To celebrate my Turkey Day weekend, I took to San Salvador for a change of scenery. I usually spend my time in “the thumb of Central America” in the capital city of San Salvador, but this time I was able to venture out to the countryside for a night in Ataco. Yes, it sounds just like that – a taco. Like, “may I have a taco, please?”
Ataco is a quaint town in El Savador near the Guatemalan border, just 2 hours west of San Salvador. While much smaller, it reminds me a bit of Antigua with its cobblestone streets and small knick-knack shops. Within the 30 minutes it took us to venture three different hotels around town, I think we saw all that Ataco had to offer. There was something very nice about getting away though even if “getting away” meant escaping to no where.
Cathedral in central Ataco
Upon arrival we found ourselves in the streets during a local parade. I never did find out just what the occasion was, but rather let that small detail drift to the back of my mind; I was far too enthralled by the laughing children and the little princesses throwing candy from their homemade floats to care. Local beauty pageant girls of all ages graced the crowds with their presence as they stood atop their floating podiums, doing their finest Queen-of-England-wave, and chucked candy with their free hand to scattering children in the streets below.
I couldn’t help but think back to my hometown and the annual Homecoming parade that charged through our streets one crisp Friday afternoon each October. Kids of all ages participated for varying reasons: Boy Scout pack? File in. Girl Scout Troop? Join the ranks. Local AYSO soccer team? Show us your stuff. Middle School Cheerleading squad? Pump up the crowd.
The best part about this was that most groups threw candy to the onlooking crowd. What better way to keep those watching entertained than to bribe them for their attention and attendance with free candy? Fire trucks rumbled down the streets at a crawling pace, the High School Marching band played their hearts out, and preschool-aged tumbler groups and gymnasts cartwheeled their way through downtown – all while dishing out sweet, candy treats. Sadly, I’ll never forget that fateful year when the town decided to ban the candy. It was sometime around the late 90’s-early 00’s when society got soft and did away with such delights. You know, when everyone began to fault someone else – anyone but themselves – for the “grave” struggles and dangers facing our youth. Put a warning on that hot coffee, it’s too hot!; eating fast food is making my child fat!; my kid needs a cross-guard at that intersection when walking to school, what if someone runs over him?!; strangers shouldn’t be passing out dirty candy to kids during the parade, how dare they?!
Anyway, I was glad to see that this tradition lives on in Central America where “rules” are more lax. More often than not, Latin America’s general lack in safety or any sense of order that us North Americans would consider “normal” has been frustrating, however, in moments as harmless as this I come to realize just how over the top us gringos can be at times with such frivolous concerns and worries.
Fountain in Ataco's town center
Church by night just outside of Ataco's town center
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