Can you run up the Mazatlán lighthouse in four minutes? The last running contest at the Faro that I know about, the winner got to the top in about six minutes. So what’s up with these new signs? I know I’m not in the greatest shape, despite climbing up twice a week for the past 18 months, but come on!

The guys who work there who walk up that hill every day tell me it takes them 21 minutes on average. Of course, they lug all those water and soda bottles in their backpack as they climb, and they don’t run up.

I found the sign rather demotivating, because I fell into the “second to last” of five categories. It was a great lesson for me in my cultural programming. With five categories, I would have expected the third/middle category to be the “average” user, the norm or central tendency. I also know that, having grown up in the US, we give “false positive” encouragement all the time. “Great batting, Jimmy,” we tell the Little Leaguer who strikes out. So what I would have expected on this sign might look something like this:

• Expert: 7 minutes or less
• Running: 8-15 minutes
• Average Health: 15-20 minutes
• Casual User: 20-25 minutes
• Recreational User: 25 minutes or more

I might even add a sixth, humorous category:

• Tourist with a Camera: around 40 minutes to the top

If you are able to get to the top of the lighthouse in four minutes, let me know, would you? I don’t take the shortcuts, but I know many people do. But I don’t think those shortcuts shave that much time off…

Since I took a photo of the sign above, I took a few others, also (slideshow below). If you visit the lighthouse you know the bathrooms have been installed now for months. They are gorgeous, very sturdy. Trouble is, no one thought to run any sewage lines to the sewage treatment facility next door. Or, at least that is what we have been told. The public sanitarios remain closed because they apparently do not function. 😦

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They also put a beautiful plaque in, with a few historical points on it. Trouble is, someone has planted a large plant right in front of the new plaque. Hopefully that will get moved a bit soon.

Recently Irving Fregoso sent me some documents to translate from Spanish to English, saying they are planning to do a photo exhibit about the history of the Faro. What I translated was really interesting. I’ll tell you more as I hear about the exhibit.