| The Free Homesteader's Community of Love | |
| |
| General Information | |
| Location Information | |
| Location: | Outskirts of Ures, now also part of Ures. |
| Societal Information | |
| Factions: | Los Amantes, Capitalist Party of Ures, various bands. |
| Notable Events: | British Colombian Exodus, Capitalist Revolution, Laozi's Completion. |
The Free Homesteader’s Community of Love (AKA ‘Los Amantes’) is an Anarchist Revolutionary settlement on the outskirts of the Sonoran town of Ures in Mexico. It was settled by refugees arriving from British Columbia during the annexation of Canada in 2076.
Map of Sonora, including Ures
History[]
Pre-War[]
Refugees from British Columbia first arrived in Mexico in early 2060, but the amount wasn’t sufficient enough to be considered a major event until 2076, when almost six thousand Canadians fled their homeland and went south into Mexico, over half of them being British Columbians. They escaped by going through west-coast cities where Canadians were well-liked, such as Bellingham, Seattle, Portland, and Los Angeles. Seven hundred or more of these refugees were Anarchist Revolutionaries, and their chosen settlement spot was in Ures, Sonora. The Free Homesteader’s Community of Love was officially created on the final day of the Canadian Annexation, and became well-liked among the citizens of Ures, for the most part, because of their self-sufficiency and generosity. Canadian refugees became known as ‘Los Amantes’ or ‘The Lovers’, even though most of them did not have ties to Anarchist groups.
The War[]
Since Ures was not a well-populated town, it avoided direct hits from nuclear warheads in Mexico, but radiation from the capital of Sonora, Hermosillo, made its way into Ures and Love during a storm, killing most of Ures’ population and crippling Love. Those who escaped death or ghoulification did so by hiding out in make-shift bomb shelters the Lovers built from blueprints they gathered on the internet.
Post-War[]
With nearly all of the crops dead and the water irradiated, Ures and Love would barely scrape by for the first ten years of their post-war existence by eating what remained of what they harvested before the war and non-perishable foods. Everyone grew weak, and generations went by swiftly, most people only living until they were thirty. By the time the land was relatively safe, the population had declined to almost nothing. Procreation was encouraged, and in fact, enforced by members of the community. Rules were set in place so that as soon as someone was mature, they had to find a partner. These new generations survived by breeding plants and surviving animals, dogs becoming a major food source until cattle were reintroduced into the community when a wandering herd passed close by. After one hundred years, the population reached three hundred members.
Eventually, settlers of Los Amantes encountered drugged up members of gangs who took the names of old Mexican Cartels. While this encounter did not end in violence, where they stood a line was drawn, and it now stretches diagonally across most of the Sonoran landscape, separating Los Amantes territory from Cartel territory. This hatred will exist far into the future, and people from either side of the line prefer not to go anywhere near it.
Travel[]
Being quite isolated from any other civilization other than the Cartels, groups of settlers eventually decided to travel. Scouting groups were sent out Northwest into Arizona, where they ran into Caesar’s Legion. Luckily, they were not killed, but when they returned home, they made sure nobody went into Arizona again. Other scouting groups headed into Baja California, and then Chihuahua and eventually Texas. While Los Amantes saw the New California Republic as barbaric as Caesar’s Legion, they tolerated them enough to make their way into California, and eventually Nevada, Oregon, and Idaho. Large parties were sent out, so when groups wanted to split to explore more efficiently, they could. When these final scouting groups returned home, most settled back down, while some preferred the roads. More frequent trips between Love and Baja California were planned, and occasional trips between Love and Nevada were also planned. Travelers’ encounters with new Capitalist systems would eventually lead to the Capitalist Revolution of Love, and in turn, Laozi’s Completion.
Capitalist Revolution[]
After a few more trips between Baja and Love, many Capitalist supporters were now one hundred percent sure that using currency was the way to go. Clayton Gibbon and Karina Caddy led the revolution using guns they traded for in Baja, startling the rest of the community. In an attempt to establish themselves as leaders of the community, they crippled key members of their society, Cory St. Pastor, a great carpenter, Laozi Traill, a charismatic supporter of the peaceful, unionized way of life, and Herring Garza, who re-discovered a lot of advanced farming techniques. They did this by shooting each one in the back of one knee. Together, with the help of Doctor Larry Jaime, they still managed to gather enough support to delay Gibbon and Caddy’s leadership until they could gather enough supplies for Laozi’s Exodus.
Laozi’s Completion[]
Although two out of four members of this team had permanent limps, Cory being the lucky one, they managed to fight with their supporters long enough to escape the settlement. Once out, given the choice of traveling south into the irradiated unknown, or northwest into Baja, they chose the latter. Their group planned on moving into Baja, up through California, Nevada, and then settling in southern Idaho. But instead, on their way through the New California Republic, stories of Love enthralled citizens who were very poor and suffering. With rejuvenated numbers, Laozi, Cory, Herring, and Larry returned to Love, where they ‘completed the revolution’ through guerrilla tactics such as stealing crops and cattle, and then using a reverse of siege warfare when the populace started to starve.
Culture[]
Los Amantes is an Anarchist community founded on the ideas of solidarity, trust, and respect. Travelers, the very few they see, are observed closely but otherwise treated like one of their own, because they don’t worry about the Cartel members crossing their borders. Music is their primary form of expression, citizens carrying guitars, trumpets, saxophones, trombones, and drumsticks around instead of weapons. People who aren’t talented musicians often write the lyrics, design clothes, or renovate buildings. A unique language has developed, a mixture of both Spanish and English with a heavy dose of slang, but English and Spanish are still taught to children.
Fashion in Los Amantes might be compared to Punk, Steampunk, or even Surfer fashion styles of the pre-war times, often made up of scavenged or custom clothing. Certain fads have come and gone, but outfits are usually compared with images of 90s punks in the California area. Popular items are unusual shorts, striped T-shirts, sandals, and rusty-looking jewelry. Leather vests, noose-neck ties, and apocalypse-rider style boots are also common.
Economy[]
Their economy seems to have developed from Communist ideals but has some differences. While everyone receives an equal amount of food and water, it isn’t as much as they could get. To get more, citizens perform favors for one another and help around the town. If a family suddenly becomes in dire need of more food than allowed, neighbors will help out without any hassle. From the outside looking in, it appears much like a utopia, although certain members do not wish to share, and hope to start a barter or capitalist system. These people have gained increased support from historians in the group, who blame the war, and all their troubles, on Communists.