The island of Mexcaltitán lies on the Pacific coast of Mexico's state of Nayarit. It's in the middle of the San Pedro river delta and will be flooded during summer rains. At that time of the year, people move around in boats on the streets that have become canals.
The only way to get to Mexcaltitán is by boat.
Walking around the entire island takes just about 15...
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The island of Mexcaltitán lies on the Pacific coast of Mexico's state of Nayarit. It's in the middle of the San Pedro river delta and will be flooded during summer rains. At that time of the year, people move around in boats on the streets that have become canals.
The only way to get to Mexcaltitán is by boat.
Walking around the entire island takes just about 15 minutes; it has a diameter of maybe 300 meters. Apart from the central plaza there is no free space on the island. There are no motor vehicles.
Most people on Mexcaltitán live from fishing. Various kinds of fish, clams, and most important, camarón, which is Spanish for shrimp.
Camarón is the staple food on the island. People eat it for breakfast, baked inside Tamales. You have a camarón salad for lunch and maybe some fried camarón for dinner. I saw people eat some dried camarón in between just like pieces candy. Camarón is drying on the sidewalks everywhere.
The shrimp business was introduced by Chinese immigrants. Their influence is still visible in the faces of many residents and in the names, as with the Yee family. I went shrimping with Alfredo Yee one night; it's his responsibility to do that as he's the head of the family. His father helps with the business by seperating clams from their shells, repairing the boat or the nets. His sister Rocio goes to the city of Tuxpán to sell the catch. She's in her mid-30s and not married yet; she'd really love to get away, just like her sister did, who?s living in Vancouver now.
There's not a lot to do for people in their spare time. The children play ball on the Zócalo or hang around the Maquinitas (video games). The women indulge in religious activities. According to legend, and supported by some archaeological evidence, Mexcaltitán is the site of Aztlán, the place from where the Mexica (later called the Aztecs) set out and eventually settled in Tenochtitlán, today's Mexico City. The little museum of the island has some drawings telling the story of the Mexica.
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