The Gold Coin Standard

Mauricio Ibarra's coin is a reminder of the hardworking spirit of the hispanic people and the courage to let go of the past for a brighter tomorrow.

BY TERI R. WILLIAMS PHOTOS BY RUTH ENGLISH

Sixteen songs and top-shelf tequila. There is a good reason why the title of so many songs and the name of Mexico’s #1 tequila bear the name “Centenario.” It is the same reason Mauricio Ibarra and his wife Elizabeth chose the name of the Mexican gold bullion coin for their restaurant in Vidalia. Centenario is the Spanish word for “the 100th anniversary of an important event,” and commemorates the 100th anniversary of Mexico’s independence from Spanish rule in 1821. For Mauricio and Elizabeth, and many others, the coin is a symbol of the heart and soul of the Hispanic people. It speaks of both remembering the past and the courage to let it go in the hopes of a better tomorrow.

Mauricio was only ten years old when he and his eight-year-old sister came to America. His father had come first and eventually sent money for his mother to follow. For months, the children had lived with their maternal grandparents in a two-room hut. The money his father faithfully sent from the pay he received bailing pine straw covered the cost of basic needs. When their father had saved enough money to pay their way, he sent for his children. Mauricio did not know the people who drove him and his sister across the border and to his family in Toombs County. But he stayed focused on the promised bicycle his father told him he would get, a luxury they could never have afforded in Mexico.

There are programs today for non-English speakers entering the public school system, but in 1999, most schools were not yet prepared for the influx of migrant workers and their families. With no understanding of the language, Mauricio spent a frustrating 5th grade in the back of the classroom playing games on a computer. The following year, the school promoted him to the sixth grade. Halfway through the school year, he said, “I told my dad, ‘I don’t know what they’re saying. I just go to school and play games. I could do more good by helping you.’” At eleven, he was raking straw from sunrise to sunset. Within a couple of years, young Mauricio was in charge of his own pine straw crew.

When he was sixteen, he noticed a pick-up truck for sale on the road side in Soperton. The owner of the truck was a man named James Taylor. “I asked if he would sell it to me,” said Mauricio. “Mr. Taylor said that he would give me the truck if I worked for him. I asked, ‘What kind of work is it?’ He said, ‘Drywall.’ I didn’t know what drywall was.”

Mauricio took the job and the truck. His first job at Taylor Drywall, Inc. was picking up trash behind the sheetrock workers. But as he cleaned up, he watched and learned. Before long, he was not only hanging sheetrock but in charge of his own sheetrock crew.

Mauricio and Elizabeth met through mutual friends at the Silverado Dance Hall in Lyons. It may have seemed the two were from different worlds. The young girl from Jefferson County was born in America. Her father was from Mexico, and her mother was an American. As a child, her first language was Spanish. “My parents knew I would only hear English once I started school, and they thought this was the best way so I would not forget.”

Elizabeth’s father was thirteen years old when he crossed the border illegally into America with three of his brothers. They came for one purpose: to work to send money home to their parents to care for the sisters they had left behind. “In Mexico, my father’s family lived in a two-room shack made of clay and dirt with wooden panels,” said Elizabeth. “The floor was dirt. My dad had already lost two siblings who had medical conditions because there was no money for a doctor. When he crossed the border into the United States, he only had enough money in his pocket to buy a grape soda.”

Mauricio and Elizabeth married in 2010. His work with Mr. Taylor seemed the perfect break. “I’ve always loved construction work,” said Mauricio. “Most of the work we were doing was at Wingate hotels and Hotel Inns at the time. I was learning all kinds of things about building.”

When Mr. Taylor died of cancer in 2011, his drywall business shut down. “I did a couple of jobs on my own,” said Mauricio. But there was just so much he could do as an illegal immigrant. When some friends offered him work framing houses, Mauricio saw it as another opportunity to learn new skills. These skills would benefit him in the future in ways he could never have imagined.

With a wife and two children now, Mauricio could wait no longer. He had to pursue his citizenship. There was always the risk that he would be sent back to Mexico, but it was one he had to take. In 2013, Mauricio hired an attorney in Atlanta to help him navigate the complicated process. That same year, he also encouraged Elizabeth to further her education. “We didn’t know what would happen,” she said. “Mauricio wanted to make sure I had something to fall back on if something happened, and he wasn’t here.”

Elizabeth started nursing school at South Technical College. With her grades, she had no trouble obtaining scholarships. Meanwhile, Mauricio returned to work in the pine straw fields to cover the costs not covered by scholarships and to provide for their family. Because he was not yet legal, Elizabeth realized she would need to be the one to establish a line of credit. “My mom co-signed for me at Farmer’s Furniture when we married.” Elizabeth slowly began to build their credit with a little furniture and a single-wide trailer.

Once the paperwork was complete, Mauricio had to return to Mexico to obtain residency in the United States. “You have to go back to your country, and basically ask for forgiveness,” he said. In Mexico, Mauricio was fingerprinted, and a background check was run on him. Then, on the fourth day in Mexico, he had his final interview. This one was with the American Consulate and Immigration, where he was granted residency.

“At that time, he became naturalized,” said Elizabeth, “but he had to be a resident for three years before applying for citizenship.”

But now, with his residency, Mauricio could legally work, pay taxes, and travel back and forth out of the country. They officially established Ibarra Pine Straw. Mauricio managed his workers and kept up the equipment, and Elizabeth did the office work. In 2015, she graduated from STC as an LPN (Licensed Practical Nursing) and, for two years, worked at the Cancer Center at Meadows Regional Medical Center in Vidalia. In 2017, she went back to school to become an RN while working parttime as a telemedicine nurse. Elizabeth graduated in 2018 and went to work at Meadows Regional Medical Center as the Diabetes Nurse Care Coordinator.

The year 2018 was momentous for the Ibarra family. It was the year Elizabeth graduated as an RN (Registered Nurse), and Mauricio received his citizenship. Until then, Elizabeth had been the sole owner of Ibarra Pine Straw. Now, it was legally their business together. In addition to Ibarra Pine Straw, the couple started a trucking company called Centenario Trucking Company. The following year, they bought an old warehouse in Wrens, Georgia, which was in the same county where Elizabeth grew up. Their plan with the warehouse was to turn it into a restaurant.

With Mauricio's knowledge and skill in construction, he transformed the old warehouse into a 180-seat Mexican restaurant. Never mind that neither had ever worked in the restaurant business. Nevertheless, they were willing to learn and, just as importantly, willing to work hard to make it a success. The “American Dream” was not a handout for the Ibarras but an opportunity. “I always wanted to own a restaurant,” said Mauricio.

El Centenario Mexican Restaurant in Wrens opened in January 2019 and was a great success. “There had only been small cafés in Wrens before, so it was a big deal to bring in a restaurant that could seat that many,” said Elizabeth.

For most people, the year 2020 will always be known as the year of the Covid-19 global pandemic. That year, Elizabeth transitioned from working part time in the diabetes clinic to working in a vaccination clinic. But 2020 will be remembered by the Ibarras for another reason altogether. For months, Mauricio had been working on renovations to the old Sears and Radio Shack building. By March of 2020, as businesses and restaurants continued to close their doors, the Ibarras were ready to open their new business–Centenario Mexican Store (Centenario Tienda y Taqueria)–with Mauricio’s sister Zuleima, who is part-owner and manager.

The store was a great addition to our community as a great place to shop for everything from Hispanic and South American pottery to fresh produce, meats, and authentic western wear. The meat counter offers a variety of meats daily. The cooler held Carne Arrachera, Al Pastor, ribeye steaks, smoked pork chops, quail, and lamb shoulder that day. Another display case offered fresh fruit cups, handmade popsicles, and ice cream. In addition, essential products for cooking like shells for tamales to make homemade tortillas and spices and herbs for authentic Hispanic food lined the store shelves.

A favorite section for many is the western wear. “We went to Mexico and designed our own clothing brand, Centenario Western Wear,” said Elizabeth. She showed me handmade leather vests and jackets of exceptional quality. The ornate Mexican saddles in the aisles were worth coming to the store just to see. Western-style boots made of everything from gator to snake skins lined the walls. In addition, the store also offers children’s wear, communion, and baptismal apparel, hats, sombreros, shirts, and work boots.

Elizabeth and Mauricio drove back and forth to Wrens for two years to oversee their restaurant. “We took cooks and managers from here in Vidalia. One of us made the hour and a half commute one-way every day. It got really hectic with the kids,” said Elizabeth. “And then we had another baby.” The Ibarras had to choose: Move to Wrens or start over again in Vidalia. And since Vidalia was home, there really was no choice. They would use the remaining space in the old Sears building to bring the Centenario Restaurant to Vidalia.

“Everything in the restaurant except the TVs on the wall was handmade and hand-painted in Mexico,” said Elizabeth. The tables, chairs, booths, floor tile, and an exquisite bar that took six months to build and paint all reflect the beauty of Hispanic workmanship. The Centenario Mexican Grill in Vidalia had its grand opening on March 23, 2021.

The accomplishments made by the Ibarras are a reflection of many Mexican families who come to this country to work. In an article entitled “Starting From the Bottom: Why Mexicans are the Most Successful Immigrants in America,” writer Mitch Moxley reports on a study from the University of California for the online magazine Slate.com. “…contrary to stereotypes, Mexican-Americans are the most successful secondgeneration group in the country,” he writes. “The reason is simple: The study considered not just where people finished, but from where they started.”

It is inequitable to compare the competency and/or accomplishments of immigrants from countries where parents have college degrees to immigrants from countries where families struggle to provide food and shelter. It was no small thing to break out of poverty. It is important to understand that all poverty is not equal. According to federalsafetynet.com, “In the United States, the definition of poverty is an individual with income less than $36 per day or a family of four with income less than $72 per day. This is set by the U.S. Census Bureau and is called the Poverty Threshold.” The level of poverty that led the Ibarra family and Elizabeth’s father and his brothers to leave their homes was not just about better opportunities. It was about survival. And perhaps the chance for a father to buy his son a bicycle.

Mauricio held out the Centenario coin hanging from a gold chain around his neck for me to see. “It belonged to my father,” he said. “One day, it will belong to my son.” One side of the coin depicts the image of Winged Victory, also known as “The Angel of Independence.” The angel holds a laurel wreath in one hand and broken chains in the other. Two famous volcanoes in Mexico, Popocatepetl and Iztaccíhuatl, rise behind her. The year 1821 commemorates the year of Mexico’s independence from Spain. The year indicated on the right denotes the year of production. The reverse side depicts the Mexican coat of arms, a Golden eagle on a prickly pear cactus devouring a rattlesnake, an important symbol of good overcoming evil.

The gold coin represented more than monetary value. It represented the heart of the Hispanic people. It characterized their courage in great hardship. Like every other country in the world, the United States has a complicated history. In a book by University of Notre Dame Professor Felipe Fernández-Armesto entitled Our America: A Hispanic History of the United States, he writes, “Hispanics preceded the United States in what is now national territory. Their presence has been a longer part of the history of the land than that of any other intruders from across the Atlantic, including Anglo-Americans”.

No country in the world is safe without secure borders. Without question, our border should be protected. And yet, there are American companies and businesses on every street today desperate for workers. Many, like Mauricio, came here as children. Others, like Elizabeth’s father, came out of desperation. Countless immigrants are without the means to hire an attorney to help them navigate the complex immigration system. Only one thing is certain: The Hispanic people in this country are not only a part of our past but also an important part of our future.

Author and speaker Danny Silk writes, “…the path of fulfilling our dreams always requires us to walk through struggle, hard work, and tests of character, because only in that context can we discover who we truly are and who God is for us.” Amid all the turmoil and uncertainty of the times, Mauricio and Elizabeth continued to work to make their businesses successful. Neither had been raised to give up and quit when times got tough. Instead, they moved forward and made way for new growth and opportunity for others in our community.

In addition to the restaurant, the store, Ibarra Pine Straw, Centenario Trucking Company, and newly renovated rental properties in Vidalia, Mauricio and Elizabeth have already begun with plans to open two new restaurants before the end of the year. One will be an authentic Mexican restaurant across from Lowes. The other will be in Swainsboro and styled after the Centenario Mexican Grill in Vidalia.

“We couldn’t have done any of this without God,” said Mauricio. “And I’m especially grateful for Tres Herin,” AVP (Assistant Vice President), “at Altamaha Bank for helping me. He is a great friend, adviser, and always believed we could do it. And for Alan Thigpen,” CEO and President at Mount Vernon Bank. “When no one else would loan us the amount of money we needed to buy the building for the restaurant and the store, he said, ‘We’ll do it.’ It’s not always easy to borrow money as a Hispanic. It was no small investment, either. These men took a chance and believed in me. They believed that I could make it happen. And it took their belief in me to make it happen. I will always be grateful to them.”

In November of 2021, Mauricio and Elizabeth had the opportunity to purchase the old Silverado Dance Hall where they first met. Today, it is the Centenario Event Center and has been completely renovated and remodeled. The beautiful event center will be used for everything from weddings and birthday parties to quinceaneras. “It was in bad shape and needed a lot of work. But it meant something to us,” said Elizabeth.

If there is one thing that could possibly save small-town American life, it will be this sense of value for what once was and faith to see in the deterioration that which is yet to be. Values are preserved and communities sustained by people like Mauricio and Elizabeth, who see the places that tell our stories as significant and worth saving. Toombs County is indebted to our Hispanic community for many reasons. Not only for the work they do, but for who they are as families and business owners in our community.