A Visit to Taos

Taos, New Mexico is not what it was a few years ago. Too many galleries and restaurants have closed. But it is still a fine place to visit. It is an old town, going back to Spanish colonial days, and its citizens have tried to retain some of the appearance of that time.  Even banks and quick food joints are done up in fake adobe.

I was there couple of weeks ago. At a time when life in many other places was returning to normal, there were still many restrictions on people and businesses and still handbills on walls threatening people with imprisonment for not wearing masks. As I walked around among the old buildings near the old square, it hit me. There is a wicked alcalde (well actually governor) oppressing the people through vicious minions. The people are resentful but dispirited and unable to free themselves.  Some have given up while others hang on hoping for better times. It is the Mark of Zorro (1940 version) in a somewhat similar looking setting. The only thing missing and needed for the story is Zorro.

Of course these days governors are not selected by the king of Spain. They are chosen in elections, and one is coming up next year. (The gov has already started her campaign and by coincidence also has announced that if some things go just the way she wants them to, she might be willing to loosen up and allow New Mexicans to behave a little more like free citizens on July 1^st.)  So the people of New Mexico have a way to get rid of the oppressor on their own. They do not have to wait for a Zorro, which is lucky for them.  Still it would have been amusing and encouraging to see a big “Z” cut onto some of those handbills.