ZIHelos Despejados

What a good thing that you speak Spanish well enough to win an argument and that you know your stuff. ¡Bravo!

On the other hand, playing dumb can work too. We were driving the road to Alamos in Sinaloa in our '96 Pontiac Grand Prix, when a cop pulled out from his hiding spot and came after us, lights flashing. I wasn't speeding or committing any other infractions, so figured it was a shakedown. As he approached the car, I said to my wife: "We don't speak or understand a word of Spanish....not one word."
After firing a few questions at us and not getting any intelligible responses except good-natured shrugs, he gave up.
To his credit, I understand enough Spanish to know he did not threaten us with arrest, or demand money.
When I explained the encounter to our hotel host in Alamos, he guessed that the cop was on the look-out for older American cars with foreign license plates, to ensure they were not stolen, or in the country illegally.