Wood for cooking had to be gotten. It was a good thing that the morning was ever so pleasant. Going to the mountain to get firewood, was not consider neither a punishment nor an insult, it was an intrinsic part of the obligations of young growing boys since they must participate in the solutions of the family domestic problems including getting the wood and carry the water for the food preparation of the day. 

We, the youngsters, used to talk about our adventures and our findings during the gathering of wood for our homes. Some would talk about the birds that we saw, the snakes and the best places to chop down a banana palm to make floaters and learn how to swim, the best branch for a good sling shot, the sharpening of our machetes and the best way to make the bundles to carry the wood on our backs. At that time, a 10-year-old boy in our place was more knowledgeable and more efficient than any city boy of comparable age, of interest is that such statement is just as accurate and applicable today, 2024.

We were capable of watering horses, getting fire wood, carry the water, select the plants for packing, harvest fruit and coffee et cetera, many of those activities were expected to be done prior to our walk to the school…..

Oops, I am digressing!.. Indeed it was a pleasant morning. I had my lasso and machete and headed for the mountain.

Los Corredores is a very special place, a tall mountain formation with a flat plateau  the base of the enormous column had been hand cut by the warriors of Cuahuanahuac today, that town is known as Cuernavaca and any good American tourist can tell you where it is.

The Tepozteco, leader of the town of Tepoztlan decided to take their Teponaztli which is a unique type of ceremonial drum that produces a pleasant unique sound and when he played the drum at the summit of the Corredores the sound would echo in the circle of mountains that lasted forever.

Well, the Tepozteco was playing the ceremonial drum on top of the mountain and the warriors from Cuahuanahuac wanted to chop down the mountain and proceed to cut the stone and ended in the creation of an area that is called Corredores. Of course they could not chop the mountain, but they did try.

Every year on September the 8^th a celebration takes place in the town and teponaztlis and chirimias are played to commemorate the triumph of the Tepozteco and his keeping of the teponaztli from the people of Cuahuanahuac. The sounds were and are as they were prior to the European invasion.

That morning, I stopped my wood gathering activities at the very base of the Corredores cerro, there was a patch of beautiful grass.

I sat there, resting my back on the wall of the mountain, I noticed that next to me there was a four-leaf clover!. 

Somehow, I had learned that a four-leave clover represents a good omen that heralds good luck, then I noticed another one! next to the first one! and another! and another one!! 

I realized that I was seated on a patch of only four leaves clovers, hundreds of them!

I enjoyed a wonderful feeling in my chest that made me feel light! as if flying! What an omen!! 

I wanted to share my experience and findings with my family! I hurried to get my load of wood, put it on my back, carefully harvested two or three of the four leaves clovers from their root and promptly made my way back to my house……

Oops, its time to stop!! No further space nor time is available. 

Yet there is more, and the question of “Why me” has not been addressed…..

Beggin for the generosity of your time and anticipating your approval, I will continue to narrate further events, until then…..

Checo SZ