Toller Taught Mexicans About Canadians – by Mario Alvarado

He would come in here to the restaurant two or three times a week, sometimes every day. It seems that this was his favourite place. Sometimes he would have meetings with clients and sometimes he would bring his employees to enjoy the same food that he was enjoying. I found out that he was actually a celebrity in Canada and that he was a great athlete.

People loved him. In the season, we have people from Canada that come running from the winter. They come here sometimes for dinner but they come in sometimes just to admire the paintings. Toller taught the Mexicans a lot about the Canadians. He showed us how Canadians can be so nice and human. That is the way I perceive Canadians.

I tell you one story. My friend, who is a tour guide, told me that once he picked up a tourist at the airport in Léon. The guy had come to San Miguel just to see Toller’s paintings. My friend had never met Toller. He did not know him, but he knew where the house was. He dropped the tourist at Toller’s gate and told him, “Just ring the bell, Toller will come out.” A couple of weeks later, Toller came around looking for my friend.

He wanted to give him some money because the tourist he brought to Toller had bought a big painting. Toller gave him a commission. I think it was $500. My friend was so shocked. He said nobody does that kind of things—but that is how Toller was.