La Recua – The Mule Pack Train
La Recua – The Mule Pack Train
(Rék•wah) - From Arabic Rákbah ‘cavalcade’.
A set of cargo animals, used to carry.
An award-winning Documentary – coming soon to your screen!
An old desert-grown Vaquero in Baja California Sur, México has a new goal in life; so he gathers a string of mules and donkeys, builds saddles and traditional gear for his outfit, and plans an historic re-enactment of the old-time merchant pack-trains that once traveled through that rugged mountain country over 100 years ago. His 8-year-old grandson becomes his right-hand man along the 200 mile fading mission trail.
The Story
Dario Higuera knows it will take some time to make the old-style recua gear. A part of the film describes how the pack-string equipment was made; part describes the history of the old falluqueros (peddlers) and their lifestyle; and in general the story is dedicated to how our present-day burros and arrieros (packers) are re-enacting an era of commerce (the ‘old-time truckers’) that was practiced not just on the Baja California peninsula, but throughout México and the world.
Documenting vignettes along every step of the way, Dario and his compañeros will herd those donkeys for 20 days through spectacular desert and down the old mission and cargo trails. Amigos old and new are met on the journey, sharing memories of the past and of their own long-eared lifestyle.
Twining their stories together like the strands of a horsehair rope, the this epic tale weaves the Old-Californio Vaquero and arriero (muleteer) history, and the backgrounds of Dario Higuera and his companions into an exciting journey to move that “long-eared cargo train” down the trail - and ends with a fiesta worthy of a master of traditional skills.
SEE LaRecua.com for the trailer and lots of fun information.
WATCH – the full film – coming soon Aug. 19 to 27, 2023 at:
