Today I Met…Paco Guajardo

Paco Guajardo, Executive Director at our local non-profit social enterprise, Human Connections, tells an interesting life story.

Enjoy his responses below as we learn a little more about this gifted yet humble man.

Many thanks, Paco, for sharing your time with us, and for all that you do for our community.

Tell us about your childhood. Where were you born, where did you grow up?

I was born in Mexico City in 1964 to a father with roots in northern Mexico and a mother from a Yucatecan family. Six months after I was born, my parents moved to Veracruz and a few years later to Chihuahua.

I grew up in a small community called Colonia Dublán in the northwestern part of the state, not far from the U.S.-Mexico border. I lived there until I was 18. It is a town in the semidesert plains at the foot of the majestic Sierra Madre mountains.

With dogs, horses, bicycles, and the freedom to play outside in a neighborhood where all the families knew each other well, my childhood was idyllic in many ways. This little corner of Northwest Chihuahua is a place where many cultures, traditions and religions come together. It has a history with very interesting characters such as Pancho Villa, Billy the Kid and the Apache chiefs Jeronimo and Juh, among other important figures of the Mexican Revolution. It was also not uncommon to hear English, the German dialect of the Mennonite community, and the Raramuri language of the Tarahumara ethnic group all in the same day while working in my father’s store. Having a family background from other places was quite normal.

Do you have any siblings?

I’m the oldest of a brood of five (two brothers and two sisters), all born within a span of seven years. So, it was a noisy and busy household growing up. We remain close and I admire each of them immensely.

What is your earliest memory?

I’m blessed to be able to remember many early life experiences vividly. One early memory in particular stands out. I am a toddler playing on my parents’ bed. My father is taking a nap, a fan is whirring in the background, and the sight of a bright blue toy cube fills me with a sense of curiosity and wonder. There is a sense of awe, security and happiness in that moment. This brief memory comes to my mind often.

Do you continue with your family traditions?

My family was not a very traditional one in the conventional Mexican sense of the word. However, after many years of being uprooted from both my family and my country, I’ve developed my own set of customs and traditions. I think this is true for many as our society becomes more global.

I understand you are quite accomplished. What is your educational background?

I’m grateful to my parents, who believed in learning and encouraged us to always question. I graduated from Brigham Young University Law School and also have a liberal arts degree with an emphasis in Jewish American literature.

Any hard knocks learning?

I’m pursuing a lifelong degree in everyday survival at the University of Hard Knocks. It’s a fascinating field of study. It was a rough start at first, but learning becomes easier as one gets older, I just have to commit to stay the course.

How many countries have you lived in?

Mexico has been my home for many years. But I have also lived in the United States and spent extended periods of time (more than a year) in Spain and the United Kingdom, and South America.

Do you have any funny stories about your travels?

While flying from Santiago, Chile to New York, our plane suffered a serious mechanical failure and the pilots announced that we were going to have to make an emergency landing. I watched in horror as we approached some white peaks and immediately thought that I was going to be my fellow passengers’ next meal on this crossing of the Andes. The peaks turned out to be sand dunes from the Iquique Desert in northern Chile. My confusion was comical, but only after the emergency landing. As you might guess, I have a very dark sense of humor.

Describe “tourism,” how it is, or how it should be.

So much of who we are determines our experience of travel. My personal hope, however, is that every journey beyond the comforts of home makes me a different, and hopefully a better, person when I return.

That’s why I was immediately drawn to Human Connections’ mission to promote responsible tourism, which is really about creating better places to live and visit.

Paco with Leonarda, one of Human Connections’ artisan partners.

What hobbies do you enjoy?

I have had many hobbies over the years, but at the moment I am passionate about photo editing, cooking, and Vipassana meditation.

Who has been the biggest influence in your life?

I didn’t have any role models. But I did learn a lot from certain influential men and women in my formative years, and I’m very grateful to them. Especially my parents.

How would you like to be remembered?

I would like that my memory, once I’m gone, gives anyone who thinks of me a chuckle and a smile. That, for me, would be the best way to be remembered.

Talk more with Paco while taking one of Human Connections cultural tours in Bucerias. http://humanconnections.org

See our story about the newest tour, Gifts of the Earth, here: https://buceriaslifeintheslowlane.com/gifts-of-the-earth/