San Carlos, Sonora, is a suburb of the working class city of Guaymas. It developed as an upper class resort area for mainly Americans and Canadians. This week I did a tour of homes in the San Carlos area, a tour that displayed well the opulence of the area. Just look at the photo above.

The more opulent housing is mainly waterfront property, or else view property higher up and overlooking the water and the two marinas. If you are interested, I have photos you can see on-line of properties I viewed on the tour.

Do any of you feel distaste for the opulent indulgence? Perhaps sympathy for the working class centered in Guaymas, and perhaps even disapproval of the comparatively wealthy North American interlopers?

If so, not so quick! When was the last time you were helping the poor in Guaymas, because that is exactly what all those people were doing - the hundreds of Americans and Canadians participating in the San Carlos tour of homes.

The tour of homes is an annual event for raising money to send many Mexican children to high school, who would otherwise be too poor to attend (High school education is not publicly funded here). The 430 people on the tour each paid 400 pesos, which goes to funding the children. The people showing their homes freely did so for the cause. And afterwards, at the country club on the golf course, as margaritas were served en masse, the participants spent money liberally at the auctions also in support of the children's education.

Americans and Canadians, mostly elderly and retired, have organized widely to develop and support charitable causes here to benefit the locals, including education, vocational training, senior care, and a women's shelter.

I admire the many people here who devote countless hours, and money, to helping the less fortunate. I admire their selflessness - even if they live in opulent homes.