The Mule

Mules are an extremely important part of life in Chacanceo, the most remote of the communities. Like Eskimos and snow, the people in Chacanceo have more words for mule and relatives thereof than anyone else I've met: asemila, bestia, caballo, mula, macho (the male mules are just called "males" - "i rode the male down to town.") Aside from on foot, riding a mule is the only way to reach the community. It takes several hours of steep uphill climbing, more if you're a gringo, unaccustomed to the hike. Or the mule.

I'm sure the locals don't think twice about them, but because it's such a novel form of transport for me, I always spend time reflecting on the humble beast of burden that is the mule.

As per their reputation, they're dumb. And stubborn. And yet, they are powerful creatures, in more ways than one. They carry tremendous amounts of weight up and down steep hills past precarious dropoffs. Especially going downhill, I spend a significant amount of time clinging nervously to my steed, hoping it doesn't lose footing and send us both into the abyss. And, especially as a novice, i'm pretty much at the mercy of my mount. If it wants to go, it goes. If it wants to stop, it stops. If it decides to run, I can't do much to stop it. Once one decided it was tired of carrying me on its back, so it lay down and rolled over. Which did the trick, i leapt off in a hurry. But mostly what they want to do is go slow and stop frequently to eat. I think they must sense my outsider status, or that i'm a softie, because my mules always stop every few paces to grab some greenery from beside the path. My coaxing does eventually keep them moving, but only for a few paces before they stop again.

Meanwhile, the locals don't seem to have such problems with their beasts, who march happily forward. I can't tell what they're doing that keeps things moving so smoothly. In the end though, I'm grateful I don't have to hike all the way up or downhill on my own two feet, much less haul some other species up on my back. So if the mule wants to take its time and snack along the way, so be it.