In the lands of the coffee, from the book, Searching for treasures
Pachuca City, Hidalgo, Mexico
“Since we weren’t that many, we didn’t end up on the mountain tips, like forest rangers. Naturally, as the years went by, the village grew, like all the rest of the things under the sun. The same as Caldas, it has also changed named quite a few times. That desire to name things and children, it probably is the most vivid description of us all! I’ll bet you a couple of shots of rum that that!”
“One day, my dear friend from other times, cultures and lands, for surely you are another remote land, my General Mosquera passed by these whereabouts. Those were the troubled Civil War times of a Colombia that was trying to be born. You could say that our country had a tough childhood, God’s truth! The General asked for the name of the town. When they answered that it was Villarica, he said:
“Looks more like Segovia, back in Tolima. That’s where I fought one of my best battles, yes, Sir!”
“Well, I couldn’t much say ’bout that you see, for I had never been to Segovia. But, the fact is that when the General became the President, it was decided to change the name from Villarica to Villarica of Segovia. That’s the way that people are… It’s a long name, you know, so after a while, the people began to call it Segovia, plain and simple. Later still, many years later, when everything French became so fashionable, the town’s name changed to Marsella. That was about a hundred years ago, give and take. As far as I’m concerned, the best of the names was Villarica of Segovia, Still, for all the matters of taste, God gave us decks of cards, gambling, and games of chance. For the women, he created their darling little shoes, of course!”