In Mazatlan, the loudspeaker is the single most common form of mass communication. It is the cheapest, easiest, most effective way to get your message directly to your target audience. Every gas and water truck is equipped with loudspeakers that play a repeating sales message to let you know they are in your area with goods to sell. But the use of loudspeakers goes way beyond the direct vendor-buyer relationship.

There is an entire industry built around men who own ancient pickup trucks with ginormous speakers mounted on the roof and in the bed and people with a message to disseminate. If there is a grand opening, a special deal at a store, or an event in town, odds are I am going to find out about it from a loudspeaker truck. The message is immediate and cheaper than air time or flyers.

The frequency of loudspeaker trucks really increases during the race for king and queen at the schools and borders on unbearable during political races. The city is covered by slowly moving trucks crawling like ants through the streets exhorting the population to vote for one candidate or another. Actually, it's rather quaint, and makes me nostalgic about a time in the US before I was born – unless I happen to be trapped behind one of the trucks at a long stoplight.

But recently the loudspeaker vehicle has been taken to a whole new level. There is a circus in town. They have a single engine plane (I assume it's theirs, but it could be an enterprising local) that flies over the city all day urging all of us to come to the circus and get 2 for 1 admission. I have to say, I am surprised by both the volume and clarity of the speaker. I have had no problem hearing it.