By Gloria Marthai High on a mountain, the isolated ranch house, serene, silent sentinel of the past, overlooks the vast sun-drenched Sayula Valley. Far below a railroad cleaves a fretted path through the town of Zacualco where a monumental sculptured head of Emiliano Zapata reminds one of restless angry days of the Revolution. Guardian of history, the ranch house has given undisputed refuge to many, renegade and lover alike, for 150 years.
Memory is lost of the ones who built the original single story stone house.
Tentacles of vines now encroach on the red tiled porticoes that offer generous shade on all four sides to human, bird, reptile, insect and animal. It can be found far up the high-reaching trail, two hours distance from the nearest habitation. Gun slots speak eloquently of confrontation in turbulent times and the need for safety. Yesteryear's happenings at EL POZO, but fleeting moments, are becoming misty, claimed by the cataracts of time. Only a few remain.