In the past, it was known as “the place of old oaks” for its green trees that shaded the hills, but today it has been renamed “the cradle of the truck driver” because dozens of families subsist thanks to this trade, now in danger of extinction.
This is Ahuazotepec, a municipality in the Sierra Norte of Puebla that, since the 1970s, became a bastion for cargo transportation, serving as an intermediate point between the nation’s capital and the port of Veracruz, thanks to the Mexico-Tuxpan federal highway.
Before the Conquest, Ahuazotepec was an important settlement for Totonac and Otomi groups, who paid tribute to the Nahuatlacan rulers of Texcoco. It later became part of Huauchinango, until it became a municipality in 1895.
For much of the 20th century, its main vocation was agriculture, but with the decline of the railroad and the arrival of large cargo trucks, the truck driver’s trade became an opportunity to make money in the face of scarce jobs.
“It started here because some people arrived with one truck, then a second, and so they bought more. They drove them and then taught their children and the townspeople how to do it. Here in Ahuazotepec, there is at least one owner or driver in every family,” commented Anselmo Muñoz, municipal treasurer.
The official spoke to MULTIMEDIOS Puebla on behalf of Mayor Alfredo Ramírez Hernández, due to having to attend the funeral of one of the region’s most important businessmen in the transportation industry, Ramón Cuevas Martínez.
The truck driver’s vocation is so important to the people that it is demonstrated even in death. As our team arrived at the center of the municipality, the businessman’s remains arrived by caravan to the Parish of San Nicolás Tolentino, but instead of a hearse, he was led by a 10-ton orange trailer.
“Here, children are already born with the vision of being a truck driver. It’s a very beautiful occupation because it has allowed families to have jobs and bring progress to the municipality,” added Anselmo Muñoz.
One of the many children in the community who followed that path is César González, who began driving a truck at the age of 15, even though his mother disagreed, fearing that the same thing would happen to him as to his father, who died in a highway accident in 2020.
While his unit is being repaired after so many kilometers on Mexico’s highways, he shared with this publishing house some of his experiences as a truck driver, whose protector is the Virgin of San Juan de los Lagos, who cares for the sick, migrants, and those seeking protection from natural disasters alike.
“In the life of a truck driver, there are two things: jail or death, but it’s nice as long as you take care of yourself, although when it’s your turn, it’s your turn,” he said.
The longest trip of César’s career was from Puebla to Tijuana, Baja California, which took him two and a half days to complete due to the many complicated stretches along the way, the traffic, and the load he was carrying.
“To be a truck driver, you not only have to know how to drive, but also how to work mechanics in case you get stuck,” he stated.
He acknowledged that many of his colleagues are reckless behind the wheel, but he asked drivers not to label them as “marijuana users,” as most work honestly and without the need to use substances to endure long road trips.
“We haven’t had a break for days, and people should be grateful because we’re the ones who bring things from far away. Without truckers, Mexico can’t sustain itself; we always have to carry 80 or 90 tons. It’s not fair and it’s very infuriating,” he charged.
César González was asked about the most dangerous highway he’s ever traveled, but beyond not having an answer, he explained that most roads are now controlled by organized crime. Faced with this situation, he asked the authorities for help.
“Let them give us a hand because we can’t go out without fear anymore; they could rob us or steal our cars.” “It’s not like before, when they just took your truck. Now they even kill us even though we don’t owe anything, and then they don’t find us until a year later,” he lamented.
Despite this, he is proud of his job, as it has allowed him to bring a living home. He also didn’t deny the love he feels for his unit, his true home.
“You sleep here, you eat here, you spend all your time here; it’s like your home. I spend more time with him than with my family, but as long as you have a love for trucks, nothing will go wrong on the trip,” he stated.
Mary and Joseph at the Wheel
Although representations of the Catholic faith abound in Mexico, one that has drawn particular attention is that of Joseph and Mary driving a trailer christened the Child Jesus, the main economic vocation of Ahuazotepec.
Furthermore, this iconic image is located in the atrium of the Parish of San Nicolás de Tolentino, in the municipal seat, and every day it welcomes drivers embarking on a trip outside the state, so that they return safely or do not suffer any difficulties on the journey.
The town’s devotion to this image is so important that it was left outside the church so that truck drivers have the opportunity to visit it even in the early morning, as it is common for their trips to begin before the sun sets.
Furthermore, several elements of the municipality reference the profession that has helped most families to have a job. A prosperous home of their own, where all its members can live.
One example is the garbage cans in the first square of the site, shaped like a tractor-trailer, along with the welcome arch for those arriving at the site from the highway leading to Zacatlán, which reads “Ahuazotepec, cradle of the truck driver.”
It’s worth noting that the Ahuazotepec Fair, better known as the Transportation Fair, is the most important event in the district and takes place in late March and early April. There will not only be traditional rides and typical regional dishes, but also drag races for truck drivers or tuned-up cargo units.
It’s worth noting that for this event, drivers spend up to 30,000 pesos on the tires they’ll use for the races, in addition to the lavish banquets offered by the transportation operators when their vehicles are blessed, as a token of gratitude for the work they’ve received over the past year.
Source: milenio
