Alice good luck in your trip to the land of your ancestors. Go with an open mind and first and foremost enjoy walking the land they did.

I went to Mexico for the first time in 2003 hoping to find records at the church's and civil halls. I went to Jerez Zacatecas, Zapotlan El Grande/Ciudad Gusman, Zapotiltic and Tamazula Jalisco searching for my family records and we also went to El Limon Jalisco searching for records for another family member. We flew into Guadalajara and traveled by bus to all our destinations, wonderful bus system that is very safe and comfortable.

I did not know if I had any family still there since my father was the last of my family to go in 1936 except for my grandmother who went every 3 years until 1950 or so. To my surprise I did have family from my grandmothers side and they all knew I was coming from word of mouth from the relatives of one of my traveling companions. I did not know about the local customs or what was considered good manners in Mexico. I found what I wanted to go do and see was not what they had in mind for me. The records I searched for were not available even though I had seen them at the family history center in Everett Wa. Most places did not have copy machines and I was not allowed to touch the books. They were overworked and understaffed. What records I did find were not copies of the originals but form letters with dates and names written by the clerk. My hosts did not want to go to the cemetery, did not understand my genealogy quest and did their best to make me feel like I was
truly welcomed "back home." I found phone service very poor and in El Durazno, Jerez Zacatecas there was only 2 or 3 phones in the entire rancho of abt 200 homes. Service was iffy so they shared and made appointments for phone use. Computer service was not good either. In Guadalajara even the phone service was not what we expect stateside. I was also surprised how few places accepted credit cards unless you were in large cities. We went to Manzanillo Colima, a tourist destination and found most shops only take cash. If you take a cab be sure to settle on the price before getting into the cab.

Would I do it again? ABSOLUTELY!! I meet wonderful people with stories of my family that I would never have known otherwise. I walked the same ground that some of my ancestors had walked since the 1600's, family left during the revolution in 1916. I learned to be proud and humbled by what I saw and heard. I spent 30 days in Mexico with the 10 days in Guadalajara staying with relatives of my traveling companions. I experienced on my trip dinner with people in absolutely poverty who were so proud to share their table with me and the hospitality of millionaires. I'm a better person for making the trip to reclaim my heritage and one day would love to be able to take that trip again with a better understanding of what to expect and what is expected of me.

Have a wonderful time,
Linda in Everett

AliceBB wrote:
Dear Leticia, Thank you so much for responding. Yours is a good idea to make a list of any possible leads from the phone books, while I'm there. If I find alot of Onates there, I'll obtain a copy of the book itself! Unfortunately, I have no living older relatives (that I know of) from which to get any guidance. So I really do appreicate your help. Being new to genealogy, I fully expected to get several responses from the experienced members of our group. For the past year I've read every email posted and I recall emails from others that have taken a similar trip and I hoped they could share tips for success. Again, my call for help goes out, and my thanks for your idea and well wishes. Alice BB

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