ABSTRACT
I was in Mérida, capital of the Mexican state of Yucatán, mostly to see the Maya ruins at Chichen Itza and elsewhere, but as it happened, thousands and thousands of people were making their way there at the same time to see the Pope, His Holiness Juan Pablo Segundo, on the first visit of someone of his high office to Yucatán. Façades along what would be the path of the Papamobil were being spruced up during the days before the arrival of His Holiness (on the principle that the powerful of this world should not be confronted with its seamy sides), and headgear of the type norteamericanos would describe as baseball caps with his picture were sold in the Plaza Mayor, with Mickey Mouse caps as the only competition; the latter were clearly losing out by the time of his arrival.
