FINDING LOST CIVILIZATIONS This

Chapter 1The Thirteen StationsOf The CrossJanuary 2006This story began as a tale of family, love, dedication,hard work, inspiration, and the fragments of life aroundus. Little did I know it was also the beginning of a threadthat I would follow for three years in search of lost civilizationsalong the Pacific coast and mountains of the State ofNayarit, Mexico.I first visited Guayabitos, a sleepy village primarily visitedby Mexican tourists, in the mid-1990s. Its charm wasthat the Gringo tourist boom and invasion of Puerto Vallartahad not reached its shores. On my first trip I saw a tall crossbuilt alongside a hill on the south end of town. I had alwayswanted to visit this site and ten years later I found myself atthe archway entrance to the path leading up to the cross. Asmy father and I approached the archway we saw a Mexicanman at the entrance who told us that the site was closed tothe public. I then noticed and was surprised to see that it wasbarred shut with a chain-link fence. Initially, I thought thatthe site was a public area and that the man at the entrancewas a watchman. As I continued my conversation with thisman I learned that hisname was Pedro GuzmanSanchez and hewas fifty-three yearsold. He was from afamily of 11 childrenand had lived hisentire life in Guayabitos.Pedro’s fatherdied when he was 78years old and in 1988Pedro dedicated hislife in memory of hisfather by deciding tobuild a memorial inhis honor.5