LAS CABRAS: WHEN AN ENTIRE CITY RUNS TO THE BEACH

Like lemmings rushing towards the sea, half the population of Escuinapa abandons their homes and runs to the beach every year on May 20. Escuinapa, pop. 70,000, lies on the Sinaloa-Nayarit border about 1½ hours south of Mazatlán. The stretch of sand that´s the objective of this mass migration is Las Cabras, a Pacific beach eight miles west of the town. It doesn´t matter on what day of the week the magic date falls — in 2004 it was a Thursday — the beach-bound migrants will find a way to extend it into a l-o-o-o-ng weekend lasting up to at least five days. And what happens once they get to their sandy destination? Why, they set up camp along the shoreline and enjoy the seascape for the duration. This massive exodus from the everyday world to the wide-open spaces has been going on for 100 years, officially, and a lot longer than that if you believe the legends passed down from father to son among old-time local families. They say that the Toto-rames, the prehispanic inhabitants of Southern Sinaloa, performed this annual ritual to thank the sun for its blessings and the sea for its harvests of fish. But even without tracing the custom back that far, you can find families like the Garates and the Dominguezes, who annually rent a double-size ramada for 1,500 pesos and bring two tents as additional bedrooms. They have faithfully camped out here every May 20 since any of them can remember. Tia Dolores, the oldest family member in the group, says her grandmother spoke of May camping trips to Las Cabras as a child. However far back the custom actually goes, the city and municipality of Escuinapa decided to make it official in May of 1904, so that a century mark was observed on May 20, 2004. Municipal government long since has decided to give its blessing to the phenomenon, helping avoid the total chaos of some 35,000 beachcombing citizens arriving all at once. City Hall installs such amenities as portable potties, showers, even temporary electricity for part of the camp. And, for safety, a 24-hour-a-day police presence. No longer a religious rite, as it may have been in ancient times, the Las Cabras long weekend has evolved into one gigantic blowout of a beach party. There´s a good-sized stage set up just inside the makeshift entrance to the campgrounds, with loudspeakers (emphasis on the loud) amplifying the announcements of the program: the coronation of a queen, shows and singing contests and comedians and musical groups, one event after another from noon

until after midnight all weekend long. The camp itself stretches for perhaps a mile, with ramadas (palm-thatched shelters) and tents strung together in two rows, one immediately behind the other. The campers bring everything but the kitchen sink — and it looks as though they´d tote that, too, if running water were available. Folks bring their beds and bedding, their chairs and tables, their bottled-gas barbecues, their ice chests filled with food and drink. In the case of the 10 adults and children in the Garate-Dominguez encampment, they bring enough supplies to last for several days: tamales, mole, ceviche, chiles rellenos, marlin. They don´t lack for tortillas, because somebody sets up a makeshift tortilleria right on the beach to press out a fresh supply daily for the entire camp. The family also brings fruit-flavored ades and jamaica tea. And if they want beer, there are plenty of Tecate stands near the main stage and the canvas-shaded dance floor. In 2004, the Tecate people, seizing on a golden opportunity to promote their product, co-sponsored the event and provided beer in souvenir cans with the 100th anniversary motif. Not everybody wants to camp out. Another family group might rent a small ramada (800 pesos for the duration) and use their shaded space as an open-air living room with an ocean view. They can trundle a table and several stacks of plastic chairs out to the site and spend their days on the beach greeting friends and enjoying the briny breezes. At bedtime, rather than roughing it, they can head back to their own beds in town. Beach vendors, as you can imagine, have a field day with such a captive audience. The cotton candy sellers, the ice cream guy, the jewelry and clothing people, they all converge on the rows of campers in hopes of turning a quick peso or two. Then too, stands near the entrance to the camp grounds offer such items as pizza, Coca-Cola, carne asada and hot dogs. You can even get a souvenir T-shirt if you want one. What about the garbage? According to the Garate-Dominguez group, who use paper plates and plastic forks, a tractor runs along the beach each morning picking up the bags they leave out and a lot of loose stuff off the sand. Still, on the day after all the campers returned to Escuinapa in 2004, the newspapers noted that they had left 39 tons of throwaways. It took a 20-man crew from the municipal public works department the rest of the week to put Las Cabras back to rights. jackie@pacificpearl.com