The Mouse That Roared
"It was all for show,"said Wally."We had more athletes than the United States.But we only won one medal.Raton Macias won the silver."
I didn't think he was right about Macias winning a silver medal at the 1952 summer Olympic Games in Helsinki,but it wasn't important to have corrected him.Wally O'Campo was sitting in his wheel chair in his condominium that was in the University City section of San Diego..I had brought over some of my tapes of Mexican fighters to watch on his VHS.It was Wally's condo. His daughter Cihtli lived with him.Cihtli was my granddaughter Amanda's flamenco teacher at the time. That's how I got to know Wally through his daughter Cihtli.
"How did you do ?"I asked.
"I was eliminated early," he answered."It was all for show.Mexico had a huge team ,but we didn't do anything.If it wasn't for Raton Macias we wouldn't have enjoyed a laugh.He kept our spirits up."
Wally was from Mexico City. He was part of that chilango arisiocracy that people outside of the capital resented. They saw chilangos(people from Mexico city)as being self haughty, loquacious,self absorbed,and too opinionated. Also there's the legend that Mexico City,formerly,Tetochtitlan,was founded by the Mexica people in the 1300's and that he Aztec gods lived there, and the city was and is still considered something sacred. Mexico City is the most populated city in the western hemisphere(20 million)and I'm doubtful that many residents think of themselves as being something special. However, there is a strain of conceit at the top. They're the ones that are referred to as chilangos, Even though Wally was of that ilk,he wasn't arrogant. He valued his upbringing and education,his participation in the 52 and 56 on the Mexican Olympic swim teams(He swam the butterfly) .We talked the gamut in his living room-from food to politics,throwing in a lot of history,race,customs and cultures,the differences between the U.S. and Mexico,and one of his favorite interests,boxing.
"To think that the government spent so much money sending us to the Olympics when it could have been used for better thing.s,"he complained.
"But you must have seen a lot ,"I said.
"Yes.I traveled a good part of the world swimming with the Mexican team.I even competed in Russia."
Wally had a wispy body.I didn't know him before he had his strokes,but I saw pictures of him posing with other teammates overseas.His bronze coloring and thick wavy black hair gave him a Don Juan appearance. His long face featured a wide mouth and hazel eyes that expressed a vivid concentration. From his conversations you knew he wasn't from the ranch. He wanted to talk and dissect everything. I guess that was the chilango him.
"I'll always remember Macias.He wasn't like the rest of us.He was from Mexico City but he was very poor. He grew up in Tepito."
"I have a sister in law who lives in Tepito. It's a pretty rough neighborhood. I went there once with my wife to visit her sister. One morning there were some gunshots.They shot this guy dead on her doorstep."
"Macias was very popular in Mexico. He was handsome and made movies and starred in television after he retired from boxing."
"My wife isn't into sports but she liked Raton Macias because he was a movie star."
"But just because he was a great fighter didn't mean he'd be a movie star. He was genuine and outgoing.The people could approach him. And he was very good looking and knew it.He made you feel better about yourself when in his presence."
"That must have been great to know him,"I said.
"I think I would have returned home from Helsinki if Macias hadn't been around. He made all of us laugh. He made our homesickness go away."
I used to visit Wally once a week. No one came over to visit him much after the last stroke. His daughter,Cihtli,was out giving flamenco lessons and traveling to Spain with her boyfriend most of the time.A lady from Tijuana would come up from the border on the trolley,then take a couple of buses to come over and look after Wally during the week.The lady was very kind and patient.She would go in the back room when I came over so Wally and I could talk openly.She told me that she was very happy because her children lived near her and came over to visit all the time.
I got the call about Wally's passing from his daughter. She said that she wasn't home that night because she was giving a lesson. The neighbors told her that they heard Wally shouting hysterically out the window. One of them called the police. When they arrived Wally was already gone. He had had of a stroke. The police asked the neighbors what he was yelling.
"It was hard to make out,"one of them said."something like Ramon ,or something like that."
"You sure it was Ramon?"asked one of the officers again.
"It sounded at first he was shouting 'raton'but that wouldn't have made any sense."
"No.I guess not,"said the policeman writing everything down.
Raton Macias
.
