was anxious to be assured that his flan tasted better than the others! And of course, the bar was open with its full gamut of tequilas, and even mescal.

In the center of the courtyard was a rope that served to suspend a series of piñatas which were the object of attention of the children and teen-agers bent on knocking them open to obtain their abundant sweets. Each participant was accorded a certain number of whacks until the piñata spilled its contents on the ground where they were ravenously gathered up. Everyone managed to accumulate enough goodies to surely keep the dentist in business for the year to come.

Gonzalo, Rafael’s younger brother whom I had met in New York City in the summer of 1964, was on hand to act as my personal host. He had enjoyed his time in New York while attending a high school there. We renewed acquaintances and he insisted on showing me his home and place of business. He is married with three daughters, one of whom accompanied us on our tour of the town. It was Christmas night and the streets ​were packed with cars moving at a snail’s pace. We eventually gave up the idea of finding a parking place in order to proceed on foot. However, Gonzalo did manage to point out the Methodist church his father attended. His grandfather, Rafael Ruis, had converted from the Catholic Church. He also showed me his own pastry shop, La California, a few blocks away. Then we went out to see his home in a gated community not far from the center of town. Here the image of Mexico as a place of insecurity came to the fore. Gonzalo’s property, where he has lived for more than 20 years, is located in a compound of some 40 two- to three-story houses enclosed within a high locked fence with private security guards. In addition, each house is fitted with iron bars for extra protection. Gonzalo noted that all of this is necessary in an insecure environment.

However, I would like to end this report on a positive note. On our way back to Querétaro from Puebla we passed a massive Volkswagen plant, the major industry in the area. Built in 1965, the facility began to turn out cars in 1967. Beetles are everywhere in Mexico and not just those that debuted for 1998, but the original rear-engine models, like the one I owned and drove to Syracuse for Peace Corps training. Volkswagen continued to manufacture the original Beetle design long after it disappeared from the U.S. market. At Puebla, Volkswagen turns out over 2,000 vehicles a day – Bora and Jetta models along with new Beetles. (Note that the Jetta is one of the most popular cars in China.) In 2013, the state’s governor attended the 40th anniversary event, as did countless employees.

According to the Mexican Automotive Industry Association, the automotive industry plays a key role within the Mexican economy, contributing 3 percent of national GDP and representing 23 percent of Mexican exports. Mexico is the fourth largest exporter of automobiles in the world. So globalization is not being all that unkind to Mexico.

Galen Hull ’63 served as TCU Student Congress President during 1962-63, and Rafael Ruiz was an elected member of that body. Hull now lives in Nashville with his wife Mani. ​