More about Arturo

Arturo flew freely in the Guatemalan village of Panajachel. He perched in the coffee tree in front of the little blue adobe house and ate red coffee beans. He became particularly fond of Julia, who was 9 years old at the time, and he became completely tame thanks to her devoted attention. Bananas, mangoes, papayas, oranges, fresh tortillas on weekdays and popcorn on Sundays... what a wonderful life! The family returned to the United States by truck and trailer in the spring of 1965, after living with the Maya people for 18 months. They had forgotten to get papers for Arturo to enter Mexico and the United States. Since he flew everywhere anyway and came back in the evening to sleep, they decided to let him fly across the border to Mexico. They drove across the border and he joined the caravan on the other side. The procedure was repeated at the US border. This time, however, he did not return to his family immediately. They waited as long as they could and then reluctantly decided to continue their journey without him. Just as they were about to drive on, Arturo came flying and landed on the side mirror of the truck. The family continued their journey north with great relief.
They spent that summer in northwestern Iowa, where Julia's grandparents had a farm in the Quaker village of Mapleside. It was dramatic when Arturo flew there for the first time. The local birds circled around him. Was this new green bird a friend or foe? His family looked on anxiously. Arturo was able to defend himself and gained free access to the sky.
He landed on the farmers' shoulders as they worked the fields of corn and soybeans. He landed on the backs of the women as they bent over their strawberry patches. He became a familiar presence in the village. Once, he flew in during the Quakers' quiet Meeting for worship and landed on Julia's shoulder!
Arturo left the fields of Iowa in late summer and accompanied the family to Chicago. Summers were spent on the farm in Iowa, and Arturo died there after accidentally eating treated corn. He was buried outside the porch of the grandparents' house, where Julia's mother was born and where Julia had spent her first weeks of life.
Arturo had become part of the family and the village. Julia mourned him deeply, and she was delighted when a new Arturo joined the family in 1968 during a second stay in Guatemala. He accompanied her to Sweden in 1975, when Julia married Mats, a Swede. Arturo has now lived for 50 years on the Svartbäcken farm near Rimbo in Roslagen.
For Julia, these two birds have merged into one being —the same species, name and close relationship.