This territory, south of the towering Caucasus Mountains, for ages has been the pawn of warring nations. Even in the present century, it has been Russian soil and now is a part of Turkey. 

In Kars were a people who loved peace and who detested war. Yet they long had been plagued by wars, which took from them their menfolk, many of whom fell in the line of battle. And their lands had been laid waste, only to be rebuilt, and to become impoverished again. This had been the story for countless generations. 

These people bore the name of Molokans, which means milkeaters. True enough, they made cheese, and were fond of it. Whether their name thus originated remains in obscurity. The Molokans were Christians, but they were not members of the old Russian Orthodox Church. The Bible was their guide and their religion was known as that of the Molokan Church. These intensely religious people prayed to God that they might be delivered from further warfare and somewhere in the world find a refuge where they could reside in quietude and simplicity, cultivate the soil and live in contentment. 

It was in 1905, near the dose of the Russo-Japanese War, that the Molokans received permission from the government of Nicholas II, czar of all the Russias, to leave the land of their birth and migrate to some far corner of the earth. So, like the dove that Noah sent from the Ark as the waters abated, these people sent forth three of their number on a voyage of exploration to the New World, to determine where a suitable place for colonization could be found, and in due course to report back to the homefolk. 

In Los Angeles, the trio met a banker, who informed them that a large tract of land, owned by the bank in the Guadalupe Valley of Baja California, could be purchased and on easy terms. The three advance men inspected the property, found it suitable, and reported to their people in far-off Kars. 

They accepted the offer, the deal was closed, and 200 Russian men, women and children said goodbye forever to their homeland, to its wars and persecutions, to its troubles and sorrows, and removed to the beautiful valley, first settled seventy years before by the Dominican friars, who had established a mission there. The valley, fifteen miles inland from the Pacific Ocean, is reached by a road that leaves the Coast Highway about fifteen miles north of Ensenada. 

"We have not made much money here, but we have lived in peace and comfort," said Basili C. Bibayoff, a bearded patriarch of seventy years, who related the story of the plight in Russia and the migration to Mexico. Bibayoff, though, did not locate immediately at Guadalupe. He remained nine years in Los Angeles and went to Guadalupe in 1914. 

Although the colony originally numbered 200 and there normally would have been a natural increase in population, the village now consists of only about 100 persons, comprising twenty five families. Many of the younger generation have left for the United States, or for other places in Mexico, in the belief that better opportunities exist elsewhere than in the beautiful Guadalupe Valley. And besides, the little graveyard on a hillside gives mute evidence of death's inroads on the settlers. 

After the greater part of the interview with Bibayoff had been conducted through an interpreter, who conversed with him in Russian and Spanish, the patriarch started to talk in English. 

"So you speak English as well as Russian and Spanish," his interviewer remarked. 

"Yes," he answered, "and I speak Turkish, also.

" So here, in a remote part of Mexico, was a farmer clad in overalls, who was a linguist, speaking four languages. That in itself is no small accomplishment. 

The colony gives the impression of a tiny part of the Old World transplanted to the New. The dwellings mostly face a single street, about a mile long. The houses are generously spaced, allowing for large yards which are fenced, usually with woven wire. A few houses are on side streets. Each place has a garden patch. The one-story dwellings are built of adobe or wood and the newer houses are faced with stucco. 

While the farming lands lie outside the village, at virtually every homestead is a windmill that pumps water for household use and for the domestic animals and gardens. Much of the agricultural land consists of vineyards. Some wheat is raised and cheese is made for market. 

The only business establishment is a small store.- There is neither a hotel nor a restaurant, nor is there a cantina in the village. A traveler who is hungry or who is overtaken by night- fall in Guadalupe, would be dependent upon the hospitality of householders for food and lodging. The wants of these people are few and they are supplied to a remarkable extent by the farms they cultivate. 

The women cling to the Russian type of bread, which they bake in large round loaves in ovens made of brick. Some of the ovens are outdoors, others inside the houses. While the dwellings are plain and the furnishings simple, the interiors are immaculate, for cleanliness is a virtue of these people. Kerosene lamps are used for illumination at night. 

The everyday garb is similar to that of farm folk in the United States--the men in dark shirts and overalls, the women in plain cotton dresses. On Sundays, however, many of the women and girls are attired in the colorful frocks characteristic of that district in Russia from which the early settlers came. The older men wear full beards, but the younger men are clean shaven. 

They are honest, hard-working, frugal, peaceful, Godfearing people, who have been through numerous hardships and who do not expect rewards except those that come from toil. Simplicity is the keynote of their lives. They are friendly to visitors. They freely offered information on the history of the colony and the ideals for which they strive, and invited the visitors to return. These people are not sympathetic with the Communist regime in Russia. 

With a Christian religion not linked with any denomination, they have a new church, the exterior of which resembles a dwelling. The clergyman serves without pay. Sunday is a big day for the colonists. Dressed in their go-to-meeting clothes, they assemble for an hour or more of religious services, after which they adjourn to a sort of town meeting, in which the problems of the colony are freely discussed and solutions reached. This meeting often lasts for hours. 

Members whose conduct has not been in accord with the strict self-imposed rules of the colony are called to account in open session and commanded to mend their ways. And, under the watchful eyes of a small community joined in bonds of righteousness and peace, few are those who dare stray from the straight and narrow path and escape detection. 

Once each year, Justice Day is observed, when those who have trespassed upon their fellow colonists are forgiven and a fresh start is made by all. 

The colonists are avowed enemies of tobacco. Smoking or other use of tobacco is banned in their homes and even in the village street it is advisable to avoid smoking if one would not incur their displeasure. It is reliably reported, however, that, in spite of their animosity toward tobacco, these people, whose principal occupation is tending the vine, do not frown upon the fermented juice of the grape. 

In the village are abandoned adobe houses, tumbling in ruins, for they are not needed, now that the population is dwindling. The principal street is little traveled, except by those afoot or on horseback. A clucking hen and a dozen chicks strolled nonchalantly across the thoroughfare, and an automobile came to a stop in order to avoid striking a group of ducklings unaware of the sudden danger. 

The Russian language is in general use among the colonists in conversing among themselves, but most of them also speak Spanish. The Mexican government operates the public school at Guadalupe and the children are required to attend. The school is conducted entirely in Spanish. In order that the children also may learn Russian, they are taught that language m their homes. 

Although the colony was founded almost a half-century ago, many customs and traditions of the old country are preserved in this peace-loving settlement. 

Notes From The Publisher.

To my surprise, this article has had numerous inquieries from all over the world of family members interested in seeking lost relatives, both in México and in Russia. I have recieved e-mail from Russia, México, USA, Israel and Australia from people seeking more information on these people, to the point that I have started to record people's e-mail addresses so that they may correspond. If you are interested, please e-mail to the institute. Also, the history of the "Molokans" is archived in a book that is for sale at the Museo Comunitario del Valle de Guadalupe, Calle Principal # 276, Valle de Guadalupe, BC México 22750. The telephone Number is (as dialed from the USA) 011-526-155-2030, and the curator's name is Francisca Samarin. Any other comments please send them to her or to this institute.

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