MEET

Everyone is a person of interest here — stories and profiles of the people who shape Troncones.

C.J. Ananda Page: The Present Moment

BY
BENITO VILA
An internationally acclaimed teacher/guide looks to her past, present and future

Troncones’ Present Moment, the “yoga hotel” on the beach road, recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. I caught up with co-founder C.J. Ananda Page while she was here last month, gathering with her teachers and students. I stopped by their celebration and found C.J. firmly being one of the group, another person seated at a round table. No crown. No fanfare. No head of the table. A few days later, we sat together on the beach at Present Moment. She’s still an owner. She likes it here. She may be coming back.

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Ventura Manzanares Garcia: "They Call Me Ventura"

BY
BENITO VILA
After 50 years in Troncones, he’s become a fixture on Main Street and one of the last of his generation

He’s known in Troncones by one name. Ventura. You can find him on Main Street most days, on his ATV, between Materiales Troncones and his house next to the pharmacy. Sometimes you’ll see him covered in dust, coming back from checking on his cows south of town. At 80, he has more energy than people who are decades younger, and he’s one of the few “settlers” who came to Troncones as an adult, with a family. He remembers Troncones before electricity arrived, before there was a hardware store or a pharmacy, before his sons and daughters helped him build the Troncones of today.

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Meta: ​​The Real Mari Carmen Hernandez

BY
BENITO VILA
A legendary international artist relies on Troncones for inspiration

I was wrong. When I first met Meta, the artist formerly known as Mari Carmen Hernández Álvarez, she came off as icy and distant. Little did I know, she was nervous about having so many people at her “sunset club” benefit for Las Hermanas. She rarely hosts large parties because people end up wandering through her sanctuary, her studio, where she’s created works that have found homes in museums and private collections. And her name? She signs her work in her initials and her quick MCHA looked like META to a gallery in Paris. The name Meta seemed like a way to stand out, decades before Facebook took it on and muddied its meaning. She answered my first question with a warm wit. The ice melted immediately.

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Super Maria Solis: A Toda Madre

BY
BENITO VILA
Troncones’ first comisaria owns the only store in town with two parrots and two ATMs

When it comes to grocery stores, Troncones has them all. Mini-sĂșper. MiscelĂĄnea. Abarrotes. General stores selling snacks, fruits, beverages and household essentials. There are four on Main Street, from the top of the hill to the T. Of the four, only one has the same woman there, day after day. Meet Maria of Mini SĂșper de Maria. She’s glamorous. She’s funny. She’s serious. She’s kind. She’s real. She’s watching you even when you think she’s not.

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WINTER RAMOS: MAN ABOUT TOWN

BY
BENITO VILA
Looking at the ins and outs of real estate and life in Troncones from the beach

Wherever you go, there he is. Winter Ramos. A man on the go in a place where it’s hard to get almost anything done. One day, I saw him on his motorcycle in La Boca in the morning, then, sitting with a group of people at Pacifico in Troncones mid-day and, later on, shopping with his kids in Zihuatanejo that same afternoon. Maybe we have the same interests? Maybe similar schedules? Maybe, but I don’t run a restaurant, a hotel and the largest real estate company in town. It’s no wonder he speaks in short sentences. He saves his energy for doing other things.

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J. Santos Jaime SĂĄnchez: More Lessons

BY
BENITO VILA
Part Two

In Part One, Santos took us through his upbringing, how he made his way into education through a lot of hard work and little bit of good luck. He’d grown up poor, the son of a fisherman, and he wanted to have steadier economic circumstances for himself and his own family. Not only did Santos become a teacher, and a fixture in the Troncones Primary School for 25 years, he’s also recently earned his doctorate in education. He has a unique perspective on education and culture in Mexico.

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Ilianet Nuñez Valdovinos: Surfing Queen

BY
BENITO VILA
The youngest girl in the Saladita surf becomes a woman people look up to

Mother, wife, restaurant owner, social media star. Those are all roles Saladita’s Ilianet Nuñez Valdovinos wakes up to every morning, but the truth is she’s heading to the beach to surf. That’s where she’s expected. Her people are waiting for her.

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William Mertz: Artist & Naturalist

BY
BENITO VILA
Whether it’s a bird, a spider or a snake, there’s one guy to go to in Troncones who knows exactly what you’ve got; it’s likely he has a drawing or a photo of the one he found

I first “met” William through Facebook on the original Troncones-Let’s Chat. He was the administrator of that group as it grew rapidly in the late 20-teens and early 20-twenties. There were a few members who wouldn’t play nice. William shut it down—not the few members—he shut down the whole group. People wouldn’t be kind, so he put an end to his being a part of it; he put an end to anyone being subjected to nonsense. I liked that.

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DEWEY McMILLIN: ESCAPE TO TRONCONES

BY
BENITO VILA
He came, he saw, he got away from it all and made a difference

He’s smooth. Even his name is smooth. Dewey McMillin. Like a fine blended scotch or a big wave surfer. Dewey McMillin. It’s a name that holds reverence. Especially here in Troncones. It’s widely acknowledged Dewey is responsible for the development of 21st-century Troncones, helping the community attract homeowners from around the world, transforming an isolated village into a legendary destination. In 2019, at Troncones’ annual February Expo Feria (carnival), the community celebrated Dewey’s commitment and tireless work in bringing in the essential infrastructure—for roads, electricity, water—that wasn’t here before. His selling of beachfront lots, in partnership with the community, also brought in jobs—the construction, maintenance and service work needed to sustain a growing resort, and that assure on-going opportunities for local families. A profile of Dewey in The Wall Street Journal, from January 6, 2000, opens with “Former Alaska fisherman Dewey McMillin has done something unique in the world of Mexican beachfront development. He’s made everyone happy.” It also quotes Dewey describing how to create success in business here, saying, “The trick is not to leave your brain at the border.” That’s his kind of smooth.

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J. Santos Jaime SĂĄnchez: Lessons Learned

BY
BENITO VILA
Part One

Good teachers are easy to learn from. They inspire you; they get you to think about the world differently; they make the learning fun; they set you off, curious to learn more. That’s Santos. When Aura wanted to take Spanish lessons, Santos arrived at our house carrying dominoes and a deck of cards. He doesn’t speak English, but he knows playing encourages connection, communication and conversation. He also knew that by talking over a game, he would discover what Aura needed to learn, where he needed to guide her. Santos is currently working in school administration in Coyuca de Benítez, four hours away, but he still lives in Troncones. He doesn’t want to leave.

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NICO SAUCEDO: GYM IS LIFE

BY
BENITO VILA
A life-long passion becomes a way of connecting in Saladita

It came out of nowhere, a gym, the Hacienda Plaza ground floor being expanded, with brand-new weightlifting and workout equipment coming in. The logo appeared, a stylized “Mana”, and then the people came, jumping, lifting, carrying, stretching, doing burpees and planks, by themselves, with trainers. People of all ages, all sexes, every complexion. It looked like a cool sports camp. I asked, “Who’s running this?” That’s when I first heard the name, “Nico”.

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Fanny Rivera Plascencia: For Modern Healing

BY
BENITO VILA
The wisdom of the ages, cures made from plants, treatments relied on for centuries, right here in Troncones

She walks with a cane, her knee destroyed in a motorcycle accident more than a decade ago. There’s no telling how old she is. When Fanny smiles, she looks younger than her grown daughters, even if her gait leaves her looking older than she is. Her age doesn’t matter. You can tell she knows something you don’t. That’s why you’ve come to see her.

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Ligita Lapé: Following Cacao

BY
AURA WINARICK
A world traveler comes to Troncones and stays to share her passion for chocolate-making

Cacao. It’s “kuh·kau”, a tree, native to South America, that produces a pod containing seeds, or “beans”, which for over 7000 years have been harvested, heated and transformed into beverages and foods, liquors and chocolates. Its scientific name, Theobroma cacao, is Greek for “food of the gods”, a reflection of the bean’s place in Mexico’s Mayan and Aztec culture where it was considered a gift from the gods, where its use was typically reserved for special occasions, weddings and ceremonies. Among many of Mexico’s indigenous tribes, cacao as a dried bean became a currency, its value and status plainly understood. Cacao. It’s nourishment. It’s medicine. It’s an essential. It’s a luxury. It’s comforting. It’s over-stimulating. It’s earthly. It’s sacred. It’s everyday. It’s special. It’s complicated. Ligita LapĂ© and her Troncones-based brand Tribu Del Cacao, caught my eye on Instagram before I happened to meet her for the first time at JahvĂ©, the vegetable and fruit store just south of the T. Ligita knows the complexities of cacao first-hand, as a maker, artist and brewer and as someone who’s sure cacao speaks to her, as a guide, a co-conspirator and a source of inspiration. We sat down together in her treehouse-like apartment in early September and talked about how she was drawn to cacao’s magic.

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AMANDA HARRIS: ORGANIC FARMER

BY
AURA WINARICK
Bringing new ways, new foods and new life to people along the Costa Grande

Led by Amanda Harris, Gente Viva is a local permaculture farm focused on sustaining the land, the aquifer and the watershed. It’s changing food culture throughout Guerrero. Founded on agroecological principles, Gente Viva farms approximately 10 hectares set in a tranquil coastal plain about 40 minutes south of Troncones. Amanda’s field team makes use of regenerative practices, composting systems, passive rainwater harvesting, as well as age-old concepts like sembrando agua (planting water), to nourish both soil and community.

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ELFI TEUTSCH: HAPPY ENTREPRENEUR

BY
BENITO VILA
On-the-go, in and out of the water, making a joyful life

A could-be-anywhere free spirit, Elfi Teutsch chose Troncones as the place to be. Or, perhaps, Troncones chose her. Whichever way that goes, the first time I met Elfie was in the surf, the two of us sharing a large wave, stoked and laughing at our two-person “party wave”. Later, when I needed a board repaired, when I ran out of sunscreen; when I didn’t have any dog treats and when I was at La Cervicheria Troncones wondering what a vegetarian could eat, each time Elfi was there, connecting me to exactly what I needed. There’s no accident in all that–she repairs boards, makes sunscreen, bakes dog treats and helps out at La Cervicheria. Elfi also shapes boards. She’s a creative hands-on business maker and a fixture on the Troncones surf scene.

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Enedino SĂĄnchez: Master Gardener, Quiet Hero, the spirit of troncones

BY
BENITO VILA
Anytime you admire a garden in Troncones, chances are it’s been touched by the hands of Enedino Sanchez. Anytime you go to a fundraiser in Troncones for someone in need, chances are he’s one of the organizers.

As the owner of a picturesque vine-covered laundromat set in the middle of an always-in-bloom nursery, Enedino Sanchez is well-known in Troncones, Truth is, he’s counted on for more than clean clothes and big bougainvillea. A member of the church, an advocate for public transportation, education and water management, and a caregiver to his family and neighbors, Enedino embodies the spirit of service that’s needed for a small town to thrive. His commitment and dedication have helped shape and sustain the character of Troncones.

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