Life in Mexico

Life in Mexico: Muddy Waters
By Cindi Bower

When he was a child, legendary blues artist McKinley Morganfield's grandmother nicknamed him "Muddy Waters" because he loved to play in the muddy creek near their home. During rainy season in Guanajuato, he would have felt right at home. He wouldn't even have had to go to the creek at the bottom of our street to get his dose of muddy water. Just taking a shower would have provided plenty of dirty water for his playing pleasure.

During rainy season in Guanajuato, the rains can be quite heavy. A massive amount of water flows down from the mountains, bringing large amounts of debris it picks up along the way. As a result, the normally placid rivers and creeks become roaring torrents of chocolate-colored water.

The residents and farmers are happy to see plenty of water in this normally dry region, but it causes some problems. The water treatment plant cannot adequately deal with the extra influx of water or with the sediment it carries.

I don't know how the water is in the rest of Mexico, but Guanajuato's water is not always clean, even during the dry season. Not only is it unsafe to drink (or even to use for rinsing your toothbrush!), it also can be dirty. Sometimes, the water only has a slight yellow tinge. Other times, it is rusty brown. Once in a while, muddy-colored water, complete with sediment, comes out of the faucet.

What does one do about bathing, washing dishes, and doing laundry when the "potable" water is dirty? Here are some tips I have gleaned from the locals.

When showering, even when the water is clear, keep your eyes and mouth shut to keep from ingesting water. When the water is dirty, shower as quickly as possible. You will probably notice that your hair feels stiff and your skin feels gritty. If this bothers you, you can heat some bottled water on the stove to give yourself a final rinse.