Discerning the deserving from the deceiving

Panhandling in Mazatlán ranges from basic begging to “licensed” donation accumulators with a wide and creative mix in-between. This is a generous city, and legitimate charities actively solicit the public for donations and benefit immensely from the few pesos anyone can give. However, others are dubious in both their pursuit and purpose.

Of the licensed panhandlers, the most prolific seem to be the ones collecting for various drug and alcohol rehab centers. Now, don’t get me wrong: I believe in drug and alcohol rehab and just because I’ve been putting it off for years doesn’t lessen its validity. I’ve learned that the people who ask for donations get 50% of the daily take. So, while there are real centers giving real help to people that really need it, there are some that are simply training people to panhandle and splitting the funds. With the abundance of print shops around town, an official-looking laminated card hung from the neck could fool almost anyone. The sad part is I haven’t figured out how to discern the deserving from the deceiving, so giving to this group is a crap shoot.

The professional beggar is well versed in looking downtrodden, dismal and of course quite needy. As a gringo, with a comparably opulent life, I was initially inclined to always give a little something. But as I began to see the same people week after week, year after year, I realized instead of selling trinkets or performing at intersections, they’ve perfected the art of being pitiful for profit. There’s a woman that works the Centro mercado area that’s had her foot bandaged for over a year; I could swear it’s not always the same foot.

Not all panhandlers are simply scamming for a living, though. There’s a man with cerebral palsy who sells gum around the Golden Zone. He’s constantly scorned by both gringo and national tourists because he appears drunk or stoned. After seeing him stagger down the beach several times proffering his meager box of gum to one group after another, only to be shooed away like a loathsome pest, I realized his stilted manor and awkward gestures were not caused by mind-altering substances. The day I finally gave him $50 pesos for a small box of gum we exchanged something more than candy-coated goo and money.

Any intersection with a traffic light holds a captive audience for several minutes and becomes the perfect opportunity for creative panhandling. Window washing is probably the most common because it requires little skill or capital investment and is a great way to ditch school. The window washers are exceedingly more nettlesome than the performing panhandlers.

The performing panhandlers are quite varied and a few can actually be entertaining. Last year there was a guy at the Valentino’s intersection, wearing only shorts, that would lay on broken glass, first on his back and then face-down. These weren’t pieces of polished glass - these were busted-up beer bottles he carried in a piece of rough burlap. The minute the light turned red, he’d unroll the burlap and spread out the glass shards, with bare hands, lay for 15 seconds on one side and then flip to the other. He would then spring to his feet and canvass the vehicles for pesos, his slightly bleeding back disappearing between the rows of waiting cars. Since I’ve only seen this once, I believe this particular street act has not gained much popularity with those seeking easy money.

The guy that hangs out on Insurgentes is a one-man show of handstands and back flips: I’ve nicknamed him Tarzan. After walking on his hands and popping off a couple of standing back flips, Tarzan will then solicit handouts from the waiting vehicles. With his imposing physique and psychopathic stare, even the people that blow off the guy juggling oranges give Tarzan a little something.

When I first saw the human blow torch belching fire balls I was truly perplexed. I have no idea what would propel a person to this level of madness. Kerosene is easily absorbed by the skin and prolonged exposure could cause accumulations of this flammable solvent throughout the body. After a few years of this act, a slight mistake could touch off a grisly conflagration that would most certainly gain the total attention of anyone within a kilometer.

If I give a few pesos to these practiced pros, am I perpetuating their personifications, or enriching their lives in a meaningful way? Sometimes the answer is apparent, but many times it’s not. So, when giving money to street people, do so with both discretion and kindness.

Bodie Kellogg lives full-time in Mazatlan and is currently conducting a city-wide search for the best taco in town. Snickers the wonder dog is assisting this pursuit and can be seen right on his heels as he lurks among the street carts and taco stands of Centro and the ethnic eateries of the Zone. Comments, tips? Send to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .