San Xavier

On the corner of Paisano and North-South Fwy is a dilapidated old house, it was the home of Clautilde Soliz and grandpas ( Estanislao Solis) aunt.  She was a partera (Midwife) and delivered Jose Doroteo Arango Arambula on Jun 5th, 1878.  This kid grew up to be Pancho Villa, aka, General Francisco Villa a legend along the Rio Grande.

He visited the city of El Paso, did battle in Juarez, Chih, Mx, in Columbus (Deming) , Agua Prieta, and Nogales.  On a few occassions he attacked  Deming and the US sent Gen. Pershing after him.  Ft. Bliss was right next to the river, Agua Prieta is across from Ft. Huachuca, Az and Nogales is about 50 miles west.

Anyway that dilapidated old house is one block from San Xavier catholic church and we were there for mass this Easter Sunday.  When the mass started, the gentleman carrying the bible was Filipino.  The altar boys were Filipino, Priest and other assistants also.  The pews were also predominately Filipino.  The Mass was in Spanish!  The choir is without question terrible.  The parking lot was full of new cars and some expensive cars, they looked out of place, one of them was parked directly in front of the church in the no parking zone.  That car was there so no one would scratch it, Filipinos get a little uppity once they are making money.

I got up to go get water and couldnt find any, so I wondered around the back and the Filipinos were getting a party set up.  I walked around through the cars and one of the Filipinos was watching me .... just to make sure I didnt steal anything.  I couldnt help wondering how things had changed.

The Filipinos dont live there or close by, they live in the east or westside.  So they are a little out of their turf, and a long way from the Islands.  We have Filipino priest because  Americans dont want to be celibate.  We dont have a little Manila, but these guys are very unionized.  They work the Hospitals and most of them are nurses.   They have their own Miss Filipina .... and I wonder why they dont run for office.

Many of these people were given visas to come and teach the sciences ..... apparently American teachers are to stupid to do this.  Many of them were brought by the hospitals to keep wages down and prevent unions from taking hold.  The Filipino nurses do feel that their nursing practice is superior to American nursing.

The Mexicans that live around the church in the new and newly remodeled public buildings dont seem to mind.  Most of them are refuges from the drug wars and the rest are here for the bennies, they dont speak English, thats why the mass is in Spanish.  They will never speak English ......

I am not a believer, or churchgoer, but my wife is and so I go to keep the peace.  I have never been.  Anymore it is impossible for me to believe in god, or his ark and tend to think less of the religious.  How can Filipino teachers who give primacy to religion and god and the pope, teach science.  They cant.

General Franciso Villa was a revolutionary and Clotilde Soliz was his midwife.  Back in 1878 the border was not so guarded.  In fact the Chamizal park, Bowie, and the devils triangle were lands returned to Mexico.  This was during the Kennedy Administration.

Imagine if Clotilde Soliz had failed and Pancho Villa had died.  The revolution would not have taken place.