Reading vintage tour books on Mexico is always an enjoyable experience. I have a collection of first editions dating from the 1930’s. These early accounts of travel in Mexico are very quaint and often patronizing yet always filled with the wonder of writers who are enjoying the experience of the discovery of life in a new country. One of my favorites, however, is a newer one written in 1960 by Stanton Delaplane. It is a recent addition to my growing collection. As I was reading the book I was struck by what I thought was a style very similar to that of the late San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Cain. And how about my surprise when I googled Delaplane and found out that he was a predecessor of Herb’s at the Chronicle!! No wonder there was a similarity between the two writers.

Delapane wrote several books but as far as I can tell Delaplane in Mexico was the only one he wrote on travels in Mexico. The book is filled with insightful comments and the usual descriptions of the beautiful countryside and the warm people but it is the humor expressed in difficult situations that really catches one’s attention. One example is in his discourse on “don’t go near the water” in which he writes: “For no visitor ever comes to Mexico without the most awful warnings from friends. ‘Do not drink the water or eat the salads.’ I can add, do not eat the unpasteurized goat milk cheese. It is a good warning except that I do not think it would occur to many tourists to eat goat milk cheese. ….Well, it is mighty fine to be in Mexico with the Aztec tummy-ache lying in ambush at every turn. People who do not have the turista problem feel cheated. I think most of them do not get it. But, by thinking a bit and worrying, you can always create a mild flutter in the Derby Kelly. Then you can join in the conversation and not feel left out. Americans in Mexico spend a lot of time talking about their insides.” Well, this was written over 40 years ago and it still holds true today!

Delaplane writes about car troubles, language barriers, tipping practices and time frames. If he were here today he would feel right at home since not much has changed. His advice is still pertinent. When he ventures off the freeway he finds that the pot holes wreck havoc with his car, just as one does today. Then, as now, there is a plethora of mechanics who are willing to have a go at fixing one’s car and give the assurance that it will be ready “en un ratito” (defined by Delaplane as one little moment). This measurement of time has not changed either over the years and can indicate a period of time ranging from a couple of hours to a couple of days. He was waiting for car parts to arrive (just as I am this very week). His description is another example of his humorous writing: “In the morning I went over to the place of the ‘autobooses’. The parts had not arrived. I went back to the garage. The maestro looked shocked. He would have been more shocked if the parts had arrived, I think. But the chances of these happening in Mexico are mighty slim.” When the parts arrived they were for someone else so eventually Delaplane decided to pick up the parts personally in Guadalajara and send them back himself.
Even today with our instant communication via cell phone the concept of “ahorita” rules. Patience is the name of the game.

Delaplane writes about his favorite hotels and restaurants, about bus travel, about churches, Cortez, buying and bargains, and his favorite towns of Oaxaca and Veracruz. In the introduction he writes that “Mexico is not the United States” and from these words onward, he gives us “a short happy guide” to a Mexico of 40 years ago which has not changed all that much.