If you drive in Mexico, it doesn't take you long to discover your first tope. You'll know you've found one when your car suddenly jumps and lurches, which may be accompanied by a scraping noise. The translation for tope is speed bump, but that is way to narrow a term to describe what a tope really is.

A tope may be a traditional speed bump, but I have seen very few of those. What I have seen are ramps that flatten out on top and then go back down the other side, the really big raised pavement markers in a line across the street, all touching, anchor chain, 5 inch cotton rope in twisted pair formation, and a log.

There may or may not be a sign warning of upcoming topes. You may or may not be able to decipher the sign. There is no single, standard tope warning sign. Topes on the road may or may not be painted or marked in some way. Some of the more traditional type bumps sometimes seem like the place where everyone agreed to dump excess paving material. Many blend in with the road very well.

The signs, of course, are a good way to spot topes. But if you are an alert driver, there are many other ways to identify topes. If you see a large rock next the road painted yellow or white, it may be marking a tope. If you see a large oil stain, it may be just after a tope – slow down. If you see a cluster of people with stuff to sell standing in the road, they are probably standing at the tope. Any time you enter a town or village, slow down; there will be topes.

A cousin to the tope is the vibradora. Vibradoras serve the same purpose in Mexico as rumble strips do in the United States; they give you an auditory signal to reduce your speed. Vibradoras usually won't hurt your car. They may be a series of smaller topes or several feet of the small raised pavement markers. I have driven across them entering towns and villages and approaching toll booths.