Circus at Cuautla

We are looking for a circus truck because it has tickets to go to the circus.
- Caleb



We circused. They had a 6 ball juggler who also bounced them, 2 cyclists in a 10 foot sphere, a lady who could balance things, clowns who chose Virginia from the crowd as his assistant, and others. Very talented. It was held near an artesian well where Edwin swam as a kid and his grandpa used the water to irrigate.
- Grandpa

I’ll tell the details of the circus. Angela and I sat close to the top of some widely spaced bleachers. Dad treated us to popcorn, which lasted most of the exciting evening. Acts included dancing, juggling, and playing musical instruments.
One lady carefully balanced a rose vertically on her nose as she ascended and descended a straight ladder. To amaze us even more, she balanced a platter of glass wine cups on a stick, which was placed on her chin, and she went up and down again. Lastly she placed a knife in her mouth and balanced a sword on that. Wow!
Two motorcycles rode round and round in a metal sphere – classic. Several times some clowns came out and performed. When he first came out he gestured that we should clap. I was in a good mood, and the music was pounding, so Angela and I were clapping loudly and swaying to the music. The clown in the blue suit came out of the ring looking around as he went down the floor rows. Suddenly he came to our bleacher. I began to suspect something when he started up the seats. Angela stopped clapping when he came up to us! He gestured to me, and grabbed my hand. I was so surprised! But I handed Angela my popcorn and went down. Everyone was still clapping in time as he led me into the lighted ring.

Virginia in the ring

My face was flushed as the clown gestured to me and clapped. I clapped, too. In Spanish he told me to sit in a chair in the ring. Thankfully Mom has used the phrase before, and I understood. Then the act began. The clown “courted” me and gave me a balloon flower.

Virginia courted by a clown

But while he was kneeling a gnarly old lady clown with a very large rear end and bossom whacked him with a broom. Apparently “she” was jealous. He tried to explain why he liked me, but she insisted. It sounded like a soap opera. When the old lady clown came up to me I pulled back – it was a man! He said something to me in a low tone, but I didn’t understand. Eventually the old “woman’s” balloon additions popped, and “she” was still mad. While “she” sat bemoaning “her” love luck, the clown began looking at me and the “lady.” He realized he didn’t want me after all. He took the other clown and everybody was happy. After I bowed with the clowns I ran back to the bleachers I kept the balloon flower.
- Virginia




In the evening we went to a circus that was worth seeing. A juggler had amazing talent, including juggling balls that bounced off the floor. It is faster because if he throws them fast they return faster than gravity returns them, He got up to 6 bouncing balls going faster than gravity returned them. A girl held the handle of a knife in her mouth, balancing a 3 foot sword by its tip on the tip of the knife. Then she climbed up a vertical ladder, some 9 feet high, crossed over to the other side of the ladder and descended without the sword falling. Two cyclists entered a closed sphere some 10 feet in diameter and circled the interior of the sphere, one vertically, the other horizontally, without colliding. To circle vertically they had to be going faster than gravity to make the circle. But the best show was when the clown needed a pretty assistant he looked around and saw Virginia on the very back row and came for her. He muttered some instructions to her in Spanish which she could not understand, and he did not know it. But she saw what was happening and played the part as well as if she knew what she was doing. It was one of the best circuses I’ve seen and by far the best clown’s assistant I’ve ever seen.
- Grandpa