MEXICO: Bali Ha'i-By-the-River

Night fell. Tuberoses and jasmine scented the sultry air. From behind a bougainvillea-twined wall rippled chords from a guitar, and a liquid voice lifted up the slow-cadenced melody of La Sandunga (graceful woman):

. . . I'm ugly, but I'm a lover, heart-heaven,

I'm like wild pepper, sweet mama, for God,

Burning, but delicious, heart-heaven.

Ay, Sandunga, Sandunga!

Elsewhere, marimbas and flutes picked up the tune. In a dusty square 600 years old, graceful girls gathered, and three days & nights of fiesta, fun and fireworks, drinking and dancing got under way.

A Noble Race....

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