Profiling Tepehua – February 2025

My first home in Mexico was in the city of Mazatlán. We wintered there from 2003 until 2014, when we decided to move to a more favorable climate for year-round living – Lake Chapala.

My winters in Mazatlán were spent not only enjoying this stunningly beautiful “pearl of the Pacific,” but also by volunteering with a group of local sewing women to help them earn a living. Our team of three leaders traveled weekly to a small community center located in a poor barrio where they kept their fabric, assembled for group meetings, had classes, made future plans and of course, shared many potlucks together.

Beverly oversaw the weekly English classes, to help the women communicate better at their sales events. I was the sewing and creative link for the women, showing them new techniques, new products to make, and ways to upgrade their work. Bev and I (the snowbirds and expats of the group) gave it our all from October until April. We then departed for our summers up north and left this program in the hands of the ROCK of the leadership team, Toy Pruneda.

Toy was a part of Mazatlán’s upper class, and her heart was ALWAYS first and foremost with the people. She belonged to a women’s service group, Pro Mexico, which was responsible for the creation of that community center. Toy told us the story of early days of planning the center. She and her wealthy friends looked at the building and assessed how it could meet the needs of the people nearby. They had many discussions about what they could bring to the people to help them improve their quality of life.

Their first meeting with the locals was to inform them that their group was going to help them get sanitation services into their homes. Toy and her friends imagined that the people would be ecstatic with this news (no more outhouses!), but no, the people were disappointed and had ideas of their own.

They wanted EDUCATION FOR THEIR CHILDREN. As rudimentary and simple as their lives appeared, they looked to the future, and had hopes and dreams that their children and grandchildren would have better lives.

With this information, Toy and fellow Pro Mexico members created a pre-school/kindergarten program at the center and brought EDUCATION to those who asked for it. The people had lived for years without modern bathrooms and knew how to adapt to that lifestyle, but they were hungry for EDUCATION and all that it would bring.

During our classes together, Bev would do her “English thing,” I would do my “sewing thing,” and then it was Toy’s turn. She would typically focus on readings from Al-Anon, to help them cope with substance abuse or co-dependency issues they might be having at home. She focused on empowering these women to be strong leaders in their homes and communities. Throughout her many years of devotion to this group, she encouraged them to trust one another and to rely on each other in times of need.

Our group still keeps in contact. Toy is now in her 90’s and enjoying her family. Beverly sadly passed away a few years ago. I migrated to Chapala and quickly connected with the Tepehua sewing group. The sewing women in Mazatlán now independently operate a sales cart at the cruise ship terminal and take pride in what they can provide to their families.

This situation isn’t much different than what we have at our Tepehua Community Center. Women are running a clinic to bring quality health services to their barrio. A crew of women are responsible for cleaning the center and they earn EDUCATION vouchers for their children. A team of women run a sewing business that allows them to provide quality EDUCATION to their children. English classes are taught weekly to those interested. Our EDUCATION program provides scholarships to deserving and hard-working students.

The story is the same throughout the world – people want better lives for their families, and EDUCATION is often at the top of the list. Tepehua Community Center is working hard to make that a reality here at Lake Chapala.