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It’s dark. The silence of the morning has not been broken, even by a bird’s first note. All the vaqueros are still wrapped in their ponchos. The first bray from a burro awakens the scene. The camp slowly comes alive. Now a fire crackles, glowing red in the chilly darkness. Hot coffee is being poured into a cup while the first rays of sunlight touch the mountaintops. These gentle sounds are reassuring in the stillness. All the riders are waking slowly working out the stiffness from sleeping on the ground. Fragrant wood smoke draws everyone closer to the fire. A story is told causing laughter as the sun creeps down into the shadowy camp. With natural ease they will soon pack up everything and secure it on the backs of their sturdy burros to complete the 200 miles to Loreto by packtrain, la recua.
They say that a picture is worth a thousand words and this must-see film captures every detail, putting us right in the saddle even though we have never ridden. The cinematography is brilliant. The sound crafting is important to the experience, and editing of the 300 hours of filming is impeccable. Big passionate hearts came together to represent a time in history. This memorable film will preserve a way of life lived 150 years ago. It is difficult for our western minds that cherish our comfort to consider a life without it. However, there is a different kind of comfort revealed in this documentary, even in the rugged mountains and raw beauty of Baja Sur.
A century ago, there were many small ranchos miles apart. People lived near a water source. Their homes built of natural materials were sheltered from the intense summer heat by the palms and mesquite trees. Any things that might have been needed came infrequently. Intrepid men, muleteers, led packtrains and formed the first El Camino Real, the Royal Road. Only sure-footed burros and mules were able to accomplish the La Recua.
The documentary began with one man’s dream. Darío Higuera, a 70-year-old rancher took his dream to his good friend Trudi Angell, a daring American woman. The dream came alive. Darío knew own grandfather was a muleteer. He led a recua from Comondú to Loreto. How Darío and Trudi first met is a story in itself. As the story goes, Darío’s ranchito was out in the middle of a mountain landscape. Rarely was there a visitor. But one day he looked out his window and saw two riders heading to his house. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Coming for a visit were, Trudi and her young daughter, Olivia. Trudi and Olivia, would eventually create the first tours by mule into the rugged wilderness. Darío exclaimed out loud that day, “Gringas?!” None had ever visited before. That day an important friendship was built on the rocks and wild nature of Baja California Sur.
Darío asked Trudi why not revive the world of the muleteers which had vanished over a century ago? Trudi said let do it! And this set everything in motion and with it a grueling commitment to make it happen. Darío and his compañeros would guide the sturdy and sure-footed burros loaded with supplies. For a more comfortable ride they mounted the larger mules. They faced 200 miles of difficult terrain and this was just one of many obstacles to filming. They would traverse the Sierra La Giganta at nearly four thousand feet down to sea level when reaching the Gulf of California. The logistics of how to keep the cameras rolling was Trudi’s job. The camera’s needed to be charged, and free of dust. And everyone needed to be fed. While true cowboys can build a little fire and throw on a piece of meat, the unseen crew and their animals had to be fed too.
It took a year of major planning and finding the funding, which is another story in itself. In 2018 they hit the trail from Comondú to San Javier to finish in Loreto. Filming in the remote and rugged desert mountains the camera and sound-crew rode mules for 20 days. Much of the filming captured never-before-seen sections of the historic El Camino Real. Darío invited his grandchildren, 8-year-old Ricardo Arce, and 10-year-old Azucena. He tells the children, “The burro is a noble animal.” Together with Darío’s son they represented three generations traveling where only a few desert-raised vaqueros know the land and the routes to find water. Ricardo Arce, spoke knowingly, “Of course there are worries here, but not like in the cities.” Azucena wrangled the pack animals every day and packed up her own burro. Near the end of the film she shares, “The truth is, I feel very happy and proud to have traveled to so many places. And to have shared in Darío’s dream. I was born here and would like to stay here my whole life.” Eight-year-old Ramon said, “I feel very proud to be the son of a rancher. My grandpa taught me many things. How to take care of animals. How to tie on a cargo. And what it was like to work in the past. My father and my grandfather have worked all their lives in the outback. I want to study. But what I really like is to be in the rancho and out in the country!”
In a recent interview the whole team got together to share their experiences. Trudi, said “I value so much the people and their way of living in nature. They live close to their animals with their knowledge, their work and their enjoyment. I love the stories of the old days when a lot of people still lived in the mountains. This is something that should not be lost. I was thrilled to help Darío capture the essence.” She went on to add after 30 years in the mountains and meeting the isolated ranchos, “I was so impressed by the respect which the people have for one another. The children respect the adults, and the adults respect the children.” Darío added, “It is important to share a very clear and an honest message for what we are as ranchers.” an educational documentary.
The group shared a few more humorous experiences. Maybe not so funny at the time, yet the Mexican humor can find humor in almost anything. Everyone laughed when they recalled the day the sound guy fell off his burro. Another event was when they lost a burro fully loaded. It was funny after the smart cowboy found it. One of the film crew admitted that he was really nervous on his mule. As he rode Trudi said to him, “Have faith in your mule. He will get you there.” Ruth López spoke up, “This is a jewel of a film. You can expect a lot from this film. Bring a hanky because there will be tears for sure as it is your own story as well. At the end of the trail, it speaks of a collective memory.” The whole crew in turn thanked Darío for having his vision. Everyone agreed that riding those trails was a life changing experience. Trudi is still hard at work with a mass of details to consider in order to bring this documentary to PBS. She faces a very difficult decision having to edit five more minutes in order to fit the PBS one hour requirement. After this and a little rest for everyone, there are still 300 hours of film to be considered as an educational documentary.
Aging is a way of life. Darío has one good eye, and is still tanning hide and creating leggings and leather shoes. He can’t ride as easily as he once did. There will be no more recuas for him, yet his spirit is as sharp as it once was. He prefers to live quietly alone on his rancho; his son rides over to check on him and wishes that he is happy for a long time to come. Darío’s dream combined with Trudi’s dauntless partnership over an eight-year period has brought to us such an important expression of the human spirit and the strength of a warm family who all work together to carve out life in the wilderness. Dario finishes, “I am so grateful to all the team, how much they all helped with such enthusiasm and they are still working at it. I will never finish thanking them.”
View the official trailer!
To see the film: Visit La Recua's website and sign up for their mailing list. The film is streamed occasionally. They are working on airing the film on PBS and you can help by donating! DVDs may be a possibility in the future.
Banner photo by Elizabeth Moreno. Photos courtesy of La Recua.
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