Are the Elites of the Mister Amigo Association on the Road to Redemption?
By Diego Garcia III | Editor of The Brownsville Beacon
It will soon be February. That might not mean a whole lot to other people around Texas, or the Rio Grande Valley for that matter, but February is a big deal for Brownsvillians.
No, not because my birthday is in February, although it is. Late February is when all of Brownsville turns to a celebration born in the throes of The Great Depression. Trying to amp up the community and encourage cultural awareness, the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the Pan-American Rountdtable concocted a celebration that was part motorboat race, part bullfight, part parade, and part fireworks display. Take all of that, mix it together with Matamoros and Brownsville and voilà, you've got Charro Days.
Over the last 80 years, the events have changed. Gone are the rodeos and the bullfights, replaced by carnivals and the Sombrero Festival. Another organization that joined the fray in the 1960's was the Mr. Amigo Association. The idea was to honor a Mexican citizen who contributed to the U.S.-Mexican friendship and relationship. The very first Mr. Amigo chosen in 1964 was Miguel Alemán, the former Mexican president.
From their official website, the Mr. Amigo Association's mission is:
Among some of the Mr Amigos we've had include Mexican movie star Cantinflas, Vicente Fernandez, Roberto Cantorál, Juan Gabriel and Jose Jose.
Last year, there was some controversy in Brownsville with the Mr. Amigo selection. The association selected Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim's son-in-law, Arturo Elias Ayub. Ayub would end up snubbing Brownsville by leaving the festivities early. Reports started circulating how the elite higher-ups of the Mr. Amigo Association spent money hand-over-fist to accommodate Mr. Amigo. The questions also circulated — what, exactly, had Carlos Slim's son-in-law done to foster the spirit of friendship and camaraderie between the United States and Mexico?
The Mr. Amigo Association had dropped the ball. Their events were seen as high-brow affairs reserved for the Brownsville and Matamoros elite — a playground for the St. Joe Mafia. The Brownsville Blogosphere reported on Arturo Treviño's other high class events like the MMA's Taste of La Frontera. The Mr. Amigo Association had turned its back on the common, non-elite Brownsvillian.
The Mr. Amigo Association seems to be on a redemption tour. Artemio Alvarez, Juan Rogelio Chapa, and the rest of the executive team have selected boxing legend Julio César Chávez as this year's Mr. Amigo. This selection has proven to be a big hit among local Brownsvillians, if the social media buzz is any sort of indication.
Let's hope the Mr. Amigo Association stays away from trying to do the work of the Chamber of Commerce and the Convention and Visitor's bureau.
Let's hope they can stay true to their mission statement. Hopefully they can redeem themselves from last year's train wreck and make Charro Days a better event rather than one that made people cringe every time they heard about Mr. Amigo.
The older I get, the more Charro Days seems to lose its luster. I can only hope that's because of my evolution into an older, anti-social grouch. Charro Days should be something fun for the entire family and a time for Brownsville and Matamoros to showcase their multicultural, kaleidoscopic beauty.
Let's hope Brownsvillians flock to Elizabeth Street and stand 20 deep to get a glimpse at El Gran Campeón, El César del Boxeo, El León de Culiacán, Mr. Amigo 2019, Julio César Chavez.
Here's hoping for an awesome Charro Days!
*Insert grito here*
Editor's Note: After writing and publishing this article, I visited El Rrun Rrun and read Juan Montoya's article on the Mr. Amigo Association's selection of Julio César Chavez for Mr. Amigo 2019. We here at the Beacon wanted to make sure our readers were aware of a couple of things:
First, yes, he is Mr. Amigo for 2019. He is honored in 2020, but he is Mr. Amigo for last year, similar to how the NFL's champion will be crowned in 2020, but the regular season was played in 2019.
Second, the city does not pay for Mr. Amigo, nor do they shoulder the cost for any of the Mr. Amigo events. Charro Days, Inc., Sombrero Fest, Ltd., and the Mr. Amigo Association are all independent entities that do not use any of your tax dollars, so please stop drawing comparisons to how McAllen pays the Dallas Cowboys to come do their Christmas parade. You're comparing apples to Twinkies.
And finally, it appears as if the choice is being met with mixed reviews. Many people are saying this year's choice is better than last year's choice, but many people are also doubting the choice, saying Chavez isn't a good role model because of his ties to illegal drug organizations in Mexico. We'll see what the rest of the community thinks as Charro Days approaches.
It will soon be February. That might not mean a whole lot to other people around Texas, or the Rio Grande Valley for that matter, but February is a big deal for Brownsvillians.
No, not because my birthday is in February, although it is. Late February is when all of Brownsville turns to a celebration born in the throes of The Great Depression. Trying to amp up the community and encourage cultural awareness, the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the Pan-American Rountdtable concocted a celebration that was part motorboat race, part bullfight, part parade, and part fireworks display. Take all of that, mix it together with Matamoros and Brownsville and voilà, you've got Charro Days.
Over the last 80 years, the events have changed. Gone are the rodeos and the bullfights, replaced by carnivals and the Sombrero Festival. Another organization that joined the fray in the 1960's was the Mr. Amigo Association. The idea was to honor a Mexican citizen who contributed to the U.S.-Mexican friendship and relationship. The very first Mr. Amigo chosen in 1964 was Miguel Alemán, the former Mexican president.
From their official website, the Mr. Amigo Association's mission is:
To promote the international friendship and goodwill which has long existed between the United States of America and the Republic of Mexico as noted on international endeavors of culture, commerce, entertainment and other meaningful bi-national dialogue, all of which profess the mutual love and respect between its people. Hence, the Mr. Amigo Association honors annually a distinguished Mexican citizen whose life work embodies those very human qualities and is honored and recognized with the Mr. Amigo bronze plaque and other expressions of friendship.
Among some of the Mr Amigos we've had include Mexican movie star Cantinflas, Vicente Fernandez, Roberto Cantorál, Juan Gabriel and Jose Jose.
Last year, there was some controversy in Brownsville with the Mr. Amigo selection. The association selected Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim's son-in-law, Arturo Elias Ayub. Ayub would end up snubbing Brownsville by leaving the festivities early. Reports started circulating how the elite higher-ups of the Mr. Amigo Association spent money hand-over-fist to accommodate Mr. Amigo. The questions also circulated — what, exactly, had Carlos Slim's son-in-law done to foster the spirit of friendship and camaraderie between the United States and Mexico?
The Mr. Amigo Association had dropped the ball. Their events were seen as high-brow affairs reserved for the Brownsville and Matamoros elite — a playground for the St. Joe Mafia. The Brownsville Blogosphere reported on Arturo Treviño's other high class events like the MMA's Taste of La Frontera. The Mr. Amigo Association had turned its back on the common, non-elite Brownsvillian.
The Mr. Amigo Association seems to be on a redemption tour. Artemio Alvarez, Juan Rogelio Chapa, and the rest of the executive team have selected boxing legend Julio César Chávez as this year's Mr. Amigo. This selection has proven to be a big hit among local Brownsvillians, if the social media buzz is any sort of indication.
Let's hope the Mr. Amigo Association stays away from trying to do the work of the Chamber of Commerce and the Convention and Visitor's bureau.
Let's hope they can stay true to their mission statement. Hopefully they can redeem themselves from last year's train wreck and make Charro Days a better event rather than one that made people cringe every time they heard about Mr. Amigo.
The older I get, the more Charro Days seems to lose its luster. I can only hope that's because of my evolution into an older, anti-social grouch. Charro Days should be something fun for the entire family and a time for Brownsville and Matamoros to showcase their multicultural, kaleidoscopic beauty.
Let's hope Brownsvillians flock to Elizabeth Street and stand 20 deep to get a glimpse at El Gran Campeón, El César del Boxeo, El León de Culiacán, Mr. Amigo 2019, Julio César Chavez.
Here's hoping for an awesome Charro Days!
*Insert grito here*
Editor's Note: After writing and publishing this article, I visited El Rrun Rrun and read Juan Montoya's article on the Mr. Amigo Association's selection of Julio César Chavez for Mr. Amigo 2019. We here at the Beacon wanted to make sure our readers were aware of a couple of things:
First, yes, he is Mr. Amigo for 2019. He is honored in 2020, but he is Mr. Amigo for last year, similar to how the NFL's champion will be crowned in 2020, but the regular season was played in 2019.
Second, the city does not pay for Mr. Amigo, nor do they shoulder the cost for any of the Mr. Amigo events. Charro Days, Inc., Sombrero Fest, Ltd., and the Mr. Amigo Association are all independent entities that do not use any of your tax dollars, so please stop drawing comparisons to how McAllen pays the Dallas Cowboys to come do their Christmas parade. You're comparing apples to Twinkies.
And finally, it appears as if the choice is being met with mixed reviews. Many people are saying this year's choice is better than last year's choice, but many people are also doubting the choice, saying Chavez isn't a good role model because of his ties to illegal drug organizations in Mexico. We'll see what the rest of the community thinks as Charro Days approaches.
Comments
Post a Comment