Exploring one of Mexico’s Pueblos Mágicos

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Perched in the rugged terrain of the Atatzin Mountain, the imposing structure of the Parish of Santa Prisca y San Sebastian watches over a sea of Spanish-style red tile roofs. Located in Taxco de Alarcón, a charming colonial town in the Mexican state of Guerrero, the church is a testament to the town’s rich religious and cultural tradition. Built with pink stone and flanked by two towers, its Baroque architecture houses a number of floor-to-ceiling altarpieces, all overlaid with gold. The church is just one of the town’s many attractions.

“We love to receive visitors to our town,” says web developer Bryan Arturo Giles Hernandez with pride. “We are also known for our traditions such as the ‘Semana Santa’ (Holy Week) and there are other lovely nearby villages with great history.”  Visitors flock to the town to witness the elaborate processions and ceremonies.

The winding cobblestone streets amidst whitewashed bungalows evoke a feeling of nostalgia, as visitors hunt for the silver pieces for which the town is known. Closer inspection reveals that many of the visitors frequently consult a piece of paper, folding and unfolding it, turning it this way and that. When tourists the world over hardly give more than a casual glance at pamphlets and brochures before tossing them into the trash, what could be so special about this piece of paper? Of three distributed by the local Tourism Office, this one has  a map that highlights the route of the processions during the Semana Santa, the biggest attraction. More interestingly, the map was created by a freelancer hired on Freelancer.com, the world’s largest outsourcing site.

“We often wanted to do projects to promote our little village,” shares Bryan, who extended his help when he heard about the proposed brochure through a friend who works at the Tourism Office. “But to find someone to do this kind of job is expensive and usually takes a lot of time.” He adds that freelancers in the town are uncommon as most have left the town to find work and live in the city. “With Freelancer.com, we get the jobs done in less time, less money, and with more quality.”

He hired a freelancer from Romania to create the map that has illustrated icons representing significant roads and landmarks.  The job was completed in less than a week. Bryan based his selection on how quickly and how appropriately the bidders responded to his messages and on the samples he specifically asked for.  He paid nearly US$60 versus US$200-300 had he had the brochure done locally.

Bryan heard about Freelancer.com via the usual route, Googling, and then did more research by tapping into forums.  Other people’s comments and experiences convinced him that Freelancer.com was his best bet.  Unlike other similar sites, Freelancer® is “more organized and so easy to use.”  He finds it easy to post projects; the forms and chat feature facilitate communication; and the stats and recommended freelancer feature are very useful in singling out the right person for the job.

He also applauds the site’s payment system. “The site has a nice secure feature,” he adds. “If you make a payment, you can still get it back if something goes wrong. Freelancer.com inspires trust.”

Now, he can’t stay away from the site and its community.  “I just love it,” he admits. “It’s not only what you can do, but you can see what other people are doing, too. That expands the limits of your mind—you just let it fly and create!”

Postat: 16 octombrie, 2015

Nikki Hernandez

Wired and Inspired | Content Coordinator, Freelancer.com

I'm the coordinator of Freelancer's Case Study Program. I write inspirational success stories of employers and freelancers. When not busy writing, I play video games.

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