Nayarit, Mexico - The signs were all there. It started with the sudden appearance of teams of Nayarit workers descending on the pueblo; shovels, snippers, machetes, brooms, and garbage bags in hand, not to mention the very rare appearance of a street sweeper - the mechanical kind!

Then came the painters, creating new pro-Nayarit government signs on previously trashy surfaces. And the street crews; potholes not previously repaired were filled, topes (speed bumps) were enhanced and/or corrected and painted along with all curbs.

So, did it take the arrival of the multiple tiers of local, state, and national security forces to clue you onto the fact that a dignitary was coming to town? Did the late night rehearsals at the Marina give you a hint? What about the lights and sound - the loud music at 4 am?

I confess that I had been let in on the "secret" that President Enrique Pena Nieto was coming to the Marina Riviera Nayarit last week - a privilege of the press. Not just the President, but all thirty-one Governors of the States of Mexico plus the "Jefe de Gobierno" of Mexico DF (Mexico City - think Washington/District of Columbia) would be visiting our fair pueblo.

Imagine my surprise when I was completely unable to negotiate the town and had to abandon the nifty Smart Car in favor of foot transport to reach the Marina. Long story - short; no admission to the "event" but here’s my observations and photos:

Nayarit Governor Sandoval did a splendid job of self-promotion and took advantage of his obvious opportunity to grab the spotlight from the other governors (in your FACE! You are in MY HOUSE!) with all of the signage and clean-up; not just here in La Cruz but all the way down Highway 200 - officially Blvd. Riviera Nayarit - from here to the Rio Ameca (stateline) there was general pro-Nayarit propaganda. He got lots of media exposure being seen and paling around with Presidente Pena Nieto as well.

As for President Pena Nieto (clearly a "hands-on" kind of guy,) he sent the mysterious security forces - not just the black-clad, auto-weapon-armed soldiers, but also all the "plain-clothed" Secret Service types - into a major meltdown by ordering his driver to stop during the exit from the pueblo on Av. Langosta in front of Enrique’s restaurant. He proceeded to walk up the street through the glorieta to the stoplight at the highway to get some face time and palm-pressing with the people of La Cruz, who went crazy. He shook hands, mugged for photos, let swooning teen sweethearts touch his face and kissed the obligatory baby. Very well done, El Presidente. Excelente. (story and pictures by Landon Hollander)