Blogpost for Community Links International

Doña Rosa’s Cob Stove

When I came in, Doña Rosa was sitting on the dirt floor of the kitchen making tortillas. Her left leg extended from beneath her blue plaid dress to expose a muscular chocolate-colored calf that could belong to a woman half her age. She shifted to perch casually on a cement block to knead the corn dough – her flexibility and perky, mischievous smile take years off of her appearance. Doña Rosa and Don Alfredo are Ina’s next door neighbors. They have been loyal and supportive friends to Ina and Manuel and to Enlaces since they welcomed the couple into the neighborhood two years ago. Don Alfredo is a judge in town and works both at the rock quarry and in the fields. As they are the parents of ten children, Doña Rosa is a respected matriarch of much of the Tecuanipan community. They are teeming with knowledge of indigenous language, customs and practices. You’ll hear more about this impressive family as we talk about our other projects, for many of which they have offered both physical and informational support. But for this particular blog post, I’d like to tell you how Doña Rosa’s cob stove came into existence.  read more