Neither Puerto Banús nor holiday resorts The Caribbean, neither the coast of Malta nor the exclusive Palm Islands of Dubai. When Mexican Millonaire Carlos Slim Helu has to plan his summer vacations, one of the destinations that does not leave his calendar is the remote town of Ourensano Rural. And he is not the only one. Tycoons such as Amancio Ortega or Olegario Vázquez Graña, the top executives of El Corte Inglés and Abanca and even Cardinal Norberto Rivera of Mexico City, where he was received as the Pope, have organized parades in the summer months.

It is not uncommon to see some Rolls-Royces or Bentleys on its streets. And all this in a municipality that cannot reach 2,000 neighbours.

WELCOME TO AVION

The plane seen on the map is not noticeable. The town is located in the Ribeiro region between the Sierras de Faro and Suido in the province of Ourense. In the summer months it is common for maximum temperatures to exceed 35° and to enjoy the beaches of Baixas Rías it is necessary to take a car, bring the highway and travel a few kilometers.

Its statistical data also do not stand out on the map of Galicia. The demographic winter did not pass by plane and over the years it has been seen how the census has faded. Less than 1,800 inhabitantsThe percentage of the municipality’s population under the age of 20 is only 5.66%, and its aging index is well above the rest of the region. In terms of the economy, Macro data noted that the gross average income in 2021 was 16,410 euros, below the state capital of 26,800.

Still, it’s not strange to meet bigwigs who have been flying for years. And no, bigwigs is not a figure of speech or an exaggeration of course. Like newspapers Vigo Lighthouse any Voice of Galicia They usually cover in detail what the agostos in the town of Ourensana are like, so we cover a rather long and detailed list of entrepreneurs, top managers and officials seen in its streets and bars.

Perhaps the most striking of all Carlos InceMilmillonario, a Mexican of Lebanese origin who often enters the top 10 of the richest people in the world. Forbes estimates that he and his family have a fortune of around $85.7 billion. He is not the only unconditional plane that is the constant destination of one of the richest men in Mexico, Vázquez Graña. Amancio Ortega, the founder of Inditex, which is closely linked to Galicia and also stands out as one of the largest fortunes on the planet, was also seen on the streets.

Just them?

No. The Galician press leaves a good payroll of personalities roaming the streets of the town of Ourensano. The list is long. And curious. Vigo Lighthouse It explains how in August 2014, coinciding with the celebration of the local party (San Roque) and the anniversary of the wife of Oleggario Graña, Miguel Rincón, known as the “King of Paper” for his signature of Bio Pappel, could be seen in Mexico; Captain Alberto Abed of Flymex; Isidoro Álvarez, former president of El Corte Inglés; or Cardinal Norberto Rivera, a powerful bishop who entered the papal pools in 2005.

Carlos Slim, orange tie, center. (Commons)

The most curious thing about Slim or Vázquez Graña’s Veranos traveling by plane is that the tycoons are not kept in mansions to enjoy the isolation and move secretly from their helicopters. Not at all. They are their Rolls Royce and Bentleytrue, but they’re also seen sitting down at tables in the town’s bars to eat seafood or play a game of dominoes. And no, that’s not a figure of speech again.

In August 2013, Carlos Slim, Vázquez Raña, Rincón and notary Daniel Goñi could be seen playing with black and white chips on the rubber of the Moncho bar. The stamp was repeated a year later and in 2017. Country He caught a similar date at Bar or Luar. Of course there is no shortage of food and music. The town even celebrates a Mexican party with mariachis.

But… why a plane?

That’s the big question. Slim lands in his private jet at Peininor airport in Vigo and heads to the small town of Ourensano. Why not a paradise or beach there, compiled from his homeland of Mexico or Lebanon, where his parents are originally from?

The key to this lies in the history of the aircraft, or rather in its very strong ties to migration: in the twentieth century, few of its neighbors were forced to pack their bags, board a transatlantic liner and cross the ocean in search of life in Latin America. Some did well, quite well. And they, or their descendants now, They maintain the connection The most paradigmatic example that largely explains Carlos Slim’s plane crossing is the case of Vázquez Raña.

“My parents walked from here when I was little. Like many villages in Galicia, there was no future here. They ate our mosquitoes. And their feet were buried in animal manure on unpaved roads,” he says. Vigo Lighthouse Ricardo Hermida is a hotelier who immigrated to Mexico.

By plane, they don’t just meet their roots. There, despite the increasing frequency of television cameras, reporters and photographers who want to get the best shot enjoy a peace and naturalness that is hard to find elsewhere. “In Mexico, I travel in an armored vehicle with six bodyguards; by plane, I am free, otherwise I wouldn’t come here,” Vázquez Graña admits.

The phrase “airplane method” is not ours, but that of Alberto Dacasa, a Mexican businessman of Galician origin who frequents the town of Ourensana during the summer months. Last year he published a book called ‘Plane methodIn this article where he shares his thoughts and successful lessons, he thinks that they can be learned from their situation and that of their immigrant predecessors. “All those who left the plane and you have to go back years ago did so out of sheer necessity. They were faced with the dream of escaping poverty, hunger, and the only solution they had was to embark on one of these dreams, that transatlantic “, ditch.

Cover image | Aircraft council

In Xataka | Two provinces, four municipalities, three regions: the most complex city in Spain is also Feijóo

In Xataka | This week’s rough seas will be among the most intense in memory in the Cantabrian Sea. This is what we can expect

*A previous version of this article was published in October 2023.