The "Chihuahuas" do not like interference and even less disclosure.
They don't like several things, actually: noise, crowding, stolen photos,
voyeuristic
cell phones .
The Chihuahua loves privacy, ample space, silence, but above all the body, his own and that of others
.
He likes to show it, display it and look at it too.
He is a voyeur.
Chihuahuense
: said to be the habitué of this Punta Esteña beach, far from La Brava and La Mansa, about 500 meters wide and the
only naturist (nudist) beach in the Department of Maldonado
.
Santiago, a Uruguayan
Argentine
in his fifties, with long hair and a ponytail, a former banker, living in the Chihuahua neighborhood, is one of the many anonymous heroes who seek to give "a facelift to the spa to remove the black sheep stigma
that It has been dragging on for years
. The preconceptions of promiscuity and perversion are always there and come from many ignorant people," says someone who has been coming to frolic in these arenas for thirty years.
Clarín
contacted him via social networks and he presents himself as a willing person who posts photos, respectful slogans and everything necessary to put Chihuahua back in the spotlight and chase away once and for all the ghosts that haunt her.
"The issue is that
there is a lot of
hater
that tends to demonize
and I fight to combat that."
As a precaution, he prefers not to show himself or reveal his last name.
We are in a car taking a drive through the charming Chihuahua neighborhood and we head down the main street, Las Amarras, where we begin to breathe this other air.
The host instructs on "the progress of new houses, some sustainable, the construction of bungalows and a lot of land for sale (and already sold). 60 people live there throughout the year, in January about 3,000 and there is no rental available
.
"
He also speaks of a committee of neighbors, still in diapers, which is why he grabbed the spear to purify that negative and threatening whiff.
What are the differences between nudism and naturism?
"
Chihuahua is a nudist beach where naturism is practiced
, which is respect for nature and nudity as a more real way of connecting with nature," says Santiago, who makes it clear that it has no commercial objective or purpose. of profit in relation to their activism.
A sign with a naked couple, with their backs turned, welcomes the "naturist beach."
The entrance to the beach has a conventional sign that announces the name of the spa and a few meters of sand inside, the image of a naked couple, with their backs turned, inviting you to come closer.
It is a kind of flag that announces about
"the naturist code of ethics"
, which has a handful of items: "Respect privacy" is the most common, but one recommendation is surprising:
"The practice of total nudity is suggested throughout the beach".
And also this warning: "Do not perform acts of a sexual nature in public areas."
And the one that almost no upstart complies with: "
Refrain from photographing or filming third parties without their consent
. "
Chihuahua Beach is located between the Tío Tom and Ocean Park family resorts.
Those who camp near the border with Uncle Tom - within the Chihuahua territory - are the newbies, "those who have never undressed in public and are making
their first forays and look a little to see what the rest do to get encouraged
. "
On the main slope, that is, in the middle, are "the old hippies who are naked as soon as we face the little path that takes us to the sand. And beyond, near Ocean Park, is the space that gays have" .
A couple bathes naked watching the sunrise and a friend, wearing a mesh, accompanies them on the shore.
Among the new inhabitants of the Chihuahua neighborhood, a wave of owners emerged who
not only do not practice naturism but also try to banish it
.
"The foreigners-turned-owners have just arrived and want to change the rules of the game that have existed for more than sixty years... Where did they come from? -Santiago is indignant-. So the only militancy we have is to practice nudism and the
more dressed people there are "On the beach, I open my legs more.
It is not a provocation, it is a defense of the right achieved," he defends his position.
You are asked about
the welcome sign that suggests nudism.
"Well, you hit the right note... Nudism remains valid if it is practiced, otherwise it will disappear and Chihuahua will be like any other beach in Punta del Este. Then I think: if the Uruguayan coast has about 600 kilometers of coastline and beach,
can't we preserve just 500 meters of nudist area without people coming who want to be dressed?
Somehow we feel that they come to the zoo to see an ass."
Víctor Iturrioz, a certified masseuse who has been providing a session in a neat beach bar in the middle of the beach for a decade.
A few meters away, Víctor Iturrioz, who has been offering massages for ten years in his beach bar nestled in the sand, twenty meters from the shore, listens and nods.
"
I am a chiromassage therapist, I have two degrees and I am certified to be here
. It is a serious job, there is nothing strange here. I work in Malaga in the summer in Spain and I come here to Chihuahua in season. Luckily I have a lot of work and
those who "They practice naturism and seek connection with the body and nature, they are the ones who get massages the most
," describes the 51-year-old Uruguayan.
Iturrioz compares the nudist beaches of Malaga and Punta del Este and does not doubt it: "Well,
here there is more modesty because prejudice about the body governs
, or that only the person with a fit body can show their curves or abs. There in Spain it is everything is much more relaxed, no one is in a pose, no one who has a less graceful body is in trouble, because naturism happens elsewhere. Argentines? It's full,
five out of every ten people who come to Chihuahua are Argentinians."
Chihuahua is chosen for its tranquility and for being spacious.
Also by people who do not practice naturism.
We are walking and we hear Daniel's Buenos Aires accent.
He does not hide and confesses that he is an expert in nudism matters.
"It is a pleasure to be here, I enjoy this environment and of course naturism, until
sometimes the climate gets complicated when certain intruders appear who seek to break that harmony
and get annoying. What is the complication? The same as there would be if I "I get naked in the middle of Montoya (La Barra beach). This beach has a theme and some of the people do not respect it and get in the way with their intimidating gaze," he argues accompanied by his teaching partner who asks not to be mentioned.
"I like to be naked and tan without marks. I really enjoy this freedom, people are very free and
here there is no Sol Pérez
, men and women show themselves, in general, with or without prejudices that I have, be careful ... My daughter doesn't know anything, the other day, before coming, I hinted something to her and she didn't like it at all. It's not for everyone, it's clear," says the woman who hides her identity.
Daniel, her partner, intervenes.
"The vibe of this beach is more
chill
,
the other day I had to tell a kid who came with a speaker to lower the volume
of the music, it was not good to listen to cumbia here... Nor to play ball or shuffleboard" .
Mixture in the same group: nudism and textiles coexist without problems.
"Why does naturism have a bad reputation? Well, I don't know if that's the case, what I do believe is that the formula prejudice plus ignorance generates things that are said without foundation. I experience it naturally and I understand that, perhaps, that prejudice resides in a certain kinship between naturists and swingers, I would say that they are cousins. Why? I would dare to say that
the majority of swingers are nudists, but I would not say that the majority of nudists are swingers
, "analyzes Daniel, businessman who lives in Buenos Aires.
Daniel and Santiago laugh when acquaintances of theirs "hear the word Chihuahua and, out of ignorance, think of something shady, sinful and related to promiscuity. On the contrary, this, as you can see,
is totally stripped and removed from sexual intentions for years." light of promiscuity...
What's more, we fight to make it inclusive and extend to the family. In fact, some couples come with their children, who are generally European, and they practice naturism and the kids see it as something routine."
Daniel has no problem with nudity, which he sees simply, but he does worry about turning a question around.
"If it is presumed that the nudist is promiscuous and libertine, how many prudish people are there who do not practice nudism but perhaps are promiscuous, libertine and if we go further, why not pedophiles?
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