SHERIDAN, Wyo. — Originally from Mexico, Spanish teachers Mario and Maria Montaño have lived in Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming for nearly the last 40 years.
They have been operating Mario’s Tacos, a food bus, for the past two decades in Sheridan, Wyo.
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“I said, ‘ We can settle somewhere in those areas,’ because then, that’s the only way (Mario was) gonna be able to learn English,” said Maria.
Mario said the experience of moving away from a border town, where Spanish is often used, to a place like Sidney, Mont., where the language is uncommon was especially scary for him.
“Mario has sacrificed everything, leaving everything behind for his family.”
– Maria Montaño
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Alongside their teaching careers, the couple said Mario has always explored business ventures, including owning a restaurant in Sidney, MT, which they sold so he could attend Dickinson State University and become an educator.
“I can’t be sitting still. I have to move,” said Mario.
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Growing up shining shoes, selling gum, and vending newspapers to help his parents make ends meet in Mexico as a lower middle-class family, Mario said part of his extracurricular ventures like the food bus are anxious safeguards from a life of poverty he hoped to leave behind.
“I think I moved that anxiety to, ‘let’s keep working, working, working, working,” said Mario, “You never know what’s gonna happen. You never know if you’re gonna have enough food for your kids or your family.”
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His family, however, describe Mario and Maria as “role models,” and “heroes,” and say they have done plenty.
“My sister and I always knew, we were like, ‘there’s no excuse. We have to go to college,” said Ada Mushati, one of Mario’s two daughters who both have Master’s degrees. “When (college) got hard it was like, yeah, but I at least speak English.”
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Mario said as long as you pay your bills before you eat, anyone can do anything if they want it enough.
