Pedro is a good old friend of mine who I have had the pleasure to hang out with for some time. He lives in the south of Mexico City with his family, comprised of his caring and loving mom and dad, a younger sister and his older brother, both musicians. Pedro is 28 years of age and eager to express his life occurrences creatively on walls at night, in other words, he is a graffiti writer.

Agueda, Pedro’s mom was born in Ciudad Valles, situated in the State of San Luis Potosi but migrated to Mexico City when she was 3 years of age. She is also a musician who has devoted herself specifically to playing the piano.

As Agueda talks to me about her past, I interrupt her for a second to find out more about why she decided to become a piano player given that for me it is quite rare to meet a person within my circle of friends whose career is led towards that discipline in order to making a living.

Agueda tells me that she was always interested in music since a very early age. When she was very young, with huge admiration and passion she used to listen to her dad play various classical songs.

Although she was interested in music, her desire was to become an actress but unfortunately her parents disapproved of that profession for some reason, so instead she ended up studying music. 

When she was finally at the right age to decide on her further academic future she began to study at a local music college located in the Colonia Roma, in Mexico City, and after that she progressed to expanding on her musical aptitudes at a university level. 

While Agueda was sharing her music career experiences with me, her daughter said goodbye to her and subsequently kissed her on the cheek. Agueda’s daughter is also a passionate music devotee who is currently attending college at the Escuela Nacional de Musica, one of the most important and prestigious institutions to study music in Mexico which is affiliated to the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

I quickly asked Agueda whether she would like her daughter to further continue to study in this country or go elsewhere. Agueda responded, - I would prefer it if she carries on with her studies in Germany or perhaps the USA, since Mexico does not have the adequate means to progress as a musician, and certainly not as a classical music artist. 

She points out, - the government does not provide much support or incentives towards this career. They think that studying music is just a hobby and they take it for granted overall. There is not much of a future as an artist in this discipline here.

Suddenly we inevitably start to discuss the current situation in the country. The recent news of the 6 people allegedly members of a criminal cell who were intercepted by other narco affiliates in the State of Guadalajara who mutilated the victims’ hands and subsequently left them dumped in a remote side road to possibly bleed to death. Fortunately, all the victims were found alive and rescued by local authorities. 

Such a horrific act that many people seem to be accustomed to hearing about nowadays, but which I cannot feel comfortable to hear at all.

With regards to events such as the mentioned one above that the mainstream media tends to censure or inaccurately report on, Agueda quickly suggested that taxi drivers are the perfect source of information. They are great, she points out as they get to know what really is going on in the country, given that they are constantly cruising the streets day and night, observing and meeting people as they go along. I myself have listened to some very interesting stories from taxi drivers, some which I have my doubts about quite often as they sound way too exaggerated though entertaining.

Agueda then recalls of an occasion where she stepped into a taxi with her daughter. The taxi driver was pretty friendly and quickly opened up to them, telling them both that he had been to prison once for a crime he did not commit. He asked them not to feel uneasy about him and assured them that he was an innocent man.

He told them that whilst incarcerated, he was constantly battered, tortured and punished. He lived a life of hell and misery. When he finally got released years later he was left in a very upset state.

He became a taxi driver with the sole purpose and objective to hunt down and retaliate/kill the police officers who wrongfully and unjustly arrested and consequently imprisoned him. To this day he is still searching for them…

As we carried on discussing various topics, Agueda was preparing some tortitas de papa, known in english as hash browns though much nicer than the American style ones I must admit. Those were accompanied with some nice homemade beans, tortillas and a tasty chilli sauce to complement everything.

Finally, before we left Pedro’s house, I ask him if he knew any more information about his friend’s cousin’s death? Pedro responded that all the news he has at the moment was that Gilberto’s cousin was murdered but no further details had been shared with him yet…

A funeral was to be carried out last night, though Pedro was undecided as whether to be present there, since he did not know Gilberto’s cousin in person.
Tragic episodes like this one occur on a day-to-day basis in this country. For that matter, I think that it’s important to reflect on the value that life has and be at least a little empathic towards those who have suffered an injustice etc. in order to make them feel warmly embraced and protected. 

I sadly think that a lack of humanity is a crucial element that many of my closest and dearest friends in Mexico have hidden underneath the carpet, or maybe it is that they simply don’t feel comfortable to open their eyes and reflecting on the fact that human lives matter…