Assigning Meaning

6 Jan

We have been seeing signs as we walk on the street from one place to another. The first we translated. “Please Beware Do not step on me.” I think they really care about these flowers. DSC00289

This next one is the mystery. We found it around the block in our own neighborhood, “La Ermita” named for the beautiful yellow church at its center. DSC00293

When we first saw it we thought the little guy at the lower right was part of the sign and guessed a school crossing. But then we realized it was just a kids sticker on the original sign. What do you think it means?

THE ANSWER…Dede Hatch sent in the first correct answer followed by our son, Darin Simmons. This sign signifies a drain as you can see in the photo below.DSC00291

12 Responses to “Assigning Meaning”

  1. Sylvia Crain January 7, 2016 at 5:16 pm #

    Drain seems reasonable given there is a drain. I was going to say it was for a tope (speed bump) ahead made of all those little “road tits”. Mexico had some of those that are deadly on motorcycles.

    • Jill January 7, 2016 at 5:18 pm #

      A new idea Sylvia. I remember those from Morelia to Guanajuato. They really slow you down.

  2. Terry Murphy January 7, 2016 at 4:48 am #

    There has to be a little more to it than that. Agreed that it’s a “alcantarilla” and that makes sense in a place that gets the amount of rain Merida does, but why the odd numbers? 19= total number of dots, but then why one row of four dots and three rows of five dots? Does that signify something or does the total number of dots tells us something that only a resident would understand. At any rate, parking over a drain is “no permitido”.

    • Jill January 7, 2016 at 5:44 am #

      Yes, my son was bothered by those precise 19 dots too…a mystery.

  3. californian January 6, 2016 at 11:38 pm #

    I’m going to take some wild guess at the dots sign. Could it be a drain? Could it be 19 dots? For example, for a public transit or something else that is number 19?

    • Jill January 7, 2016 at 1:20 am #

      You win Darin. It is a drain. You are such a Simmons smarty. Congratulations! P.S. We didn’t even count the dots. What a good idea.

  4. Dede January 6, 2016 at 10:04 pm #

    I was thinking “drain” or perhaps a small pile of pretty rocks.

    • Jill January 7, 2016 at 1:22 am #

      Actually your comment came in first so Darin will have to take second place. It does signify a drain. Yay Dede!

  5. Marty Farnsworth January 6, 2016 at 7:45 pm #

    I think that in context, cuidame means “care for me” I.e. nurture, not beware. And I bet that the dot sign (which I’ve never seen) means no parking this side of sign, or some such notice.

    • Jill January 6, 2016 at 7:53 pm #

      Thanks Marty. Uou are right. I translated the first one incorrectly.

      Now we’re thinking the second one might signify “drain.” I will post a second photo that may clarify the sign.

      • Ellen Fields January 6, 2016 at 11:05 pm #

        “no me pises” means “Don’t Tread on me” 🙂

      • Jill January 7, 2016 at 1:19 am #

        Thanks Ellen.

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