A Mexican Graduation

Christina invited me to come to her son’s graduation from primaria (elementary school). Eduardo is the last of Christina and Antonio’s five sons. All their boys graduated from primaria and Eduardo did it in record time. He was only twelve years old and had not failed a single grade.

Christina had every reason to be proud. I saw some of Eduardo’s writing and art work and it was, indeed, exceptional. He was always a sweet boy, eager to help and especially protective of his mother. 

Eduardo would begin secondaria (middle school) in the fall. Christina hoped that Eduardo would be like his brother, Jesús, and eventually finish secondaria and go on to even higher education. I was honored to be invited to the graduation ceremony.

Eduardo’s graduating class was small ~ about ten boys and ten girls. When I told Christina that some of the students looked especially handsome, she let me know, “Some of them are fifteen years old!”

It is customary, as part of the graduation ceremony, for the class to perform a very formal, tightly choreographed dance that looked like a French Minuet. I asked Christina about the significance of the dance. She explained that it was a demonstration of restraint and respect for the opposite sex. It might have been introduced by the Jesuits a long time ago. 

Eduardo’s class worked all year on the dance presentation for their parents and guests. From the looks on their faces, I think they would have preferred something more modern. 

Each class chooses a class color for their graduation ceremony. Eduardo’s class chose lavender. Even though the school is located in a very poor neighborhood, all the boys were dressed in new shoes, new suits and handsome lavender shirts. The girls wore matching lavender dresses that laced up the back, showing off their lovely brown skin and gorgeous black hair.

Christina invited me and another friend to come to lunch at her house before the graduation ceremony. It was the first time I had been to her house. It was an experience I will never forget.

We ate carne asada (grilled meat), flautas, beans and fresh corn tortillas. Eduardo had a special cake, bought from a local bakery, with his name on it. Christina was an excellent cook and the meal was delicious.

On Eduardo’s graduation day, I realized that seven people lived in Christina’s tiny, two room house on top of a very high hill. When I entered the house, I saw that the house had electricity and a gas stove but no indoor plumbing. There was no warm water. There was a makeshift shower outside, near the outhouse. The only water came from a hose attached to an outdoor faucet. 

There was a single bed in the kitchen. The bedroom had a double bed for Christina and Antonio, plus another double bed and a single bed for the boys. A small TV sat on top of the only dresser. There was a window with a view of the ocean below, but no room to move in that small bedroom.

Outside, a hammock attached to two trees was also for sleeping. I could imagine people vying for a chance to sleep outside in the fresh air. A rooster, a hen and six baby chicks pecked the dirt yard, looking for insects. An old dog slept in the sun. 

It made me sad to think of Christina walking up that high hill every night after she had finished cleaning my big house , with its huge courtyard, five bedrooms, and six bathrooms, and then making dinner for her husband and five sons.