Oh! That cow is going to die tonight?

Some Yucatan pueblo culture. My pueblo is Mayan. There are several cultural changes that I've had to learn there. One, there is no grocery store meat counter in town to run to and grab a pound of ground or a steak. I knew there were places around the pueblo to buy meat because driving through town I'd see big and small pieces having up above the open-air counter. Beef and whole chickens, and sometime what I thought look like pork ribs.

In my pueblo there are 3 meat vendors. You get meat from one of the 3 families in town that offer fresh meat. Generally speaking, the Mayan people don't like frozen meat or vegetables. They like everything fresh.

I've noticed for a long time, that some afternoons, I'd drive thru the pueblo and see a small, medium or even large cow tied up to a light post in front of a market. They are always just standing there. Today this fellow (and trust me, he was a fellow) was just sitting there looking left and right at the few cars and trucks that went by.

I had a meeting with a lady that does some Mayan translating for me in town and when I saw her, and showed her the photo I took and asked her why that cow was tied up there? She replied, very casually, "oh, that cow is there to die at 1 in the morning". I obviously looked puzzled, and she took the time to explain to me the tradition.

There are 3 meat vendors in town. They only sell fresh meat and to keep from competing with each other they each have a cow to slaughter one day a week to be sold the next 2 days. Then it's someone else's turn. Basically, my pueblo of 4,000 people is a 3-cow-a-week pueblo.

Putting the cow out front all day is like a sign to the community reminding them that the next day is fresh meat day at that particular market. Senor Toro, shown here, will be slaughtered tonight at about 1 am so they can have the cuts all dressed out and ready to hang up for sale in the morning. I've been unable to find a soul who can tell me why no one freezes meat, except they say it "tastes funny when you thaw it". So they only eat fresh that is literally just a day or two or three away from the pasture eating grass. Ditto if you drive by and see a pig tied up in front.

Thanks to Pablo Amar for adding that it also gives the locals a chance to "inspect" the product before buying. That's an interesting idea.

Also, to my great pleasure, the butchers just throw away the blood and told me that if I bring them the 5 gallon bucket they will give it to me for free. At diluted 20:1 with water it is some of the best fertilizer you can apply. I should also add, that I use that term "butcher" very loosely. These people are not butchers. They don't offer a selection of T Bone Steaks or Standing rib roast. They take the cow and cut it up in big pieces and you get what they give you. You might be able to order a piece from the hindquarter, but you're not going to get just the rib eyes.

I also add, that they sell every piece of the cow, including "pieces" of the hide by the kilogram for making shoes or bags out of.  And the head is a premium piece and sells by itself