The Metal Man of Rosarito

By Martina

One day I was driving north to Rosarito near Baja Studios (formerly Fox Baja) in Popotla. On the right-hand side are a series of little artisan shops that display bright Talavera pottery, wood furniture, rustic doors and Polo’s Gallery where you find Mexico’s master painters. I’ve driven this for more than twenty years, way back when it was a dusty two-lane road. Something different happened. Just as I passed a long-necked giraffe with flirty eyelashes and two vicious sabretooth tigers creeping out into the road, I heard a whisper, “There is a story here.” I’ve learned to trust the whisper; it is never wrong. As I sped past, I made the first available U-turn, circled back and parked. I have often said that everyone has a story worthy to tell and all that is needed is a Teller to transcribe it. And sure enough there was the story; a six-foot fellow, hidden behind dark sunglasses with an iPhone in his hand leaning up against a rearing silver stallion. Maybe it was because of the massive metallic fantasy creatures that surrounded him that my first impression of Jose’ Hernández was that he would be the hero for this story that was about to come alive.

This is a story of hardship and adversity, and a man who overcame both to create a business with hardly a peso in his pocket. I was already seeing the story in a movie form, having all the necessary elements that create an adventure story. One important criterion is having a lead character that we care about. Usually, it is a person who is forced into being brave and becomes a hero. The best movies have heart, love and adventure that inspires us to face extreme challenges and not to give up. The first scene in Jose’s movie would have us flying over massive mountains ranges to the state of Michoacán, known to some as the Soul of Mexico. Zooming in we see a feisty little kid with wild red hair playing with his mates. His friends called him Rojo; later translated to Red, which he goes by today. His father gave him the red hair gene from his Scottish ancestors making it all way to Mexico. The early times were difficult and the family was poor. In 1986 Red’s parents split up. Totally disillusioned, the thirteen-year-old ran away. He jumped an old steamer locomotive, the Monster Bee, that hauled freight north. His accommodation was the roof. It was a dangerous way to travel. The young adventurer rode the Bee all the way to Tijuana. He crossed into California where he located extended family.

Now the movie turns dark and the music threatening. It seems our hero always has to be challenged in some way. Little Red could not have been prepared for what came next. While the extended family took him in, they were involved in a dubious lifestyle. Red was put to work helping the family run things to people who would pay. Destiny would continue to play havoc with his life. Forced through many hardships, in which he admits he could have died, he was apprehended and sent to prison as a youth. Yet this misfortune gave him an opportunity to acquire his first skill when they put him in the welding shop and he learned the principles of engineering.

Fate kicked Red hard. At 18 he was deported back into Tijuana. Again, he was on the street without money and seemingly without a future. Yet he had learned something quite important about himself. Red wanted a solid life and he wanted work that would give him the opportunity. Here is where the mystery of a good movie has us sitting on the edge of our seats. We wonder, “How is this kid on the streets of Tijuana ever going to make it?” Yet love found a way.

Destiny began to call him into his new life. He ventured south to Rosarito. Finally, fate turned a kind eye on Red and he met and fell in love with Claudia, his wife of thirty years. Love has a way of changing things and has been known to make a miraculous turn for the good.

Red chuckles with the memory, “Here I was, 21, no work and a new wife, I asked myself, ‘What am I gonna do?’ I wanted to be a good man and I had a chance. I just had to find a way to make money with no money?’” There were a few years of figuring out ways to market all the things he was skilled at doing. With a little suspense forthcoming, Red made a few pesos, and bought a couple of DVDs. In 1998 Pixar Animation Studios, in collaboration with Walt Disney Pictures created an animated cartoon called “It’s a Bugs Life” and Dreamworks released “Ants” that same year. Shortly after the synchronicity of a lifetime of events came together in a crazy vision. He was walking on the beach and saw a vast field of smooth, round beach rocks. His artist eye as well as his sense of humor “saw” bugs and ant bodies everywhere. As a welder with engineer training, it was not a stretch for him to put the two together.

Red grins, “The bug idea really got me going.” It turns out that Jose’ Hernández aka Red is the original creator of the little rock critters in Popotla. He fashioned ant orchestras that played violins, guitars, drums and sax. There were worker bugs using wheelbarrows, lawn mowers and shovels. The rock creations began to sell like crazy. Red laughed and said, “I was making money without having any money. I would just go out and pick up rocks.” He continued, “There is a fellow from the United States who has over the years purchased 100,000 - imported them into Arizona.” Many say, if you follow your heart, everything else takes care of itself. Red kept following his heart and stayed true to his faith in good works.

For a demonstration, Red picked up his welder and made the sparks fly! He was creating a road runner and was affixing the long metal tail. He stopped to explain. “I start with a picture, then I do what you call geometric drawings. I make all the correct measurements from the picture to make sure when I create the metal frame that everything is proportioned correctly to the size the customer wants. This one will be four feet long. The tail must be at the right angle, because you would know right away if it is set wrong. Red showed me a stack of hundreds of metal feathers that would be welded onto the frame. Hundreds and hundreds of welded points would be required to cover this four-foot road runner. Almost all Jose’s work is custom work for waiting clients in the U.S. Soon to be picked up are three giant eagles, a pegasus, a hulking vulture, and lazy little burros sitting on their haunches. The most towering work Red has undertaken are three colossal Aztec warriors which will be placed in front of a new casino in Las Vegas.

He puts down the welder and runs his hands through short dusky-red hair softened by touches of gray. With a rich sense of humor he said, “I’ve been locked up in this welding shop for 25 years!” This eluding to his earlier incarceration as a youth. “I have three grown children all of them successful. My youngest son is finishing up private schooling for engineering. I didn’t want any of my kids to have to work as hard as I have.” He hopes that soon they will be able to relieve him of actually working in the shop and he can take a supervisory role for the three other shops he fosters. There will be no retirement for Red. He has a special gift to share. For the last fifteen years he goes out with his church group to visit men in rehabilitation centers. He shares his life experiences and how he became a good man.

“A hero is someone who can keep going even when they have every reason to quit.” - Rick Riordan, author of Lost Hero.