Feeding The Neighborhood - A Morning In Barra De Potosí

Barra De Potosi is a small fishing village on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. Located about 125 miles up the coast from Acapulco.  Life there is simple. It's my favorite place to go on vacation.

One morning last year when I was in the village I was out for my usual morning walk on the beach when I heard an outboard motor.


I turned and saw a small boat with a kid standing on the bow, another young boy in the middle of the boat, and an older guy at the back operating the motor. Just then the young boy on the bow started shouting and then jumped overboard, too!



The man at the controls accelerated while the other boy started throwing the net over the side. When the last of the net was thrown overboard the other boy followed it into the surf.


The young boys started swimming toward shore, pulling the net behind them.




By the time the boat came ashore, neighbors came down to the beach and started helping out, pulling the nets in.



As the net came out of the water the first fish could be seen in the net. It was important to hurry so the fish wouldn't slip out of the net.



It was a lot of work to get the net and the catch out of the water.



Once the net was out of the water the fish were gathered up.


The catch was good. They pulled in dozens of fish. The captain shared the catch with the neighbors who came down to the beach to help pull the net out of the water. He even offered me a good sized fish just because I was there. I declined.

I guess that's what I like about the village. Everyone is family. The fish these guys caught were how they make their living. The fish they catch feed their family. They sell the rest to buy the other things their family needs. 

Yet, they offered me a fish just because I didn't have any.

I love these people!