"Que Sera, Sera" Enshrined in Concrete and Stone

Yesterday, while walking in Guanajuato, I climbed a series of steps several feet high, with no guardrail and no warnings of danger. It didn't surprise me, because I see potentially hazardous spots like this all over town. A five-year-old or even an absent-minded 55-year-old could easily miss a step and break their bones, if not more.

Sometimes I see a gaggle of schoolkids pushing and shoving and walking several abreast, the way schoolkids do, inches away from a dramatic drop-off, and my hearts beats a little faster. I think, "Accident waiting to happen!"

It's not that the government can't afford to erect guardrails or put up signs; it spends plenty of money on maintaining and restoring the colonial churches and other historic buildings that gave Guanajuato its UNESCO cultural heritage stamp. You could argue that the city puts its money in the touristed areas, and this is true, but I've seen dangerous drop-offs even in highly-visited parts of town.

I've noticed that city engineering codes in Mexico, and many other countries outside the States, Canada, Western Europe and Australia, are just much more relaxed. The engineering codes seem to reflect a more permissive cultural attitude of "que sera, sera," enshrined in concrete.