Gass ~F IS- IS 
 
^ 
 
 A 
 
 • 
 
 % 
 
No. 1324. 
 
 S3;0 Oe.i3.t0. 
 
 Six TnONTHs 
 IN Mexico 
 
 BY 
 
 NELLIE BLY, 
 
 AuTHOft dlf "Tkk Days im A Mad ttouss." 
 
 J" 
 
 EW YORK 
 
 [ Q»N W-ioVELL (QMPANY 
 
Is better than any soap ; handier, finer, more e£F 
 tive, more of it, more for the money, and in t 
 form of a powder, for your convenience. Takes, 
 it were, the fabric in one hand, the dirt in the cdi. 
 and lays them apart — comparatively speaking, -w V 
 ing with little work. * 
 
 As it saves the worst of the work, so it saves 
 worst of the wear. It isn't the use of clothes t. t 
 makes them old before their time ; it is rubbing a 
 strdning, getting the dirt out by main strength. 
 
 For scrubbing, house-cleaning, washing dishes 
 windows and glassware, Pearline has no equal. 
 
 Beware of imitations, prize packages and ped 
 
 ^^^^^* JAMES PYLE, New York. 
 
 LYDIA E. PINKHAH'S 
 
 VEGETABLE COMPOUND 
 
 18 A POSITIVE CURE 
 
 JFor all those painful Complaints and 
 
 Wedknesaea ao common to our beat 
 
 female population. 
 
 It Will cure entirely the worst form of Female 
 Complaints, all Ovarian troubles, Inflammation, 
 Ulceration, Falling and Displacements of the 
 Womb and the consequent Spinal Weakness, and 
 13 particularly adapted to ^e Change of Life. 
 
 It will dissolve and expel Tumors from th< 
 uterus in an early stage of development. The ten- 
 dency to cancerous humors there is checked very 
 speedily by its use. It removes falntness, flata- 
 lency, destroys all craving for stimulants, an>l 
 relieves weakness of the stomach. It cures Bloat 
 Ing, Headaches, Nervous Prostration, General De- 
 biUty, Sleeplessness, Depression, and Indigestion. 
 
 That feeling of bearing down, causing pain, 
 weight and backache, is always permanently cured 
 by its use. 
 
 It will at all times and under all circumstances 
 act In harmony vrtth the laws that govern the 
 female system. For the cure of Kidney Complaints 
 of either sex, this Compound is unsurpassed. 
 ^ I<ydia E. Pinkliatn's Vegetable Compound is prepared at Lynn, Mass. Price, $1.00 
 Six bottles for $5.00. Sent by mall in the form of Pills, also in the form of Lozenges, on recel;i 
 •f price, $1.00 per box, for either. Send for pamphlet. AU letters of inquiry promptly aj; 
 swered. Address as above. 
 
SIX MONTHS IN } 
 
 By NELLIE BLY. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 ADIEU TO THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 Oe'E wintry night I bade my few journalistic friends 
 adieu, and, accompanied by my mother, started on my 
 way to Mexico. Only a few months previous I had be- 
 come a newspaper woman. I was too impatient to work 
 along at the usual duties assigned women on newspapers, 
 so I conceived the idea of going away as a correspond- 
 ent. 
 
 Three days after leaving Pittsburgh we awoke one 
 morning to find ourselves in the lap of summer. Por a 
 moment it seemed a dream. When the porter had made 
 up our bunks the evening previous, the surrounding 
 country had been covered with a snowy blanket. When 
 we awoke the trees were in leaf and the balmy breeze 
 mocked our wraps. 
 
 Three days, from dawn until dark, we sat at the end 
 of the car inhaling the perfume of the flowers and enjoy- 
 ing the glorious Western sights so rich in originality. 
 For the first time I saw women plowing while their lords 
 and masters sat on a fence smoking. I never longed for 
 anything so much as I did to shove those lazy fellows 
 off. 
 
 After we got further south they had no fences. I was 
 glad of it, because they do not look well ornamented with 
 lazy men. 
 
 the land was so beautiful. We gazed in wonder on 
 the cotton-fields, ^vhich looked, when moved by the 
 breezes, like hug;o, foaming breakers in their mad rush 
 
6 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 for the shore. And the cowboys! I shall never forget 
 the first real, live cowboy I saw on the plains. The train 
 was moving at a "putting-in-time '" pace, as we came up 
 to two liorsemen. They wore immense sombreros, huge 
 spurs, and had lassos hanging to the side of their sad- 
 dles. I knew they were cowboys, so, jerking off a red 
 scarf I waved it to them. 
 
 I was not quite sure how they would respond. From 
 the thi'iljiiig and wicked stories I had read, I fancied f'j 
 they might begin shooting at me as quickly as anything 
 else. However, I was surprised and delighted to sec 
 them lift their sombreros, in a manner not excelled by a 
 New York exquisite, and urge tlieil' horses into a mad 
 run after us. 
 
 Such a ride! The feet of the horses never seemed to 
 touch the ground. By this time nearly all the passen- 
 gers were watching the race between horse and steam. 
 At last we gradually left them behind. I waved my 
 scarf sadly in farewell, and they responded with their 
 sombreros. I never felt as much reluctance for leaving 
 a man behind as I did to leave those cowboys. 
 
 The people at the different stopping-places looked at 
 us with as much enjoyment as we gazed on them. They 
 were not in the least backward about asking questions or 
 making remarks. One w^oman came up to me with a 
 smile, and said: 
 
 *'Good-mornin', missis; and why are you sittin' out 
 thar, when thar is such a nice cabin to be in?" 
 
 She could not understand how I could prefer seeing 
 the country to sitting in a Pullman. 
 
 I had imagined that the West was a land of beef and 
 cream; I soon learned my mistake, much to my dismay. 
 It was almost an impossibility to get aught else than salt 
 meat, and cream was like the stars — out of reach. 
 
 It was with regret we learned just before retiring on 
 the evening of our third day out from St. Louis, that 
 morning would find us in El Paso. I cannot say what 
 hour it was when the porter called us to dress, that the 
 train would soon reach its destination. How I did wish 
 I had remained at home, as I rub-bed my eyes and tried 
 to dress on my knees in the berth. 
 
 '' It^'s so dark,^^ said my mother, as ^he parted the cur- 
 tains. " What shall we do when we arrj^ve?" 
 
 \ 
 
SIX MONTHS IN .MEXICO. 7 
 
 ^^ Well, I'm glad it^s dark, because I won^fc have to but- 
 ton my boots or comb my hair/' I replied, laughing to 
 cheer her vi-p. 
 
 I did not feel as cheerful as I talked when we left the 
 train. It had been our home for three days, and now we 
 were cast forth in a strange city in the dark. The train 
 employes were running about with their lanterns on 
 uheir arms, but no one paid any attention to the drowsy 
 passengers. 
 
 There were no cabs or cabmen, or even wheelbarrows 
 around, and the darkness prevented us from getting a 
 view of our surroundings. 
 
 '' This has taught me a lesson. I shall fall into the 
 arms of the first man who mentions marry to me/' I said 
 to my mother as we wended our way through freight and 
 baggage to the waiting-room, ''then I will have some 
 one to look after me.*' 
 
 She looked at me with a little doubting smile, and 
 gave my arm a reassuring pressure. 
 
 I shall never forget the sight of that waiting-room. 
 Men, women, and children, dogs and baggage, in one 
 promiscuous mass. The dim light of an oil-lamp fell with 
 dreary effect on the scene. Some were sleeping, lost for 
 awhile to all the cares of life; some were eating; some 
 were smoking, and a group of men were passing around 
 a bottle occasionally as they dealt out a greasy pack of 
 cards. 
 
 It was evident that we could not wait the glimpse of * 
 dav/n 'mid these surroundings. With my mother's arm 
 still tightly clasped in mine, we again sought the outer 
 darkness. I saw a man with a lantern on his arm, and 
 went to him and asked directions to a hotel. He replied 
 that they Avere all closed at this hour, but if I could be 
 satisfied with a second-class house, he would conduct us 
 to where he lived. We were only too glad for any shel- 
 ter, so without one thought of where he might take us, 
 we followed the light of his lantern as he went ahead. 
 
 It was only a short walk through the sandy streets to 
 the place. There was one room unoccupied, and we 
 gladly paid for it, and by the aid of a tallow candle found 
 our way to bed. 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 
 EL PASO DEL NORTE. 
 
 ^' My dear cliild^ do you feel rested enough?" I heard 
 my mother ask. 
 
 '^ Are you up already?" I asked, turning on my side, to 
 see her as she sat, dressed, by the open window, through 
 which came a lazy, southern breeze. 
 
 '' This hour," she replied, smiling at me; *' you slept 
 so well, I did not want to rouse you, but the morning is 
 perfect and I want you to share its beauties with me." 
 
 The remembrance of our midnight arrival faded like a 
 bad nightmare, and I was soon happy that I was there; 
 only at mealtime d id I long for home. 
 
 We learned that the first train we could get for Mexico 
 would be about six o^clock in the afternoon, so we de- 
 cided '^to do" the town in the meanwhile. 
 
 El Paso, which is Spanish for ''The Pass," is rather 
 a lively town. It has been foretold that it will be a second 
 Denver, so rapid is its growth. A number of different 
 railway lines center here, and the hotels are filled the 
 year round with health and pleasure seekers of all descrip- 
 tions. While it is always warm, yet its climate is so per- 
 fect that it benefits almost any sufferer. The hotels are 
 quite modern, both in finish and price, and the hack- 
 drivers on a par with those in the East. 
 
 The prices for everything are something dreadful to 
 contemplate. The houses are mostly modern, with here 
 and there the adobe huts which once marked this border. 
 The courthouse and jail combined is a fine brick struct- 
 ure that any large city might boast of. Several very pretty 
 little gardens brighten up the town with their green, vel- 
 vety grasses and tropical plants and trees. The only ob- 
 jection I found to El Paso was its utter lack of grass. 
 
 The people of position are mainly those who are there 
 for their health, or to enjoy the winter in the balmy cli- 
 mate, or the families of men who own ranches in Texas. 
 The chief pleasure is driving and riding, and the display 
 during the driving hour would put to shame many East- 
 ern cities. The citizens are jDerfectly free. They speak 
 and do and think as they please. 
 
 Tn our walks around we had mauy proffer us informs- 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 9 
 
 tion, and even ask permission to escort us to points of 
 interest. 
 
 A woman offered to show ns a place where we could 
 get good food, and when she learned that we were leaving 
 that evening for the City of Mexico, she urged us to get 
 a basket of food. She said no eating- cars were run on 
 that trip, and the eating gotten along the way would be 
 worse than Americans could endure. We afterward felt 
 thankful that we followed her advice. 
 
 El Paso, the American town, and El Paso del Norte 
 (the pass to the north), the Mexican town, are separated, 
 as New York from Brooklyn, as Pittsburgh from Alle- 
 gheny. The Rio Grande, running swiftly between its 
 low banks, its waves muddy and angry, or sometimes so 
 low and still that one would think it had fallen asleep 
 from too long duty, divides the two towns. 
 
 Communication is open between them by a ferryboat, 
 which will carry you across for two and one half cents, by 
 hack, buggies, and saddle horses, by the Mexican Central 
 Railway, which transports its passengers from one town 
 to the other, and a street-car line, the only international 
 street-car line in the world, for which it has to thank 
 Texas capitalists. 
 
 It is not possible to find a greater contrast than these 
 two cities form, side by side. El Paso is a pros:ressive, 
 lively, American town; El Paso del Norte is as far -back 
 in the Middle Ages, and as slow as it was Avhen the first 
 adobe hut was executed in 1680. It is rich with grass 
 and shade trees, w^iile El Paso is as spare of grass as a 
 twenty- year- old youth is of beard. 
 
 On that side they raise the finest grapes and sell the 
 most exquisite wine that ever passed mortals^ lips. On 
 this side they raise vegetables and smuggle the wine over. 
 The tobacco is pronounced unequaled, and the American 
 pockets will carry a good deal every trip, but the Mexi- 
 can IS just as smart in paying visits and carrying back 
 what can be only gotten at double the price on his side; 
 but the Mexican custom-house officials are the least ex- 
 acting in the world, and contrast as markedly with the 
 United States' oflB.cials as the two towns do one to the 
 other. 
 
 One of the special attractions of El Paso del Norte 
 (barring the tobacco and wine) is a queer old stone 
 
10 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 church, which is said to be nearly 300 years old. . It is 
 low and dark and filled with peculiar paintings and fun- 
 nily dressed images. 
 
 The old town seems to look with proud contempt on 
 civilization and progress, and the little i^adre preaches 
 against free schools and tells his poor, ignorant followers 
 to beware of the hurry and worry of the Americans— to 
 live as their grand- and great-grandfathers did. So, in 
 obedience they keep on praying and attending mass, 
 sleeping, smoking their cigarettes and eating frijoles 
 (beans), lazily wondering why Americans cannot learn 
 their wise way of enjoying life. 
 
 One can hardly believe that Americanism is separated 
 from them only by a stream. If they were thousands of 
 miles apart they could not be more unlike. There small- 
 pox holds undisputed sway in the dirty streets, and, in 
 the name of religion, vaccination is denounced; there 
 Mexican convict-soldiers are flogged until the American's 
 heart burns to wipe out the whole colony; there fiestes 
 and Sundays are celebrated by the most inhuman cock- 
 fights and bull-fights, and monte games of all descrip- 
 tions. The bull-fights celebrated on the border are the 
 most inhuman I have seen in all of Mexico. The horns 
 of the t07'OS (bulls) are sawed off so that they are sensitive 
 and can make but little attempt at defense, which is at- 
 tended with extreme pain. They are tortured until, 
 sinking from pain and fatigue, they are dispatched by 
 the butcher. 
 
 El Paso del Norte boasts of a real Mexican prison. It 
 is a long, one- storied adobe building, situated quite 
 handy to the main plaza, and within hearing of the 
 merry-makiug of the town. There are no cells, but a 
 few adobe rooms and a long court, where the prisoners 
 talk together and with the guards, and count the time as 
 it laggingly slips away. They very often play cards and 
 smoke cigarettes. Around this prison is a line of sol- 
 diers. It is utterly impossible to cross it without detec- 
 tion. 
 
 Mexican keepers are not at all particular that the 
 prisoners are fed everyday. An American, at the hands 
 of the Mexican authorities, suffers all the tortures that 
 some preachers delight to tell us some human beings 
 will find in the world to come. 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 11 
 
 Fire and brimstone! It is nothing to the torments of 
 an American prisoner in a Mexican jail. Two meals, 
 not enough to sustain life in a sick cat, must sufl&ce him 
 for an entire week. There are no beds, and not even 
 water. Prisoners also have the not very comfortable 
 knowledge that, if they get too troublesome, the keep- 
 ers have a nasty habit of making them stand up and be 
 shot in the back. The reports made out in these cases 
 are '' shot -while trying to escape. ''' 
 
 In the afternoon I exchanged my money for Mexican 
 coin, getting a premium of twelve cents on every dollar. 
 I had a lunch prepared, and as the shades of night began 
 to envelop the town, we boarded the train for Mexico. 
 After we crossed the Rio Grande our baggage was ex- 
 amined by the custom-house officers while we ate supper 
 at a restaurant which, strangely enough, was run by 
 Chinamen. This gave us a foretaste of Mexican food 
 and price. 
 
 It was totally dark when we entered the car again, and 
 we were quite ready to retire. There were but two other 
 passengers in the car with us. One was a Mexican and 
 the other a young man from Chicago. 
 
 We soon bade them good-night, and retired to our 
 berths to sleep while the train bore us swiftly through 
 the darkness to our destination. - 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 ALOKG THE EOUTE. 
 
 ^' Thiety minutes to dress for breakfast,^-' was our 
 good-morning in Mexico. We had fallen asleep the night 
 previous as easily as a babe in its crib, with an eager an- 
 ticipation of the morrow. Almost before the Pullman 
 porter had ceased his calling, our window shades were 
 hoisted and we were trying to see all of Mexico at one 
 glance. 
 
 That glance brought disappointment. The land, al- 
 most as far as the eye could carry, which is a wonderful 
 distance in the clear atmosphere of Mexico, was perfectly 
 level. Barring the cacti, with which the country abounds, 
 the ground was bare. 
 
 "And this is sunny Mexico, the land of the gods!" I 
 exclaimed, in disgust. 
 
 x 
 
13 SIX 3I0NTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 By the time we liad completed our toilet the train 
 stopped, and we were told to get off if we wanted any 
 breakfast. We followed our porter to a side track where, 
 in an old freight car, was breakfast. We climbed up the 
 high steps, paying our dollar as we entered, and found for 
 ourselves places at the long table. It was surrounded by 
 hungry people intent only on helping themselves. Every- 
 thing was on the table, even to the coffee. 
 
 I made an effort to eat. It was impossible. My mother 
 succeeded no better. 
 
 *^' Are you not glad we brought a lunch?" she asked, as 
 her eyes met mine. , _\ 
 
 We went back to the car and managed to make a toler- 
 able breakfast on the cold chicken and other eatables we 
 found in our basket. 
 
 But the weather! It was simply perfect, and we soon 
 forgot little annoyances in our enjoyment of it. We got 
 camp chairs, and from morning until night we occupied 
 the rear platform. 
 
 As we got further South the land grew more interest- 
 ing. We gazed in wonder at the groves of cacti which 
 raised their heads many feet in the air, and topped them 
 off with one of the most exquisite blossoms I have ever 
 seen. 
 
 At every station we obtained views of the Mexicans. 
 As the train drew in, the natives, of whom the majority 
 still retain the fashion of Adam, minus fig leaves, would 
 rush up and gaze on the travelers in breathless wonder, 
 and continue to look after the train as if it was the one 
 event of their lives. 
 
 As we came to larger towns we could see armed horse- 
 men riding at a 2:09 speed, leaving a cloud of dust in 
 their wake, to the stations. When the train stopped 
 they formed in a decorous line before it, and so remained 
 until the train started again on its journey. I learned 
 that they were a government guard. They do this so, if 
 there is any trouble on the train or any raised at the sta- 
 tion during their stop, they could quell it. 
 
 Hucksters and beggars constitute most of the crowd 
 that welcomes the train. From the former we bought 
 flowers, native fruit, eggs, goat milk, and strange Mexi- 
 can food. The pear cacti, which is nursed in green- 
 houses in the States, grows wild on the plains to a height 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 13 
 
 of twenty feet, and its great green lobes, or leaves, covered 
 thickly with thorns, are frequently three feet in diameter. 
 Some kinds bear a blood-red fruit, and others j^ellow. 
 When gathered they are in a thorny shell. The Mexican 
 Indians gather them and peel them and sell them to trav- 
 elers for six cents a dozen. It is called ^'tuna,^^ and is 
 considered very healthy. It has a very cool and pleasing 
 taste. 
 
 From this century-plant, or cacti, the Mexicans make 
 their beer, which they call pulque (pronounced polke). 
 It is also used by the natives to fence in their mad houses, 
 and forms a most picturesque and impassable surround- 
 ing. 
 
 The Indians seem cleanly enough, despite all that^s 
 been said to the contrary. Along the gutters by the rail- 
 road, they could be seen washing their few bits of wear- 
 ing apparel, and bathing. Many of their homes are but 
 holes in the ground, with a straw roof. The smoke creeps 
 out from the doorway all day, and at night the family 
 sleep in the ashes. They seldom lie down, but sleep 
 sitting up like a tailor, strange to say, but they never 
 nod nor fall over. 
 
 The whirlwinds, or sand spouts, form very pretty pict- 
 ures on the barren plain. They run to the height of one 
 thousand feet, and travel along the road at a 2:04 gait, 
 going up the mountain side as majestic as a queen. But 
 then their race is run, for the moment they begin to de- 
 scend their spell is broken, and they fall to earth again 
 to become only common sand, and be trod by the bare, 
 brown feet of the Indian, and the dainty hoofs of the 
 burro. 
 
 Some one told me that when a man sees a sand spout 
 advancing, and he does not want to be cornered by it, he 
 shoots into it and it immediately falls. I can't say how 
 true it is, but it seems very probable. 
 
 We had not many passengers, but what we had, ex- 
 cepting my mother and myself, were all men. They all 
 carried lunch-baskets. Among them was one young 
 Mexican gentleman who had spent several years in 
 Europe, where he had studied the English language. 
 He was very attentive to us, and taught me a good deal 
 of Spanish. He ,had been away long enough to learn 
 
14 SIX MONTHS IN 3IEXIC0. 
 
 tliat the Mexicans had very strange ideas, and he quite 
 enjoyed telling incidents about them. 
 
 " When the Mexican Kailway was being built," he said, 
 " wheelbarrows were imported for the native laborers. 
 They had never seen the like before, so they filled them 
 with earth, and, putting them on their backs, walked off 
 to the place of dei30sit. It was a long time before they 
 could be made to understand how to use them, and even 
 then, as the Mexicans are very weak in the arms, little 
 work could, be accomplished with them. 
 
 '' You would hardly believe it,-*' he continued, '^but at 
 first the trains were regarded as the devil and the passen- 
 gers as his workers. Once a settlement of natives de- 
 cided to overpower the devil. They took one of their 
 most sacred and powerful saints and placed it in the cen- 
 ter of the track. On their knees, with great faith, they 
 watched the advance of the train, feeling sure the saint 
 would cause it to sto]) forever in its endless course. The 
 engineer, who had not much reverence for that particular 
 saint or saints in general, struck it with full force. That 
 saint's reign was ended. Since then they are allowed to 
 remain in their accustomed nooks in the churches, while 
 the natives still have the same faith in their powers, but 
 are not anxious to test them." 
 
 ^' Come, I want you to see the strangest mountain in 
 the world," interrupted the conductor at this moment. 
 
 We followed him to the rear platform and there looked 
 curiously at the mountain he pointed out. It rose, clear 
 and alone, from the barren plains, like a nose on one's 
 face. It seemed to be of brown earth, but it contained 
 not the least sign of vegetation. It looked as high as 
 the Brooklyn bridge from the water to top, and was 
 about the same length, in an oblong shape. It was per- 
 fectly straight across the top. 
 
 " When this railroad was being built," he explained, 
 '' I went with a party of engineers in search of some- 
 thing new. Through curiosity alone, to get a good view 
 of the land, we decided to climb that strange looking 
 mountain. From here yon cannot see the vegetation, 
 but it is covei'ed with a low, brown shrub. Can you im- 
 agine our surprise when we got to the top to find it was 
 a mammoth basin? Yes, that hill holds in it the most 
 beautiful lake I ever saw." 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 15 
 
 '''That seems most wonderful !^^ I exclaimed, rather 
 dubiously. 
 
 '* It is not more wonderful than thousands of other 
 places in Mexico/' he replied. ^^ In the State of Chihua- 
 hua* is a Laguna, in which the water is as clear as crys- 
 tal. When the Americans who were superintending the 
 work on the railway found it, they decided to have a 
 nice bath. It had been many days since they had seen 
 any more water than would quench their thirst — in cof- 
 fee, of course. Accordingly, some dozen or more doffed 
 their clothing and went in. Their pleasure was short- 
 lived, for their bodies began to burn and smart, and they 
 came out looking like scalding pigs. The water is 
 strongly alkaline; the fish in the lake are said to be white, 
 even to their eyes; they are unfit to eat.-" 
 
 I give his stories for what they are worth; I did not inves- 
 tigate to prove their truth. 
 
 '^ We do not think much of the people who come here 
 to write us up," the conductor said one day, ^^for they 
 never tell the truth. One woman who came down here 
 to make herself famous pressed me one day for a story. 
 I told her that out in the country the natives roasted 
 whole hogs, heads and all, without cleaning, and so 
 served them on the table. She jotted it down as a rare 
 item.'' 
 
 ^' If you tell strangers untruths about your own land 
 can you complain, then, that the same strangers mis- 
 represent it?" asked my little mother, quietly. 
 
 The conductor flushed, and said he had not thought of 
 it in that light before. 
 
 While yet a day's travel distant from the city of 
 Mexico, tomatoes and strawberries were procurable. It 
 was January. The venders were quite up to the tricks 
 of the hucksters in the States. In a small basket they 
 place cabbage leaves and two or three pebbles to give 
 weight; then the top is covered with strawberries so 
 deftly that even the smartest purchaser thinks he is get- 
 ting a bargain for twenty-five cents. 
 
 At larger towns a change for the better was noticeable 
 
 in the clothing of the people. The most fashionable 
 
 dress for the Mexican Indian was white muslin panteloons, 
 
 twice as wide as those worn by the dudes last summer; 
 
 * Pronounced Che-wa-wa. 
 
16 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 a sera}:)e, as often cotton as wool, wrapped around the 
 shoulders; a straw sombrero, and sometimes leather san- 
 dals bound to the feet with leather cords. 
 
 The women wear loose sleeveless waists with a straight 
 piece of cloth pinned around them for skirts, and the 
 habitual rebozo wrapped about the head and holding the 
 equally habitual baby. No difference how cold or warm 
 the day, nor how scant the lower garments, the serape 
 and relozo are never laid aside, and none seem too poor 
 to own one. Apparently the natives do not believe much 
 in standing, for the moment they stop walking they 
 ^' hunker " down on the ground. 
 
 Never once during the three days did we think of get- 
 ting tired, and it was with a little regret mingled with a 
 desire to see more, that we knew when we awoke in the 
 morning we would be in the City of Mexico. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE CITY OF MEXICO. 
 
 " The City of Mexico,'' they had called. We got off, 
 but we saw no city. We soon ^earned that the train did 
 not go further, and that we would have to take a car- 
 riage to convey us the rest of the way. 
 
 Carriages lined the entrance to the station, and the 
 cab-men were, apparently from their actions, just like 
 those of the States. When they procure a permit for a 
 carriage in Mexico, it is graded and marked. A first- 
 class carriage carries a white flag, a second-class a blue 
 flag, and a third-class a red flag. The prices are respect- 
 ively, per hour: one dollar, seventy-five cents, and fifty 
 cents. This is meant for a protection to travelers, but 
 the drivers are very cunning. Often at night they will 
 remove the flag and charge double prices, but they can 
 be punished for it. 
 
 We soon arrived at the Hotel Yturbide, and were as- 
 signed rooms by the affable clerk. The hotel was once 
 the home of the Emperor Yturbide. It is a large build- 
 ing of the Mexican style. The entrance takes one into a 
 large, open court or square. All the rooms are arranged 
 around this court, opening out into a circle of balconies. 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 11 
 
 The lowest floor in Mexico is the cheapest. The higher 
 up one goes the higher they find the price. The reason 
 of this is that at the top one escapes any possible damp- 
 ness, and can get the light and sun. 
 
 Our room had a red brick floor. It was large, but had 
 no ventilation except the glass doors which opened onto 
 the balcony. There was a little iron cot in each corner 
 of the room, a table, wash stand, and wardrobe. 
 
 It all looked so miserable—like a prisoner's cell — that 
 I began to wish I was at home. 
 
 At dinner we had quite a time trying to understand 
 
 :he waiter and to make him understand us. The food 
 
 ve thought wretched, and, as our lunch basket was long 
 
 ince emptied, we felt a longing for some United States 
 
 eatables. 
 
 I found we could not learn much about Mexican life by 
 living at the hotels, so the first thing was to find some 
 one who could speak English, and through them obtain 
 boarding in a private family. It was rather difiicult, but 
 I succeeded, and I was glad to exchange quarters. 
 
 The City of Mexico makes many bright promises for 
 the future. As a winter resort, as a summer resort, a 
 city for men to accumulate fortunes; a paradise for stu- 
 dents, for artists; a rich 'field for the hunter of the curi- 
 ous, the beautiful, and tie rare. Its bright future cannot 
 be far distant. 
 
 Already its wonders are related to the enterprizing peo- 
 ple of other climes, who are making prospective tours 
 through the land that held cities even at the time of the 
 discovery of America. 
 
 Mexico looks the same all over; every white street ter- 
 minates at the foot of a snow-capped mountain, look 
 which way you will. The streets are named very strangely 
 and prove quite a torment to strangers. Every block or 
 square is named separately. 
 
 The most prominent street is the easiest to remember, 
 and even it is peculiar. It is called the street of San 
 Francisco, and the first block is designated as first San 
 Francisco, the second as second San Francisco, and so on 
 the entire street. 
 
 One continually sees poverty and wealth side by side in 
 Mexico, and they don't turn up their noses at each other 
 
18 SIX .MONTHS IX MEXICO, 
 
 either; the half -clad Indian has as much room on the 
 Fifth Avenue of Mexico as the millionaire's wife— not 
 but what that land, as this, bows to wealth. 
 
 Policemen occupy the center of the street at every ter- 
 mination of a block, reminding one, as they look down 
 the streets, of so many posts. They wear white caps with 
 numbers on, blue suits, and nickel buttons. A mace 
 now takes the place of the sword of former days. At 
 night they don an overcoat and hood, which makes them 
 look just like the pictures of veiled knights. Red lan- 
 terns are left in the street where the policemen stood 
 during the daytime, while they retire to some doorway 
 where, it is said, they sleep as soundly as their brethren 
 in the States. 
 
 Every hour tliey blow a whistle like those used by 
 street car drivers, which is answered by those on the next 
 posts. Thus they know all is well. In small towns they 
 call out the time of night, ending up with tiempo serono 
 (all serene), from which the Mexican youth, with some 
 mischievous Yankeeism, have named them Seronos. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 IN" THE STREETS OF MEXICO. 
 
 Ix Mexico^ as in all other countries, the average tour- 
 ist rushes to the cathedrals and places of historic note, 
 wholly unmindful of the most intensely interesting 
 feature the country contains — the people. 
 
 Street scenes. in the City of Mexico form a brilliant and 
 entertaining panorama, for which no charge is made. 
 Even photographers slight this wonderful picture. If 
 you ask for Mexican scenes they show you cathedrals, 
 saints, cities and mountains, but never the wonderful 
 things that are right under tlieir eyes dail}-. Likewise, 
 journalists describe this cathedral, tell you the age of 
 that one, paint you the beauties of another, but the peo- 
 ple, the. living, moving masses that go so far toward 
 making the population of Mexico, are passed by with 
 scarce a mention. 
 
 It is not a clean, inviting crowd, with blue eyes and 
 
SIX MONTHS IX MEXICO. 
 
 19 
 
 sunny hair I would take you among, but a short, heavy- 
 set people, with almost black skins, topped off with the 
 blackest eyes and masses of raven hair. Their lives are 
 as dark as their skins and hair, and are invaded by no 
 hope that through effort their lives may amount to some- 
 thing. 
 
 Nine women out of ten in Mexico have babies. When 
 at a very tender age, so young as five days, the babies are 
 completely hidden in the folds of the rehozo and strung 
 to the mother^s back, in close proximity to the mammoth 
 baskets of vegetables on her head and supended on either 
 side of the human freight. When the babies get older 
 their heads and feet appear, and soon they give their 
 place to another or share their quarters, as it is no un- 
 usual sight to see a woman carry tliree babies at one time 
 in her rehozo. Tliey are 
 always good. Their little 
 coalilack eyes gaze out on 
 what is to be their world, 
 in solemn wonder. No 
 baby smiles or babyish 
 tears are ever seen on their 
 faces. At the earliest date 
 they are old, and appear 
 to view life just as it is to 
 them in all its blackness. 
 They know no home, they 
 have no school, and before 
 they are able to talk they 
 are taught to carry bun- 
 dles on their heads or 
 backs, or pack a younger 
 member of the family 
 while the mother 
 merchandise, by 
 she gains a living, 
 living is scarcely 
 such a title. They mere- 
 ly exist. Thousands of 
 them are born and raised 
 on the streets. They have no home and were never in a 
 bed. Going along the streets of the city late at night, you 
 will find dark groups huddled in the shadows, which, on 
 
 carries 
 which 
 Their 
 worth 
 
30 
 
 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 investigation^ will turn out to be wliole families gone 
 to bed. They neyer lie down, but sit witli their heads 
 on their knees, and so pass the night. 
 
 When they get hungry they seek the warm side of the 
 street and there, hunkering down, devour what they 
 scraped up during the day, consisting of refused meats 
 and offal boiled over a handful of charcoal. A fresh 
 tortilla is the sweetest of sweetbreads. The men appear 
 very kind and are frequently to be seen with the little 
 ones tied up in their serape. 
 
 Groups of these at dinner would furnish rare studies 
 for Kodgers. Several men and women will be walking 
 along, when suddenly they will sit 
 down in some sunny spot on the 
 street. The women will bring fish 
 or a lot of stuff out of a basket or 
 poke, which is to constitute their 
 coming meal. Meanwhile the 
 men, who also sit flat on the street, 
 will be looking on and accepting 
 their portion like hungry, but 
 well-bred, dogs. 
 
 This type of life, be it under- 
 stood, is the lowest in Mexico, 
 and connects in no way with the 
 upper classes. The Mexicans are 
 certainly misrepresented, most 
 wrongfully so. They are not lazy, 
 but just the opposite. From 
 early dawn until late at night they 
 can be seen filling their different 
 occupations. The women sell 
 papers and lottery tickets. 
 
 '' See here, child, ^^ said a gray-haired lottery woman in 
 Spanish. ^' Buy a ticket. A sure chance to get $10,000 
 for twenty-five cents."^ Being told that we had no faith 
 in lotteries, she replied: '^ Buy one; the Blessed Virgin 
 will bring you the money." 
 
 The laundry women, who, by the way, wasli clothes 
 whiter and iron them smoother even than the Chinese, 
 carry the clothes home unwrapped. That is, they carry 
 their hands high above their head, from which stream 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 21 
 
 white skirts, laces, etc., fiirnishing a most novel and 
 interesting sight. 
 
 " The saddest thing I ever saw/^ said Mr. Theo. Geste- 
 feld, " among all the sad things in Mexico, was an in- 
 cident that happened when I first arrived here. Noticing 
 a policeman talking to a boy around whom a crowd of 
 dusky citizens had gathered, I, true to journalistic in- 
 stinct, went up to investigate. . The boy, I found, be- 
 longed to one of the many families who do odd jobs in 
 day time for a little food, and sleep at night in some dark 
 corner. Strung to the boy^s back was a dying baby. Its 
 little eyes were half closed in death. The crotvd watched, 
 in breathless fascination, its last slow gasps. The boy 
 had no home to go to, he knew not where to find his par- 
 ents at that hour of the day, and there he stood, while 
 the babe died in its cradle, his serape. In my news- 
 paper career I have witnessed many sad scenes, but I 
 never saw anything so heartrending as the death of that 
 little innocent.-'^ 
 
 Tortillas is not only one of the great Mexican dishes 
 but one of the women^s chief industries. In almost any 
 street there can be seen women on their knees mashing 
 corn between smooth stones, making it into a batter, and 
 finally shaping it into round, flat cakes. They spit on 
 their hands to keep the dough from sticking, and bake 
 in a pan of hot grease, kept boiling by a few lumps of 
 charcoal. Eich and poor buy and eat them, apparently 
 unmindful of the way they are made. But it is a bread 
 that Americans must be educated to. Many surprise the 
 Mexicans by refusing even a taste after they see the bak- 
 ers. 
 
 There are some really beautiful girls among this low 
 class of people. Hair three quarters the length of the 
 women, and of wonderful thickness, is common. It is 
 often worn loose, but more frequently in two long plaits. 
 Wigmakers find no employment here. The men wear 
 long, heavy bangs. 
 
 There is but one thing that poor and rich indulge in 
 with equal delight and pleasure — that is cigarette smok- 
 ing. Those tottering with age down to the creeping babe 
 are continually smoking. No spot in Mexico is sacred 
 from them; in churches, on the railway cars, on the 
 
22 
 
 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 streets, in the theaters — everywhere are to be seen men 
 and women — of the elite — smoking. 
 
 The Mexicans make unsiir^mssed servants. Their 
 thievery, which is a historic complaint, mnst be confined 
 to those in the suburbs, for those in houses coukl not be 
 more honest. Tliere cleanliness is something overwhelm- 
 ing, when one recalls the tales that have been told of the 
 filth of the ''greasers.'" Early in the mornings the 
 streets, walks in the plaza, and pavements are swept as 
 clean as anything can be, and that with brooms not as 
 good as those children i3lay with in the States. Put an 
 American domestic and a Mexican servant together, 
 even with the difference in the working implements, and 
 the American will ''get left" every time. But this 
 cleanliness may be confined somewhat to such work as 
 and scrubbing; it does not certainly exist in 
 the preparation o f 
 food. Pulque, which 
 is sucked from the 
 mother plant into a 
 man's mouth a n d 
 thence ejected into a 
 water-jar, is brought 
 to town in pig-skins. 
 The skins are filled, 
 and then tied onto 
 burros, or sometimes 
 — not frequently—car- 
 ried in Avagons, the 
 filled skin rolling from 
 side to side. Never 
 less than four filled skins are ever loaded onto a burro; 
 oftener eight and ten. The burros are never harnessed, 
 but go along in trains which often number fifty. Mexi- 
 can politeness extends even among the lowest classes. In 
 all their dealings they are as polite as a dancing master. 
 The moment one is addressed off comes his poor, old, 
 ragged hat, and bare-headed he stands until you leave 
 him. They are not only polite to other people, but 
 among themselves. One poor, ragged woman was trying 
 to sell a broken knife and rusty lock at a pawnbroker's 
 stand. " Will you buy?" she asked, plaintively. " No, 
 senora, gracias " (I thank you), was the polite reply. 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 23 
 
 The police are not to be excelled. When necessary to 
 clear a hall of an immense crowd, not a rough word is 
 spoken. It is not: '' Get out of this, now;" '' Get out of 
 here/' and rough and tumble, push and rush, as it is in 
 the States among the civilized people. With raised cap 
 and low voice the officer gently says in Spanish: '' Gen- 
 tlemen, it is not my will, but it is time to close the door. 
 Ladies, allow me the honor to accompany you toward the 
 door.'' In a very few moments the hall is empty, with- 
 out noise, without trouble, just with a few polite" words, 
 among people who cannot read, who wear knives in their 
 boots— if they have any — and carry immense revolvers 
 strung to their belts; people who have been trained to 
 enjoy the sight of blood, to be bloodthirsty. What a 
 marked contrast to the educated, cultured inhabitants of 
 the States. 
 
 Beneath all this ignorance there is a heart, as sympa- 
 thetic, in its way, as that of any educated man. It is no 
 unusual sight to see a man walk along with a coffin on 
 his head, from which is visible the remains of some child. 
 In an instant all the men in the gutters, on the walks, 
 or in the doorways, have their hats off, and remain bare- 
 headed until the sad procession is far away. The pall- 
 bearer, if such he may be called, dodges in and out 
 among the carriages, burros and wagons, which fill the 
 street. The drivers lift their hats, but the silent bearer 
 — generally the father— moves along unmindful of all. 
 Funeral cars meet with the same respect. 
 
 In passing along where a new building was being erected, 
 attention was attracted to the body of a laborer who had 
 fallen from the building. A white cloth covered all of 
 the body except his sandled feet. '' The Virgin rest his 
 soul;" '^ Virgin Mother grant him grace," were the pray- 
 ers of his kind as the policeman commanded his body to 
 be carried away. These little scenes prove they are not 
 brutes, that they are a little better than some intelligent 
 people would have you believe. 
 
 The meat express does not, by any means, serve to 
 make the meat more palatable. Generally an old mule 
 or horse that has reached its second childhood serves for 
 the express. A long, iron rod, from which hooks pro- 
 ject, is fastened on the back of the beast by means of 
 
U SIX 3I0NTHS IN MEXICO, 
 
 straps. The meat is hung on these hooks, where it is 
 exposed to the mud and dirt of the streets as well as the 
 hair of the animal. Men with two large baskets, one in 
 front, one behind, filled with the refuse of meat, follow 
 near by. If they wear trousers they have them rolled up 
 high so the blood from the dripping meat will not soil 
 them, but run down their bare legs and be absorbed in 
 the sand. It is asserted that the poor do not allow this 
 mixture in the basket to go to waste, but are as glad to • 
 get it as we are to get sirloin steak. 
 
 Men with cages of fowls, baskets of eggs and bushels 
 of roots and charcoal, come from the mountain in droves 
 of from twenty-five to fifty, carrying packs which aver- 
 age three hundred pounds. 
 
 One form of politeness here is, that when compliment- 
 ing or observing anything that belongs to a native, they 
 will reply: '' It is yours.'^ That it means nothing but 
 politeness some are slow to learn. '^My house is yours; 
 you have but to command me," said the hotel-keeper on 
 the day of our arrival; but he made no move to vacate. 
 A '^ greeny " from the States who was working for the 
 Mexican Central tested some beer that was on its way to 
 the city. ^^ That is good beer," he remarked to the ex- 
 press man. '' Si, senor! It is yours," was the reply. 
 Mr. Green was elated, and trudged off home with the 
 keg, much to the consternation and distress of the poor 
 express man, who Avas compelled to pay out of his own 
 purse for his politeness. 
 
 ^^ You have very handsome coJBBns," was remarked to a 
 man who, probably judging from our looks since we had 
 struck Mexican diet, thought he had found a customer, 
 and had insisted on showing every cofiin in the house, 
 even to the handles, plates, and linings. '^ Si, senorita, 
 they are yours." Thinking they would be an unwelcome 
 elephant on our hands we replied with thanks, and made 
 our exit as quickly as possible. A young Spanish gentle- 
 man who, doubtless, was employed by the express com- 
 pany, said, after a few moments^ conversation, ^''The ex- 
 press company and myself are yours, senorita." We 
 confess to the stupidity of not accepting the bonanza, 
 with him included. 
 
 A peep into doorways shows the people at all manner 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 25 
 
 of occupations. Men always use tlie machines. Women 
 
 and men put chairs together and weaye bottoms in them. 
 
 They also make shoes, the finest and most artistic shoe in 
 
 the world, and the 
 
 cobblers can make a /^^"^^X*^ 
 
 good shoe out of one /^ ^f" ffeSv\ V l_ 
 
 that is so badly worn 
 
 as to be useless to our 
 
 grandmothers as a 
 
 rod of correction. 
 
 The water - carrier, 
 
 aguador, is one of the 
 
 most common objects 
 
 on the street. They 
 
 suspend water -jars from their heads, one in front, one 
 
 back. Around their bodies are leather aprons to protect 
 
 them from the water, which they get at big fountains and 
 basins distributed throughout the city. 
 
 As a people they do not seem malicious, quarrelsome, 
 unkind or evil-disposed. Drunkenness does not seem to 
 be frequent, and the men, in their uncouth way, are more 
 thoughtful of the women than many who belong to a 
 higher class. The women, like othe]' women, sometimes 
 cry, doubtless for very good cause, and then the men stop 
 to console them, patting them on the head, smoothing 
 back their hair, gently wrapping them tighter in their 
 rebozo. Late one night, when the weather was so cold, 
 a young fellow sat on the curbstone and kept his arm 
 around a pretty young girl. He had taken off his ragged 
 serape and folded it around her shoulders, and as the 
 tears ran down her face and she complained of the cold, 
 he tried to comfort her, and that mthout a complaint of 
 his own condition, being clad only in muslin trowsers 
 and waist, which hung in shreds from his body. 
 
 Thus we leave the largest part of the population of 
 Mexico. Their condition is most touching. Homeless, 
 poor, uncared for, untaught, they live and they die. 
 They are worse off by thousands of times than were the 
 slaves of the United States. Their lives are hopeless, and 
 they know it. That they are capable of learning is 
 proven by their work, and by their intelligence in other 
 matters. They have a desire to gain book knowledge, or 
 at least so says a servant who was taken from the streets, 
 
26 SIX 3I0NTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 who now spends every nickel and every leisure moment 
 in trying to learn wisdom from books. 
 
 OHAPTEK YI. 
 
 HOW SUISi'DAT IS CELEBRATED. 
 
 '•' A right good land to live in 
 And a pleasant land to see." 
 
 Every day is Sunday, yet no day is Sunday, and Sunday 
 is less Sunday than any other day in the week. Still, the 
 Mexican way of spending Sunday is of interest to people 
 of other climes and habits. 
 
 With the dawn of day people are to be seen wending 
 their willing footsteps toward their church. The bells 
 chime with their musical clang historic to Mexico, and 
 men and women cross the threshold of churches older 
 than the United States. Pews are unknown, and on the 
 bare floor the millionaire is seen beside the poverty- 
 stricken Indian; the superbly clad lady side by side with 
 an uncombed, half naked Mexican woman. No distinc- 
 tion, no difference. There they kneel and offer their 
 prayers of penitence and thanks, unmindful of rank or 
 condition. No turning of heads to look at strange or 
 gaze on new garments; no dividing tlie poor from the 
 rich, but all with uniform thought and purpose go down 
 on their knees to their God. 
 
 How a missionary, after one sight like this, can wish 
 to convert them into a faith where dress and money bring 
 attention and front pews, and where the dirty beggar is 
 ousted by the janitor and indignantly scorned down by 
 those in affluence, is incomprehensible. 
 
 No Mexican lady thinks it proper to wear a hat into 
 church. She thinks it shows disgust; hence the fashion 
 of wearing lace mantillas. In this city of rights there is 
 nothing handsomer than a lady neatly clad in black with 
 a mantilla gracefully wrapped around her head, under 
 which are visible coal-black hair, sparkling eyes, and 
 beautiful teeth. 
 
 A ragged skirt, and relozo encircling a babe with its 
 head on its mother^s shoulder, fast asleep; black, silky 
 
\ SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. , 'Zl 
 
 hair which trails on the floor as she kneels, her wan, 
 brown, pathetic face raised suppliantly in devotion, is one 
 of the prettiest, though most common, sights in Mexico 
 on Sunday morning. 
 
 This is the busiest day in the markets. Everything is 
 booming, and the people, even on their way to and from 
 church, walk in and out around the thousands of stalls, 
 buying their marketing for dinner. Hucksters cry out 
 their wares, and all goes as merry as a birthday party. 
 Indians, from the mountains, are there in swarms with 
 their marketing. The majority of stores are open, and 
 the "second-hand" stalls on the cheap corner do the 
 biggest business of the week. 
 
 Those who do not attend church find Mexico delight- 
 ful on Sunday. In the alameda (park) three military 
 bands, stationed in different quarters, play alternately 
 all forenoon. The poor have a passion for music, 
 and they crowd the park. After one band has finished, 
 they rush to the stand of the next, where they stay until 
 it has finished, and then move to the next. Thus all 
 morning they go around in a circle. The music, of which 
 the Mexican band was a sample, is superb; even the birds 
 are charmed. Sitting on the mammoth trees, which 
 grace the alameda, they add their little songs. All this, 
 mingled with the many chimes which ring every fifteen 
 minutes, make the scene one that is never forgotten. The 
 rich people promenade around and enjoy themselves 
 similar to the poor. 
 
 In the Zocalo, a plazo at the head of the main street 
 and facing the palace and cathedral, the band plays in 
 the evening; also on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 
 
 Maximilian planned and had made a drive which led to 
 his castle at Chapultepec. It is 3750 feet long, wide 
 enough to drive four, or even six teams abreast. It is 
 planted on the east side with two rows of trees; one edg- 
 ing the drive, the other the walk, which is as wide as 
 many streets. The trees are now of immense size, ren- 
 dering this drive one of the handsomest, as well as most 
 pleasant, in Mexico. Maximilian called it the Boule- 
 varde Emperiale; but when liberty was proclaimed the 
 name was changed to the Boulevarde of the Reform. On 
 the same drive are handsome, nay more, magnificent 
 
28 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 statues of Columbus, Quatemoc, and an equestrian statue 
 of Charles IV. of wonderful size, which, has also been 
 pronounced perfect by good judges. A statue of Cortez 
 is being erected. This pa^eo is. the fashionable prome- 
 nade and drive from five to seven p. M. every day, and 
 specially on Sunday afternoon. The music stands are 
 occupied, and no vacant benches are to be found. 
 
 Those who call the Mexicans '^ greasers," and think 
 them a dumb, ignorant class, should see the paseo on 
 Sunday: tally-ho coaches, elegant dog-carts, English gigs, 
 handsome coupes and carriages, drawn by the finest studs, 
 are a common sight. Pittsburg, on this line, is nowhere 
 in comparison. Cream horses, with silver manes and 
 tails, like those so valued in other cities, are a common 
 kind here. The most fashionable horse has mane and 
 tail ^^ bobbed." It might be added this style prevails to 
 a great, very great extent among all animals. Cats and 
 dogs appear minus ears and tails. Pets of every kind are 
 much in demand. Ladies carry lap dogs, and gentlemen 
 have chained to them blooded dogs of mammoth size. 
 The poor Mexican will have his tame birds; even roosters 
 are stylish pets. '' Mary had a little lamb " is respected 
 too much here to be called ^^ chestnut.'^ The favorite 
 pets of children are fleecy lambs, which, with bells and 
 ribbons about their necks, accompany the children on 
 their daily airing. 
 
 Mexico, while in the land of churches, would be 
 rightly called the city of high heels, hats, powder and 
 canes. Every gentleman wears a silk hat and swings a 
 '^ nobby ''^ cane. There are but two styles of hats — the 
 tile hat and the sombrero. Every woman powders — lays 
 it on in chunks — and wears the high heels known as the 
 French opera heel. The style extends even to the men. 
 One of the easiest ways to distinguish foreigners from 
 natives is to look at their feet. The native has a neat 
 shoe, with heels from two inches up, while the foreigner 
 has a broad shoe and low heel. These people certainly 
 possess the smallest hands and feet of any nation in the 
 world. Ladies wear fancy shoes entirely — beaded, 
 bronzed, colored leather, etc. A common, black leather 
 shoe, such as worn by women in the States, is an un- 
 salable article. Yet it is nothing strange to see a lady, 
 clad in silk or velvet, lift her dress to cross a street or 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 '^9 
 
 enter a carriage, and display a satin shoe of exquisite 
 make and above it the hosiery of Eve. In fact, very 
 few women ever wear stockings at all. 
 
 This city is a second Paris 
 in the matter of dress among 
 the elite. The styles and 
 materials are badly Parisian, 
 and Americans who come 
 here expecting to see poorly- 
 dressed people are disappoint- 
 ed. Like people in the sister I 
 Kepublic, the Mexicans judge 
 persons by their dress. It is ! 
 the dress first and the man 
 after. 
 
 On Sundays the streets and 
 parks are thronged with men 
 and *women selling ice cream, 
 pulque, candies, cakes, and 
 other dainties. They carry 
 their stock on their heads 
 while moving, and when they 
 stop they set it on a tripod, 
 which they carry in their 
 arms. 
 
 The flower sellers are always 
 women, some of whom look 
 quite picturesque in their gay- 
 colored costumes. All the' 
 flowers are elegant, and are 
 arranged in bouquets to suit 
 either ladies or gentlemen. 
 
 Bull fights take no little part in the Sunday list of 
 amusements, where the poor and ricii mingle freely. 
 Theaters have matinees and evening performances, and 
 everything takes on a holiday look, and everybody ap- 
 pears happy and good-humored. This is nothing new 
 in Mexico, however, for the most unusual sight is a fight 
 or quarrel. These are left to the numerous dogs which 
 belong to the city, and even they do little of it. 
 
 Riding horseback is a favorite pastime. Ladies only 
 ride in the forenoon, as custom prevents them from in- 
 dulging in the saddle after one o^clock. Gentlemen, 
 
80 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 however, ride mornings and evenings. Among them are 
 to be found the most graceful and daring riders in the 
 world. Their outfits are gorgeous; true Mexican, saddle 
 trimmed with gold and silver, graceful flaps of the finest 
 fur on bridles finished with numberless silver chains. 
 The riders are superb in yellow goatskin suits, ornamented 
 with silver horse shoes, whips, spurs, etc., with silver 
 braid on the short coat. A handsome sombrero, finished 
 in silver, with silver monogram of the owner, revolvers, 
 and proud, fiery, high-stepping horse completed the pict- 
 ure. The ladies' habits are similar to those now in the 
 States, except the fine sombrero which replaces the ugly, 
 ungraceful high silk hats. 
 
 AH day Sunday is like a pleasant Fourth of July, but 
 after eight o'clock the carriages become scarcer and 
 scarcer, the people go to the theaters and to their homes, 
 the poor seek a soft flagstone, where they repose for the 
 night, and by nine o'clock the streets make one thin4v of 
 a deserted city. 
 
 Mexicans do not go half way in the matter of style. 
 At one o'clock Sunday afternoons policemen in fancy 
 uniforms, mounted on handsome horses, equipped with 
 guns and lassoes, ride down the Boulevard. They are 
 stationed in the center of the drive one hundred yards 
 apart, every alternate horse's head in the same direction. 
 There they remain, like statues, the entire afternoon. 
 Sunday is a favorite day for funerals and change of resi- 
 dence. Men with wardrobes, pianos, etc., on their 
 backs are seen trotting up and down the streets like our 
 moving wagons on the first day of April. They mean 
 well by work on Sunday, but it would appear awful to 
 some of our good people at home. There is this advan- 
 tage, at least: they have something better to do than to 
 congregate in back-door saloons or loaf on the streets. 
 
 OHAPTEE VII. 
 
 A HORSEBACK RIDE OVER HISTORIC GROUNDS. 
 
 A Sunday in Mexico is one long feast of champagne, 
 without a headache the next day. When the first streaks 
 of dawn appear in the east people bob out from this street 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 81 
 
 and that, hostlers hurry horses off to private residences, 
 gay riders whirl by as if eager to catch the shades of night 
 as they are "sinking in the west, and by 6:30 it looks as if 
 all Mexico was on horseback. Ladies wear beautiful cos- 
 tumes, dark habits, short skirts, silver and gold buttons, 
 and broad sombreros. Men display greater variety of 
 costumes; some wear yellow buckskin suits trimmed with 
 gold or silver, others have a drab skin suit artistically 
 trimmed, still others wear light cloth suits and high 
 boots, buttoned at the side, and reaching the knee. A 
 belt holding a revolver, and a Mexican saddle to which is 
 fastened a sword complete this beautiful riding suit. And 
 then what riders! It is the poetry of motion; they are as 
 but part of the perfect horse they ride. Take the beau- 
 tiful horses, artistic outfit, grand eyes glancing at you 
 from beneath a pretty sombrero, and you have a Mexican 
 scene which is irresistible. Even Americans are a thou- 
 sand times handsomer when they don this outfit, and it 
 is safe to wager that if the men in the States would adopt 
 the Mexican riding-suit, there would not be a single man 
 left after a two months' trial. 
 
 After searching the whole city over we at last found a 
 woman we knew, who owned a habit. ^' Certainly you 
 may have it, with great pleasure,^' and we thought what 
 an angel she was until the time we needed it, when she 
 sent a reply: '^My riding-dress is, as I told you, at your 
 service any day in the week but Sunday. I am surprised 
 that you find need of it on that blessed day.'' That 
 evening on going to a house for dinner we found her 
 there, dressed to the height of fashion, discussing the 
 people who had attended church in the morning and tell- 
 ing what a lovely drive she had on the paseo in the after- 
 noon. She is a missionary. 
 
 However, as the sun was creeping up trying to catch 
 night unawares, I mounted a horse, clad in a unique 
 and original costume, to say the very least, which the 
 gallant young men, however, pronounced odd and pretty, 
 and wanted to know if it was the style of tiie States. 
 The boulevard of the Eeform looked as cool and sweet as 
 a May morning in the country, and finer than a circus 
 paracle with the hundreds of horsemen going either way. 
 '^ Vamos f (Let us go). '' Con muclio gusto " (with much 
 pleasure), was our reply, and away flew our willing 
 
82 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 steeds, bearing ns soon to the paradise of Mexico — Cba- 
 pultepec. 
 
 Greeting the guards at the gate, we entered, riding 
 under trees which sheltered Montezuma and his people, 
 Cortes and his soldiers, poor Maximilian and Oharlotta, 
 where Mexican cadets laid down their lives in defense of 
 their country, where the last battle was fought with the 
 Americans, and where now is being prepared the future 
 home of President Diaz. Around the castle and through 
 the grounds we at last emerged at the opposite side. 
 Here a scene worthy of an artist's brush was found. In 
 a small adobe house, faced in front by a porch, were half- 
 clad Mexicans dealing out coffee and pulque to the horse- 
 men who surrounded the place. One had even ridden 
 into the house. Awaiting our turn we viewed the scene. 
 On our left were mounte 1 and unmounted uniformed sol- 
 diers guarding one of the gates to Chapultepec. At our 
 back were trains of loaded burros, about 200, on their 
 way to market in the city. They stood around and about 
 the old aqueduct, the picture of patience. Some few 
 had lain down with their burdens and had to be assisted 
 to their feet by their masters. Numerous little charcoal 
 fires, above which were suspended pans and kettles, were 
 being fanned by enterprising peons, who had started this 
 restaurant to make a few pennies from their fellowmen. 
 One fellow cut all kinds of meat, on a flat stone, into 
 little pieces, which he deposited together in a kettle of 
 boiling water, and picking them out again with a long 
 stick sold them, half-cooked, to the waiting people. 
 Some women v>^ere busily knitting, weaving baskets, etc., 
 as they vraited for this dainty repast. At last our turn 
 came, and we turned our back on the outdoor restaurants 
 while we endeavored to swallow a little bit of the miser- 
 able stuS they called coffee. As we started we saw the 
 people adjust the burdens to their backs, take up- their 
 long walking-poles, and start their burros toward the 
 city. They had feasted and were now ready to continue 
 their journey. 
 
 Leaping a ditch we left the highway and traveled 
 through the fields, stopping to gather a few pepper ber- 
 ries with which to decorate ourselves, admiring the many- 
 colored birds flitting from tree to tree. Another ditch, 
 which the horses cleared beautifully, was left behind. 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 33 
 
 and we were once again on a highway, with dust about a 
 foot deep, which made horses cough as well as their rid- 
 ers. ^'This is bad/^ one of the gentlemen managed to 
 say at last. We were only able to give a sympathetic 
 grunt and then had to gasp fifteen minutes before we 
 could regain our breath. '^ There is a hacienda near 
 where we will get a drink and change roads. ' Vamos.''' 
 Off we went, leaving the dust behind, and were soon in 
 the shaded drive leading to the hacienda. 
 
 Here, at Huischal, we soon forgot the scorching sun 
 and blinding dust and gave ourselves up to the pleasure 
 of the moment, watching the ever picturesque people 
 gathered in groups beneath the shade. Under the trees 
 were droves of horses, which were taken two by two, and 
 led into a large walled pond. .^^ peon walked on the wall, 
 holding the bridle of the tethered horses, who swam 
 from one end to the other, covered all but the head. 
 After the bath the horses were rubbed well until they 
 glistened like satin. 
 
 Climbing the hill we passed all kinds of Indians and 
 huts. There were homes built entirely of the maguey 
 plant, where straw mats served for beds. The people 
 were all awake and engaged in various occupations; 
 some women were washing, some Avere making their 
 toilet — combing their hair with the same kind of brush 
 they scrub with, and washing their bodies with a porous 
 soapstone common to the country. Very few of the 
 children had any clothing at all, but happiness reigned 
 supreme. We passed several plain wooden crosses with 
 inscriptions on them, asking travelers to pray for the de- 
 ceased's soul. It brought forcibly to mind Byron's 
 ^^OhildeHaroldi'' 
 
 Quite on the top of the hill, and facing Ohapultepec, 
 gleams a marble monument erected in honor of the 
 Mexicans killed while defending Oasa de Mata (the 
 house of the dead) and El Molino del Key (the mill of 
 the king). The Americans discovered, while encamped 
 near here, that cannon, etc., were being manufactured at 
 El Molino, so they decided to storm the place; they 
 found the work more difficult than they expected. The 
 Mexicans were fighting for a country they loved, and for 
 which they had been compelled to fight for generations. 
 Their walls were strongs but at last they gave way before 
 
34 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 the heavy artillery of the Americans, and their dead 
 covered the battlefield. Casa de Mata is now a garrison, 
 and the soldiers march back and forth with sad faces. 
 El Molino del Rey now furnishes flour for the city. It 
 shows no trace of the assault. JSTear by is a foundry for 
 the manufacture of guns and munitions. 
 
 The city of the dead, Dolores, lies to the back of the 
 mill. Euneral cars and draped street cars were just re- 
 turning from the cemetery, and as the people are not 
 allowed to ride or drive along thiscarway, we crossed into 
 a plantation of pulque plant. It is a resentful thing, 
 and a whole army in itself. It ran its sharp prongs into 
 the legs of the men, endeavored to pull the skirts off the 
 women, and pla3^ed spurs on the horses; but we finally 
 emerged at the entrance of the cemetery, alive, but wiser 
 from our experience. 
 
 Mexican cemeteries have a certain peculiar beauty, and 
 yet they are ugly. No one is allowed to ride or drive 
 through; coffins are carried in and everybody is compelled 
 to walk. Beautiful trees are cultivated, even the apple 
 and the peach being reared for ornament. The walks 
 are laid out nicely. Spruce trees are trained to form an 
 arbor for long distances. Where they are divided or meet 
 another walk, flowing fountains with large basins and 
 statues grace the spot. One statue, which looked rather 
 singular, was apjDarently carved out of wood. It repre- 
 sented a man with flowing locks and beard, clad in a long 
 gown and holding in one hand a round ball. Time had 
 its hand on heavily, and the wood was seamed and 
 browned. Altogether it was a disreputable-looking thing. 
 The keeper said it represented Christ with the world in 
 his hand. Not a sprig of grass is permitted to grow in 
 any of the graveyards, and they are swept as clean as our 
 grandmother^s backyard used to be. 
 
 Men were busy digging graves, and new ones were com- 
 pletely hidden by fresh flowers, and the flowers on others 
 were withered and dead, as if the one so lately buried 
 was already forgotten. The monuments are quite fine. 
 Some have little altars on which candles are lighted on 
 certain days. The prevailing style of marble shaft is 
 coffin shaped. Some graves have miniature summer- 
 houses built over them, the framework covered with Span- 
 ish moss. The ejEfect is beautiful. The poor have only 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 85 
 
 black and white wooden crosses to mark their ashes. One 
 family had built a cave, formed of volcanic stone, oyer 
 the grave, the effect being quite pretty and unique. 
 
 After partaking of refreshments at a long, low build- 
 ing, just outside the cemetery gate, we rode across the 
 country and into Tacubaya, an ancient city once the 
 homo of Montezuma^s favorite chief, where the American 
 soldiers were encamped, now the home of Mexican mill- 
 ionaires, the site of the feast of the gamblers, and the 
 prettiest village in Mexico. The gambling feast has 
 ended and the town has been restored to its usual quiet- 
 ness. In the center plaza a band was holding forth, as 
 is the custom in. every Mexican village on Sunday morn- 
 ings. People had gathered in sun and shade listening. 
 The markets were in full blast; the thousands of luscious 
 fruits looking fresh and inviting as they were spread on 
 the ground awaiting bu3^ers. The native ware was so 
 peculiar and the ^'merchant" — half-dressed, brown and 
 pleasant — was more than we could resist, so buying two 
 small cream jugs, made after the style in vogue fifty 
 years ago, we paid him two reales (fifty cents) and de- 
 parted, leaving him happy. p >^ 
 
 Once again the willing horses climbed the hill, and 
 reaching the summit we inspected the waterworks which 
 have so faithfully supplied the city for years. A weather- 
 beaten frame house hid the well or spring that has given 
 such a generous supply. A wooden wheel as large as the 
 house itself, moved slowly, as if age and rheumatism had 
 stiffened its joints. The water flowed gently through an 
 open trench into another building, whence it rushed, 
 white, foaming and sparkling, into the ground, leaving 
 only high brick air-pipes to mark its course to the aque- 
 duct. 
 
 By the side of the trench a woman was doing her wash- 
 ing, and two little lads, with poles across their shoulders 
 and buckets suspended from either end, were carrying 
 water to the houses down in the valley. An old cow with 
 curly horns gazed at us in astonishment as we invaded her 
 private meadow to get a view of a paper mill, which is 
 built in the shape of an old English castle, down in a deep 
 ravine in a nest of lovely green trees. The old cow had 
 evidently come to the conclusion, after deliberate reason- 
 ing, that we were intruding, and she charged our horses 
 
36 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 in a first-class *'toro" style. There were no capeadores 
 to attract her attention, no lourladeras for us to hide be- 
 hind, so we thought it best to fly, which we did with a 
 Maud S speed. I did not mention I had lost my hat in 
 the retreat until we were over the trench, and one of the 
 young men gallantly started to recover it, against the 
 protestations of the entire crowd. We expected to see 
 him killed, but the cow stood watching him as he dis- 
 mounted for the feminine headgear, gesticulating with 
 head and tail and beating the earth with her fore legs. 
 Eemounting, he saluted her, then putting spurs to his 
 horse he cleared the ditch, leaving the baffled and angry 
 cow on the other side. 
 
 La Oastaneda, the great pleasure-garden of the Mexi- 
 cans, was next visited. Beautiful flowers, shrubbery and 
 marble statues grace the well-kept resort. Neat little 
 benches, cunning little vine- draped nooks, sprinkling- 
 fountains, secluded dancing-stands, deep bathing-basins, 
 are a few of the many attractions. Shaded walks and 
 twisting stairways would always bring us to some new 
 beauty. Music and dancing are always held here every 
 afternoon, and although it was nearly noon they had not 
 even, so much as a cracker in the house. In Mexico 
 nothing in the line of edibles is kept in the house 
 overnight. 
 
 At Mixcoac we visited the famous flower gardens, and 
 viewed the site where the American soldiers were gar- 
 risoned during the war.- The Mexicans have found a 
 new thing — a pun, and they are enjoying it heartily. It 
 IS not very brilliant or very funny, but it is traveling over 
 the city, and every person has to repeat it to you. An 
 American wanted to see Mixcoac — p)ronounced ''^ Mis- 
 quack. ^^ The conductor failed to let him out at the 
 place, and turning to the Mexicans he said: '^We have 
 mis-t-quack.^' But it was funnier still to an American 
 who was being showed around by a Mexican who sj^oke 
 very little English. '^ I will take you to see Mis-quack,^^ 
 said the Mexican. The American expressed his pleasure 
 and willingness. '' This is all Mis-quack/^ said the Mex- 
 ican, pointing around the entire town. ^' Indeed," ejac- 
 ulated the astonished tourist; ^^ Miss Quack must be very 
 wealthy." 
 
 Down the dusty road we came, passing natives shoot- 
 
SIX MONTHS IN II^XICO. 87 
 
 ing the pretty birds just for the fun of the thing. All 
 other riders had disappeared, and people looked at ns 
 from beneath' the shade in amazement, and even we felt 
 a little tired and heated after a thirty-mile ride. We 
 reached home at one o^clock. Since then I have been 
 wearing blisters on my cheeks and nose, and making 
 frequent applications with the powder rag of the literary 
 widow and old -maid artist who room across the way. 
 
 ^CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 A MEXICAl^ BULL -FIGHT. 
 
 Mexicans are always mauana until it comes to bull- 
 fights and love affairs. To know a Mexican in daily life 
 is to witness his courtesy, his politeness, gentleness; and 
 then see him at a bull-fight, and he is hardly recogniza- 
 ble. He is literally transformed. His gentleness and 
 " mauana ^^ have disappeared; his eyes flash, his cheeks 
 flush — in fact, he is the picture of ^^ diabolic animation.''' 
 It is all ^' hoy " to-day with him. Even the Spanish lady 
 of ease and high heels forgets her mannerisms and ap- 
 pears like some painted heathen jubilant over the roast- 
 ing of a zealous missionary. 
 
 There have been some very good bull -fights lately in 
 the suburbs, for fighting is prohibited within a certain 
 distance of the city. When they say a good bull-fight, it 
 means that the bulls have been ferocious and many horses 
 and men have been killed. 
 
 It is safe to say that the majority of Americans who 
 visit Mexico do like the natives, even on the first Sunday; 
 attend divine service in the morning, a bull-fight in the 
 afternoon and theater in the evening. But it is with 
 regret that I say that many Americans who are residents 
 of the city now are as passionntely fond of the national 
 inhuman sport as a native who has been reared up to it. 
 Some never miss a fight, and their American voxce out- 
 strips the Mexican in the shouts of " bravo '' at the bloody 
 thrusts. Yet there are tourists who cannot outsit one 
 performance, and have no desire to attend a second. 
 While we Americans cry '^brutal" against the national 
 amusement, they in return cry" brutal '^ to our prize- 
 
38 
 
 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 fights, in wliicli they see nothing to admire, and a dog-fight 
 is beneath their contempt. 
 
 '^ Your humane societies would prevent bull- fights in 
 the States/' said a Spanish gentleman; " your people 
 would cry out against them. Yet they have strong men 
 trying to pound one another to death, and the people 
 clamor for admission to see the law kill men and women, 
 
 while in health and 
 youth, because of 
 some deed done in 
 the flesh. Yes, they 
 witness and allow 
 such inhuman treat- 
 ment to a fellow mor- 
 tal and turn around 
 and affect holy hor- 
 ror at us for taking 
 out of the world a 
 few old horses and furnishing beef for the poor.'' 
 
 Read of glorious bull-fights and then witness one, and 
 the scene is entirely changed. The day of their glory 
 has departed. When Maximilian graced the country 
 with his presence the fights were indeed fitted for royal 
 sight. The costumes were of the costliest material; the 
 horses were of the best blood and breed, and the bulls 
 regular roaring Texans, which needed no second sight of 
 a red capa to raise their feverish ire. No fight cost less 
 than 15,000. 
 
 Now all is different. Maximilian lies in a grave to 
 which a treacherous bullet consigned him; Carlotta, still 
 what that bullet made her, a raving lunatic and a widow. 
 Men of low degree are permitted to grace the fights, 
 which are but miserable shadows, a farce of the former 
 royal days. 
 
 The National— a narrow gauge — and the Mexican Cen- 
 tral, run special trains consisting of twenty and twenty- 
 five cars, first, second, and third-class, to the fights every 
 half hour. Tickets are sold during the week, which in- 
 clude railroad fare, admission to grounds and seat. Long 
 before the time for leaving, carriages pull up to the sta- 
 tions and blooming senoras, fair senoritas, handsome 
 senors and delicate, lovely children, dressed in the height 
 of wealth and fashion, enter the railway coach and pro- 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 39 
 
 ceed to make tliemselves comfortable for the half -hour or 
 hour's ride which is to bring them to their destination. 
 Bands march' np and ure disposed of in the coaches, and 
 last comes a troop of soldiers, clad in buckskin suits, 
 elaborately trimmed with silver ornaments, yard wide 
 sombreros, and armed with gun, revolver, sword, dagger, 
 mace, and lasso, which they have no hesitation in using 
 in quite a characteristic manner, asking no questions, 
 expecting no information, performing their duties fa- 
 tally. 
 
 They are the ^^ daisies ^^ of Mexico, and in appreciation 
 of which they are sent to grace every bull fight! They 
 are the best paid soldiers in the republic, receiving |i 
 a day, while the highest salary paid to any of the others 
 is twenty-five cents daily, out of which they provide their 
 own wearing apparel and food. The same ^'daisies" 
 were all outlaws, bandits, fierce and uncontrollable. 
 Their many deeds, always done in the name of the law, 
 are fearful to relate, so the present president thought it 
 policy to engage their services. They ride handsome 
 horses, furnished by the government, and are said to be 
 the most faithful, reliable men in the employ of the re- 
 public. Their only fault is killing without asking ques- 
 tions, for which they go scot-free without even so much 
 as a rebuke. The ^'daisies" have some of the finest 
 specimens of manhood in Mexico, and number in their 
 list some handsome, open-faced, youthful boys. They can 
 maintain order among 6,000 people filled with pulque 
 without uttering one word. Their presence is sufficient. 
 
 On speeds the train. Above the din arises the musical 
 sound of a strange language. A view from the window 
 exhibits some of Mexico^s most beautiful scenery. Now 
 we pass beautiful farms, magnificent artificial lakes cov- 
 ered with wild duck, which would delight the heart of 
 our American hunters, as they arise in dark clouds on the 
 approach of the train, and move off to a more secluded 
 spot; beautiful fields of grain, and acres and acres of 
 pulque plant, quaint huts, picturesque, historic churches, 
 ancient monastries and convents, now used for other pur- 
 poses, all surrounded by snow-capped mountains. For 
 miles we keep our eyes on the strangest and grandest 
 mountain in Mexico, the White Lady, or the Sleeping 
 Virgin, It deserves chapters of description and praise^ 
 
40 SIX MONTHS IN 3IEXIC0. 
 
 but feeling our inability to do it justice we shall confine 
 ourselves to a brief remark. 
 
 Outlined against a blue sky, only such skies as are 
 habitual to Italy and Mexico, is a snow-topped mountain 
 in form of a woman lying on a straight coi; on the head 
 is a snow band, such as worn by Sisters of Mercy. The 
 arms are folded peacefully on the breast, and the sdow 
 garments fall in graceful folds over the feet. There she 
 lies and has lain for centuries in perfect outline and 
 peaceful repose. Even as we look the clouds play fan- 
 tastically about the beauteous form. 'Now they cover her 
 body like a dark shroud. Again they drape her cot like 
 a pall, then rise in a threatening attitude above her fair 
 head, but undisturbed she lies there with hands ever 
 folded above the quiet heart, proudly indifferent to storm 
 or shine, clad in her pure snowy garments, truly the most 
 beauteous sight in Mexico. With a sigh we at last leave 
 her behind and are rudely brought to earth by the an- 
 nouncement that we have reached our destination. 
 
 The bull ring resembles somewhat a race course; the 
 highest row is covered and called boxes. They are 
 divided into small squares, which are meant to hold six 
 but are crowded with four. Miserable chairs without 
 backs are the comfortable seats. Below is the amphi- 
 theater, arranged exactly like circus seats. Different 
 prices are charged and the cheapest is the sunny side, 
 where all the poor sit. A fence painted in the national 
 colors — red, green and white — of some six feet in height, 
 incloses the ring. Three band-stands, equal distances 
 apart, are filled with brilliantly uniformed musicians. 
 
 The judge is appointed by the municipality, but the 
 fighters have a right to refuse to fight under one judge 
 whom they think will compel them to take unnecessary 
 risks with a treacherous bull, for a judge once ehosen his 
 commands are law, and no excuse will be accepted for 
 not obeying, but a fine deducted from the fighter's salary, 
 and he loses cast with the audience. The judge is in a 
 box in the center of the shady side; with him is some 
 .prominent man, for every fight must be honored with the 
 presence of some ^Miigh-toned" individual, while behind 
 stands the bugler, a small boy in gay uniform, with a 
 bugle slung to his side, by which he conveys the judge's 
 >7hispere(:l commands t9 the fighters in the rin^» 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 41 
 
 Below the judge hangs a row of banderillas. They are 
 wooden sticks, about two feet long with a barbed spear of 
 steel in the end , 
 
 stuck in 
 gore him. 
 
 m 
 which are 
 the bull to 
 to madness. They 
 are always gayly dec- 
 orated with tinsel 
 and gaudy streamers 
 of the national col- 
 ors. Sometimes fire- 
 crackers are ingeni- 
 ously inserted, which 
 go off when the ban- '^ '" ^ 
 
 derilla is deftly fastened in the beast^s qvivering flesh. 
 
 The bands play alternately lively airs, the audience ft'^^ 
 once find no charms in the music and forget to mnrmill* 
 mauana, but soon begin to cry ^^El toro! El toroP' 
 (The bull! the bull!) 
 
 The judge nods to the bugler, and as he trumpets forth 
 the gate is swung open and the grand entry is made. 
 Eirst comes '' El Oapitan'' or matador, chief of the ring, 
 and the men who kill the bull with a sword. Next eighfc 
 capeadores, whose duty consists in maddening the bull 
 and urging it to fight by flinging gay- colored capas or capes 
 in its face. Two picadores, who are armed with long 
 poles, called picas, in the end of which are sharp steel 
 spears which they fight the bull with. After come the 
 lazadores, dressed in buckskin suits, elaborately trimmed 
 with silver ornaments and broad, expensive sombreros. 
 They ride fine horses, and do some very pretty work at 
 lassoing. Three mules abreast, with gay plumes in their 
 heads, and a man with a monstrous wheelbarrow of an- 
 cient make, close up the rear. All range before the 
 judge and make a profound bow, after which the mules 
 and wheelbarrow disappear. 
 
 The dresses of the fighters are very gforgeous: satin 
 knee-breeches and sack coat of beautiful colors, and 
 highly ornamented, beaded, etc. On the arm is carried 
 the capa, a satin cape, the color of the suits, and little 
 rough caps, tied under the chin, grace the head. At the 
 back of the head is fastened false hair, like a Chinaman's, 
 familiarly known as "pig tail.'' Two gayly painted 
 
42 
 
 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 clowns, who, unlike those in the States^, never have any- 
 thing to say, are always necessary to complete the com- 
 pany in the ring. 
 
 Again the bngle sounds, the band strikes out in all its 
 might, the people rise to their feet and cry '^ El toro," 
 the fighters form a semicircle around a door, el capitan 
 draws a bolt, flings it open, and as the bull springs forth 
 from his dark and narrow cell a man perched above sticks 
 two handerillas into his neck to madden him. With a 
 snort of rage he rushes for the capas. As they are flirted 
 before his eyes, he tramples them under his hoofs, and 
 the cajjeadors escape behind the loiirladera, a partition 
 ^ix feet wide, placed in the arena at four places equally 
 •istant. 
 
 ■^ At the trumpet sound a banderilla runs out waving the 
 ^^nderillas above his head. He faces the maddened bull 
 Sith a calm smile. The bull paws the ground, lowers 
 his head, and with a bellow of rage makes for his victim. 
 Your eyes are glued to the spot. It is so silent you can 
 
 hear your heart throb. 
 There can be no pos- 
 sible escape for the 
 man. But just as you 
 think the bull will lift 
 him on his horns you 
 see the two banderillas 
 stuck one in either 
 side of the neck, and 
 the man sj^rings safely 
 over the lowered head 
 and murderous horns 
 of the infuriated animal, as it rushes forward to find tlie 
 victim has escaped. The audience shout '^ bravo,'' and 
 wave their scrapes, sombreros and clap their hands. The 
 bull roars with pain, and the banderillas toss about in the 
 lacerated flesh, from which the blood pours in crimson 
 streams. '^Poor beast! what a shame,'' we think, and 
 even then the order is given for the picador to attack the 
 bull. 
 
 The horse on which the picador is mounted is bought 
 only to be killed. It is an old beast whose days of beauty 
 and usefulness are over; $2 or $4 buys him for the pur- 
 pose. Sometimes he is hardly able to walk into the ring. 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 43 
 
 First the brnte is blindfolded witli a leather band, and a 
 leather apron is fastened around his neck in pretense of 
 saving him from being gored. 
 
 The picador guides the blinded horse to face the bull. 
 Capas are flung before the bull tauntingly. The picador 
 dives the pica into the beast and it vents its pain on the 
 horse. Blood pours from the wound; trembling the 
 horse stands, unable to see what has wounded it. Again 
 they coax the bull to charge, and place the horse so that 
 the murderous horns will disembowel it. Down goes 
 the blinded beast, and the capeadores flaunt their capas 
 at the bull while tha picadore gets off the dying ?inma 1, 
 which is lassoed and dragged from the ring. Anothf-r 
 horse is brought in, and the same work is j-one ovir 
 until'the horse is killed. ^ ^ 
 
 Every bull is allowed to kill two horses, ar^ then t:'.ie 
 people shout '' if?^erie ' muerie!" (Kill the Dull.) The 
 judge gives the command and the matador bows to, the 
 judge, and then teases the bull with his r/i^ capa. 'The 
 laws prohibit a fighter to strike a bul]'" until it first 
 charges, and the bull has the chance of ti^^ee cb-ti'ges at 
 the matador before he dares to strike, ^''^^he "^i-iH never 
 appears to see the man by his side, but furiously fights 
 the red capa held before him. Fl capitan then plunges 
 the sword into the neck between the shoulders and 
 through to the heart, if deftly done, after which the bull 
 staggers, protrudes its tongue, tries to find a door for 
 escape, stumbles and dies. Again the people shout, and 
 the matador, as he makes his bow to the judge, is thrown 
 money, cigars, fruit, flowers and other favors. Men fling 
 in their 150 and 1100 so^nhreros, and consider it a great 
 honor when he picks them up and tosses them back. 
 During all this the three mules are brought in. At the 
 sight of the dead bull tliey plunge ^id tear, but are 
 finally hitched to it. The clowns jump on the dead 
 beast, and it is hauled from the ring. 
 
 When the bull is tame and, though tortured on all sides, 
 still refuses to gore the horse, the people hiss and shout 
 ^'lazadore," m\t\\i\\Q]\\digQ gives the command for the 
 brute, that is more humane than its tormentors, to be re- 
 moved and replaced by one that will sate their feverish 
 desire for blood. Now is the time for the lazadores to 
 get in some pretty work. The space is small and cramped. 
 
44 SIX MOX\THS IN MEXICO. 
 
 but with a deftness that is bewildering they throw the 
 loop over the horns. The knowing horse dodges, the 
 bull loses his balance and the horse gives a sudden jerk, 
 throwing the bull on the ground. He is then allowed to 
 arise and is started around the ring at a merry gallop, 
 while the second lazadore exhibits great skill in lassoing 
 the feet, front and baclv, of the running beast. 
 
 The bull, after being thrown, realizes he is at their 
 mercy, and lies passive; or trembling with fear and 
 pain, while the brutal clowns spring astride the prostrated 
 beast, and with no gentle hand tear the banderillas from 
 tfne Tj^ivering flesh, which, still warm and dripping with 
 bhood, KG sold as trophies at one and two dollars each. 
 1^^'hen tie butcher steps forth and with a sharp knife cuts 
 tjhe spinU cord, and the beast is done for. When a bull 
 rfe|fuses tofig^^t before he is cut, except for wounds from 
 the pica aid banderillas, the people cry in Spanish, ''He 
 is {% weak wc^ian,^-' until the judge orders his removal. It 
 is dV*:gicult w(?i'k, and affords much tiiu for the Mexicans, 
 for tile bull mi^st be forced back into the dark cell whence 
 he camA^ 
 
 One fig'Kt co-'^sists of four bulls and as many old horses 
 as they can be compelled to kill. A bull is not consid- 
 ered much unless he can kill, at the very least, two 
 horses. The ]30or horses are very seldom killed instantly. 
 When wounded so that it is impossible for them to walk, 
 they are dragged from the ring-and left in a vacant field, 
 where they die that night or the following day, as the 
 Mexicans do not consider them worth a bullet. The bull 
 finds more mercy. If not killed outright by the mata- 
 dor, a butcher finishes the work, and ends the misery. 
 When stabbed fatally he often staggers along the fence, 
 as though in hopes of finding an exit. The cruel spec- 
 tators are not satisfied that he is dying, and allow him 
 some little mercy, but stab his wounded flesh, tear open 
 his death wound, twist his tail, do all in their power to 
 enhance his sufferings until he falls dead. One would 
 suppose the heated, tortured, wounded beef would be of 
 no account, but such is not the case. Before many 
 hours, after taken from the scene of its death, the beef 
 is being sold to the people, who buy it without the least 
 hesitancy or disgust, even boasting that they eat of the 
 bull that killed so many horses, and if it happened to 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 45 
 
 kill a man it is considered an honor to eat of it. This 
 makes an American want little beef, and that little cov- 
 ered with red pepper to kill the taste. When seated op- 
 posite the entrance gate one has fnll view of the butcher 
 at work. The hide is taken off the toro immediately, 
 and it is dissected. Then they commence on the horses, 
 but they claim the horses" flesh is not sold for beef. 
 
 At some fights the spectators are favored with a per- 
 former, who allows the maddened toro to attack him, 
 when, by the aid of a long pole, he jumps clear over it. 
 This is a dangerous and, many times, a fatal leap, but is 
 a favorite sight of the people. 
 
 After the fight comes the toro emholado. A bull with 
 balls on its horns is led in. All the paid fighters leave 
 the*ring and any one among the spectators who has a de- 
 sire to try the sport can do so. The number is not few, 
 and the sight is really funny. They wave their serapes 
 at the bull, who, in return, often tosses them on his 
 horns. The lazadores prevent him from trampling them, 
 and it is very seldom any one is killed, though broken 
 arms and ribs are no unusual thing. This is the proud- 
 est day of the Mexican^s life when he gains access to the 
 bull ring and can ex- 
 hibit to people his 
 activity and daring. 
 The most risky ama- 
 teur is then given a 
 position as fighter, a 
 position he considers 
 greater than the 
 presidency of the 
 United . States, and 
 for which he would 
 not exchange. 
 
 The government charges a license of 1250 for each 
 fight. If the bulls are tame the show is fined for giving 
 a poor performance and swindling the people. The ma- 
 tador, El Capitan, whose duty it is to strike the bull's 
 heart with a sword, gets the highest salary, as much as 
 1200 a performance; the other fighters receive from 110 
 to $100. 
 
 Sometimes a fight is given for charitable purposes. 
 Young girls dressed like brides in white satin, veil and 
 
46 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 satin shoes, do all the directing, and j^oung men of posi- 
 tion and birth are the fighters. 
 
 It is to be supposed that when a man is killed in the 
 ring the fight would sto]3, but that only seems to whet 
 their desire for more blood, and a dead man is pulled oil 
 the field and another takes his place amid increased 
 enthusiasm. At a fight two weeks ago one man was 
 gored almost to death, another had his arm broken, and 
 a woman, who had witnessed this from her seat, entered 
 the ring and tried to kill the bull. She was caught on 
 its horns and carried once around the ring and vhirled 
 around in her perilous position like a top. The audience 
 shouted and was much disappointed when the bull cast 
 the woman to the ground, devoid of clothing and badly- 
 bruised, but alive. At another fight three men were 
 killed. Both times the sj^ectators could hardly be forced 
 to leave at the end of the performance. It is safe to as- 
 sert that that beef sold at a high price. 
 
 Bernardo Javino, the man who was gored almost to 
 death two weeks ago, has quite a history. He came 
 from Spain fifty-one j^ears ago, and is eighty-two years 
 old, the oldest lighter in Mexico, and the most famous. 
 Ho has fought in every bull ring in the republic, and has 
 killed four thousand bulls. Senor Javino is a well-built, 
 fine-looking fellow, and though but lacking eighteen 
 years of one hundred is as strong as a man of thirty- five. 
 He is a great favorite, and has received numerous and 
 costly presents, among which he numbers one thousand 
 fine bulls. But he is to-day very poor, and has only his 
 salary. He is unmarried. Though the idol and favorite 
 of the people, they shouted with joy when they saw him 
 being gored. The bull caught him in the small of the 
 back, and though making only one wound outside made 
 five inside. He was carried off for dead, but though 
 having a wound that would have finished any other man, 
 he is still living, and asserts he will repay many bulls 
 yet for his sufferings. The bull that had the honor to 
 nearly finish the old warrior, killed three horses, broke 
 the man^s arm, and almost finished the woman. 
 
 Senor Javino has a nephew, Jaan Moreno, who gives 
 promise of being the best fighter, after his uncle, in the 
 Republic. He is a six-footer of magnificent build, with 
 a handsome face, fair complexion, with brown hair, re- 
 
Six MONTHS IN MEXICO. 47 
 
 gembling a handsome American boy, in honor of whicli 
 the Mexicans have named him El Americano (the Amer- 
 ican). Tlieir' shouts are long and loud for El Ameri- 
 cano, and presents are showered down on him. He can 
 accomplish the daring feat of striking the bull's heart 
 with one thrust of the sword, which he withdraws in- 
 stantly. This is considered scientific, for when the sword 
 strikes the heart it is very difficult to withdraw, and is 
 most always left sticking in until the bull dies. In the 
 frontier the horns are sawed off the bulls before they go 
 in the ring, in order to make the fight fierce and bloodier. 
 It is said they are trying to stop this cruel torture. 
 
 The fight being finished the bands depart and the peo- 
 ple make their way to the train with reluctance, where 
 venders earn a mint of money by selling them pulque and 
 a mixture of crushed corn and" red pepper, done up in 
 corn husks, which is eaten with a relish. After this Mex- 
 ican feast is finished the train pulls out, everybody, men, 
 women, and children, light their cigarettes, and between 
 pufis they discuss the merits and demerits of the fight. 
 The homeward trip is a very joyous one, so much so that 
 '' the daisy policeman ''are often called on to exert their 
 influence in quieting the mirth. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE MUSEUM AiTD ITS CURIOSITIES. 
 
 The first place tourists go on reaching Mexico is to the 
 post-office. All one has to do when desiring to know what 
 the latest incoming party looks like, is to take a position 
 near the post-office. They stroll up the street, generally 
 '' goose fashion," stopping now and again to gaze at some 
 prostrated pulque drinker; a wardrobe moving up tlie 
 street on a pair of bare legs— i. e., a woman with a half- 
 dozen babies tied to her; an old cripple sitting on the 
 walk selling ta%, or a blind man selling lottery tickets. 
 Amid all this they manage at last to get into the office, 
 and we see them emerge, a half -hour later, with funeral- 
 like faces, and woman-like tongues giving their opinions 
 of the officials who do not understand bad Spanish, not 
 to mention English, and of the mails which take three 
 days and the same number of nights to come from the 
 nearest point of the States, El Paso, 
 
48 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 For the want of something better to do we will follow 
 them to the next point of interest— the museum — which 
 is in the same building, several doors above the post- 
 office. It is not the kind of a museum where you have a 
 two-cent show for a ten-cent silver piece, but it is a place 
 that any city might be proud of. At the top of the 
 stairs, for the museum is on the second floor, are several 
 large paintings of religious subjects and an immense mir- 
 ror with a fine frame, which was stolen from sonn 
 cathedral during one of the many revolutions of Mexico. 
 
 The first room contains a life-size portrait of Maximil- 
 ian, seated on a beautiful white steed. Around are Mexi- 
 cans gazing at him with admiration and awe. Maximil- 
 ian is a handsome man, and the picture is said to be the 
 finest of Maximilian in existence. If so, he was indeed, 
 by virtue of looks, worthy to be an emperor. 
 
 In the center of the room on a table is the silver serv- 
 ice, composed of one hundred and seventy- six pieces, 
 used by Maximilian and Carlotta. Each piece bears the 
 arms of the empire and the mark of the factory ^' Cris- 
 tofle." It is massive and elegant; little silver cupids 
 with wreaths of flowers are placed in every available spot. 
 Many of the pieces are a load for two men. A bronze 
 bust, life size, of Maximilian, has decorations and ten 
 halberds, silver-mounted with blue and gold trimmings, 
 ordered by the emperor to be used by the Palace Guard 
 on state occasions, are all placed side by side. In a case 
 in the same room are a number of loose pieces of armor 
 worn by the conquerors. Two pieces, a breast plate and 
 helmet, have the name of ^^ Pedro de Alvarado,'^ the 
 Spanish captain who made the world-famous leap near 
 Noche Triste. 
 
 Portraits of sixty-two Spanish Viceroys line the room. 
 They were removed from the national palace here, on the 
 establishment of the independence of the Republic. The 
 frames are of black wood and the paintings are old style. 
 It may have been the fashion in the day of white queues 
 to alwaj^s have one '' o^'' eye, for one eye in nearly all 
 the pictures goes a different direction from its mate, and 
 in many instances the ^^ off ^^ eye is as roguish as a little 
 brother, making you imagine the old rascals are going 
 to wink,, while the opposite orb gazes out in saint-like 
 expression. The effect is ludicrous. The glass-ware of 
 
SiJi: MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 40 
 
 tlie Emperor Iturbide^ containing excellent portraits of 
 himself and Qhapnltepec Castle, is also shown in this 
 room. In the next room, in a glass case, lyina; on a red 
 satin, gold covered pillow, is a plaster paris cast of the 
 face of Juarez, the much beloved Indian President; 
 hairs of his head are still adhering to the plaster, and it 
 is certainly the finest thing of the kind ever executed. 
 
 The portraits of Fernando Cortes Agustin de Iturbide, 
 Emperor I., Ignacio Allende, one of the earliest patriots 
 of Mexico, the great Antonio Lopez 
 de Santa Ana and Don Vicente 
 Guerrers, who was the third Presi- 
 dent of the Republic, are here, to 
 say nothing of other things of his- 
 toric value, such as the arms of the 
 Mexican Republic made in 1829, 
 surrounded with Indian mosaic 
 feather work; an old, worn damask 
 banner used by Cortes in his second 
 expedition against the great Mon- 
 tezuma, and the arms of the city 
 of Texcoco, presented by Charles 
 v., of Germany, and Charles I., of 
 Spain. 
 
 The little idols perhaps attract 
 more attention than anything else 
 at the museum. In two long rooms 
 the cases lining the walls are filled 
 with idols of all sizes and shapes, 
 made of stone onyx and marble. 
 Some of the pottery is horribly ex- 
 quisite. Beads used by the Indians, 
 made of stones, teeth and bones, are numerous. The 
 large objects on the pedestals come in for a share of won- 
 der. They are adorned with names of wondrous length 
 and non-pronounceable, and stories of horror. Izcozauh- 
 qui (the Eire of the Sun) is in ugly red and yellow clay; 
 Huitzilopoxtli (the God of War), a black clay image, 
 equally ugly. A clay urn with carved faces, flowers and 
 fruits on the outside, is called the *■* Funeral Urn." The 
 '^Goddess of Death ^Ms an image some fifty inches in 
 height, with large round eyes formed of bone, and out- 
 stretched hands of the same material. Her skirts are 
 
go six lIONTiiS IN MEXICO. 
 
 formed of serpents and her head is a skull. Large brown 
 earthen jars, said once to have held sacred fires, are among 
 the collection. It may be historically correct and all the 
 horrible tales connected with these things true, but the 
 more one looks the less probable it seems, and after all 
 they may have been innocent statues and flower vases 
 used by this people in former days. It is just as likel}^, 
 and easier to be believed, for how can it be asserted, when 
 they are unearthed after centuries, that they were used 
 for any special purpose. Of course the more sensational 
 the story the better for iDrint, but it is much easier to be- 
 lieve they were only harmless objects in some park or 
 flower garden. 
 
 History tells us the Aztecs knew no alphabet, and used 
 in place certain signs or figures for every subject — his- 
 tory, religion, feasts, wars, famines, and even poetry. 
 The art of writing in this manner was taught by the 
 priests, and handed down from father to son. Painters 
 had to be frequently called to decipher the documents, 
 and were treated with the highest consideration by the 
 7iobility. The manuscript employed was made of maguey 
 and other plants and of skins. The Spanish destroyed 
 the majority of these manuscripts, which would have 
 been of great value if preserved. A few are now in the 
 museum. From an artistic point of view they are hor- 
 rid. 
 
 The colors they used in painting are nearly always in- 
 delible and very bright. One of the paintings shows a 
 snow-capped mountain, Popocatepetl, and to the left the 
 City of Mexico, entirely surrounded by water. A fifty 
 foot maguey paper painted in black, contains the history 
 of the Aztecs. How they left an island which held a 
 temple and came to Mexico, establishing the city, with 
 all the principal events which befell them in their wan- 
 • derings. The battle of Noche Triste and the advent of 
 the Spanish, are carefully portrayed. This is one of the 
 famous picture writings, which are too tiresome to 
 enumerate further. 
 
 The feather shield which belonged to Montezuma II., 
 is in a frame in the same room with the picture writing. 
 It is an old, worn-out, faded thing, and hangs too far 
 away to be seen well. It was among the curiosities given 
 by Cortes to the Emperor Charles V. He in turn pre- 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 51 
 
 sented ifc to the Museum of Vienna, where it remained 
 until Maximilian restored it to Mexico. 
 
 One room is devoted to the display of Mexican mar- 
 bles, stones, ores, etc. Another has petrified snakes, 
 wood, human and animal bones. Cow horns measuring 
 seven feet from tip to tip were excavated somewhere near 
 Mexico. Elephant jaws and tusks which treble the size 
 of those sported by the late lamented Jumbo are also 
 from the historic, mysterious earth of Mexico. Among 
 the many other things were noticed human bones pro- 
 truding through a rock, and a turtle^s shell which, if 
 opened, would make a carpet for a grand salon. 
 
 Snakes, lizards, fish and crabs of all kinds fill one good 
 sized room, divided in the center by stuffed alligators, 
 sword fish, crocodiles and boa constrictors. This opens 
 into another department, and here you meet the Mexican 
 dudes occasionally. There are few collections of birds to 
 equal this. Added to their own numerous beautiful and 
 rare birds are specimens from all parts of the world. The 
 work is especially fine, and the birds and fowls appear as 
 if in life. One thing to be regretted is they have no but- 
 terflies. In all the museum they have but one small case, 
 and they are the beauties which come from Brazil. The 
 collection of beetles is somewhat larger, but still is noth- 
 ing remarkable. 
 
 Monstrosities are quite plenty. One little calf has one 
 head, one large eye in the center of its forehead, and two 
 perfect bodies. Another has one perfect body and two 
 heads. Two pheasants are fastened together like the 
 Siamese twins. Dogs, cats, chickens, and even babies 
 come in for their share of doubling up into all kinds of 
 queer shapes. Monkeys, baboons, gorillas and a dilapi- 
 dated elephant and giraffe finish this interesting quarter. 
 
 The court of the museum is planted with beautiful 
 flowers and trees. Large idols were once standing there, 
 but they have been moved inside of the building opposite 
 the entrance. The idols can lay no claim to beauty, and 
 are anything but interesting, except to people who have 
 a wonderful amount of faith and a capacity to believe a 
 fellow-creature^s wild imagination. Scientific gentlemen 
 with Ions: faces and one eye-glass gaze at the images and 
 translate, or at least pretend to, the hieroglyphics which 
 cover them. We would not think for a moment of putting 
 
53 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 an opinion against one held by wise men since the time 
 of the Conquest^ and we would not like to say Bernal Diaz 
 had an object in making the Indians as black as pos- 
 sible, but we would like to gently hint our little observa- 
 tions. 
 
 The sacrificial stone, where they claim fifty tliousand 
 people have been sacrificed, looks little as if intended for 
 that bloody purpose. The stone is perfectly round, be- 
 tween four and six feet across and about two feet in 
 thickness. On the upper side is sculptured the image of 
 the sun or moon and on the sides are groups of men, fif- 
 teen in number, and fifteen separate grouj^s. Certain 
 hieroglyphics accompany each group. The work is fine, 
 and must have been done with great care and patience 
 by a master hand. Marring the top is a rudely cut hole 
 with a shallow groove running to the edge. If these 
 people were making a sacrificial stone would they have 
 cut fine figures, requiring care and time, and then spoil 
 them by cutting out a big hole? Would not the basin 
 have been cut out finely and the carvings made to fit? I 
 may be lacking in knovv^ledge and faith, but I have tried 
 to believe, have gazed on the stone with the thought, 
 '^History says the blood of fifty thousand human beings 
 has dripped down over that stone,''' but proofs assert 
 themselves, and the poor scandalized thing seems to hold up 
 every side and the ugly marring of its beauty, and reply, 
 ''Now, do I look as if I was made for that purpose?" 
 
 Though believing it was nothing more than an inno- 
 cent Aztec calendar, we will repeat the sensational le- 
 gend that covers it with a bloody cloak. There existed 
 an Aztec order which worshiped the sun, and on this 
 stone they sacrificed human beings, calling them the 
 "messenger to the sun.^' The ''messenger," who was 
 always a prisoner, was painted half red and half white. 
 Even his face was divided in this manner. A white 
 plume was glued to his head. In one hand he carried a 
 gaily trimmed walking-stick, and in the other a shield 
 with cotton on it, and on his back was a small bundle of 
 different articles. Music was played as he ascended the 
 stairway to the temple. There he was greeted by some 
 high priest, who commanded him to go to the sun, pre- 
 sent the articles he carried and deliver messages they 
 sent. Finally, when he reached the summit, he turned 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 53 
 
 toward the sun and in a loud voice proclaimed what was 
 told him. Then they took away his bundles and cut his 
 throat, drenching the sun on the stone and filling the 
 bowl with his blood. "When the blood ceased to flow the 
 heart was cut out and held aloft to the sun until cold. 
 Then the message was delivered. 
 
 It is said the Aztec calendar was carved in 1479, and 
 its inauguration was celebrated with fearful sacrifices, 
 but the conquering Cortes had it pulled down, and it re- 
 mained buried until lowering the grade of the ancient 
 pavement in 1790, when it was built in the soathwestern 
 tower of the cathedral. There it remained until about 
 a year ago, when it was removed to the museum, where 
 it now occupies a prominent position. The Sad Indian, 
 a statue so-called because 
 it was unearthed on a street 
 of that name, is a jolly- 
 looking fellow, and com- 
 pels one^s admiration, de- 
 spite his broad nose and 
 ugly features. So far I 
 have heard no blood-curd- 
 ling tales connected with 
 him, but the wiseacre 
 shakes his head solemnly 
 and replies: ^^ Hundreds of 
 human bemgs were sacri- 
 ficed on his account, but 
 the history has escaped my 
 memory." Meanwhile, the 
 old fellow sits there with 
 folded hands and a com- 
 ical expression on his face,i 
 thinking, probably, of the] 
 duties which he once per- 
 formed, which were, un- 
 doubtedly, holding a lamp 
 or a flag, as the hole through the folded hands and be- 
 tween the feet directly beneath proves. 
 
 It is quite interesting to roam around and examine 
 this broad face and that slim one, from those of mam- 
 moth size to ones the size of one^s hand. We grow to 
 like the queer objects which certainly formed some part 
 
54 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 in the lives of those strange people who lived and died 
 centuries before us. 
 
 In one corner locked up in a cell by itself is the coach 
 of Maximilian and Oarlotta. It is one of the finest in the 
 world, and is similar in construction and finish to that 
 used on State occasions by the Czar of Russia. The 
 coach was a present to Carlotta from Napoleon II. It is 
 so fine that it is difficult to give a description of it. The 
 royal coat of arms is on every available spot, on the doors 
 and above, wrought in gold, and embroidered in gold on 
 the crimson velvet which covers the driver's seat. The 
 entire coach is gold and crimson except for the inside, 
 which is heavy white silk, cords, fringe and tassels of the 
 same. Gold cherubs the size of a three-month-old baby 
 finish each corner. The carriage was drawn by eight 
 pure white horses or the same number of coal black ones, 
 
 and as it swept down 
 the grand passes to 
 superb Chapultepec, 
 holding its royal own- 
 ers, it must have 
 been a sight fit for 
 kings. But it stands 
 to-day a silent me- 
 mento of a murdered 
 (^. young emperor and a 
 blighted emjDress. All 
 the men employed at 
 the museum are dis- 
 abled soldiers, and it 
 speaks well of the government to give them this employ- 
 ment. They seem to rightly belong in among this queer 
 stuff, for it would take half a dozen of them to make a 
 whole man. The museum is open only from ten to 
 twelve, and is free to all. 
 
 But our tourists are even now standing on the outside, 
 wondering if they have not fasted enough to do penance 
 for all the sins ever committed; and if they will get much 
 else than frijoles, rice, and red peppers for dinner — or, 
 more properly speaking, breakfast. We know just what 
 they will visit this afternoon, and if you care to see it 
 also we will try, in our humble way, to show you around. 
 
six MONTHS IN MEXICO, 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 HISTORIC TOMBS AKD LOKELY GRAVES. 
 
 Howmucli I would like to paint tlie beauties of Mexico 
 in colors so faithful that the people in the States could 
 see what they are losing by not coming here. How I 
 would like to show you the green valley where the heat 
 of summer and blast of winter never dare approach; 
 where every foot of ground recalls wonderful historical 
 events, extinct races of men and animals, and civilization 
 older by far than the pyramids. Then would I take you 
 from the table-land to the mountain, where we descend 
 into deep canons that compare in their strange beauty 
 with any in the world; the queer separation of the earth, 
 not more than 100 feet from edge to edge of precipice, 
 but 400 feet deep. More wonderful still is the sight when 
 the rainy season fills these gorges with a mad, roaring tor- 
 rent. Then would I lead you to the edge of some bluff 
 that outrivals the Palisades— and let you look down the 
 dizzy heights 500 feet to the green meadows, the bloom- 
 ing orchards, the acres of pulque plant, the little homes 
 that nestle at the foot of this strange wall. Then further 
 up into the mountains you could see glaciers, grander, it 
 is claimed, than any found in the Alps. Here are buried 
 cities older than Pompeii, sculptures thousands of years 
 old, hieroglyphics for the wise to study, and everywhere 
 the picturesque people in their garb and manners of cent- 
 uries ago— and all this within a day's travel from the 
 city. Surely in all the world there is none other such 
 wonderful natural museum. 
 
 Business men who wish to rest from their labors find 
 perfect quiet in this paradise. All cares vanish. Some 
 strange magic seems to rob one of all care, of every de- 
 sire to hurry. Railways furnish comfortable and safe 
 transportation; the people are attentive and polite, and 
 as many comforts are attainable as at any other place 
 away from the States. People who have any desire to see 
 Mexico in all its splendor should come soon, for civiliza- 
 tion's curse or blessing, whichever it may be, has surely 
 set a firm foot here, and in a few years, yielding to its 
 influence, all will be changed. Already the dark-eyed 
 senora has changed the lovely, graceful mantilla for stiff; 
 
m six MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 ugly bonnets and liats; the poor Indian woman is replac- 
 ing the fascinating reboza with a horrid shawl; the In- 
 dian man is changing sandals for torturing shoes and the 
 cool linen pantaloons and serape for American 23antaloons 
 and coat. Civilization and its twin sister, style, have 
 caught them in their grasp, and unless you come soon 
 Mexico will cease to be attractive except as a new Cali- 
 fornia. 
 
 There is one thing I hope will ever remain, and that is 
 the graveyard of San Fernando, where most of the illus- 
 trious dead of Mexico are entombed. But it is doubtful, 
 as a little beyond are the fine houses of the foreign rep- 
 resentatives, and the houses are crowding up to the gate 
 of this dead city as though trying to push it out of exist- 
 ence. An old cathedral, fac(3d by a green plaza, rears its 
 head at one side, near the massive iron gates which the 
 keeper, sitting just within its portals, swings open and 
 admits one with a welcome that is surprising. All around 
 are people buried in the walls. The plates are decorated 
 in all manner of ways. Some have a little niche which 
 hold the image of the Virgin and several candles. Others 
 arc hung with wreaths, and some with crepe. The ma- 
 jority have places to hold candles, which are burnt there 
 on certain days. The nearest tomb to the gate holds the 
 remains of a young girl who died, quite suddenly, on the 
 day she was to be married, just an hour before the time 
 appointed. Near here is erected a fine shaft in honor of 
 General Ignacio Comonfort, who was a President once, 
 but was shot at Molino de Toria, K"ovember 13, 1863, by 
 the Americans. Several yards beyond is a plain, brown 
 stone, built in an oblong box shape, with a large, stone 
 cross in the cente]'. It is weather-beaten and worn, and 
 looks to be centuries old. All the information it gives a 
 stranger is in two large initials, T. M., rudely cut on the 
 side. 
 
 No date or usual verse of regret from loving fjiendsis 
 inscribed, and somehow a thrill of pity strikes one for 
 T. M., as it seems to be the only grave in all that quiet 
 city that bears no mark of loving hands. I took my pen- 
 knife and hastily cut in the soft stone E. I. P. When 
 the Mexican friend, who had during this time been en- 
 gaged with the gateman getting some information, came 
 up he said: ^'The grave 3''ou stand beside is that of Gen- 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 57 
 
 eral Tomas Mejia, who was shot with Maximilian, and 
 here is the tomb of the other/"* It was similar in shape 
 to General Mfejia% but some kind hand had hung 
 wreaths on the cross. General Miguel Miramon was 
 
 president of the republic before Maximilian. He was a 
 brave and good man, and the emperor well knew his 
 worth. 
 
 AVhen they stood up to be shot^ Maximilian in the cen- 
 ter, Mejiaon the right and Miramon on the left, the cen- 
 ter of course being considered the place of honor^, Maxi- 
 
58 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 milian, toucliing Miramon on the slionlder, said: ''You 
 are more worthy this place than I," and he exchanged 
 places^ and so they died. 
 
 The tomb of Benito Juarez, the Indian President, is 
 the finest in tlie place. It is a long marble tomb. On it 
 lies the life-size body of Juarez, partly covered with a 
 mantle. Sitting at his head, with her bauds on his heart, 
 is a beautiful woman, representative of the nation mourn- 
 ing for its much beloved President. The whole is a per- 
 fect study, and was designed and executed by a Mexi- 
 can. 
 
 The life of Juarez is a very romantic one. He is fa- 
 miliarly known as the ''Lincoln of Mexico." He was 
 born in the State of Oaxaca, 180G, and at the age of 
 twelve years could neither read nor write. He was a full- 
 blooded Indian, and could not even speak the Spanish 
 language. However, he tried to improve his time, and in 
 1847 he was Governor of his native State. He went to 
 New Orleans, on being banished by Santa Anna, but re- 
 turned to Mexico in 1855 and became President of the 
 Court of Justice. When Comonfort was overthrown by 
 the clerical party, Juarez set himself up at Vera Criiz as 
 Constitutional President of the Republic. The United 
 States recognized him as such, and he successfully fought 
 the priesthood and confiscated all the church i3roperty. 
 When Maximilian ascended the throne, Juarez sent his 
 family to New Orleans, but he remained here until com- 
 pelled to cross the frontier. The United States, which 
 had always favored Juarez, interfered in his behalf. At 
 the termination of the War of the Rebellion Maximilian 
 was betrayed and shot, and Juarez was re-elected in 1871, 
 and died in office June 18, 1872. 
 
 He has a daughter who is married and living in Mex- 
 ico in greater style than the president. She resembles 
 her father. A story is told of Juarez that is new at the 
 very least. He had plenty of enemies, especially among 
 the church party. One day he sent a band out to capture 
 an outlaw, who, notwithstanding his enemies, stood well 
 with the clergy. The bandit was met on the highway 
 and shot before he could utter a prayer. They said his 
 soul was lost, and Juarez was to blame. When he was 
 dying it was endeavored to keep the matter quiet, and 
 the people were in ignorance of his fatal illuess until one 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 59 
 
 morning they saw a notice posted on street corners, which 
 read in this style: 
 
 ''Hell, 1.30. Juarez just arrived. Devil putting on 
 his tail.'' 
 
 It was signed by the name of the bandit. 
 
 General Ignacio Zaragoza, the conqueror of the French 
 in Puebla, May 5, 1862; General Vincente Guerrero, 
 one of the principal heroes of the War of Independence; 
 Mariano Otero, one of Mexico's most famous orators; 
 Melchor Ocampo, a very distinguished philosopher and 
 politican, and the companion and right hand of Juarez, 
 helping him to establish the liberal principles; Francisco 
 Zarco, one of the Constitutionalists; General Jose Joaquin 
 de Herrera, one of the best Presidents the Republic 
 ever had, and other famous generals, statesmen, writers, 
 and artists fill up this quiet spot. The gates are only open 
 now to visitors. They no longer register dead guests. 
 
 Among many other things Mexico can boast of is the 
 public library. It is situated on Calle de San Augustin, 
 in the old church and convent of Saint Augustin. The 
 high iron fence which incloses it is topped with marble 
 busts of famous orators and authors. The little green 
 plot in front is filled with rare plants and fountains. 
 The face of the church is a mass of wondrous carvings, 
 and the vestibule is a crown of splendid architecture. 
 Directly over the door leading into the room is the 
 ''World." On one side brass hands and figures tell the 
 hour. Standing on one foot on top of it is a life-size 
 figure of " Time," in bronze. The attitude, the scythe 
 over the shoulder, the expression on the face, the long, 
 flowing beard and hair are perfect. Opposite Time, and 
 at the other end of the room is the Mexican coat of 
 arms. Book-cases line each side, and in the center are 
 reading-desks and easy-chairs. At the right " entrance is 
 a large statue of Humboldt, and on the left Cuvier. 
 Opposite one another are Descartes and Copernicus, 
 Dante and Alarcon, Origen and Virgil, Plato and 
 Cicero, Homer and Confucius, and in the center a large 
 figure with a book in hand marked *"' Science." 
 
 The books are catalogued under the heads of philoso- 
 phy, history, fiction, etc., and are placed in cases alpha- 
 betically. They are in all languages, and many of them 
 
GO SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 are very ancient. Some are on parchment and in picture 
 writing. The library has catalogued one hundred and 
 sixty thousand volumes, and owns many besides that are 
 not yet sorted and arranged. It is oper from 10 A. M. to 
 5 p. M., and is equally free to all. It is well patronized 
 by men, but it is safe to say no woman has ever read a 
 book inside its walls. The only women who ever enter 
 are tourists. The books are not permitted to go outside 
 the building. A man gets a printed card. On it he 
 writes the title, number and case of his book, and when 
 the hour comes to close he lays the book on the desk of 
 the janitor and gives his card to the superintendent. 
 Many of the ancient books were taken at the time of the 
 confiscation of the monasteries and convents. 
 
 The carnival passed off very quietly. As I said before, 
 Mexico is becoming civilized, and doing away with many 
 ancient and beautiful customs. In former years every 
 day on carnival week the paseo was crowded with oiasked 
 men and women in historic and comic garb, and battles 
 were fought with empty egg-shells and queerly con- 
 structed things for the same purpose. This year every 
 person went, but only the fewest number were masked. 
 Some few among the lower class threw egg-shells. Be- 
 yond this all was quiet. It has also been the custom to 
 give fancy-dress and masked balls. In all the theaters 
 public balls were held and the clubs gave private recep- 
 tions. The French Club had their rooms nicely deco- 
 rated and the best people attended, dressed in the finest 
 and most original costumes. Perhaps the most striking 
 one was a creamy satin embroidered with red roses and 
 covered with natural butterflies of gorgeous and brilliant 
 hue. The young ladies all wore their dresses just reach- 
 ing their knees, and the fancy boots displayed were 
 something marvelous; satin of all shades, embroidered 
 with gold and silver, and trimmed with flowers. 
 
 One couple, who have been lately engaged, were dressed 
 alike. The girl wore a short dress of white satin, pro- 
 fusely trimmed with pompons of white fur; white satin 
 boots trimmed the same way, and over her loose hair of 
 marvelous length and thickness was a point lace veil. 
 The groom wore satin knee breeches, short coat, high 
 hat and boots, all covered with the white fur pompons. 
 They were accompanied by the mother, in a brocade 
 
^IX MONTHS m MEXICO. 61 
 
 crimson velvet on a canary background and rich yellow 
 lace, low-necked and en train, and the father in common 
 dress suit. The Mexican boys never appeared better than 
 in the grand old dress of former days. Mostly crimson 
 velvet and satin were affected, showing to an advantage 
 their superb eyes and complexion. The women were re- 
 markable for their homeliness. 
 
 A grand supper of thirty-five courses was served and 
 more wine, champagne and cigarettes consumed than 
 would be done at forty receptions in the East. 
 
 Now, having shown you how they do at private balls 
 where only the elite are permitted to attend, would you 
 like to don a mask and domino and sit with these very 
 same people in the boxes at the theaters, and watch the 
 promiscuous crowd beneath? It is not a select crowd by 
 any means, but one composed of the lowest in the land. 
 Yet men take their wives, sisters, and friends, masked, 
 that they may w^atch through opera glasses this wonder- 
 ful sight, and wives and sweethearts get friends to take 
 them, that they, unseen, may see if husband or lover 
 takes part in the revel, for the men are of the best and 
 wealthiest families. 
 
 At 11 o^clock the doors are flung open aud people come 
 in slowly. The two bands play alternately the Spanish 
 danza and the waltz. The women come in dressed in all 
 the styles ever invented. One beautiful woman wore a 
 blue satin dress, embroidered with pink rose buds. An- 
 other wore blue, trimmed with beaded lace, which glit- 
 tered like hundreds of diamonds in the gas-light. Two 
 came together, one in black, the other in crimson velvet, 
 profusely and gayly embroidered. Some were dressed 
 after the style of the male dudes of the States, but the 
 majority wore nothing but a comic-opera outfit, dotted 
 with silver or gold spangles, according to the color. The 
 men, with the exception of a half dozen, wore their com- 
 mon suits, and never removed their hats. Nearly all the 
 women wore their hair short, which they had powdered. 
 
 At first they wore masks, but in a short time they were 
 removed, and by 3 o'clock everybody was drunk. When 
 a man refused to dance with a woman, a fight was the re- 
 sult, and everybody would quit dancing until it was set- 
 tled. One year fifteen men were killed during the week it 
 lasted. This year but one has met his death. The ac- 
 
62 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 tions and dancmg of this mob will bear no description, 
 and at 7 o'clock the performance ended. The manager 
 of the National Theater has promised that his house shall 
 never be used for this purpose again. 
 
 The carnival was celebrated in fine style at Amecameca, 
 right at the foot of the White Lady. Indians came from 
 all parts of the country and paraded the entire week 
 around the church and temple with lighted candles. At 
 Puebla they had Qgg battles, and in all little places the 
 feast was carried on as in former days. 
 
 Sights in the city have begun to assume a familiar look, 
 although one never tires of them, and I begin to think 
 of moving elsewhere. 
 
 The buried city is slowly being unearthed at San Juan. 
 Already they have brought to light a house of mag- 
 nificent size and finish, and in a few days it will be well 
 worth a visit. Tourists have been going down regularly, 
 but beyond a few men at work, little was to be seen. 
 What they missed they furnished with their imagination, 
 as did also some correspondents who would not wait to 
 get legitimate news. 
 
 The mint, which is situated in the suburbs of the city, 
 is turning out fifty thousand dollars in silver per day. 
 The first coin struck was in 1535, and in three hundred 
 years they coined $2,200,000,000. The men employed 
 get from one to two dollars a day. In a month from 
 now the government is going to make fifteen million 
 cents. Gold coin, although in use here, is not made 
 more than once a month. 
 
 The arsenal is in a fine old building directly in the op- 
 posite direction from the mint. All departments are 
 not running — for the lack of money, so they say. They 
 make but three hundred and fifty entire guns a day, but 
 have one million dollars' worth in stock. In one room 
 they have a fine collection of arms, such as are used by 
 every nation in the world. The iron and wood used is 
 Mexican, the latter a superb walnut, which requires no 
 oil or varnish. The people here employed get from one 
 real (twelve and a half cents) to two dollars a day, the 
 highest that is paid. 
 
 The tourists who have such a mania for mementos 
 have brought disgrace on themselves and others also. 
 The governor has been very kind, and has thrown open 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 63 
 
 the embassadors^ hall, without reserve, for their iu- 
 pection. It is a beautiful place, containing life-size 
 paintings of Washington, Juarez, Hidalgo and other 
 illustrious men. The chandeliers, hung with brilliant 
 cut-glass pendants, terra cotta and alabaster vases and 
 handsome clocks, were once the property of Maximilian. 
 At either end of the long hall are crimson velvet and 
 gold-hung thrones, where the president receives his 
 guests. Some trophy fiend, most probably some girl 
 with the thought of a crazy patch, cut a large piece 
 out of one of these damask curtains; consequently the 
 governor has issued orders that no visitors shall be ad- 
 mitted, and the Yankees have gone down one notch 
 further in the scale where they already, by their own con- 
 duct, hold a low position. It is to be hoped that those 
 "vho come in the future may act so that no more shame 
 will fall on us. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 cupid's WOEK li^ stjkkylakd. 
 
 Love! That wonderful something — the source of 
 bliss, the cause of maddened anguish! Love and mar- 
 riage form the basis of every plot, play, comedy, tragedy, 
 story, and, let it be whispered, swell the lawyerV purse 
 with breach of promise and divorce case fees. Yet it 
 bloomy with a new-found beauty in every clime, and as 
 there is no land in all the world more suitable for ro- 
 mance than Mexico, it is pertinent to show how love is 
 planted, cultivated and reaped in this paradise, so as to 
 let our single readers in the States compare the system 
 here with home customs and benefit thereby, whether by 
 making good use of their own free style or cultivating a 
 new, those interested must decide. 
 
 Mexicans may be slowjn many things, but not slow in 
 love. The laws of Mexico claim girls at twelve, and boys 
 at thirteen years are eligible to marriage, and it is not an 
 unusual sight to see a woman, who looks no more than 
 thirty-five, a great-grandmother. As children, the Mex- 
 icans are rather pretty; but when a girl passes twenty she 
 gets ^^mucho-mucho" avoirdupois, and at thirty she 
 sports a mustache and ^' gal ways" that would cause 
 
64 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 young bachelors in the States to turn green with envy. 
 The men^ on the contrary, are slim and wiry, and do not 
 boast of their hirsute charms, especially when in com- 
 pany with women, as they have little desire to call at- 
 tention to the contrast, and the diamond-ring finds other 
 means of display than stroking and twisting an imag- 
 inary mustache. Yet this exchange of charms interferes 
 in no way with love-making, and the young man wafts 
 sweet kisses from his finger-tips to the fair — no, dark — 
 damsel, and enjoys it as much as if that black, silky 
 down on her lip were fringing the gateway to his 
 stomach. 
 
 Boys and girls, even in babyhood, are not permitted to 
 be together. Before very long they compel their eyes to 
 speak the love their lips dare not tell, and with a little 
 practice it is surprising how much they can say, and how 
 cold and insipid sound words of the same meaning in 
 comparison. 
 
 All the courting is done on the street. When evening 
 kindly lends its sheltering cloak, even though the moon 
 smiles full-faced at the many love-scenes she is witness- 
 ing, the girl opens her casement window and, with guitar 
 in lier hand or dreamily watching the stars, she awaits 
 her lover. If her room is on the ground floor she is in 
 paradise, for then they can converse — he can even touch 
 her hand through the bars. But if she is consigned to a 
 room above she steps out on the balcony. If the distance 
 is not too great, they can still converse; but otherwise, 
 with the aid of pencil, paper, and tiny cord, they man- 
 age to spend the evening blissfully without burning 
 papa's coal and gas, and staying up until unseemly 
 hours. 
 
 The lovers are unmindful of the people who pass and 
 repass, and the kind-hearted policeman never even thinks 
 of telling the young man to ^^ move on." If the house 
 IS secluded the lover tells his devotion in musical 
 strains. Night is not only devoted to love-making, but 
 in the broad light of day the young man will stand 
 across the street and from the partly opened casement 
 of the fair one are visible a hand and a nose — of 
 course she has full view, but that is all that can be seen 
 of her. With the hand they converse in deaf and dumb 
 language^ which, added to their own signs, makes a 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 65 
 
 large dictionary. It is not likely there exists a Mexican 
 who is not an adept in the sign language. Courting is 
 too vulgar a word for them, so they call it — translated in 
 English — playing the bear. 
 
 You would naturally wonder how a girl who never 
 leaves her mother's or chaperon^s side, who never goes 
 to parties, who is watched like a condemned murderess, 
 would ever get a lover; but notwithstanding all this 
 strictness they num- 
 ber less old maids and 
 more admirers than 
 their sisters in the 
 States. Perhaps while 
 out driving, at the 
 theater or bull-fights, 
 they see a man they 
 think they will like- 
 He is similarly im- 
 pressed. He follows 
 his new - found one 
 home, and she k:nows 
 enough to be on the 
 balcony awaiting his 
 arrival with the 
 shades of night. He ' 
 may play the bear 
 with her for a year' 
 and she not know his 
 name. He has the 
 advantage, for he can 
 find out everything 
 about her family, and 
 thereby deternline 
 whether she is a de- 
 sirable bride or not. 
 
 Sometimes they play the bear for from seven to fifteen 
 years — that is, if the parents are very wealthy— and even 
 then not get the girl, for with all their passionate love they 
 number many flirts. Often one girl will have two or 
 more playing the bear at the same time. If they chance 
 to meet they inquire, fiercely, ''Whom are you after .^'■ 
 If the answer demonstrates the same girl, one will request 
 the other to step aside, If he refuses a duel follows. 
 
66 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 After that the girl is bound, by the custom of her coun- 
 try, to relinquish both. If a brother or father discovers 
 a "bear," the latter must submit to a thrashing from 
 their hands if he still desires to retain the girl's love. If 
 a father notices the attention of a ''bear" and looks with 
 favor upon him, lie does not disturb his ^'phaying.'^ 
 When he concludes he has served long enough he is in- 
 vited into the house. This means the same as if he had 
 asked her hand in marriage and has been accepted. He 
 is the intended husband^ but never for a moment is he 
 alone with his fiancee. He may aspire to take the driver's 
 place sometimes, or to take the entire family to the 
 theater. 
 
 A young American had been received in great favor 
 by a Spanish family; probably the old man thought he 
 would like an American for a son-in-law. However, 
 young America was not going to waste any time sitting 
 in the house with the old folks, so he politely requested 
 the object of his admiration to go to the Italian opera. 
 She graciously accej^ted. When he Avent to the house he 
 found not only his lady love but the entire family pre- 
 pared to accompany him. The deed was done; he could 
 not back out, and for the i^rivilege of talking to the 
 mother, with the daughter sitting on the other side cast- 
 ing love-lit glances from her splendid eyes, he paid forty- 
 three dollars. He was disgusted, and accordingly gave 
 up his chance of being a member of a Mexican family. 
 
 If a man gets impatient and feels like becoming re- 
 sponsible for the price of his sweetheart's bonnets, he 
 asks the father. If he is rejected he can go to a public 
 official, swear out a notice to the effect that his and the 
 girl's happiness is ruined by the father's heartlessness. 
 He then secures a warrant, which gives him the privilege 
 of taking the girl away bodily from the homre of her 
 parents. This is a Mexican elopement. If, on the other 
 hand, he is accepted, the wedding-day is named, and 
 agreements are drawn up as to how much will be the 
 daughter's portion at the death of her parents. Before 
 that period she receives nothing. The intended husband 
 furnishes the wedding outfit, and all the wearing apparel 
 she has been using is returned to her parents. She has 
 absolutely nothing. The groom buys the customary 
 outfit — white satin boots^ white dress ^nd veil. 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 67 
 
 A Mexican wedding is dijfferent from any other .n tlio 
 world. First a civil marriage is performed by a public 
 official. This by law makes the children of that couple 
 legitimate and lawful inheritors of ilieir ^^arents^ prop- 
 erty. This is recorded^ and in a few days — the day fol- 
 lowing or a month after, just as desired — the marriage is 
 consummated in the church. Before this ceremony the 
 bride and groom are no more allowed alone together than 
 when playing the bear. 'At a vfedding the other day the 
 church was decorated with five hundred dollars" worth 
 of white roses. The amount can be estimated when it is 
 stated roses cost but four reals (fifty cents) per thousand. 
 Their delicate perfume filled the grand, gloomy old edi- 
 fice, which was lighted by thousands of large and small 
 wax candles. Carpet was laid from the gate into the 
 church, and when the bridal party marched in, the ipi]}e 
 organ and band burst forth in one joyous strain. The 
 priest, clad entirely in white vestments, advanced to the 
 door to meet them, followed by two men in black robes 
 carrying different articles, a small boy in red skirt and 
 lace overdress carrying a long j)ole topped off with a 
 cross. 
 
 The bride was clad in white silk, trimmed with beaded 
 lace, with train about four yards long, dark hair and 
 waist dressed with orange blossoms. Over this, falling 
 down to her feet in front and reaching the end of the 
 train back, was a point lace veil. Magnificent diamonds 
 were the ornaments, and in the gloved hands was a pearl- 
 bound jDrayer-book. She entered a pew near the door 
 with her mother — who was dressed in black lace — on one 
 side and her father on the other. After answering some 
 questions they stepped out, and the groom stood beside 
 the bride, with groomsman and bridemaid on either side, 
 the latter dressed in dark green velvet, lace, and bonnet. 
 The priest read a long while, and then, addressing the 
 girl first, asked her many questions, to which she replied, 
 '^'Si, senor."" Then he questioned the .groom likewise. 
 Afterward he handed the groom a diamond ring, which 
 the latter placed on the little finger of the left hand of 
 the bride. The priest put a similar ring on the ring- 
 finger of the right hand of the groom, and a plain wed- 
 ding ring on the ring-finger of the bride's right hand. 
 Then, folding the two ringed hands together, he sprin- 
 
08 mx MONTHS m MEXICO. 
 
 kled tliem with holy water and crossed them repeatedly. 
 The band played '^Yankee Doodle/' and the bride, 
 holding on to an embroidered band on the priest's arm, 
 the groom doing likewise on the other side, they pro- 
 ceeded up to the altar, where they knelt down. The 
 priest blessed them, sprinkled them with holy water, and 
 said mass for them, the band playing the variations of 
 '^Yankee Doodle." A man in black robes put a lace 
 scarf over the head of the bride and around the shoul- 
 ders of the groom; over this again he placed a silver 
 chain, symbolic of the fact that they were bound to- 
 gether forever — nothing could separate them. 
 
 After the priest finished mass he blessed and sprinkled 
 them once more. Then from a plate he took seventeen 
 gold dollars the groom had furnished and emptied them 
 into his hands. The groom in turn emptied them into 
 the hand of his bride, and she gave them to the priest as 
 a gift to the Church and a token that they will always 
 sustain, protect, and uphold it. Now the ceremony, 
 which always lasts two to four hours, is ended, and the 
 newly married jDair go into an adjoining room to receive 
 the congratulations of their friends. 
 
 The marriage festivities are often kept up for a week. 
 After that the husband claims his bride, and right 
 jealously does he guard her. Her life is spent in seclu- 
 sion — eating, drinking, sleeping, smoking. The hus- 
 band is desperately jealous and the wife is never allowed 
 to be in the company of another man. Life to a Mexi- 
 can lady in an American's view is not worthsliving. 
 
 When death takes one away the dust remains buried 
 for ten years, if the husband is wealthy. At the end of 
 that time the bones, all that remains in this country, 
 are lifted, placed in a jar and taken home and the tomb- 
 stone used as an ornament. *^ See that case?'' said a 
 Mexican. '^My first wife is in that, even to her finger- 
 nails, and that is her grave-stone." So it was, there in 
 the parlor, a dismal ornament and memento, 
 
 Mexican carelessness does not extend to the saying of 
 mass, A man had three daughters, and each was to in- 
 herit 13,000,000. For this reason he would not allow 
 them to marry. One died, and the anniversary of her 
 death was celebrated in fine style. High mass was said, 
 and a coffin arranged on a catafalque forty-four feet high 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 69 
 
 recalled the dead woman. The coffin^ etc., were imported 
 from Paris, and altogether the mass cost 130,000. That^s 
 dying in high style. 
 
 Mexicans who have been to the States much prefer the 
 American style of calling on ladies, but it is not likely it 
 will ever be the custom — for American residents here have 
 adopted the Mexican style for their daughters, and most 
 ridiculous and affected does it appear. American boys, 
 however, have no time to waste on such manners, so they 
 do their love-making by letters and go back to the States 
 for their brides, leaving the American mammas to search 
 among the Mexicans for ones to play the ^^ bear." 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 JOAQUIK MILLER Alt^D COPFIIS" STREET. 
 
 Dear old Mexico shows her slippered foot, for summer 
 is here. The fruit-trees are in blossom, the roses in 
 bloom, the birds are plenty and everybody is wearing the 
 Avidest sombrero. From 10 o^clock until 2 the sun is in- 
 tensely hot, but all one has to do is to slip into the shade 
 and the air is as cool as an unpaid boarding-house-keeper 
 and fresh as a '' greengo " on. his first visit to the city. 
 At night blankets are comfortable. Tourists are still 
 flocking to Mexico, many with business intentions, and 
 the United States at present is as well represented as any 
 other foreign country. Yankees are looked on favorably 
 by some of the better and more educated class of Mexi- 
 cans, but others still retain their old prejudices. How- 
 ever, one can hardly blame them, for, barring a few, the 
 American colony is composed of what is not considered 
 the better class of people at home.. They have come 
 down here, got positions away above their standing, and 
 consequently feel their importance; they are more than 
 offensive, they are insulting in their actions and language 
 toward the natives, and endeavor to run things. The 
 natives offer no objections to others coming here and 
 making fortunes in their land, but they have lived their 
 own free and easy life and they do not propose to change 
 it, any more than we wonld change if a small body of 
 Mexicans would settle in our country; and we would 
 quickly annihilate them if they would offer us the indig- 
 nities the Americans subject them to here. 
 
70 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO, 
 
 I dread the return and reports of sncli people in the 
 States, for although there are good and bad here., the 
 Mexicans have never been represented correctly. Before 
 leaving home I was repeatedly advised that a woman was 
 not safe on the streets of Mexico; that thieves and mur- 
 derers awaited one at every corner, and all the horrors 
 that could be invented were poured into my timid ear. 
 There are murders committed here, but not half so fre- 
 quently as in any American city. Some stealing is done, 
 but it is petty work; there are no wholesale robberies 
 like those so often perpetrated at home. The people are 
 courteous, but of course their courtesy differs from ours, 
 and the women — I am sorry to say it — are safer here than 
 on our streets, where it is supposed everybody has the ad- 
 vantage of education and civilization. If one goes near 
 the habitation of the poor in the suburbs, they come out 
 and greet you like a long absent friend. They extend 
 invitations to make their abode your home, and offer the 
 best they own. Those in the city, while always polite 
 and kind, have grown more worldly wise and carefuL 
 
 The people who give the natives the worst name are 
 those who treat them the meanest. I have heard men 
 who received some kindness address the donor as thief, 
 scoundrel, and many times worse. I have heard Ameri- 
 can women address their faithful servants as beasts and 
 fools. One woman, who has a man-nurse so faithful that 
 he would sacrifice his life any moment for his little 
 charge, addressed him in my presence as: ''You dirty 
 brute, where did you stay so long?" They are very quick 
 to appreciate a kindness and are sensitive to an insult. 
 
 Speaking of honesty they say the aquadores, or water- 
 carriers, are the most honest fellows in the city. They 
 have a company, and if any one is even suspected of 
 
 stealing he is prohib- 
 ited from selling any 
 more water. At in- 
 ftervals all over the 
 city are large basins 
 and fountains where 
 they get their water. 
 For four jars, two journeys, as they carry two jars at 
 once, they receive six and a quarter cents, or one real; 
 twelve and a half cents if they carry it up-stairs. Their 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 7l 
 
 dress is very different from others. They wear pantaloons 
 and shirt like an American and a large leather smock, 
 which not only saves them from being wet but prevents 
 the jars from bruising the flesh. They all wear caps, and 
 the leather band of the jars is as often suspended from 
 the head as from the shoulders. 
 
 Americans who come to Mexico to reside should take 
 out identification papers the first thing. It costs but lit- 
 tle and saves often a lot of trouble. People when ar- 
 rested have little Chance to do much even if they be in- 
 nocent; they are thrown into prison and allowed to re- 
 main there, without a trial, for often a year, and it is 
 said a Mexican prison gains nothing in comparison with 
 Libby prison of war fame. But if a man has his identi- 
 fication papers he can present them and command an im- 
 mediate trial, and it is given. There is an American 
 now lying in prison here for shooting a Mexican woman; 
 the woman was only shot through the arm, and yet the 
 . man has been in jail, without even a change of clothing, 
 for over a year. He is in a deplorable state, without 
 much hope of it being bettered. The American Consul 
 seems to have a disposition to help his countryman. He 
 has been here but a month, and his first work deserves 
 praise. .A man by the name of John Rivers, or Eodgers, 
 shot a fellow in self-defense. 
 
 It was a clear case, but the main witnesses had no 
 desire to lay in jail, as the law requires, until the Ameri- 
 can's trial came np, so they fled the country. The 
 American could speak no Spanish. His trial was poorly 
 -.^conducted, and he was sentenced to be executed at Zoca- 
 I tftsjus, up the Central road. Consul Porch heard of the 
 ' case. He studied it out, found the man was not given a 
 fair trial, and hastened off, reaching the scene of execu- 
 tion but a short time before the hour appointed, but in 
 time at least to postpone the tragedy. There is one great 
 disadvantage Americans suffer from, and that is the gov- 
 ernment sending out ministers and consuls who have no 
 knowledge of the language in the country to which they 
 go. It would be a mark of intelligence if they would 
 make a law, like that in some countries, providing that no 
 man could represent America unless he had a complete 
 knowledge of the foreign tongue with which he would 
 have to deal. 
 
T2 SIX MONTHS JN MEXICO, 
 
 In my wanderings around the city I found a street on 
 which til ere are no business houses or even pulque shops 
 — nothing but coffin manufacturers. From one end of 
 the street to the other you see in every door men and 
 boys making and painting all kinds and sizes of coffins. 
 The dwelling houses are old and dilapidated, and the 
 street narrow and dingy. Here the men work day after 
 day, and never whistle, talk, or sing, as they go at their 
 hewing, painting and glueing, with long faces, as if they 
 were driving nails into their own coffins. 
 
 I soon related my discovery to Joaquin Miller, and he 
 went along to see it. Then he said, ^' Little Nell, you 
 are a second Columbus. You have discovered a street 
 that has no like in the world, and I have been over the 
 world twice. It^s quite fine, isn't it?" and he gave a 
 hearty laugh. Of course, there may be other streets 
 somewhere just the same. We could find no name for 
 our new treasure, so we simply dubbed it '^ Coffin Street." 
 I am sorry I have no picture of it to send you, so yow. 
 could see the coffins piled up to the ceiling; a little table 
 in the center where the workman puts on the finishing 
 touches, after which they are placed in rows against the 
 building, by the sad-visaged and silent workers, to 
 await a purchaser. Near this somber thoroughfare is an- 
 other street where 
 every other door is a 
 shoe shop, the one 
 between being a 
 drinking- house. 
 Many of the shoe- 
 makers have their 
 shops on the pave- 
 ment, with a straw 
 mat fastened on a 
 pole to keep off the 
 sun. Here he sits 
 making new shoes 
 and mending old 
 ones until the sun goes down, when he lowers the pole, and 
 taking off the straw mat, furnishes a bed for himself in 
 some corner during the night. 
 
 Wealthy Americans who have a desire to invest in land 
 should come to Mexico, There is surely no other place 
 
^iX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 73 
 
 in the world where qne conld get so much out of a piece 
 of property. One end of a field can- be tilled while the 
 other is being harvested, and one can have as many crops 
 a year as he has energy and time to plant. There is no 
 doubt that anything can be cultivated here. Of course, 
 peaches and apples are not plenty, because they only grow 
 wild. Why, even a nurseryman would fail to recognize 
 them in the small, scraggy, untrimmed bushes. The na- 
 tive fruits are fine, from the reason that they need no cul- 
 tivating or trimming. 
 If they did, Mexico 
 would have a famine 
 in the fruit line. 
 
 Land in Mexico is 
 very cheap, and the 
 Government collects a 
 tax only on what is 
 cultivated. One sen- 
 sible man,by the name 
 of Hale, came here 
 from San Francisco a 
 few weeks ago to buy 
 property. A minister 
 of the Gospel, a par- 
 ticular friend of 
 Hale^s, is authority 
 for it that Senor Hale 
 bought from the Gov- 
 ernment sixty-five 
 thousand square miles 
 — 1 a r g e r than the 
 whole of England, I 
 believe— for 11,000,- 
 000. 
 
 I don't think one 
 would ever tire of the gayly-colored pictures Mexico is 
 ever presenting. Though in Mexico two months, I can 
 find something new every time I glance at the queer peo- 
 ple. This little basket vender is but one of thousands, 
 but we find he is the first one to wear his white shirt with- 
 out tying the two sides together in a knot in front. He 
 must surely have forgotten that part of his toilet, as it is 
 the universal style and custom among them all. Very 
 
74 SIX MONTHS IN MFjXICO. 
 
 few Mexicans, even among the better class, wear sus- 
 penders. They wrap themselves about the waist with a 
 bright-colored scarf, with fringed ends, and this consti- 
 tutes suspenders. Many of the better class wear embroid- 
 ered and ruffled shirt fronts. 
 
 The fruit venders have beautiful voices, and sing out 
 their wares in such a charming manner that one is sorry 
 when they disappear around the corner. They are 
 sometimes quite picturesque with the fruit and vegeta- 
 bles tied up in their rebozo and baskets in their hands. 
 Why the women have all their skirts plain behind and 
 pleated in front I cannot say, but such is invariably 
 the case. The men have horrible voices when they are 
 out selling. There never was anything to equal them. 
 I wonder if our florists would not like to buy orchids 
 from the man who passess our door every morning with 
 about a hundred of them strung to a pole wliich is sus- 
 pended from his shoulder, only two reals (twenty- five 
 cents) for exquisite j^lants, with the rare ones but little 
 higher. 
 
 Mr. A. Sborigi, a Pittsburger, was in Mexico on a 
 visit. When he landed in Vera Cruz he went into tlie 
 country to see the place. Hearing music in a small 
 cabin he drew nearer and recognized familiar tunes. 
 "Wait till the clouds roll by," and Fritz^s lullaby. A 
 man came out and invited him in, and after a short time 
 he said he was a colored man, that his name was Jones, 
 and he came from Pittsburg, Pa. He is married to an 
 Indian woman and has about twenty children, ranging 
 all sizes. Mr, Jones is king of the villa. In one room 
 he lias a floor, a thing not possessed by any otlier in- 
 habitant there, and his cabin is superior to all others. 
 He is very proud of his wife and children, and has not 
 the least desire to return to the Smoky City. He speaks 
 Spanisli, French, and English fluently. 
 
 When Mr. Sborigi was asked for his ticket on the Vera 
 Cruz line, he jokingly handed the conductor an envelope 
 that he had put in his pocket at ISTew Orleans. On it 
 was printed in English, ''^ Tickets to all points of the 
 world."" The conductor took the envelope, looked at it, 
 punched it and returned it to the donor. Quite amused, 
 Mr. Sborigi tried it on others, and he not only traveled 
 the entire distance to Mexico, but traveled on at least 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 75 
 
 half a dozen branch roads leading from the Vera Cruz 
 line to beantiful towns in the country. He took the 
 punched envelope back to Pittsburg as a memento of 
 the cheapest journey he ever took. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 IK MEXICAK THEATEKS. 
 
 Mexico does not know how a nation mourned for one 
 Virginius like McCuUough; has never witnessed Barrett's 
 Cassius and David Garrick, or been thrilled with O^jNTeill's 
 Monte Cristo; has never looked on Mary Anderson's ex- 
 quisite form and cold, unsympathetic acting; has missed 
 Margaret Mather's insipid simper and Kate Castleton's 
 fascinating wickedness; is wholly unconscious of Little 
 Lotta's wondrous kick and Minnie Palmer's broadness; 
 has never seen pretty Minnie Maddern's " In Spite of 
 All/' and a mother of fifty odd years successfully trans- 
 formed into a child of nine — Fanchon; is in blissful ig- 
 norance of " Pinafore" and " Mikado/' and yet she lives 
 and has theaters. 
 
 The most fashionable theater in Mexico is the National. 
 President Diaz always attends^ and of course the elite 
 follow suit. It is well to say the president always at- 
 tends, for there is little else to go to. Bull-fights, 
 theaters, and driving are all the pleasures of Mexican 
 life; the president gives no receptions or dinners, and 
 entertains no Thursday or Saturday afternoon callers, so 
 before death entered his family circle he was at the 
 theater almost every night. 
 
 ISTo paid advertising is done by theaters in the papers. 
 Once in a while they, with the exception of the National, 
 send around bills of their coming plays, accompanied by 
 two tickets. For this they get a week's advertising; 
 cheap rates, eh? Besides this they have native artists 
 who select the most horrible scene to depict in water 
 colors on cloth and hang' at the entrance; these "^ car- 
 tels" are changed necessarily with every play, as bill- 
 boards are in the States, and some of them are most 
 ludicrous and horrible in the extreme. The Saturday I 
 reached Mexico one of the theaters had on its boards a 
 play, the cartel of which represented the crucifixion. 
 What the play was could not be ascertained, 
 
76 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 Sunday is the most fashionable theater day. Every 
 person who can possibly collect together enough money 
 goes, from the poor, naked peon to the Spanish million- 
 aire. On Monday all amusement houses are closed and 
 many are only open every other day throughout the en- 
 tire week; they are not at all particular about fulfilling 
 engagements. A play may be billed for a certain night 
 and on arrival there the servant will politely inform you 
 it is postponed until mauana (to-morrow), and all you 
 can do is to go back home and await their pleasure. 
 
 The National Tiieater is a fine building with accommo- 
 dations for 4,500 persons. The first entrance is a wide 
 open space faced with mammoth pillars. Going up the 
 steps you enter, through a heavily draped doorway, the 
 vestibule or hall. Along the sides are racks where gen- 
 tlemen and ladies deposit their wraps. The orchestra, or 
 pit — the fashionable quarter in American theaters — is 
 known as the *^ Lunetas.'^ The seats are straight-backed, 
 leather-covered chairs of ancient shape and most uncom- 
 fortable style. They were evidently fashioned more for 
 durability than beauty, being made of very heavy, un- 
 painted wood. ]N"arrow passageways intersect each other, 
 and wooden benches are placed along the seats to serve as 
 foot-rests. Down in front of the stage is the orchestra, 
 flanked at either end by long benches running lengthwise 
 of the stage. Boxes, six stories in height, look out upon 
 the stage, and balconies circle the room. The balconies 
 are divided into compartments holding eight persons. 
 Common, straight chairs, with large mirrors on the door 
 and walls, are the only f urnishment. The ^^ Lunetas " 
 command seventy-five cents to $1.50; Palcos (boxes) 12 
 a chair, and the Galeria (the sixth row of balconies) 
 twenty-five cents. 
 
 At 8.30 the orchestra strikes up, people come in and 
 find their places, and about 9 o'clock the curtain goes up 
 and silence reigns; the enthusiasm which is manifested 
 at bull-fights is absent here. Everything is accepted and 
 witnessed with an air of boredom and martyrdom that is 
 quite pathetic. More time is spent gazing around at the 
 audience than at the players. Everybody carries opera- 
 glasses, and makes good use of them. 
 
 Without doubt you would like to know how they dress; 
 the men — who always come firsts you know — wear hand" 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO, 7? 
 
 some suits, displaying immaculate shirt-front and collar 
 that would make Eastern dudes turn green with enyy. 
 Generally the suit is entirely black, yet some wear light 
 pantaloons. High silk opera-hats and a large display of 
 jewelry finish the handsome Spanish man. 
 
 The ladies wear full dress, always light in color — pink, 
 blue, pea green, white, etc. — trimmed with flowers, rib- 
 bons or handsome laces. The hair is arranged artistic- 
 cally, and the dresses are always cut very low, displaying 
 neck aud arms such as only Mexican women possess. 
 Very handsome combs and pins generally grace the hair. 
 Young girls sometimes wear flowers, but it is considered 
 better taste to wear the artificial article, because the real 
 are so clieap, and the former, unsurpassed by nature, 
 command very high prices. A Mexican woman would 
 not be dressed without the expensive fan which she flits 
 before her face with exquisite grace. The prevailing 
 style is a point lace fan, which adds beauty to the face 
 and, at the same time, does not hide it from beholders, 
 for, let it be whispered, Mexican girls are fond of being 
 looked at. A lady considers it the highest com]3liment 
 she can receive for a man to stare at her for a long time, 
 and the men come quite up to the point of being ex- 
 tremely com|)limentary. 
 
 The prompter's box is fixed in front of the stage, and 
 his voice is not only heard continually above that of the 
 actors, but his candle and hands are always visible, and 
 he often takes time to peep out and take a survey of the 
 audience; but the Mexicans do not notice him any more 
 than the footlights, A bell, which sounds as heavy as a 
 cliLirch bell, rings and the curtain falls. Well, it is a 
 sight! The managers farm out the drop-curtain to busi- 
 ness men by the square. The enterprising advertiser 
 has painted on a piece of cloth his place of business and 
 curious signs. One shows a man riding a fat pig, and 
 from out the man's mouth comes the word ^'Carne-" 
 (beef). How they make beef out of pork is unknown. 
 Saloons take up the most prominent place. A house 
 bearing the sign ''^ Pulque '' had the side knocked out, 
 displaying a barrel v/hich filled the building from floor to 
 roof. Cnpid was astride a barrel, sipping pulque from 
 an immense schooner, forgetting in his enjoyment his 
 usual occupation of softening other people's brains with 
 
78 SIX MONTHS IN 3IEXIC0. 
 
 loYe's wine. One fat, bald-lieaded old fellow had gone 
 to sleep with a generous smile on his open countenance, 
 while from a large glass which he held in his hand the 
 drink was running dowm his coat sleeve. Another fellow, 
 equally fat and equally bald, was gazing at a full cham- 
 pagne glass in drunken adoration. These are a few of the 
 curious inducements for people to patronize certain stores. 
 The signs are only pinned on, and as the curtain comes 
 tumbling dow^n they fly, work and twist in the most com- 
 ical style. 
 
 Naturally the spectators would grow tired gazing at 
 such a thing, so between acts the ladies visit one another, 
 and the men rise in their seats, put on their hats, turn 
 their backs to'ward the stage, and survey the people, Eng- 
 lish fashion. They smoke their cigarettes, chat to one 
 another, and discuss the women. The cow- bell rings 
 again, people commence to embrace and kiss, and when 
 the third bell rings, hats are off, cigarettes extinguished, 
 and every one in place in time to see the curtain, after 
 being dowai for thirty minutes, rise. 
 
 Tlieaters close anywhere between 12.-o0 and three 
 o^clock. The audience applaud very little, unless some 
 one is murdered artistically. If a few feel like applaud- 
 ing other fine points, they are quickly silenced by the 
 thousands of hisses which issue from all quarters of the 
 house, aud a Mexican hiss has no equal in the world. 
 Ladies do not applaud, never look pleased or interested, 
 but sit like so many statues, calmly and stupidly indiffer- 
 ent. After the play every one who can afford it goes to 
 some restaurant for refreshments. Mexicans are not eas- 
 ily pleased with plays; and the only time they enjoy 
 themselves is w^hen they have a ''Zarzuela^" — a cross be- 
 tween a comic opera and a drama. Then they forget to 
 hiss, and enter into the spirit of the play with as much 
 vim as an American. 
 
 Some Mexicans are quite famous as play-writers. 
 When a new j)iece is ready for the boards a house is 
 rented, and it is presented in fine style, the occasion 
 being a sort of social gathering. Being invited, the 
 other night, to attend one, I concluded to see what it 
 was like. The author had one of his plays translated 
 into Engiish--the name now forgotten — which has met 
 with great Buccess iu the States. I thought this would 
 
^TJt MONTHS IN MEXICO. % 
 
 be endurable. As I entered with some ladies an usber 
 in full dress and white kid gloves presented each of us 
 with beautiful bouquets, and offering his arm to the 
 ladies, escorted the party to the box with the air and 
 manner of a prince. Once in the box, he gave us little 
 programmes, went out, and locked the door. Interested, 
 I watched the people as they came in and arranged them- 
 selves comfortably. Much amused and even disconcerted 
 we were when we found hundreds of glasses turned our 
 way and held there long and steadily, as they saw we 
 were '^greengoes,^^ or foreigners, and with feminine 
 timidity we thanked our lucky stars we had ventured 
 forth without a bonnet — as no woman ever wears a hat 
 to the theater here — so that the difference would not 
 have been more pronounced. 
 
 At last the curtain went up, and before the actress, 
 who was sitting on a chair, crying, could issue one blub- 
 ber, dozens of bouquets were linng at her feet. Not un- 
 derstanding the words the play seemed most absurd. 
 Apparently the girl could not marry her lover because 
 her mother had forbidden it, as another siste;* loved the 
 same man, and as he did not reciprocate she was dying; 
 the dying sister ajopeared but once, then in a nightdress, 
 and soon afterward screamed heartily behind the scenes 
 and was pronounced dead by the actors. The men and 
 women cried continuously all the evening, and' Americans 
 dubbed the play "The Pocket-Handkerchief.'' Once, 
 when the lover told his sweetheart he was going out to 
 fight a duel with a dude with a big eyeglass, who had 
 loved the dead girl, she fainted on his breast and he held 
 her there, staggering beneath her weight, while he de- 
 livered a fifteen-minute eulogy. As she was about two 
 feet taller and twice as heavy as he, the scene v/as most 
 comical, particularly when she tried to double up to reach 
 his shoulder, and forgot she had fainted and moved her 
 hands repeatedly. But smothering our American mirth 
 we looked on in sympathy. How it ended I cannot 
 tell, for at 2 o^clock I started for home and the play- 
 ers were then weeping with as much vigor as when the 
 curtain first rose. 
 
 The carvings and finishing of the N"ational Theater are 
 superb. It is surpasssed by few in the States, but the 
 walls are smeared and dirty— no curtains deck the boxes^ 
 
85 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 uncomfortable chairs are alone procurable, and, all in 
 all, the house is about as filthy as one can find in Mexico. 
 It is rumored that Sarah Bernhardt is to come to Mexico 
 next December with a French troupe, and as French is 
 as common as Spanish here, she will doubtless have large 
 houses. It is to be hoped the managers will awaken to 
 the fact that the house needs a scrubbing down and 
 fumigating before that time. 
 
 As stated before, young men do not need to keep back 
 their washerwoman's money to be able to take their best 
 girl to the theater. A gentlemen and lady are never 
 seen alone; even husband and wife, if they have no 
 friends, take a servant along. 
 
 Mexico supports a circus all winter. They have an 
 amphitheater built for the purpose, and it is the best 
 lighted and cleanest spot in the city. It is open after- 
 noons and evenings, except Monday. The seats are ar- 
 ranged theater-like— pit, boxes and balconies. Some 
 very good performing is done, but Spanish jokes by the 
 clowns and very daring feats on horseback are the only 
 acts which gain applause from the Mexicans. The men- 
 agerie, for which they charge twenty-five cents extra, is 
 not well attended, as the people can see more in the 
 museum for nothing, and they prefer the beasts stuffed, 
 to being stuffed themselves or stuffing another man's 
 purse for the sight of a lion, monkey and striped don- 
 key. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE FLOATIK"G GARDEN'S. 
 
 Oe course, everybody has heard of the famous floating 
 gardens of Mexico, and naturally when one reaches this 
 lovely clime their first desire is to go up to La Viga. I 
 w^anted to visit the gardens, and with a friend, who put 
 up a nice lunch, started out to spend the day on the 
 water. The sun was just peeping over the hilltops when 
 we took a car marked " La Viga,"'' and off we went. We 
 spent the time translating signs and looking at the queer 
 things to be seen. The oddest sight was the slaughter 
 shop. The stone building looked like a fortress. Around 
 the entrance were hundreds of worn-out mules and horses, 
 on which men were hanging meat. They had one wagon, 
 
SIX MONTR'S IN MEXICO. 
 
 81 
 
 Ibut tlie meat;, after rubbing the bony sides of the beasts, 
 was just as palatable as when hauled in it. It was built 
 like a chicken coop, and elevated on two large wheels. 
 On each side of the coop and lying in a large heap on the 
 bottom, was the meat. Astride the pile sat a half-clad, 
 fellow, and in front, on the outside, sat the '^ bloody^' 
 driver. Trudging along in a string of about forty were 
 men with baskets filled with the refuse, from which the 
 blood ran in little rivers, until they looked as if they had 
 actually bathed in gore. We were glad when our car 
 passed, and had no appetite for the lunch in our basket. 
 When the car reached its destination we alighted, and 
 were instantly surrounded with boatman, neatly clad in 
 suits consisting of white linen blouse and pants. Every- 
 one clamored for us to try his boat, and the crowd was 
 so dense that it was impossible to move. As there is no 
 regular price, \ve had to make a bargain, so we selected 
 a strong, brown fellow^ who, although he pressed close 
 up to us, had not 
 
 uttered a word while 
 the rest had been 
 dwelling on the 
 merits of their 
 boats. We went 
 with him to the 
 edge of the canal 
 and looked at his 
 little flat, covered 
 with a tin roof. 
 White linen kept 
 out the sun at the 
 sides, and pink 
 calico, edged with 
 red and green 
 fringe, covered the 
 seats. The bottom 
 was scrubbed very 
 white and the Mexi- 
 can colors floated 
 from the pole at the 
 dollars,"' he answered. 
 
 end. We asked his price. ^' Six 
 '" JSTo,"' we said; '" it's too much.'' 
 After more debating and deliberating he set his price at 
 one dollar, which we accepted. 
 
8B SIX 3iONTHS IN 3IEXtO0. 
 
 Sunday is market day, and La Yiga was consequently 
 the prettiest sight we had yet seen in Mexico. It was 
 completely filled with boats containing produce. Some 
 were packed full of fresh vegetables, some contained 
 gay colored birds, which the Indians trap in the mount- 
 ains and bring to market here, and others were a mass 
 of exquisite flowers. While the man piloted his boat 
 over the glassy waters, the ever busy Avoman wove 
 wreaths and made bouquets from the stock before her. 
 Such roses! I can yet inhale their perfume, and how 
 they recalled kind friends at home. Daisies, honey- 
 suckles, batchelor buttons, in variety unknown in the 
 States. And the poppies! Surely no other spot on earth 
 brings forth such a variety of shade, color, and size. 
 They are even finer than the peonies of the States. 
 
 But this boatful has passed only to bring others, ever 
 the same, yet always new. They look at us with a joleas- 
 ant smile, and we answer their cheerful salutes with a 
 happy feeling. Along the banks we see people decorating 
 their straw huts with along plant, Avhicli contains yellow 
 and red flowers. They plait it at the top in diamond 
 shape, and. not only put it on their homes, but use it to 
 decorate the pulque shops and stretch across streets. The 
 most disagreeable sight was the butcher at work. Every 
 hero and there along the shore a^e large copper kettles 
 filled with boiling water. One man held a little brown 
 pig down with his knee and cut its throat, while another 
 held a small bowl in which he caught the blood. Still 
 further up we saw the first work completed, and on sticks, 
 put in the ground around a large charcoal fire, were the 
 different pieces roasting. The flies were as thick as bum- 
 blebees in a field of clover, and v/e realized for the first 
 time that summer, with all its pests, as well as its glories, 
 was on our heels. 
 
 Wash day, like everything else in the labor line here, 
 comes on Sunday. Under the drooping willows were 
 crowds of men, women, and children. The men were 
 nursing the babies and smoking the pipe of peace, while 
 the women were washing their clothes. They were not 
 dressed in the height of fashion; they were in extreme 
 full dress — a little more so than that of the fashionable 
 lady of the period, for none of them possess more than 
 one shirt, and they have no bed to go to while that is 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO, 83 
 
 being washed; so they bask in the warm rays of the sun. 
 The nude children pLay in the dark waters of La Viga 
 like so many sportive lambs on a green lawn, while the 
 ever-faithful, industrious wife and mother washes the 
 clothes on a porous stone and dries them on the banks- 
 happy, cheerful, and as contented as though she were a 
 queen. 
 
 I think I have stated before that Mexico cannot be en- 
 tered except through its city gates, which are not only 
 gaarded bv soldiers, but also a customs officer, who in- 
 spects all the things brought in by the poor peons and 
 puts a high duty on them. A poor man and woman 
 may travel for days with their coops filled with chickens, 
 Day duty on them and have but a few cents extra for all 
 that labor and travek Could one blame them then if 
 they were lazy and live on what nature grows for them 
 without cultivation? They are not lazy, but their bur- 
 den will not be lightened until this outrageous taxation, 
 which goes to line the pockets of some individual, is re- 
 moved. Even on La Viga they have the customs gate to 
 pass. The officer examines everything, and not only 
 charges the price, but always takes from the load what- 
 ever he wishes gratis. In one day^s collection he not only 
 has enough to run a hotel but has plenty left to sell. 
 When a boat is packed with vegetables a loug steel prong 
 is run through them to make sure there is nothing be- 
 neath. 
 
 La Viga is from six to twelve feet deep, and about 
 thirty feet wide. On either side it is lined with willow 
 and silver maple trees. It starts from Lake Tezcuco, 
 about eight miles from the city, forms a ring, and goes 
 back to the same source. The floating gardens, so called, 
 are found just above the Custom House. From the name 
 we naturallv expected to see some kind of a garden float- 
 ing on the'water; but we did not. ^^ Boatman, where 
 are the floating gardens?'' 
 
 '' There, senorita," he answered. 
 
 ^^What, that solid, dry land?" 
 
 ''No, senorita. With your permission we will take a 
 canoe and go in among them." 
 
 '' Con mucho gusto," we replied with Harry's so-called 
 ''greaser talk," and getting into a little dugout we were 
 
84 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 pushed, at the risk of being beheaded, under a low stone 
 bridge by our boatman, who waded in the water. We 
 saluted the owners of a little castle built of cane and 
 roofed with straw and went on, impatient to see the gar- 
 dens. 
 
 In blocks of fifteen by thirty feet nestle the gardens 
 surrounded by water and rising two feet above its surface. 
 The ground is fertile and rich and will grow anything. 
 Some have fruit trees, others vegetables and some look 
 like one bed of flowers suspended in the water.. Around 
 in the little canals through which we drifted, were hun- 
 dreds of elegant water-lilies. Eagerly we gathered them 
 with a desire which seemed never to be satisfied, and even 
 when our boat was full we still clutched ones which 
 were " the prettiest yet.''^ 
 
 On some gardens were cattle and horses, sheep and 
 pigs, all of them tied to trees to save them from falling 
 into the water. Tlie quaint little homes were some of 
 the prettiest features; they were surrounded by trees and 
 flowers, and many of them had exquisite little summer 
 houses, built also of cane, which commanded a view of 
 the gardens. The hedges or walls were made of roses, 
 which were all in bloom, sending forth a perfume that 
 was entrancing. The gardeners water their plots every 
 day. On the end of a long pole they fasten a dipper, 
 and with it they dip up water and fling it over their veg- 
 etables in quite a deft and speedy manner. IS^o, the 
 gardens do not float, but a visit to them fully repays one 
 for their disappointment in finding that they are station- 
 ary. 
 
 Undoubtedly many years ago these same gardens did 
 really float. History says they were built of weeds, cano 
 and roots, and banked up with earth. The Aztecs had 
 not only their gardens on them, but their little homes, 
 and they poled them around whenever they wished. Old 
 age, and perhaps rheumatism, has stiffened their joints 
 and they are now and forever more stationary. Joaquin 
 Miller said: ^' ISTow, I^ellie, the gardens do not float, 
 but please do not spoil the pretty belief by telling the 
 truth about them.^^ But either our respect for the truth 
 or a desire to do just the opposite to what others wish, 
 has made us tell just what the floating gardens really are, 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 85 
 
 At the very least tliey repay one's trouble for the jour- 
 ney. 
 
 As it was about the hour for breakfast, we opened our 
 basket and found one dozen hard-boiled eggs, two loaves 
 of bread, plenty of cold chicken and meat, fruit and 
 many other things equally good and bad for the inner ty- 
 rant, and last, but not least, a dozen bottles of beer. 
 That is not horrible, because no one drinks water here, 
 as it is very impure, and two or three glasses have often 
 produced fever. Of course, I could have delicately 
 avoided the beer bottles (in my articles I mean), but I 
 could not resist relating the funny incident connected 
 with them for the benefit of others. One of the party 
 was a strict temperance advocate, and when the bottles 
 were opened the- beer was found to be sour, as it is a 
 most difficult place to try to preserve bottled goods. We 
 immediately refused to drink it, but the T. A. said he 
 would test it, so we gave him a glass, which he drained. 
 We were amused, but courteously restrained our smiles; 
 but as bottle after bottle was opened, and the T. A. in- 
 sisted on testing each one, our mirth got the best of us, 
 and I burst out laughing, joined heartily by the rest. 
 We fed our boatman, and I never enjoyed anything so 
 much in all my life. His hearty thanks, his good appe- 
 tite, his humble, thankful words between mouthfuls, did 
 me a world of good. The sour beer which was left by 
 the T. A. we gave him, and it is safe to say that the 
 best of drinks never tasted as good as that to our poor 
 boatman. 
 
 On the gardens they have jDut up wooden crosses and 
 tied a cotton cloth to them; they are believed to be a 
 preventive of storms visiting the land, as the wind, after 
 playing with the cotton cloth, is afterwaj'd unable to 
 blow strong enough to destroy anything. When we 
 anchored at one of the villages, some men came down 
 and asked us to come to their houses to eat. Each told 
 of the good things his wife had prepared, and one, as 
 an inducement, said, ^^I have a table in my house. ''^ 
 That, of course, is a big thing here, as not one Indian in 
 one hundred owns a table or chair. JPulque is sold very 
 cheap at these villages, and many of the Mexicans come 
 up in boats or on horseback to treat themselves. Along- 
 each side of La Viga are beautiful paseos, bordered by 
 
86 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO.] 
 
 large shade trees. They form some of the many and 
 most beautiful drives in Mexico; and on Sunday the 
 paseos are filled with crowds of ladies and gentlemen on 
 horseback. It is also one of the favorite places for rac- 
 ing, and any one who is fond of fine riding will have a 
 chance to see it here. Two young fellows took from off 
 the horses the saddles and bridles, then, removing their 
 coats and hats, they rode a mile race on the bare horses. 
 Large bets were made on it, and every one enjoyed the 
 exhibition. 
 
 In the afternoon we turned' our boat toward the city, 
 followed by a boat containing a family. The father and 
 largest son were doing the poling, and the mother was 
 bathing her babes. She rubbed them with soap, and 
 then, leaning over the edge of the boat, doused them up 
 and down in the water. After she had finished and 
 dressed them in the clothes which had in the meanwhile 
 been drying in the boat, she washed her face and hair, 
 combed it with a scrub-brush, and let it hang loose over 
 her back to dry on the way to town. When we repassed 
 the wash-house encountered going up, we were surprised 
 to see it nearly deserted and the few remaining ones don- 
 ning their clean linen, getting into their canoes and pad- 
 dling around the canal. When we reached Santa Anita, 
 a village of strav mansions, we found they were celebrat- 
 ing an annual feast-day, and that the town was not only 
 crowded with guests, but La Viga was almost impassable 
 for boats. On this special day it is the custom for every- 
 body to wear wreaths of poppies. The flower-women, 
 seated in the middle of the street, were selling them as 
 fast as they could hand them out. 
 
 From a stand a brass band was sending forth its lovely 
 strains, and beneath were the people dancing. They have 
 no square dances or waltzes, but the dance is similar to 
 an Irish reel — without touching one another, and merely 
 balancing back, forth and sideways. Pulque was flowing 
 as freely as ]S[iagara Falls, and for the first time we real- 
 ized what " dead drunk ^' meant. One woman was over- 
 come, and had been drawn out of La Viga, into which she 
 had fallen. She lay on the bank, wet, muddy, covered 
 with flies, face down on the earth, with no more life than 
 a corpse. She was reaJly paralyzed. 
 
 After we tired of watching theni we continued our 
 
SIX 3I0NTHS IN MEXICO. SI 
 
 journey, onr boatman wending his way deftly between tlie 
 crowds of otliers who were making tlieir way to the feast. 
 They all greeted us and said, many pretty things, because 
 I had put on a wreath. They considered I had honored 
 them. Nearly every boat had one or more guitars, and 
 the singing and music added a finishing touch to the al- 
 ready beautiful and interesting scene. About 200 
 mounted and unmounted soldiers had gone out to keep 
 the peace, but they entered into the spirit of the thing as 
 much as the others, and doubtless would consume just as 
 much pulque before midnight. Hailing amassing carriage, 
 as we landed, we drove to our house, jotting down the 
 day spent on La Viga as one of the most pleasant of our 
 delightful sojourn in this heavenly land. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE CASTLE OF CHAPULTEPEC. 
 
 "Whek Maximilian first established his royal presence in 
 Mexico he began to do what he could toward beautifying 
 this picturesque valley. The city had been rebuilt on 
 the old Aztec site — the lowest and worst spot in the land. 
 Maximilian concluded to draw the city toward a better 
 locality. In order to do this he selected Chapultopec as 
 the place for his castle, and built lovely drives running 
 from all directions to the site of his residence. The 
 drives are wide, bordered with tall trees, and form one 
 of the prettiest features in Mexico. The most direct 
 drive from the city is the paseo, spoken of in a former 
 letter as the drive for the fashionable. Maximilian in- 
 tended his home should be the center of the new Mexico, 
 and the paseo — "Boulevard of the Emperor '' — was to 
 lead to the gate of his park. Erom the Alameda to 
 Ohapultepec the distance is 5450 yards, with a width of 
 170 feet. The paseo contains six circular plots, which 
 Maximilian intended should contain statues. Strange 
 to say this plan is partly being executed. Some already 
 contain an equestrian statue of Charles IV., claimed to 
 be second only to one other in the world; a magnificent 
 bronze statue of Columbus, and they are erecting one 
 to Guatemoc and one to Cortes. On either side of 
 the paseo are grand old aqueducts, leaky and moss-cov- 
 
88 SIX 3tONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 ered, tlie one ending at the castle, the other going 
 further up into the mountains. One is said to be nine 
 miles in length. These aqueducts hold very beautiful 
 carved pieces and niches, every here and there, in which 
 are placed images of the Virgin. 
 
 Terminating the avenue rises the castle, on a rocky hill 
 some hundred feet high. The castle covers the entire 
 tojD and stands like a guard to the entire valley. Many 
 hundred years ago the King of the Aztec Indians had 
 this for his favorite palace. Here he ruled, beloved by 
 all, until the white-faced stranger invaded his land, out- 
 raged his hospitality and trust; stole his gold and jewels 
 and replaced them with glass beads; tore down his gods 
 and replaced them with a new; butchered his people, 
 and not only made him an imbecile, but caused him to 
 die at the hands of his once loving subjects the despised 
 of all the x)eople. Poor Montezuma! the wisest, best 
 and most honorable King of his time, after all his good- 
 ness, his striving for the light of learning, to die such a 
 death. 
 
 Since Montezuma wandered beneath the shades of 
 Chapultepec — ''Hill of the Grasshopper^' — it has been 
 the chosen resort of the successive rulers of Mexico — the 
 theme of poets, the dream of artists ahd the admiration 
 of all beholders. A massive iron gate, guarded over by 
 dozens of sentinels, admits you to a forest of cypress 
 which excels anything on this continent. The grand old. 
 trees, many centuries old, are made the more beautiful 
 by the heavy dress of gray moss which drapes the limbs. 
 The broad carriage road, to which the sun never pene- 
 trates, and where the beautiful, shadowy twilight ever 
 rests, winds around and around until it gains the sum- 
 mit. The old bath of Montezuma stands a lovely ruin in 
 this lovely grove; above it is built an engine house for the 
 waterworks, which are to supply the city instead of the 
 aqueduct. With regret we gazed on it, the only blot on 
 the otherwise perfect paradise, and wished that some one, 
 with the taste of Maximilian, had interfered before this 
 mark of progress had been decided upon. 
 
 The silvery lake, alive with geese and ducks, and Dor- 
 dered with lilies of the Nile and other beautiful flowers, 
 nestles like a birdling in the heart of the greensward. 
 The fountains play and sing their everlasting song, while 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 89 
 
 birds of exquisite colors miugle their sweet melodies with 
 the tinkle of the falling waters. Plots of flowers vie 
 witii each other to pat forth the most beautiful colors; 
 all nature seems to be doing its utmost to show its grati- 
 tude for being assigned to this beautiful spot. Far back 
 in the forest, is a smooth, level place, where moonlight 
 picnics are often held. The soft drapery of Spanish 
 moss hangs low, yet high enough not to interfere with 
 the headgear. Beneath its shadows one would fain for- 
 get the world. We no longer wonder at the '^ mauana " 
 of the natives, and can clearly see why they wish to live 
 as slow and as long as possible. 
 
 When Montezuma reigned supreme he was accustomed 
 to gather together his wise men, and while sitting be- 
 neath the shade of a monstrous cypress they would dis- 
 cuss the topics of the day. For this reason the tree is 
 named '' The Tree of Montezuma.^' It is said to be two 
 hundred feet high and sixty feet in circumference. It 
 is heavily draped with moss, and is the most magnificent 
 monument any king could have. 
 
 Half way up the hill is an entrance, almost hidden by 
 moss and other creeping foliage, which leads into a cave^ 
 The first chamber is a very large room hewn out of the 
 solid rock. At the opposite side is an iron door, barring 
 the way to the cave proper. Many different stories are 
 told of it. One is that the cave was here before the 
 time of Montezuma, and that untold wealth has been 
 hidden in its unexplored recesses when different tribes 
 went to war. Another says that when Oortes was forced 
 to leave he buried his ill-gotten wealth in its darkened 
 depths. The less romantic story is that the subterranean 
 sally-port, which leads down from the garden on the roof 
 of the castle, opens into the cave; they once tried to ex- 
 plore it, and found within a mammoth hole. A rock 
 thrown in was not heard to strike the bottom, and even 
 the bravest feared to go further. The rocks on the hill 
 are covered with hieroglyphics, which archaeologists have 
 not succeeded in translating; the brick fence around the 
 winding driv^ has passed its day of beauty, and the posts 
 alone remain of the lamps which once lighted Maximil- 
 ian's pathway. 
 
 Having obtained a ticket of admission to the castlQ 
 
00 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 from the governor of tlie National Palace, we took a 
 party of tourists with us and proceeded to investigate. 
 
 When we had mount- 
 -^^§«»s*fl ed the hill and walked 
 
 l^^^&^^^^&^fe^into the yard, the 
 ^^'$^M^'"^^^-^^fi^^MMP'^^^^^^^^\ u-fiifoi'nied sentinel 
 "lir^^-^I^^^S^^MS^P^M called out something 
 ^^^ ^^^^^^^ m Spanish, loud and 
 
 long, and a drummer boy quite near beat a hasty roll. 
 *'Tkey must think we intend to storm the castle,^' said 
 one of the ladies in evident alarm, but her fears were 
 quieted when a young cadet came from the building and 
 offered to show us around. '' Can you speak English?^' 
 
 1 inquired. '' 'Eo, I will find some one,^"* he answered in 
 Spanish, and off he went. However, we lost no time 
 waiting for his return, but went to the door of the castle 
 and handed our pass to the guard. '' Memento," he 
 said, and he also disappeared, but only to come back ac- 
 companied by a handsome, middle-aged officer, who told 
 us, in broken English, our pass was good, and wliile the 
 guard would tiike us through the castle he would get us 
 another escort for the rest. 
 
 The castle is being renovated for a Mexican White 
 House. A K"ew York firm is to finish it at a cost of one 
 hundred and sixty-five thousand dollars. Our disap- 
 pointment increased as we roamed through room after 
 room to find all mementos of Maximilian and Carlotta 
 destroyed. Even what had been their bedchamber was 
 a total ruin. The only things that remain are three 
 poor pictures on the wall facing the garden. They had 
 been spoiled, and before many hours the last thing to re- 
 Ccill the murdered emperor and the blighted empress 
 would be totally effaced. President Diaz is to move here 
 when the repairs are finished; but if they are no faster 
 with the work in the future than they have been in the 
 past, what they have begun will be old-fashioned before 
 the rest is completed, and Mexico will have added two or 
 three more names to its list of presidents. 
 
 On top of the castle is a beautiful garden, full of rare 
 plants and handsome trees and shrubbery. Fountains 
 are plenty, and statues of bronze and marble are strewn 
 around in profusion. The stairway is made of imported 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 91 
 
 Italian marble, and the balconies of alternate blocks of 
 Italian and Puebla marble. The effect is superb. The 
 famous sally-port leads down through the castle from the 
 center of the garden. It is fenced in around the mouth 
 with a brass railing and covered with green vines. Mag- 
 nificent aquariums divide the flowers at intervals, and 
 the little gold and silver fish play about in the water as 
 if life was all joy. When one looks around the beautiful 
 landscape, the romance of the historic past fades before 
 the grand reality of the present. From this majestic spot 
 one commands a view of the entire valley— -the soft, green 
 meadows, the avenues of proud trees which outline the 
 gray roads that always fade away at the foot of the chain 
 of mountains which encircle the valley like a monstrous 
 wall. The faint blue and purple lines of the mountains 
 appear small and insignificant when the gaze wanders to 
 those two incomparable beauties, Popocatapetl and Ix- 
 taccihnatl. All nature seems a prayer. Grand old Popo- 
 catapetl stands with its white, snowy head at the feet of 
 the White Lady. Perhaps nature has assumed this tran- 
 quilness while awaiting the old, white-headed man to say 
 the last sad words over that beautiful still form. 
 
 At the back of the castle is the Military Academy, or 
 West Point of Mexico. Three hundred cadets, with their 
 officers, are housed here. The school is kept in the best 
 of order, and when the cadets finish their seven years' 
 course they are well prepared for future duties. The 
 cadets belong to the best families and number a lot of 
 handsome men. The stairway which divides, or rather 
 connects, the two buildings is an odd yet pretty struct- 
 ure. It is built in an arch to the height of ten feet. 
 Then starting out in opposite directions are two other 
 arches, which connect the buildings. These arches — the 
 stairway, of course — have no supports whatever, and one 
 is almost afraid they may cave in with their weight. 
 When they were finished some one remarked to the 
 builder, " They will fall down if one man mounts them.'' 
 '* Bring a regiment and put on them, and I guarantee 
 they stand," replied the builder. This was done, and 
 they were found to be as firm as a mountain. They are 
 certainly one of the prettiest pieces of architectural work 
 ever executed. 
 
 In the library of the academy are oil paintings of the 
 
92 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO, 
 
 cadets who fell in defense of Chapultepec. They were 
 handsome young boys, and a fine marble shaft, inclosed 
 with an iron fence at the foot of the hill, is erected in 
 commemoration of their heroic deed. The prettiest boy 
 of the lot, with sunny locks and blue eyes, folded the 
 flag, for which he was fighting, to his breast, and stood 
 with a smile on his face while his enemies cut him into 
 pieces. He was but thirteen years old. His picture oc- 
 cupies a prominent place, and beneath it stands the flag, 
 dyed a dark crimson with his hearths blood. The cadets 
 keep those little heroes^ memories green. Every morn- 
 ing they place wreaths of flowers on the monument as 
 they march on their way to the meadows below to drill. 
 The cadets have two queer pets, a wild pig and a 
 monkey. The latter is their companion. He performs 
 in the gymnasium with them, and does some wonderful 
 feats. He is truly a smart, cunning little fellow, and 
 exhibits much intelligence. He is fond of the boys, and 
 the boys return his affection. AYhen they come to town 
 on Sundays they never forget to take some sweetmeats 
 back for him; and he never forgets to expect the treat, 
 and he gets very loving and confidential about that time. 
 He hugs the returned youth, and pr3^s into his pockets 
 with as much enthusiasm as though he had been absent 
 for months. Every cadet has a bed with his name, num- 
 ber, etc., on it. A combination desk and wardrobe 
 stands by the side, and in the bottom is a tin pan. At 
 5.30 they arise, and when the order is given they take 
 up their tin pans and march out to the side of the build- 
 ing. Erom a large basin tliey take the water, and plac- 
 ing their pans on a stone bench many yards long they 
 wash themselves. On Sundays they can go to bull-fights, 
 to town to see their relatives, or do anything they wish, 
 unless they have neglected their studies the week before, 
 when they are kept at school for punishment. They are 
 taught Erench, Spanish, Greek, and English. They are 
 extremely polite, and have not the least objection to 
 flirting. Though they are short in stature they have 
 good forms and are splendid horsemen. In fact, they 
 are the beau ideal of any girl who likes embroidered uni- 
 forms and brass buttons, topped off with that cavalier 
 style no female can resist. 
 
^IX MONTHS M MEXICO, 93 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THE FEASTS OF THE GAMBLERS. 
 
 The Mexicans, as a people, have an inordinate passion 
 for gambling. They gamble on everything. Poor peons 
 have been know , when tlieir money was gone, to take 
 the rags off their backs and pawn them in order to get a 
 few cents to lose. Men possessing thousands have gone 
 into houses at night to be hauled away in the morning a 
 corpse, without a dollar to pay funeral expenses. Gam- 
 bling reached such a stage that the government saw it 
 must interfere. Consequently they prohibited all street 
 gambling and started lotteries, in which prizes are drawn 
 every otiier day. The main prizes range from $500 to 
 15,000. Crippled, blind, aged, poverty-stricken men 
 and women are on the streets at all hours selling num- 
 bered strips of tissue paper marked " Lottery.^' The 
 seller wears a brass badge in the shape of a half-moon as 
 proof that he or she is employed by the government. No 
 trouble is experienced in selling the tickets, as everybody 
 buys, foreigners as well as Mexicans. The tickets range 
 from twelve cents to twenty-five dollars. When the 
 drawing is held a printed list showing the fortunate 
 numbers is posted in the court. People of all nationali- 
 ties and in all stages of dress crowd around the notice. 
 Many turn away unhappy, while some few smile over 
 their gains. It is said the proceeds are devoted to useful 
 and charitable works. The income, at any rate, must be 
 a princely one. 
 
 Gambling houses are also run on a large scale. They 
 are licensed by the government. Once every year, in tlie 
 month of February, gamblers procure a license and open 
 houses at Tacubaya. During these four weeks all are al- 
 lowed to gamble here in any style they wish. This 
 chance picnic is called '* the feast of the gamblers." At 
 three o'clock every afternoon ladies in carriages, men on 
 horseback, the poor in the street cars, all bound for the 
 one destination — ^Tacubaya — present a beautiful sight. 
 From the energy displayed, the hurry to pass one an- 
 other, the evident desire to get there first, one would 
 think it the first holiday they had had for years, and all 
 were determined to get the most out of it! 
 
94 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 To roach the scene the tourist must take a two-mile 
 drive along a wide road, bordered on either side with trees 
 of luxurious growth and shade, beneath which beautiful, 
 pure-white calla lilies and scarlet-red geraniums lift their 
 pretty heads in the perfect ahandon of liaturalness and 
 liberty. Dotted here and there over the lovely valley are 
 green fields, adobe hu^s, and whitewashed churches, with 
 superb Chapultepec ever in view, as a crown or guard 
 to the vast valley beneath. The gates of Chapultepec, 
 with its sentinels and mounted guards, are passed, and in 
 a few minutes more we are in Tacubaya. 
 
 'MVe will have to alight liere," said our guide. 
 ''The streets are so full it is impossible to drive 
 through. ^^ 
 
 Impossible to drive; it was almost impossible to walk. 
 As we stepped from the carriage several peons, who had 
 come to meet us, knelt on the ground and spread out 
 their scrapes before them, displaying a few silver dollars, 
 big copper one and two cent pieces and three cards; the 
 cards were deftly crossed, face downward, one after an- 
 other, with astonishing rapidity, while the ''tosser '"M^ept 
 singingoiit some unintelligible stuff, apparently, •'Which 
 will you bet on?" Quickly a peon steps forward and lays 
 a $10 bill on one card. The ''tosser^' shuffles again, the 
 man wins and puts many silver dollars in his pocket. This 
 excites the watching crowd, which presses forward, and 
 many "women and men lay down their money on certain 
 cards, only to see it go into the pile of the '' tosser." 
 One failure does not discourage them, but they try as 
 long as their money lasts, for it is impossible to win. 
 The '' tosser ^Mias one or two accomplices who win the 
 first money to excite the crowd or again to increase their 
 waning energy. 
 
 The '^tosser'^ and his accomplices will follow Ameri- 
 cans, or ''greenoes,^' as they call us, for squares. When 
 you pause they prostrate themselves before you; the stool- 
 pigeon always wins and tries to induce the stranger to 
 play — even pinches off the corner of the card, saying ''It 
 will win; bet on it;" "Senor, try your hand." " Senor- 
 ita, you will be lucky," whispers the accomplice as he 
 gazes at you in the most solemn manner. Wild-eyed 
 women, who smell strongly of pulque, with disheveled 
 hair and dirty clothes, beg for money to try their luck. 
 
SIX 310NTHS IN MEXICO. 95 
 
 Each side of the street is filled witli tents. In the 
 center and along the houses are women squatted on the 
 ground nursing their babies and selling their wares, which 
 consist of everything ugl}^ Some build little charcoal 
 fires, above it suspend a flat pan, and on it fry some sort 
 of horrible cakes and red pepper, which are sold to the 
 gamblers. At the foot of a large tree sat an ugly, dirty 
 woman. From a big earthen jar by her side she dealt 
 out pulque to the thirsty people; the jar was replenished 
 repeatedly from filled pig skins. At another place to- 
 matoes and salad were laid out in little piles on the 
 ground. A little naked babe lay asleep on a piece of 
 matting, and a woman was busy at the head of another^ 
 not reading her bumps, but taking the living oS the liv- 
 ing—and she did not have to hunt hard either. Similar 
 scenes repeated themselves until one longed for something 
 
 new. 
 
 The restaurants were numerous. A piece of matting 
 spread on the ground constituted the tables, with the 
 exception of three old wrecks that could hardly stand. 
 Cups of all shapes, but none whole, lay claim to being 
 the only dishes in sight. Large clay jars, tm boilers, 
 etc., were the coffee urns. 
 
 Among all the mob that gathers here, a fight is an 
 unheard-of thing. " It is old California repeated," said 
 Joaquin Miller, ^^with the rough people left out.'' 
 Kough, in a certain sense, they are, and ignorant, yet far 
 surpassing the same class of people in the States; they 
 possess a never-failing kindness and gentleness for one 
 another; the police carried one woman who was paralyzed 
 from pulque as tenderly as if she were their mother, 
 while a sympathizing crowd followed; two peons sup- 
 ported between them a pulque victim, who was so happy- 
 that his spirits found vent in trying to sing a hiccough 
 song. Another neon, only half sober, got his drunken 
 companion on his back and trudged off, in a wavering 
 manner, for his home. 
 
 In the tents along the street a second class of people 
 gamble. Some tables have painted on them three 
 faces — a red one, with a white and green one on either 
 side— on which the men gamble. Musicians with string 
 instruments furnish pleasing airs, and women in pictur- 
 es'pe costumes do the singing and dancing. The most 
 
96 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 popular song is ^^I am a pure Mexican, no Spanish blood 
 in me," The people scorn the idea of Spanish blood, and 
 boast of being of pure Indian descent. 
 
 Over the top of high walls peep the green trees, and the 
 vines crawl over, hanging low down on the outside. 
 Enter the vine-draped gateway and you will see a garden 
 as fine as any city park. A smootli walk leads to all sorts 
 of cunning little nooks; large trees spread out tlieir heavy 
 arms; the perfume of thousands of beautiful flowers 
 scents the air; playing fountains mingle their music with 
 the exquisite melody of the string bands placed at inter- 
 vals throughout the grounds; statues glisten against the 
 green foliage; well-dressed men and finely clad women 
 are visible on every spot — everything animate and in- 
 animate adds to the picturesqueness of the beautiful 
 scene. 
 
 In the buildings, which are decorated outside with 
 pictures from happy scenes in life, are tables and chairs, 
 the walls being hung with fine paintings and expensive 
 mirrors. On the green table-cloth is placed $10,000 and 
 120,000 — the former sum on the roulette table, the latter 
 on the card board. The money is half gold and half silver. 
 Before the hour of playing these tables are left unguarded; 
 people go in and out at pleasure, but all are too honorable 
 to take one piece. Ladies and gentlemen sit or stand 
 around, smoking their cigarettes and betting. One 
 woman lost $500 in a few moments, but her face never 
 changed. A man stood at a roulette table, and, com- 
 mencing with $10, Avas in a short time the possessor of 
 $750. He never changed countenance, and after getting 
 the ^^pot" together he exchanged it for greenbacks and 
 walked off. Any one playing can order what they wish 
 to drink at the expense of the proprietor. Fine res- 
 taurants are also run in connection with the establish- 
 ment. 
 
 One gambling hall is hung with Spanish moss in the 
 shape of a tent, which reflects in the mirrors forming 
 the walls. It is beautiful and reminds one forcibly of 
 what fairyland is supposed to be. Every large house has 
 a notice posted informing patrons that they furnish, 
 free of charge, conveyances for the city at late hours. 
 One man almost broke the bank and had to get a wagon 
 to haul his money to Mexico. Others won $5000; $10,- 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 97 
 
 000 and 120,000, but notwithstanding this one house 
 made 1200,000 the first ten days. Electric lights enable 
 the players to keep the game up all night, and unique 
 torches furnish just enough light in the gardens to show 
 the way and fascinate the sentimental. 
 
 Tired at last, we wandered forth and visited the beau- 
 tiful old cathedral which all Mexican towns possess, 
 walked through several plazas and examined ,the fine 
 fountains, flowers and monuments, and at last traveled to 
 the top of the hill in order to view the country around 
 about. Seated on the eight-foot bank of the military 
 road, we watched the Indians going to and from the city. 
 First came a drove of burros walking quite briskly, as if 
 they feared the load left behind might catch up and in- 
 sist again on being carried. A number of women 
 wrapped up in a straight piece of flannel and a piece on 
 their heads in the style of tlie peasant girl in the " Mas- 
 cot, '' passed by. On their back were huge bundles of 
 wood and scrubbing-brushes. '' Buenas noches, senora; 
 buenas noches, senorita; buenas noches, senors,''' they 
 cried out pleasantly as their bare feet raised enough dust 
 to encircle them. Their black eyes gazed on us in a 
 friendly manner and their lovely white teeth glistened in 
 a cordial smile. '^ Poor human beasts of burden! Give 
 the little one some money, ^' we whispered. ^^Here, this 
 is yours, ^' he called, in Spanish, holding forth a silver 
 dollar. The smile faded from her face. '' Gracias, no, 
 senor!" and she quickly passed on, too proud to accept 
 what in all probability was more than she ever owned. 
 
 The sun had long gone down; dark clouds draped the 
 *^ White Lady;^' Chapultepec looked dim and hazy. 
 With regret we left our prominent position, passed the 
 handsome palaces of Escandon, Mier y Oelis and Barron, 
 walked through one of the handsomest villages in Mexico 
 — Tacubaya — and in a few moments reached our carriage, 
 homeward bound, leaving the "Feast of the Gamblers." 
 just in the height of its glory. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 FEAST OF FLOWERS AISTD LEKTEl?' CELEBRATIOIS'S. 
 
 If they had put both in a kettle and, after constant 
 stirring, poured the contents out, there would not hav^ 
 
98 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO, 
 
 been more of a mixture of religion and amusement than 
 there was during Lent; to a sight-seer it looked as if the 
 two forces were waging a battle to see which would pre- 
 dominate. It wa*s very interesting, more so from the 
 fact that in no other place on earth is Lent celebrated 
 like it is in the City of Mexico. I think I told you how 
 the carnival season opened, with balls, picnics, and driv- 
 ing in full dress on the paseo; then suddenly everything 
 collapsed, and the city |)iit on somber robes. Bells tolled 
 forth from morning until night, and every other day was 
 a saint^s day, when. Catholic or otherwise, we were com- 
 pelled to fast; the stores closed, and everything came to a 
 standstill. All the night previous fireworks were set off, 
 and revolvers cracked until one^s wildest wish was that 
 their inventors had never been born. 
 
 One morning I was surprised to learn I could not have 
 any coffee — the solitary cup which constitutes our dainty, 
 delicious breakfast here. My limited Spanish prevented 
 my giving vent to my feelings, and so I nursed my right- 
 eous wrath while I took observations. The whole house 
 was closed and darkened, the mirrors were covered with 
 purple cloths, and every little ornament, which had 
 hitherto decorated the house, was missing. All the peo- 
 ple of the household were dressed in black, talked in 
 whispers, and walked around on their ti^^toes. Dinner- 
 time came and we sat down to a bit of dry toast (butter 
 is an unheard-of thing), black coffee, chile, or red pep- 
 per, and beans. By this time I began to get " shaky,^' 
 especially as they did not talk and pulque was dispensed 
 with. After saying: " Some one must be dead;^-* ^' They 
 must have gotten into some kind of trouble, and are try- 
 ing to make believe they are away,"^ I decided to quit 
 ^^ guessing, ^^ and try to find out the true cause of these 
 strange doings. Finally, I decided to see if any of my 
 Mexican ''bears" were visible; and, going through the 
 parlor, I opened the window leading to the balcony. 
 Just as I had removed all the monstrous bars, my land- 
 lady came rushing to me, with a burning candle in one 
 hand and beads in another, and in louder tones than she 
 had spoken before she besought me not to open the win- 
 dow. Completely mystified and feeling sure they had 
 done some terrible deed, I closed the bars, with one long- 
 ing sigh to my ''bears," and then catching her by tho 
 
SIX 3I0NTHS IN MEXICO. 99 
 
 shoulder, asked, in trembling tones: ^'^Tell me, what 
 have you done?" 
 
 ''^Ko compreliende," she ejaculated, looking at me as 
 if I had lost my senses. 
 
 ^'Porque?" I asked, pulling her around, and pointing 
 to the bare tables and cabinets, the draped mirrors, the 
 barred shutters. 
 
 '' I am sad because it is my saint's day and my mother's 
 day," she explained, and she took me into her room, 
 where everything was draped in somber colors. Below 
 the picture of her mother were a number of burning can- 
 dles placed around a large cross. Before this cross the 
 rest of the family were on their knees, and as I slipped 
 out and closed iiiQ door I saw her sink down beside them, 
 with a look of submission on her face. I have nothing 
 more to say, except that I am glad that before a similar 
 day rolls around I shall be over the Rio Grande and 
 doubtless at home. 
 
 Holy week began on Piernes de Dolores (Friday of 
 Sorrow), April 16. As early as 3.30 in the morning the 
 bells began to toll, and people flocked to the churches. 
 At five o'clock we started for La Viga, where this day is 
 celebrated by the Feast of the Flowers, or Paseo de las 
 Flores (Flower Promenade). Even at that hour the way 
 was crowded with people laden with flowers. When we 
 reached La Viga we found it filled with canoes and boats 
 burdened with beautiful flowers of every description. As 
 far as wo could see up La Viga it was the same — pictur- 
 esque people paddling their equally picturesque boats in 
 and out and around the crowd. Some of the boats were 
 ready for hire. They had awnings made of cane covered 
 witli ferns and flowers. Very few could resist their in- 
 viting appearance, and by nine o'clock there was not an 
 empty boat to be found. 
 
 Along the fragrant, grassy banks sat flower girls sur- 
 rounded by heaps of ferns, creamy lilies, delicious pinks 
 of hundreds of shades, geraniums and fuchsias of won- 
 derful size and color, and roses whose colors, sizes and 
 perfumes bewildered me. Honeysuckles, roses, lilies and 
 poppies were woven into wreaths, which people bought 
 and wore on their heads and around their shoulders. Eat- 
 ing-stands were about as plentiful as the flowers, and 
 everything that was ever made in Mexico was here for 
 
100 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 sale. They did a big business, too. Gay crowds would 
 sit down on the grass and take breakfast off of a straw 
 petate as merrily as if in the finest dining-room. Some 
 of these booths were fixed up with canvas covers and 
 flower sides; other long booths were fitted up in the same 
 manner, hung with the Mexican colors and filled with 
 chairs, wliere the tired could pay a medio (six and one 
 quarter cents) and sit down. Three bands in holiday 
 attire sent forth lovely strains, alternately, from similar 
 booths; the trees on either side kept the paseo shady. It 
 was filled with people riding and driving; the riders, who 
 numbered many ladies, formed a line in the center and 
 the carriages drove around and around, down one way 
 and up the other. Most of tliose out driving alighted 
 and mingled with the masses. It was certainly a most 
 enjoyable scene. 
 
 At several places we found things for sale which looked 
 like dahlias, with a strange mixture of colors. None 
 could determine just what they were, but presently we 
 found a man and woman manufacturing them. They 
 were nothing more or less than long radishes, which with 
 his i3enknife the man turned into all kinds of flowers, 
 as well as crosses and other designs. I'he woman deli- 
 cately touched one part one color, another another, until 
 they formed one of the most beautiful of the many strange 
 sights on La Viga. There was quite a rush for them, 
 and the happy purchasers triumphantly carried them off, 
 while the less fortunate looked on with regret. I got a 
 number, but before the next morning their beauty had 
 departed forever, and their perfume was loud and unmis- 
 takable. Of course there were plenty of venders and 
 beggars there. The venders had wax figures represent- 
 ing ballet dancers, rope-walkers, angels — any sort of fe- 
 male that was skimp in her wearing apparel. Others 
 had men fighting bulls, monkeys on horseback, baby 
 dolls made of rags, and every little thing which could be 
 invented. 
 
 This feast lasted until Sunday evening, and there 
 was not a moment from three o'clock Friday morning, 
 until twelve o'clock Sunday night, but what the place was 
 crowded worse than-Barnum's show in its brightest days. 
 The prettiest sight was when the people returned to 
 town. • Every carriage, even to the driver's seat, was^filled 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. lOl 
 
 with flowers. The horses and riders were decorated with 
 wreaths, and in this manner they all returned to their 
 homes. I must describe one rider to you before 1 leave 
 La Viga. He rode a beautiful black horse. The Mexican 
 saddle was a bright, deep yellow, covered with silver 
 ornaments, and a bright sword dangled at the side. The 
 bridle was entirely of silver, even to the reins, and silver 
 cord and tassels decorated the horse's neck. The rider's 
 pants were black and fitted as if he had been poured into 
 them. A row of silver buttons, at least the size of pie- 
 plates, reached from waist to knee, where they were met 
 by high side-buttoned boots. An immense silver spur 
 completed that part. His vest was yellow velvet, his coat 
 blue, and his wide sombrero red, all heavily trimmed with 
 silver, while at the back, peeping beneath his coat, were 
 two mammoth revolvers. He was the most gorgeous 
 butterfly I ever saw, and attracted attention from Mexi- 
 cans as well as myself. 
 
 Sunday was observed by the churches as well as on La 
 Viga. It was Palm Sunday, and the Indians had made 
 pretty things out of dry palms which they sold to the 
 people for from a real (twelve and one half cents) up to 
 cinco pesos (15). The devout took these to church and 
 had them blessed, and after carrying them home they 
 were fixed to the bars of windows, the balconies and above 
 the doors, where they will stay for the whole year. They 
 say they keep the devil out, and that is their reason for 
 using them. 
 
 Excursion trains were run in from all the connecting 
 points, people appeared in the most gorgeous hues, and 
 venders had no trouble in selling the effigies they carried. 
 Holy Thursday came and the bells tolled from early 
 morning until ten o'clock, when every one was silent in 
 sorrow for the crucifixion. Mass was said in the morn- 
 ing, and all turned out to attend divine service. In 
 the Alameda, Zocola and paseo bands, to the number of 
 three or four, delighted their hearers. It seemed rather 
 strange to stand within the church door and hear the 
 voice of the priest repeating mass, the piano playing a 
 soft prelude (no pipe organs are permitted during holy 
 week), and the band mingling the lively strains of some 
 light opera, or something equally ridiculous, with this 
 solemn service. The altars were all hung with squares 
 
103 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 of silver or gold tinsel, wliicli were constantly in motion. 
 Thousands of candles lighted up the gloomy building, 
 and Christ and the Virgin were the only images in sight. 
 At 3 o'clock in the afternoon they brought in what they 
 said were the oldest and most neglected of beggars. The 
 priest washed their feet, and after making the sign of the 
 cross with holy oil upon them, they were allowed to de- 
 part. I noticed these men's feet had been washed re- 
 cently, and also that there were dirtier and poorer people 
 in the audience. However, the washer took good care 
 not to touch the feet without an intervening towel. At 
 night the churches were brilliantly illuminated. It would 
 be hard to give an estimate of the candles required, but 
 I fully believe that in some of the big edifices 20,000 
 vwould not be a bad guess. The devout were all on their 
 knees, and everything was as silent as deatii, except the 
 piano, which still kept up its soft, soothing melody. 
 
 On Good Friday all the men and women were dressed 
 in black, and every church was draped with purple. The 
 Virgin was dressed in heavy black velvet. The poor 
 Indians laid flowers, money and candles around the 
 image, and they could not have been more deeply 
 touched had the crucifixion taken place then instead of 
 so many hundred years ago. They kissed her feet, her 
 garments, and the fioor before her, and showed in a 
 thousand humble ways their love and. devotion. 
 
 The ceremony of the Tres Horas (three hours) was cel- 
 ebrated in Texcoco. First a lot of masked men ran 
 around the yard with sticks, beating the bushes, trees 
 and flowers as though in search of something. Then one 
 of the men who was far from representing Christ in 
 form, feature or complexion, took a heavy wooden cross 
 on his shoulders and walked into the church, being 
 lashed with a leather strap by the masked men. When 
 he fell the people covered their faces and groaned. He 
 fell three times before reaching the altar, where an efiigy 
 was nailed to the cross. Tlie sounds of the hammer and 
 groans and cries of the people made one feel as if some- 
 body had dropped a piece of ice down their back. Fi- 
 nally, amid the most heartrending cries, the cross was 
 raised and the ceremony was over. 
 
 All day wagons, horses, boxes, everything in the toy 
 line, with a racket in them, were sold to the people. All 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 103 
 
 the venders were located around the cathedral and Zocolo, 
 and the din could be heard several squares away. These 
 are called matracas. When Christ was on earth, they 
 say, they had no bells with which to call the people to 
 mass, so these matracas were made, and a number of men 
 would, promenade the streets, swinging them around to 
 keep up the incessant cracking. The men would cry 
 out, '^ The hour has come for mass, the hour has come 
 for mass,^^ and the faithful would hurry away to count 
 their beads and say their prayers. A foreigner told me 
 this custom was still in vogue in some parts of his coun- 
 try, France, during holy week. Hideous effigies, called 
 Judas, were for sale. Little ones made of lead were 
 bought and tied to the button-hole, the parasol, the 
 bracelet, the belt, or any other convenient place. Some 
 made of plaster of Paris and paper, from three inches to 
 twelve feet long, were bought by old and young and car- 
 ried home for Saturday. 
 
 Sabado de Gloria (Saturday of Glory) came bright and 
 sunny. All along the streets were strung long Judases, 
 some having pasted on them the thirty pieces of silver 
 for which he betrayed Christ; the image was made in the 
 most horrible form — as a negro, devil, monkey, half 
 beast, half human, every form that could possibly be 
 thought of. At 11 o^clock the bells began to ring mer- 
 rily, as though rejoicing over the fate of Judas, and a 
 match was applied to every image in the town; they were 
 all filled with powder, and with one accord there was a 
 universal bursting and tearing and rejoicing throughout 
 the city. As fervent as had been their devotion to the 
 Virgin, just as strong was their hatred of Judas — even 
 the smallest scraps they tramped upon. 
 
 By 12 o'clock gay colors were resumed, carriages which 
 had been rigorously kept out of sight came forth and 
 were flying down the paseo as if glad that the time of 
 quietness was past. All places of amusement, which had 
 been closed during Lent, began sticking up posters an- 
 nouncing a grand opening on the next (Sunday) evening. 
 The noise of the matracas grew fainter and fainter, and 
 gradually ceased. The wind picked up the stray pieces 
 of Judases, played with them awhile, and then carried 
 them out of sight. The venders who had jammed the 
 Zocalo gradually disappeared; the music in the different 
 
104 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO, 
 
 parks ceased, and Lent seemed as far gone, by the time 
 12 o'clock rang forth, as though six months had passed. 
 Such is life. 
 
 On Sunday the theaters, bull-fights, circus and race- 
 courses were well attended. The bull-fights were adver- 
 tised as the last of the season. The one I attended was 
 excellent. The bulls were good ones, and some very new 
 and striking features were introduced. One man sat 
 down on a chair in the center of the ring with two ban- 
 derillias in his hand. The door was opened, and the bull 
 rushed in and at him. He sat there, and as it put down 
 its head to gore him he stuck the banderillias into its 
 neck and sprung aside, while the bull knocked the chair 
 into atoms. Everybody cheered, and threw the fellow 
 money and cigars. After this toro had been dispatched, 
 one man lay clown on the ground and another stood over 
 him, keeping his head between his legs. Again they 
 opened the door and let a toro in. It rushed for the 
 men, but the one standing stuck the banderillias into it 
 with such force that it roared with pain and took after 
 one of the other fighters in the ring, leaving the two 
 men unhurt. The very daring of this delighted the peo- 
 ple, for if the man had missed the bull both of them 
 would have been killed without the least trouble. 
 
 One toro had horns about four feet wide, and at the 
 first plunge it killed one horse. Then it caught another 
 horse and threw it on its back, the rider underneath. The 
 fighters tried to draw it off, but it stayed there until the 
 horse was dead. All that could be seen of the rider was 
 his head, which he tried vainly to shield with his arms. 
 They carried him ofi for dead. This toro was very hard 
 to kill. It required seven lunges of the sword to convert 
 him into beef. One toro refused to fight, and when stuck 
 with a sharp pica he jumped over the fence and was with 
 the audience. Such a scrambling! Most of the people 
 threw themselves into the ring, about the first ones to go 
 being the guards, who are placed around to take care of 
 the people. It was quite a while before quiet was restored, 
 and the toro lassoed and removed. 
 
 Bull-fights have lasted longer this season than ever be- 
 fore, as it is impossible to fight during the rainy season. 
 Now a man comes forward and says he is going to cover 
 |ii§ ring and have fights all summer; this will make the 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 105 
 
 light in the ring dim, and the fighters will be at a disad- 
 vantage, not being able to calculate their distances. It 
 will also make the fights more dangerous and more in- 
 teresting. It is needless to add that the people are de- 
 lighted at the prospect. Last Sunday one man got so ex- 
 cited over the big toro^s fighting that when it was to be 
 stabbed he got down into the ring and, taking off his 
 high silk hat, asked the judge^s permission to do the 
 work. The audience rose to their feet and shouted 
 '"^ Yes, yes," but the judge was unkind enough to refuse, 
 and thereby deprived us of seeing a fellow in broadcloth 
 gored because he thought he could kill a toro. 
 
 Congress is in full session now. The other day they 
 passed a bill which was strongly opposed. It is to the ef- 
 fect that any one caught meddling with the railroads 
 will be shot down instantly without a mementos warning, 
 and without a trial. Doubtless many will say that it is a 
 first-class law when they think of the wrongs committed 
 on the railways in Mexico. But it is such a law as will 
 allow thousands of Mexicans whose ^' honor desires satis- 
 faction " to take advantage of it. The victim is shot, and 
 after he is dead the shooter steps forward and swears that 
 he saw him meddling with the railways, or knew he had 
 designs on them. This is all he has to do to be freed of 
 the murder. While we believe in dealing out unmerciful 
 punishment to train wreckers, yet this law is fit only for 
 uncivilized countries, and least of all for Mexico, where 
 people shoot on the least provocation, ofttimes just for 
 amusement, or to test their unerring aim, piercing the 
 bi-ain or heart every time. It is, certainly, a grand chance 
 for those who have a desire for revenge to obtain it and 
 go scot-free. 
 
 However, the law is only to be tried for one year, 
 and if it proves good it will be adopted permanently. 
 Now is the time for those who claim the country is ruined 
 by a ring to remove some of its links, especially the key 
 and padlock, and by doing so once again proclaim liberty, 
 and prove to the people that the ^^ shoot without trial 
 law " really did some good. 
 
 Cinco de Mayo (5th of May) was the next big day for 
 Mexico. Then they commemorated the victory over the 
 French, and it is done in princely style. A French 
 paper rather sensibly remarked that it would look better 
 
106 SIX 3I0NTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 if the Mexicans dropped this foolishness, as the French 
 whipped them on the 4th and again on the 6th. Some 
 little government-paid sheets came out in editorials as 
 mad as turkey gobblers at the sensible insinuation. 
 
 I for one am glad Lent and its eggs, red-pepper, and 
 bad-smelling fish is gone. What cowards our stomachs 
 make of us all. I really have begun to long for home, or 
 rather home-cooking. I have made out a list which I 
 view every day, and see how much longer my stomach 
 will have to endure this trash. Pixty-six more mornings 
 to drink black coffee and long for even ham and eggs, 
 with heavenly thoughts of hot cakes and butter. Fifty- 
 six more noons to eat boiled cheese, meat stuffed with 
 chili (red pepper), fish boiled in chili, with the fins, head, 
 eyes, and tail still adhering, dolce (dessert) of fried 
 pumpkin sprinkled with chili; fifty- six more suppers to 
 eat the same bill of fare set up cold; fifty-six more 
 evenings to wonder why pulgras and chinches were ever 
 invented. By the way, if it were not for their musical 
 names they would surely be unendurable. There is a 
 great deal in a name, after all, and if I had to call them 
 fleas and bedbugs I should take the next train for the 
 States. AVell, I have fifty-six more nights to spend in an 
 iron-bottomed bed and then I shall cross the Eio Grande, 
 and try once again the pests which inflict mortals there. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 GUADALUPE AlTD ITS KOMANTIC LEGEND. 
 
 We went up to the Zocalo to take a car for Guadalupe. 
 All the street cars start from this center, and on some 
 lines trains of three to ten in number are made up, so 
 that they may be able to resist the bandits who sometimes 
 attack them — at least, so the corporation claims. We de- 
 termined to try a second-class car, in order to find out 
 what they were like. ^ Our party seated ourselves and 
 watched the crowd as they came surging in. Two big 
 fellows, dressed in buckskin suits and wearing broad 
 sombreros, who sat opposite, never removed their gaze 
 from us. A pretty little girl and an old man who sported 
 a hat about two inches high in the brim, deposited them- 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 107 
 
 selves on one side of us, and a black, dried-np old fellow 
 occupied the other. 
 
 When the car was about filled, a woman with a baby 
 in her arms, folio wedf by her mother and husband, came 
 in; the women sat down facing us, while the husband, 
 who wore a linen suit — pretty dirty, too — and carried a 
 large purple woolen, serape, of which he seemed very proud, 
 wedged himself in be- 
 tween us and the piece 
 of parchment on our 
 left side. We were in- 
 clined to resent this 
 close contact, and were 
 beginning to regret we 
 had not taken the other car, where the people are a shade 
 cleaner, when a lot of Indian women, with babies and 
 bundles, crowded in, and, with a sudden rush which 
 knocked the standing ones on to the laps of the others, 
 we were off at a 2:40 gait. The women sat down on the 
 floor of the car, except one who was dressed a little bet- 
 ter than the others. She came up to the dirty Indian by 
 my side and told him to get up. He was about to do so 
 as an utterance of thanks escaped our lips, when his 
 mother-in-law and wife commanded him to sit down 
 again. 
 
 This he did in all humbleness, but the woman in 
 black commanded him to rise, as he had no money to 
 pay his fare. His mother-in-law's ire was up, however, 
 and she ordered him to display his wealth. He took out 
 a handkerchief, untied the corner and displayed one sil- 
 ver dollar and some small change; then the old lady dived 
 into the bosom of her dress, and untying a similar hand- 
 kerchief, displayed her worldly all. The woman in black 
 was convinced she had struck the wrong man, so she sat 
 down on the floor and related her side of the story to the 
 people in her end of the car, while the mother-in-law 
 dealt out the same dose at the other end. The conductor 
 came in, and, straddling over the women on the floor, 
 sold the tickets for six and a half cents. Another con- 
 ductor followed to collect the same, and soon we reached 
 our destination. 
 
 Guadalupe is the holiest shrine in Mexico. It is the 
 scene of a tradition that is never doubted for an instant 
 
108 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 by the people. In 1531 the Virgin appeared one evening 
 to a poor peon^ Jnan Diego, and told him to 2:0 to some 
 wealthy man and say it was her will that a church be 
 built on that spot. The Indian, in a great fright, obeyed 
 her command, but the wealthy fellow refused to put 
 credence in the incredulous story, so the peon returned 
 and told the Virgin, who was still there, of his failure. 
 She told him to return and show his tilma (apron) as 
 proof. 
 
 The amazed fellow did so, and the light disclosed 
 the picture of the Virgin painted on the apron. Still the 
 unbeliever doubted, and the Virgin sent for the third time 
 a bunch of fresh roses such as never before grew in this 
 country. The infidel took the flowers, and the picture of 
 the Virgin fell from the heart of a rose. > He was con- 
 vinced, and built a large church on the spot where the 
 Virgin appeared. 
 
 The church is a fine one, decorated with statues, paint- 
 ings and gold. The silver railing weighs twenty-sis 
 tons, and is composed of a metal composite. The church 
 authorities have received numerous offers for this rich 
 relic. Some persons desired to replace the railing with 
 one of solid silver, but this bargain was not accepted. 
 Diego's aj)ron is above the altar in a frame. On it is 
 painted a picture of the Virgin, but, to say the very least, 
 it was not drawn by a master hand. The bunch of roses, 
 which, they claim, never fades, is also shown in a glass 
 vase, and is gazed on with reverence by the believers. 
 Some unbelievers (some people doubt everything) say 
 fresh roses are put in every day, but they are probably 
 preserved. 
 
 It is the common belief that anything asked of the 
 Virgin of Guadalupe is granted. I have seen people 
 pray with their hands outstretched, and after awhile 
 murmur, ^'Gracious, gracious!^^ and get up as if the 
 favor had been received. Women ofttimes kiss the 
 floor when they think they have received mercy at the 
 hands of their dear saint. Near the door are hundreds 
 of rude oil paintings representing scenes in which the 
 Virgin has saved the lives of people. One man fell from 
 a second-story wirdow, and by murmuring the Virgin's 
 name escaped uninjured. Another was not crushed to 
 death, although his horse fell on him. One was released 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 109 
 
 from prison, many from fatal sicknesses, and hundreds 
 of canes and crutches in the corner testify to the many 
 who have been healed. 
 
 A little green plaza filled with tall trees, beautiful 
 flowers, and flowing fountains, separates the church of 
 the Virgin of Guadalupe from another, which, in order to 
 have some attraction, 
 boasts of a well in the 
 vestibule, which is ever 
 boiling up its muddy 
 water. The water 
 cures any disease, so 
 they say, and at any 
 time a crowd is found 
 around its magic brim 
 
 filling jars, bottles, 
 and pitchers to take 
 home, or supping from 
 the copper bowl that 
 is chained to the iron 
 bars that cover the 
 well. Very few can 
 suppress the look of 
 disgust when they try 
 to swallow the vile 
 stuff with the all-heal- 
 ing qualities. 
 
 Nor are these all the 
 churches of Guada- 
 lupe. Away up on the 
 top of a pile of rocks, 
 some hundred feet in height, is the oldest church of the 
 three. It is quite small, and filled with quaint paint- 
 ings. 
 
 At the back of it is the graveyard, where lies the 
 body of Santa Anna, and looking down over the brow of 
 the hill the tourist can see the building where the treaty 
 of peace was signed with the Americans in 1848. It is 
 now used as the barracks. At one side of the church is 
 one of the queer monuments raised in honor of the Vir- 
 gin. The Escandon family, who are believed to be worth 
 some 1205 900,000, once had a vessel out to sea, the loss 
 of which would have put them in bankruptcy. There 
 
 §^^' 
 
no SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 were great storms, and tlie vessel had been overdue so 
 long that everybody gave it up for lost. The Escandons 
 went to the church in a body and prayed to the Virgin to 
 restore their property, and they would in return build 
 in her honor a stone sail. It must have been considered 
 a big inducement, for a few days after the ship came in 
 safe, and the stone sail stands to-day a memento of the 
 Virgin^s goodness. 
 
 Down on the other side, almost at the foot of the hill, 
 is a grotto which, perhaps, is the only one of the kind in 
 the world. A poor Indian formed the rough side of the 
 stone hill into arches, benches, cunning little summer 
 houses and all sorts of retreats. This alone would not 
 have been very attractive, so he came to town and 
 gathered up all the pieces of china, glassware, etc., and, 
 with a cement he had invented, covered every inch with, 
 this stuff, fitting them neatly, smoothly and evenly to- 
 gether. All sorts of designs he made — the Mexican coat 
 of arms, pea-fowls, serpents, birds, animals, scenes from 
 life. Eve jolucking an apple in the Garden of Eden and 
 handing it to Adam. The work was done so well that it 
 now looks like the finest mosaic, and hence it is called 
 the Mosaic Grotto. Flowers, trees and vines are growing 
 inside, and by candle light it looks like a transformation 
 scene. 
 
 There are potteries located here where the Indians 
 make all sorts of queer little things, which have some 
 claim to beauty, and are bought by the natives as well as 
 foreigners. There is some talk of making a pleasure re- 
 sort at the village of Papotla, the historic Noche Triste, 
 where Cortes, when flying from the furious Aztecs, or- 
 dered a short halt, and, sitting down under an old knotted 
 and gnarled C3^press tree, wept at his failure. The tree 
 is not a thing of beauty and has very little life remaining 
 in it now; the top has been removed, and it has been 
 badly burned on the inside by some one who had no love 
 for the memory of Cortes, A large iron fence now sur- 
 rounds it, and effectually blocks the destroyers or trophy 
 gatherer^s hand from further vandalism. A pleasure re- 
 sort might do well here, as the surrounding country is 
 beautiful. Between here and the city is the canal over 
 which the Spanish commander, Alvavado^ made his fam- 
 ous leap, thereby saving his life. Stories of it differ. 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 Ill 
 
 One says that a wet, mossy log crossed the canal, and 
 the Spanish, seeing this their only means of escape, 
 tried to cross. The 
 condition of the- log 
 caused them to slip, 
 and they were drowned 
 in the depths below. 
 When Alvarado came 
 to it and saw the fate 
 of the others, he stuck 
 his spear, or halberd, 
 into the center and 
 safely sprung over. 
 Still others claim he 
 made the leap with- 
 out the aid of an in- 
 tervening log. 
 
 Another pretty story 
 has been exploded. 
 In the botanical gar- 
 den at the palace they 
 have the celebrated 
 flower Tzapalilqui- 
 Xochitl, of the Aztecs. 
 The story runs that 
 there are only three of 
 the kind in the world ^ 
 — one at the palace, 
 another at a different 
 point in Mexico, and 
 the mother plant on the mountain. At one time two 
 tribes had a long and bloody war for the possession of it, 
 so the story goes, but with a great deal more exaggera- 
 tion. The plant is commonly called the '^ flower- 
 hand," as they claim that inside is a perfect baby hand. 
 I went to see it, and was much disappointed. The 
 tree grows to a good height. The leaves, heart- shape, 
 are thick and about the color of the under part of a 
 silver-maple leaf, except that they are very rough, which 
 prevents them from glistening like the maple. The 
 thick, wax-like, bell-shaped red blossom grows mouth 
 upward, and inside is the so-called hand. It has five 
 fingers and one thumb, but looks exactly like a bird's 
 
112 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 claw, and not like a hand. The story ran that there are 
 but three in existence. Without doubt the plant is rare 
 and there may be no more than a dozen, if that many, 
 in the world; but I have seen in the gardens of two dif- 
 ferent gentlemen the very same tree. One of these gen- 
 tlemen is in Europe, and the other bought his plant 
 from him, so there was no way of learning where the 
 tree came from. 
 
 Mexican houses are built to last centuries. It is a 
 common thing to see houses two hundred years old, and 
 they are better than many they are putting up to-day, for 
 they are adopting the American style of building in as 
 small a space as possible, the structures to stand for a 
 few years. The house where Humboldt lived is near the 
 center of the city. It is not kept as a monument to his 
 memory, as one would suppose when they think of the 
 professed love of Mexico for him, but is occupied by a 
 private family. The only thing that marks the house 
 from those surrounding it is a snicill plate above the door, 
 on which is inscribed: ^'To the memory of Alexander 
 Humboldt, who lived in this house in the year 1808. In 
 the centennial anniversary of his birth. 'The German 
 residenters. September 14, 18G9.^' 
 
 At Tacubaya, two miles from the city, there is a large 
 tree, about one hundred and seventy feet in height. It 
 is green, winter and summer, and was never known to 
 slied its leaves, which are of a i3eculiar oblong shape and 
 a beautiful livid green. For the reason that it never 
 sheds its leaves it derived the name of ^' the blessed tree;" 
 the large fountain at the foot, which furnishes the 
 water for the poor of the village, is called *^ the fountain 
 of the blessed tree," and the pulque shop and grocery 
 store opposite are named *'the pulque shop and the 
 beautiful store of the blessed tree." 
 
 Mexico is the hotbed of children; the land is flooded 
 with them, and a small family is a thing unknown; they 
 greet you at every window, at every corner, on every 
 woman^s back; they fill the carriages and the plaza; they 
 are like a swarm of bees around a honeysuckle — one on 
 every tiny flower and hundreds waiting for their chance. 
 A man died the other day who was followed to the grave 
 by eighty-seven sons and daughters, and had buried thir- 
 teen, more than you can count in three generations in 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. llg 
 
 the States, so he was a father to the grand total of one 
 hundred children. There is another man living in Mex- 
 ico who has had two wives, and who has living forty-five 
 children. Down in a small village, out from Vera. Oruz, 
 is a father with sixty-eight children. Allowing the small 
 average of five to a family, one can see how numerous 
 the grandchildren would be. I am acquainted with a 
 gentleman whose mother is but thirteen-and-a-half years 
 older than he, and she has eighteen more of a family. 
 It is a blessed thing that, the natives are able to live in a 
 cane hut and exist on beans and rice, else the lists of 
 deaths by starvation would be something dreadful. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 A day's TKIP 01^ A STEEET CAK. 
 
 After being annoyed by the porter for two hours, who 
 feared we would miss the train, our party of two at four 
 o'clock in the morning started for Jalapa. Even at this 
 unholy hour a large crowd had gathered at the station, 
 where they busied themselves packing their luggage 
 aboard. Every woman had one male escort, some several. 
 The Mexicans surveyed myself and my chaperone in 
 amazement, but I defied their gaze and showed them that 
 a free American girl can accommodate herself to circum- 
 stances without the aid of a man. The mozo who had 
 carried the bothersome sachel demanded ''un peso" (one 
 dollar), which I very promptly refused, and gave him the 
 smallest change from my purse — twenty-five cents. The 
 seats run lengthwise, like in an ordinary street car, and a 
 Frenchman sitting opposite, who witnessed our little 
 transaction and my very limited knowledge of Spanish, 
 remarked: ^^ Well, mademoiselle, you are smarter than I. 
 A man charged me one dollar and a half just for the same 
 service that one rendered you, and, although I speak 
 Spanish, I had to pay it/' 
 
 The occupants of the car were the Frenchman and his 
 wife, a musician, wife and sister-in-law, a Mexican and 
 Frenchman solitaire, as they say here, and ourselves. It 
 was far from daylight, so, making themselves as com- 
 fortable as possible, they all went to sleep. The Mexi- 
 can women were dressed in plain black, with black veils 
 
114 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 and very high hats; they carried little black hand 
 sachels, wore no gloves, and their finger-nails, easily a 
 half-inch longer than the finger, were cut in the bird- 
 claw shape then so fashionable. The Frenchwoman did 
 not look very pretty, as she slept with her mouth open. 
 She was dressed in red silk, with red hat and veil, yel- 
 low gloves and linen duster. She was very fleshy, and 
 had, besides a hand saclicl, a cage in which were two 
 brown birds dotted with red, which they informed us 
 later were French canaries. Her husband was about six 
 feet three inches, and weighed undoubtedly three hun- 
 dred pounds. The solitaire Frenchman was bald-headed, 
 and had white side-whiskers, which stood out at right 
 angles to the length of one foot; his whiskers were the 
 largest part of him. The Mexican had a very red nose, 
 extremely thick lips, and was rather effeminate-looking. 
 The married Mexican looked exactly like a jolly Irish- 
 man—something very extraordinary. After I had fin- 
 ished this inspection by the dim light of a lamp which 
 hung in the center of the car, I too went to sleep, and 
 knew no more till the train stopped at the journey's end, 
 a few miles out from Vera Cruz. 
 
 It ended the train's journey, but not ours, for the rest 
 of the trip is made by tramway. The cars are very high, 
 have four seats, and the rays of the sun are excluded by 
 a tin roof and canvas sides. Six mules do the hauling, 
 and two cars — first and second-class — are run each way 
 daily. They run on a regular iron track, as it was once 
 the intention to run steam cars here. A great deal of 
 freight is hauled in this manner. The village surround- 
 ing this station is entirely composed of straw huts. We 
 were soon seated in the tram car, our number increased 
 by the guardsmen, who, as the old saying goes, were 
 armed to the teeth. A bell rang, and off we started with 
 a rush, the second-class car keeping close to us. Our 
 happiness would have been supreme had not the driver 
 lashed his mules continually. The scenery was fine. The 
 tall, graceful palms, the cocoa trees, the thousands upon 
 thousands of beautiful orchids and wild flowers, the 
 many-colored birds, some piping heavenly strains, others 
 taking their morning bath in the running stream which 
 crept along the wayside with a dreamy murmur; the de- 
 lightfully fragrant, balmy air, everything seemed to lend 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 115 
 
 its aid to make the scene one of indescribable loveliness. 
 It was interesting to note the homes and home life of 
 the natives in this rural spot; their straw houses are built 
 simply by setting trees for corner posts and sticking the 
 cane into the ground around them. The roof, of cane, 
 grass, or palm leaves, always runs up to a high peak. 
 Generally every house has a porch and more rooms than 
 one, but never any other floor than the ground. Some- 
 times they exhibit good taste in building and one house 
 will have several rooms, two or more porches and pretty 
 peaks and curves which one would think impossible to 
 make of cane; the furniture does not cost much, it con- 
 sists entirely of petates; they furnish the tables, the 
 beds, the chairs, and,' suspended by a rope, make a com- 
 fortable swinging cradle for the babies. This useful 
 piece of furniture is nothing more or less than a mat, 
 woven by themselves in plain or colored straw; these peo- 
 ple, no difference how poor, own burros, dogs, chickens, 
 pigs, and other domestic animals, which do not occupy 
 outside or separate houses, but live, sleep, and eat right 
 in among them. A pig is as much at home in the 
 kitchen or parlor as in a mud puddle. It is no un- 
 common sight to see sleeping children bound on one side 
 by a pig, on the other by a sheep, and at their feet either 
 a dog or a goat. 
 
 Dinner was secured at an inn situated midway on the 
 line. The landlord taxed each passenger one dollar for 
 the frugal repast, and even then did not seem satisfied. 
 The rays of the sun were beating fiercely down when the 
 travelers again boarded the tram car. One woman took 
 from her sachel a cross and prayer book, and read her- 
 self to sleep. The other Mexican girl leaned her head 
 on the back of the seat and went to sleep. The big 
 Frenchwoman turned her back to the side of the car and 
 putting her knees up on the seat she, too, went to sleep. 
 Her husband by this time was nodding slowly and sooth- 
 ingly, while the other Frenchman was trying to tickle 
 him by running a straw down his back, but at length he 
 tired of efforts unrewarded and sat down and went to 
 sleep. When I looked at the two Mexicans they were 
 asleep, one with a half-smoked cigarette in his mouth. 
 The driver had tied the lines around the brake lock and 
 was in the midst of the land of nod. Even the two 
 
116 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 holders of defensive weapons, wlio were there to guard 
 us from all sorts of imaginary evils, were so sound asleep 
 that a cannon shot would not wake them. Even the little 
 birds had tucked their heads carefully under their winsjs 
 and, maybe, were dreaming. It was all so comical that 
 I glanced at my little mother to find she was bravely try- 
 ing to resist the sleepy god. She gave me a drowsy, 
 sympathetic smile, while I buried my face in my light 
 shawl and laughed just like I used to do in church when 
 I would see anything funny, and my laughter was just as 
 hearty and hard to control. The mules had long ago 
 gone to sleep, but still managed to move slightly. The 
 situation was too overpowering, and I must confess that 
 after putting myself into as small a knot as possible I 
 deposited my entire body on the seat and soon went 
 sound asleep. 
 
 When I opened my eyes I found all the rest awake and 
 the married Mexican preparing to shoot birds. The 
 driver was certainly the most obliging fellow in the world. 
 When anything was shot he stopped the car and waited 
 until the other got off and procured his game. The Mex- 
 ican shot at everything which was living, except the trees 
 and flowers, but he got off for nothing but squirrels, and 
 the heartlessness of it made us wish they had a humane 
 society here, for many of the poor birds were disabled, 
 and the thought that they must live on in pain for many 
 days was not a pleasant one. 
 
 Our route lay over the old diligence road that con- 
 nected Mexico with the end of the world. Cortes, the 
 French and the Americans all traveled over it. We 
 crossed tlie old national bridge and saw the ruins of one 
 of the forts built by Cortes. When the Mexican tired of 
 his killing sport the three ladies joined him in a game of 
 cards, which the passengers and driver watched with ab- 
 sorbing interest, while the mules resumed their nap. I 
 was bored beyond endurance by the listlessness of the 
 company, and was not sorry when their attention was at- 
 tracted by a cart drawn by four oxen, which was descend- 
 ing a high hill in the distance. 
 
 The cards were put aside, and they began to talk about 
 the hacienda, which was clearly in view, and the beauti- 
 ful mansion, cathedral, and numerous homes for the lab- 
 orers, which held a commanding position on top of the 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 117 
 
 same high hill down which the cart was coming. When 
 we reached the brow of the hill, by looking back, we 
 could see a white streak which separated sky and earth, 
 and were told it was the sea at Vera Cruz, sixty miles 
 away. The cart stopped at this point, where the motive 
 power was renewed by fresh mules, and its passengers- 
 three women— kissed and hugged the trio of Mexicans in 
 our party. The hacienda, owned by our fellow trayelers, 
 once belonged to Santa Anna. AYhen we resumed the 
 journey it was drawing on toward evening, and I began 
 to view .the beautiful surroundings with but a lazy inter- 
 est; the queer fences, built of mud and topped with cac- 
 tus plant, and hedges formed of beautiful palms, fifty or 
 one hundred years old, commanded but a passing glance. 
 Pretty little homes, lovely gardens and sugar factories 
 had ceased to be of interest, so we settled down to rest 
 until the Frenchman stretched out his arm and ejacu- 
 lated *^ Jalapa!" 
 
 In a moment all weariness vanished, and we were fresh 
 as in the morning. I wish I could show you Jalapa just 
 as I saw it then. It nestled down in the valley like a 
 kitten in a cushioned basket. The white houses gleamed 
 like silver through the green trees, while the surround- 
 ing mountains were enveloped in a light bluish mist 
 which grew black as the distance increased. The sun 
 had just slipped behind one, leaving its golden trail, the 
 black and white clouds, the misty mountains all mixed 
 in one harmonious mass. We entered the town with a 
 rush, the driver blowing his tin horn to warn the inhabit- 
 ants of our arrival. A large crowd had collected at the 
 station, but only two hotel runners were there to bother 
 us, and as all the other passengers were citizens they 
 clung to us faithfully. The Frenchman said he would go 
 with us to the hotel and make all arrangements. He 
 took us to what he thought was the best, ^nd asked the 
 woman the price. " One dollar and fifty cents a day," 
 she said, and as we were satisfied he bade us good-bye, and 
 left us to the tender mercies of the Mexicans. The hotel 
 was certainly very clean and nice. In the courtyard were 
 trees and flowers. A porch paved with brick tile sur- 
 rounded this, and was hung at every available space with 
 bird cages. The building, only one-story, was painted 
 white, with trimmings of blue. The overhanging roof 
 
118 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 was down low, and the rafters, which are never hidden, 
 were painted a light blue. The sapper was undoubtedly 
 the best we had eaten in Mexico, and it immediatel}^ put 
 a warm place in our heart for the little superintendent, 
 who lived awhile in the States and there learned to cook. 
 
 Jalapa is at present the capital of the State of Vera 
 Cruz; the capital business is very different here from 
 what it is in the States; there, once a capital, always a 
 capital; here, every new Governor locates the capital 
 where it best suits his convenience, if that should be in 
 the forest. Orizaba and Vera Cruz have both served re- 
 peated terms, but Jalapa made a successful run and got 
 in at the last convention. It is a very old town, and not 
 only noted for the beauty of its women, who possess light 
 hair and ej^es, and beautiful complexions, but for the 
 beauty of its location. It is known as the flower garden 
 of Mexico, and the old familiar saying was, ^' See Jalapa 
 and die,-*^ as it was supposed to contain everything worth 
 seeing; but at present it is simply a beautiful, sleepy 
 l^aradise, reminding one of a pretty child in death — quiet 
 and still, almost buried in a wealth of flowers; the govern- 
 ment buildings and churches are very fine, but the houses 
 are only one story; they are built with low, red- tiled, 
 overhanging roofs, and are tastily painted. Some pink 
 houses have light-blue overhangers and vice versa, while- 
 white houses have blue or pink, and the yellow have blue, 
 pink, and white trimmings. Every street is very irreg- 
 ular, narrow in some places, wide in others, and as 
 crooked as the path of a sinner. One can walk for a 
 day and imagine they are on the same street all the time, 
 or on a diflerent one every thirty feet, just as fancy 
 dictates. 
 
 One would willingly spend a lifetime on this " spot of 
 earth let down from heaven,^' as the Mexicans speak of 
 it. Away over hills and ravines can be seen the great 
 Cofre de Perote, thirteen thousand five hundred and.fifty- 
 two feet high. A great mass of white porphyry, in the 
 shape of a chest, gleams from its dark side. From this 
 it derived its name, " Oofre.-" Still above all, as though 
 endeavoring to reach heaven, is the snowy peak of Ori- 
 zaba. The former is within a day's travel from the town, 
 and well deserves a visit. To the northeast, thirty miles 
 distant, is the lovely village of Misantla^ noted for its 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 119 
 
 beautiful scenery and Aztec temple and pyramid. A lit- 
 tle further north is another pyramid, the finest and old- 
 est in Mexico. Jilatepec is only seven miles away. It is 
 a lovely Indian village, peculiarly situated at the bottom 
 of a deep valley. Several foreign families are located at 
 the flower town of Cuatepec, owners of some of its far- 
 famed coffee plantations. 
 
 Jalapa has a population of 12,400, and an elevation of 
 4,335 feet. The climate is cool, the soil fertile, and the 
 town never visited by contagious diseases. All around 
 are plantations of coffee, tobacco, vanilla, cotton, maize, 
 and jalapa — the well-known old medicine which was a 
 remedy for every known ill to which flesh is heir to. 
 Jalapa is pronounced as though it were.spelled with an h, 
 with a soft sound to the a — Halapah. There are many 
 cotton mills around the suburbs that are well worth the 
 time it takes to visit them. We visited one owned by 
 our polite French friend. The building once sheltered 
 nuns, and the garden which surrounds it shows what it 
 might once have been, but is now one tangled mass 
 of climbing roses, lemon, orange and coffee trees, and 
 numerous flowers for which I know no name. At 
 the back, from a little stone turret, one can view a 
 smooth green plain divided by a silvery stream— known 
 by the inappropriate name of the Dry River, while it was 
 never known to go dry — which flows on to make that 
 ponderous machinery its slave, as it turns around with 
 almost diabolical glee. Men and women do the work. 
 They receive from one real to seventy-five cents a day. 
 The machinery all comes from England. 
 
 ]^ot far from the main Cathedral are the ruins of the 
 Convent of San Francisco. It is easily three hundred 
 years old, and is of immense size. Over the door of the 
 chapel part we could trace '^Property of King Philip, of 
 Spain, ^' while cut in gilt letters on a black plate, just a 
 little nearer the edge of the building, is the inscription, 
 '' Land of Benito Juarez." The baths are now used for 
 the benefit of the public, costing only six cents. The 
 open swimming baths are used for horses and dogs, the 
 former costing three cents, the latter gratis, providing 
 the canine accompanies the horse. The public laundry 
 is another place of interest. It is situated in the center 
 of the town, built of brick, with stationary porous stones 
 
no SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 for washboards. The city charges nothing for the nse of 
 the place. 
 
 When evening came I called my old landlady up and 
 offered her three dollars for the day. ^' 'No/' she said, ''I 
 want six dollars.'^ I was astonished, but managed — with 
 a mixture of English and Spanish — to tell her I would 
 pay no more. She went to her husband and he made 
 out a bill '' payable by Nellie Bly for two — supper, all 
 night, coffee and breakfast, six dollars."" I told her it 
 was all wrong, and added that she was bad, because I 
 did not know a Spanish word for cheat, but I wanted to 
 get as near it as possible. At last I tried to drive some 
 sense into her head, and exjolained that the bill for one 
 day for two was three dollars.^' " Si hay " (pronounced 
 '^'^see eye ^^), she asserted. ^^ Well, I came last night, 
 was here till this afternoon; one day, eh?^'' ^^No, two," 
 was her astonishing reply. ^^ Well, madame, twenty- 
 four hours is one day in the United States, and if it isn't 
 so here, I will start it now," I gave her three dollars; 
 and, remembering the old adage that " he who fights 
 and runs away lives to tight another day," and having no 
 desire to leave my bones in Jalaj^a or go to Vera Cruz 
 with a map drawn on my face with her finger nails, re- 
 turned to my room and left her to vent her rage on her 
 husband or servants, as she wished. But she was not 
 going to be beaten by a ^'^ gringo," so she sent for the 
 Frenchman who brought me there. He rapped on my 
 door, and asked what was wrong. I told him the old 
 lady was not only seeing double, but counted everything 
 by the second multiplication table. He laughed, and 
 said she thought I was a '' gringo," and she could cheat 
 me. He soon made her see clearer, and we remained the 
 following night and had supper for seventy-five cents. I 
 had learned pretty well how to make all arrangements 
 first, and proposed m the future not to drink a glass of 
 water until I knew the price. I had no intention of al- 
 lowing a Yankee girl to be cheated by a Mexican, man 
 or woman. 
 
 The next morning we started on our return trip to 
 Vera Cruz. We looked forward to it with pleasure, as 
 the former day spent on a street car was one of the most 
 pleasant and unique experiences of my life. We had very 
 few passengers down, the conductor, two soldiers, driver, 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 121 
 
 one old woman and ourselves^ and a game rooster, who 
 crowed at every village, and was treated with as much 
 consideration as a babe would have been. At the station, 
 just before we started, an old man who had heard us 
 speaking English, came up and spoke to us. He was an 
 American, but having lived in this town for forty years 
 had forgotten his mother tongue. His English was about 
 as good as the newsboy's wlio took me to his hotel in 
 Vera Oruz. The old woman was going about one hun- 
 dred and twenty-five miles to see her married daughter, 
 and she was bare-headed. This woman did not know 
 there was such a thing as the United States, could not 
 imagine what New York meant, and had never heard of 
 G-eorge Washington, not to mention the little hatchet 
 and the democratic cry of '^'If at first you don't succeed, 
 try, try again." She made the day's trip alternately 
 smoking a cigarette and reading her prayer-book. A 
 short way out on the road the driver got off and picked 
 up a little gray bird by the roadside. On examination 
 I found its side was terribly lacerated by a shot, but I 
 bound it up with my silk handkerchief and decided to 
 carry it to Vera Cruz, where I would try my hand at 
 surgery. The day passed similar to the former one, every- 
 body going to sleep after dinner; but the beauty of the 
 country, and the novelty of a day in a street car, robbed 
 it of all disagreeable features, and as we neared Vera Oruz 
 I not only noted this the spiciest experience of my life, 
 but said I would not exchange it for any other in the 
 Eepublic of Mexico. 
 
 OHAPTER XX. 
 
 WHER# MAXIMILIAK'S AMERICA^ COLONY LIVED. 
 
 0]sr opening my door one morning to leave for the rail- 
 way station a man, who had evidently been waiting by 
 the side of the entrance, sprung forward and seized my 
 baggage. My first impression was that he was a robber; 
 but I retained my screams for another occasion and de- 
 cided it was a mozo who wanted to help me to the train. 
 Remembering former experience, and wishing to profit 
 thereby, I rushed after and caught him just at the head 
 of the stairway. Olutching his blouse with a death grip, 
 I yelled, " Ouanto?" '' Un peso," he answered. Well, 
 
122 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 as I was a liealtliy American girl, and as strong as one 
 can be after several months' training on heans and cay- 
 enne pep23er, I had no intention of giving a great, big, 
 brown fellow $1 for carrying a five-pound sachel half a 
 square. I said ^' no ^Mn a pretty forcible manner, and 
 gave weight and meaning to my monosyllable by jerking 
 the sachel awaj. He looked at me in amazement, and as 
 he saw I was not going to be cheated he said fifty cents. 
 I said nothing, and, picking up the sachel, trudged down- 
 stairs. At the door he onee more approached me and 
 asked how much I Avould give. '^Un medio'' (six and a 
 quarter cents), I replied. ''Bueno,"he said, and took 
 it at the price, while I congratulated myself on saving 
 ninety-three and three-quarter cents. 
 
 The car was full of people who, we found out after- 
 ward, composed a Spanish opera troupe. Although 
 they were not many they filled the car, and in order to 
 get a seat we had to put down shawls, beer and wine- 
 bottles, band-boxes, lunch-baskets, a pet dog, a green 
 parrot, and numerous small things. Every woman had 
 at least three children, which were cared for by as many 
 nurses. Oh, what a howling, dirty, lazy mob! 
 
 T-he pretty little town of Cordoba lies about two miles 
 from the station, and street cars, hauled by four mules, 
 await each train and carry the passengers to the village 
 — first-class, twelve and a half cents; the cars wind 
 through little streets shaded on either side by beautiful 
 foliage, which, every here and there, gives the tourist 
 tantalizing glimpses of the exquisite tropical gardens 
 within; the street car passes the only hotel in the town — 
 the Diligencia. It is a low, one-story structure, and 
 looks more like a cattle-yard than a habitation for hu- 
 man beings; the overhanging roof droops toward the 
 pavement, and is within a few feet of the ground. In- 
 side one sees a little porch on one side, which, covered 
 with many trailing, curling vines, serves for the dining- 
 room. Opposite is an office and bedroom combined, 
 where, at the desk, sits a grizzly-haired man writing, 
 ever writing, from morning until night's shade hides the 
 tracing from his aged eyes. 
 
 He greets one with a weary, pathetic, smile, and a far- 
 away look in his saddened eyes, as though wondering what 
 Jaas become of all the guests who used to trip in gayly, 
 
SIX MONTBS IN MEXICO. 123 
 
 with black eyes and white teeth sparkling in evident 
 pleasure at reaching his hospitable board, with whom he 
 grasped hand, and in true Mexican style said, " My house 
 is yours/^ and that friend responded, "Your humble 
 servant/-' Poor old landlord, he has lived too long! The 
 advent of civilization has rushed in upon his friends and 
 crushed out'his trade. The noisy old diligencia has long 
 ceased to rattle except in his memory, and the modern 
 street-car stops at his door once in many months to leave 
 him a white- faced, curious stranger, whom he greets with 
 that strange smile and then returns to his writing, wait- 
 ing for that which is nevermore. 
 
 A man and woman came in on the same train, and the 
 latter offered her services to us, being able to speak the 
 two languages. When we entered, the chambermaid 
 took my troublesome baggage and led us back to where 
 the rooms formed a circle around the court. In the 
 center stood a large basin where several old horses and 
 mules — which looked like old ^' Eip " after his long sleep 
 — were lazily drinking. They paused long enough to 
 survey the unusual arrival. When we entered our room 
 the chambermaid — who is always of the male gender in 
 Mexico — set down my baggage and demanded fifty cents. 
 I, not feeling disposed to throw money away, decided not 
 to pay one cent. Accordingly, I laid aside my few words 
 of Spanish and spoke to him in English. " What do you 
 want? I don^t understand,^' etc. At last he took two 
 quarters from his pockets and held them before me on his 
 open palm. I calmly reached put, and, taking them, was 
 going to transfer them to my pocket when he, in great 
 alarm, yelled: "Ko, no!" and grabbing them, tied them 
 up in the corner of his handkerchief, with great haste 
 and evident pleasure. It had the effect of curing him, 
 for he immediately shook hands and left without demand- 
 ing more. 
 
 Cordoba, or Oordora, was established April 26, 1617, 
 with 17 inhabitants. It was during the time of the Vice- 
 roy Diego Fernandez de Cordoba, Marquis of G-uadal- 
 cazar, and was named for him. King Philip III. of 
 Spain issued the charter on November 29 of the same 
 year. The population to-day, composed oi Mexicans, 2 
 Germans and 1 American, is 44,000. It is built com- 
 pactly. The town is clean and healthful. Nearly all the 
 
124 SIX MONTHS IN 3IEXIC0. 
 
 streets are pavcd^ but everything lias a quiet, Sunday- 
 afternoon appearance. There are no public works, but 
 the surrounding plantations, which mark it as one of the 
 prettiest places in Mexico, furnish work for the popu- 
 lace. The Indians are cleaner and better looking than 
 those around the City of Mexico, and children are not so 
 plentiful. But one pulque shop is running, consequently 
 there are less drunken people than elsewhere, yet the jail 
 is full of prisoners. On Sunday people are permitted to 
 visit their friends in jail. They cannot go in, but they 
 can go as far as the bars and look through. The pris- 
 oners are herded like so many cattle. Their friends 
 carry them food. They push a small basket through the 
 bars, and the intervening officer puts it through another 
 set of bars into the hands of the fortunate receiver. 
 Sometimes the prisoners get a few pence and are enabled 
 to buy what they want from the venders who come there 
 to sell. Indeed, it is ofttimes difficult to say which mob 
 looks the worse, the one on the inside or the visitors. 
 
 The market at present is situated on the ground around 
 the plaza, but some well-disposed Spanish gentleman is 
 building what will be one of the handsomest jnarket 
 houses in Mexico. It is situated on the edge of town, 
 and the surroundings are most pleasing. On one side is 
 the ruins of an old convent, famous for the goodness of 
 the sisters, their exquisite needlework, their intelligence 
 and beauty. But time has laid his hand heavily on the 
 structure, and it has fallen into decay. At the back 
 stands a high marble shaft, broken at the top, and dotted 
 with green cacti which have sprung forth from the 
 little crevices. It has the appearance- of very old age, 
 but was erected in honor of those who fell in the fight for 
 liberty. One of the finest gardens in Mexico bounds the 
 other side. It is the proj^erty of the gentleman who 
 gave the ground and is building the market house, which 
 alone will cost 150,000. It is a marvel of beautiful walks 
 and cunning retreats. It seems absurd that such a spot, 
 so fitted for love-making, should be placed in a country 
 where they don^t know how to make nse of it. In the 
 center stands a Swiss cottage built of cane, with a stained- 
 glass window. 
 
 A stairway, also of cane, leads to the second story, and 
 little balconies surrounding the colored windows give one 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 1S5 
 
 fi lovely view of the entire valley and surrounding liills. 
 I wish it were in my power to give some idea of the beau- 
 tiful flowers which are forever opening up their pretty 
 perfumed faces in this entrancing spot; there are thou- 
 sands of roses, of all colors and shades, from the size of 
 a gold dollar to that of the fashionable female^s hat. One 
 spot shows tiny flowers fit for the fairies, of wonderful 
 shade and mold; next would be a large, healthy, rugged 
 tree, which bore flowers as delicate and dainty as any 
 plant in existence. It reminded one of a strong father 
 with his tiny babe in his protecting arms; the handsome 
 avenues are perfect bowers of beauty; the little birds in 
 the foliage twitter softly but incessantly. It is all life, 
 but in a subdued, gentle monotone, soft as the last lullaby 
 over the little child who has closed its eyes and, with a 
 smile, joined that heavenly band to which it rightly be- 
 longs. 
 
 This is the only place in Mexico where we found a 
 man who knew enough to have the flowers separated by 
 a green lawn. It is the universal rule here to grow any- 
 thing but grass, which is considered an unsightly weed. 
 A Spanish gentleman once took me to see the grounds 
 surrounding a Mexican mansion. The trees, flowers, 
 and shrubs, as well as the statuary and fountains, could 
 not be excelled, but the ground was bare as Mother Ilub- 
 bard^s cupboard, and swept as clean as a dancing floor. 
 '' This place cost more tl^an five million dollars, and 
 thousands more yearly," explained the gentleman. 
 ^^ You have nothing in the States to compare with it.-" 
 
 Cordoba supports three public schools and male and 
 female academies, one theater and about thirty churches. 
 The finest church, located next to the plaza, cost thou- 
 sands of dollars. It has a marble floor and twenty altars, 
 dressed in the finest lace, with silver and gold ornaments. 
 The frescoing displays exquisite workmanship. The 
 images are wax-clacl, and quaint. 
 
 The plantations surrounding Cordoba grow oranges, 
 pine apples, coffee, bananas, tobacco, rice, cocoanuts and 
 peanuts. Coffee was introduced into the West Indies 
 in 1714, and here in 1800. It grows best in a temperate 
 zone, and Vera Cruz raises more than any other state in 
 Mexico. Most every variety requires protection from the 
 sun, and will die if set out alone, so those having large 
 
126 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 groves plant cofiee in them. Others make double use of 
 their fertile land by planting groves of cocoa palms with 
 the alternate rows of coffee trees. The leaf and bark of 
 a coffee tree resemble that of a black cherry. The blos- 
 som is white and wax-like, with a faint perfume, and the 
 berries grow on a branch like gooseberries. A tree will 
 bear three years after planting the seed, and on one 
 branch will have ripe and green coffee and blossoms all 
 at the same time. When ripe it is gathered and laid on 
 the ground to dry, being stirred every morning to dry it 
 equally. This whips the hull off, and it is taken to the 
 village, where it sells for four cents a pound. Each hull 
 holds two grains. One tree will live and-bear, with little 
 or no cultivation, for eighty years. Bananas are four 
 years old before they bear. The finer banana is never 
 seen in the States, as it will not bear shipping. The kind 
 shipped there the people here consider unfit to eat unless 
 cooked, and they prepare some very dainty dishes from 
 them. There are more than fifty different varieties, from 
 three inches in length to three-quarters of a yard. The 
 small ones are the best. The leaves are used by the mer- 
 chants for wrapping- j)aper, and by the Indians for thou- 
 sands of different things. 
 
 Tobacco now grows in about half the states of the re- 
 public, and thrives up to an elevation of six thousand 
 feet. Formerly its cultivation was restricted to Orizaba 
 and Cordoba, and a leaf of it found growing elsewhere, 
 either accidentally or for private consumption, was, by 
 law, promptly uprooted by officials appointed to watch for 
 it. In 1820 two million pounds of it grew in this dis- 
 trict, but now the output is greatly decreased, owing to 
 the heavy taxes. Sugar cane grows in all but six states, 
 up to an elevation of six thousand feet. It requires eigh- 
 teen months for crops to mature, except in warmer soil, 
 when it takes from eight to ten months. 
 
 One remarkable thing is, that the men who own the 
 fine gardens surrounding the village do not live near 
 them, as one Avould suppose, but inhabit stuffy little 
 houses in the midst of the town. One bachelor has on 
 his plantation plants from all parts of the world, over 
 which he has traveled ten times. He cultivates all kinds 
 of palms in existence, among which we noticed what is 
 known as the ^^ Traveler's tree.^' It is a strange looking 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 127 
 
 thing, with long, flat, thick leaves growing up as though 
 planted in the center and hanging loose at the ends. 
 The flower is beautiful, with three long petals, the upper 
 two white and the under one a sky blue. It is of a wax- 
 like stiffness. Eeaders of books of travel will be familiar 
 with the tree. It derives its name from the fact that it 
 grows in the desert where no water is to be found. On 
 thrusting a penknife into its body a clear stream of water, 
 probably a pint and a half, will flow from one cut, and 
 people traveling through the desort quench their thirst 
 from this source, hence its name. The water is very cool 
 and has a slight mineral taste, but is rather good and 
 pleasing. It gives water freely all day, but, after the sun 
 sets, is perfectly dry. 
 
 The bread and quinine trees are among his interesting 
 collection. One odd plant attracted attention. It bore 
 a round, green leaf, but wherever there is to be a blossom 
 the four leaves turn a pretty red and form a handsome 
 flower, each leaf forming a petal. The true blossom, 
 which does not amount to much, being long and slim, 
 like a honeysuckle, forms the stamens. It is of foreign 
 importation, and grows m a climbing vine, whole arbors 
 beiug covered with it. The grounds are surrounded by a 
 hedge of cactus, which is strong and impassable. The 
 Yucca palm and fruit cactus grew off in a corner by 
 themselves.' Several small streams run through this 
 plantation, spanned by lovely rustic bridges. In the 
 deep ravines are found ferns of every variety known, 
 and on the trees a collection of orchids which, I believe, 
 has no equal in any country. The happy owner, who is 
 a bachelor worth about $20,000,000, lives in a little house 
 in the center of this town, which has never been furnished 
 until last winter, but in the courtyard he has plants from 
 every country in the world, for which the shipment alone 
 cost 140,000. 
 
 Down by Cordoba I found a tribe of Indians who are 
 not known to many Mexicans excepting those in their 
 vicinity; they are called the Amatecos, and their village, 
 which lies three miles from Cordoba, is called Amatlan; 
 their houses, although small, are finer and handsomer 
 than any in the republic. Flowers, fruit, and vegetables 
 are cultivated by them, and all the pineapples, for which 
 Cordoba is famous, come from their plantations; they 
 
128 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 weave all their own clothing, and have their own priest, 
 church, and school. Everything is a model of cleanli- 
 ness, and throughout the entire village not one thing 
 can be found out of j)lace; the women are about the 
 medium height, with slim but shapely bodies; their 
 hands and feet are very small, and their faces of a beau- 
 tiful Grecian shape; their eyes are magnificenb, and 
 their hair long and silky; they dress in full skirt, with 
 an overdress made like that we see in j^ictures of Chinese 
 women, or like vestments worn by priests of the Catholic 
 Church. It is constructed of cotton in the style and 
 pattern of lace. Around the neck and ends it is beauti- 
 fully embroidered in colored silk, the dresses always 
 being white. On the feet they wear woven slippers of a 
 pink color, and on their heads a square pink cloth long 
 enough in the back to cover the neck, like those worn 
 by peasant girls in comic operas; the arms are bare, cov- 
 ered alone with bands and ornaments; the neck is en- 
 circled with beads of all descriptions, and is also hung 
 with silver and gold ornaments; the ear-rings are very 
 large hoops, like those introduced into the States last 
 fall; they never carry a baby like other tribes, but all the 
 children are left religiously at home. 
 
 The men are large and strongly built, not bad-featured, 
 and wear a very white, low-necked blouse and panta- 
 loons, which come down one- third the distance between 
 waist and knee. They also wear many chains, orna- 
 ments, bracelets, and earrings. They are always spot- 
 lessly clean, and if they have a scratch on their body — of 
 which they get many traveling the thorny roads — they do 
 not go outside their village until entirely healed. They 
 are industrious and rich, and never leave their homes 
 but once a week, where they bring their marketing and 
 sell to the Indians in Cordoba, as they are never venders 
 themselves, selling always by the wholesale. Their lan- 
 guage is different from all the others, but they also S23eak 
 Spanish. The women are sweet and innocent. They 
 look at one with a smile as frank as a good-humored 
 baby\ and are undoubtedly the handsomest and cleanest 
 people in the republic. I would not have missed them 
 for anything, and can now believe there are some Indians 
 like the writers of old painted them. 
 
 In th^ time of Maximilian a colony of Americans asked 
 
 A 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 139 
 
 the emperor for land on which to settle. He kindly 
 gave them their own choice^ and they settled at Cordoba, 
 where they had the advantage of the tropical clime and 
 were secure from yellow fever. They were three hun- 
 dred in number, and in a short time, with true American 
 industry, they made business brisk. Three American 
 hotels were established, and the plantations were the fin- 
 est and most prosperous in the land. Maximilian looked 
 on the little band with favor and gave them ample aid 
 and protection. During the rebellion the liberty party 
 made raids on their homes, destroyed their property, and 
 not only made them prisoners and hurried them off to 
 Yucatan — a place from which there is no escape — but 
 murdered them whenever they wanted some new amuse- 
 ment. Maximilian was powerless to help those who had 
 prospered under his care, and just when he was to be 
 shot the last of the colony, who feared the liberty party, 
 deserted their once happy homes and went to another 
 country. Only one remained. Dr. A. A. Russell, who 
 has been .the solitary American here for twenty years. 
 The hotels have disappeared," and the plantations, now 
 possessed by Mexicans, bear no traces of their once tidy 
 and prosperous appearance; this is the history of the first 
 and last American colony ever formed in Mexico, given 
 me by the last remaining colonist, who reminds one of 
 the last chief, inconsolable and disconsolate, keeping 
 vigil at the tombs of his people until death shall claim 
 him too. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 A MEXICAK AECADIA. 
 
 ^' If you come over here you will get a better viow,^^ 
 spoke a gentleman as he came from the back end of the 
 car hauling us from Cordoba to this place. We were 
 nearly breaking our backs in a vain endeavor to look over 
 a man and wife, surrounded by almost as many children 
 as belonged to the old woman in the shoe, down the per- 
 pendicular side of the mountain into the deep ravine be- 
 neath. We took a survey of the speaker, of his light 
 woolen suit with wide sombrero to match, his pleasant, 
 handsome face, and mentally decided that he was not 
 only worth looking at, but also worth talking to. By the 
 
130 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 time tlie train had passed the barranca we were in a deep 
 conversation, quite after the manner of Americans, and 
 although none of us asked any impudent questions we 
 were discussing marriage and women^s rights, 
 
 ^^ I think every woman should be taught some useful 
 occupation/^ he said, '^ and their education should be un- 
 limited. But the one great fault of the world is not 
 paying a woman what she is worth. There are few 
 things in which a woman is able to sell her talents at the 
 same price as a man, and it is a reproach to humanity 
 that it is so. I have three daughters now at school. 
 The eldest 13 studying to be a physician, the second has 
 great artistic ability which she is cultivating, and the 
 third is a good musician. In either of these vocations 
 they can take their place among men and receive the 
 same recompense. 
 
 *'I am living in Orizaba now, ^^ he continued, ^'and 
 have been hunting deer for the past few days just below 
 Cordoba. We saw plenty, but our man and dogs did not 
 understand the game, so we returned empty handed. 
 The only thing wounded is my friend back there, who 
 fell out of a hammock while we were away and sprained 
 his ankle. '^ As we told him Orizaba was also our desti- 
 nation, the next question was where did we intend to stop, 
 and found it was the place where he lived. After he had 
 given the wounded man into the care of friends, we got 
 on a car and soon reached our hotel. It was so dainty 
 and nice that I cannot resist a brief description for the 
 benefit of those who may some day be in its locality. 
 
 It is known as the La Borda, and is near the station, 
 as well as the best in the town. The rooms are a model 
 of cleanliness and neatly furnished. Erom the front one 
 can survey part of the village, and the range of mount- 
 ains outlined against the sky like immense waves, each 
 one climbing higher, and above all the great mountain, 
 that majestic monument which wears its snowy night- 
 cap seventeen thousand two hundred feet above the level 
 of the sea. At the rear of the house, just below the din- 
 ing-room windows, is a never-ceasing waterfall which" 
 goes to feed some mills in the vicinity. In the first glim- 
 mer of day with our wakening senses we hear its mur- 
 muring song with that of the birds. Its sound is in a 
 gentle, half-subdued manner, as though enticing the 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. V61 
 
 birds to come nearer to its brink and bathe their toes and 
 quench their thirst with its foaming waves. Near mid- 
 day it gets loud and boisterous, and you seem to hear: 
 *'The day is short, improve your time/' over and over 
 with a monotony that rather fascinates us. 
 
 Directly above this wonderful fall is a cozy little garden, 
 cultivated by the landlady, who also deserves a word! 
 She is a German, who accompanied her husband to this 
 country some years ago. He died and left her in a strange 
 land with two baby girls, whom she maintains by running 
 this hotel. She is quite pretty, and speaks German and 
 Spanish fluently, while she is studying English, and under- 
 stands some now. She keeps her house, like most Ger- 
 mans, as clean as it can possibly be made, and endeavors 
 to have all her guests feel at home. The cooking is so 
 good and everything so comfortable that one would fain 
 have the little German woman and the La Borda in every 
 town in the republic. 
 
 Orizaba is a beautiful little valley surrounded by a 
 chain of majestic mountains. The houses are white 
 and most generally of one and two stories. There are 
 25,500 inhabitants. It was for a long time the cap- 
 ital of Vera Cruz. When this place was first founded 
 m the year 1200 by the Tlascaltacas, its original name 
 was Ahanializapan, which, translated, meant ^^ Pleasure 
 m or on the water.'' The people prospered and lived in 
 peace and happiness until the Aztec Emperor Montezuma 
 reduced them to his dominion in 1457. Still under such 
 a good and wise king they could not be otherwise than 
 happy in this lovely garden, until Gonzalo Sandoval un- 
 dertook and was successful in conquering them in 1521. 
 But even war did not stop its progress, and in ten years 
 later, in 1531, the governor gave it its present name, the 
 Valley of Orizaba. The people grew in intelligence, and 
 were industrious and religious. In 1534 they built their 
 first parish church, Gonzalode Olmedo, and as early as 
 1599 had put up a building and opened their first school. 
 Inhabitants increased rapidly, and in 1774 it took the 
 rank of town. Not satisfied yet, they built up, and the 
 population increased by birth and new settlers until in 
 1830 it was declared to be a city. 
 
 Orizaba was for a long time capital of its state. Vera 
 Cruz, and is now the pleasure and health resort for peo- 
 
18^ SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 pie from all over the republic, besides being the home 
 of the wealthy people of Vera Cruz. No yellow fever or 
 any of the other diseases come to this dainty va;lley, yet 
 twelve doctors are holding forth and trying to gain a liv- 
 ing in the vicinit}^ All are Spanish, with the exception 
 of one, an Austrian, and only two speak English, one of 
 whom used to write for an American paper. Eor the en- 
 tire ]3opulation there are but three baths (banos), but 
 the poor can go to the river which runs near b}^ The 
 only amusements are the billiard hall, bowling alle)^, and 
 two fine theaters. One contains 272 lunetas, eighteen 
 plateas, nineteen palcos, and one galeria. The other cost 
 Il00,000, and has a magnificent interior. It has 252 
 lunetas, eighty balconies, three grilles, thirteen first-class 
 and thirteen second-class palcos, and one galeria. 
 
 On the map there are recorded but eleven churches, 
 but even from our hotel window we could count many 
 times the number. Those recorded are the San Antonie, 
 Calverio, Concordid, Las Dolores, Santa Gertrudes, San 
 Jose de Gracia (ex-convent), San Juan de Dios, San 
 Maria, Tercer Orden and La Parroquis, which is the 
 largest and finest. It is situated in the zocalo and has 
 had its steeple knocked off three times by earthquakes. 
 The latter seem to have a special grudge against this one 
 church, for although they have caused the towers of many 
 others to lean, they have never shaken any of them 
 completely down. Orizaba must be a very naughty child 
 ■ — beautiful children most always are — for Dame Nature 
 often gives it a shaking. She is an indulgent and not 
 very severe mother, as little or no damage is ever done by 
 the correction, excepting to this one cathedral. During 
 our stay the earth shivered as though struck with a chill, 
 but the people paid no more attention to it than we do 
 to a summer shower; not half so much, in fact, as we do 
 when the mentioned shower threatens to ruin our Easter 
 bonnet. 
 
 Two little Spanish papers of four pages, or two sheets, 
 about 8x6 inches square, retail at twelve and a half cents 
 and furnish the news for the inhabitants. The children 
 here should not be lacking in education, as there are ten 
 schools for boys and six for girls; they can start at any 
 age, and go as long as they wish. Besides this, the gov- 
 ernment sustains a preparatory college of one hundred 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO, 133 
 
 and fifty students^ at the yearly cost of eleven thousand 
 dollars; a high school for girls, two hundred and fifteen 
 pupils, at two thousand eight hundred dollars, and a 
 model school for boys, one hundred and eighty students, 
 at five thousand six hundred dollars. The government 
 also gives a subsidy to five adult schools of six hundred 
 dollars. The municipality schools, four for boys, three 
 for girls and five for adults, cost 5^early eight thousand 
 dollars. In addition, there are twenty-nine private 
 schools, with an attendance of five hundred and forty 
 girls, six hundred and forty boys and sixteen adults; yet, 
 with all this well-made report, there are in the Republic 
 of Mexico two million five hundred thousand people who 
 cannot read or write. 
 
 Orizaba has rather a big heart — they furnish a free 
 home for men and one for women with hospitals attached, 
 but one don't dare mention their cleanliness or order; 
 they are under the superintendence of the Board of 
 Charity. There is also a retreat for the insane, which, 
 like ours in the States, occupies a spot free from all 
 other habitations. The last year's report of the town's 
 statistics shows that they received indirect contributions, 
 125,000; direct contributions, 120,000; miscellaneous 
 sources, 14,000; municipal rights, $4,000; contribution 
 of twenty-five per cent, to Federal district, $27,000. 
 Pulque shops are scarce, there being only three, besides 
 one lithographer, one public garden, two photographers, 
 one dentist, four established cigarette manufactories, and 
 one lottery, for it is impossible to find a Mexican town 
 without. There are no Americans in the -town, except 
 those who belong to the railroad. 
 
 Many things of interest are to be seen in and around 
 Orizaba. One who cares to climb can ascend the Oerro 
 del Berrego and view the old ruins which mark the spot 
 where the Mexicans were defeated during the French 
 invasion, June 13, 1862. A little way out is Jalapilla, 
 where Maximilian resided a short time after the French 
 army had gone, and where he held the famous council to 
 determine whether he should abdicate or not. One and 
 a half miles south are large sugar plantations and mills. 
 Besides, there are several waterfalls, between two and 
 five miles distant, noted for their beauty and strange- 
 ness; the Cascade Eincon Grande is about one mile east; 
 
134 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 the water lias a fall of over fifty feet, and all around is a 
 luxuriant growth of vegetation, which helps to make 
 the spot one of the prettiest in Mexico. Donn Tonardo 
 Cordoba is a forty-foot fall, which disappears in a round 
 hole in the earth, falling to a depth that has never been 
 measured. 
 
 Another thing interesting to foreigners are the old 
 Spanish deeds, written on parchment during the time of 
 Cortes. They can be seen at the register's office by giv- 
 ing the man in charge two reals for his trouble. On 
 Sunday afternoon bull-fights are held in an old convent, 
 and what was once a fine church is now the barracks for 
 a garrison and hall for the Masonic lodge. 
 
 Many people have a fancy to climb the peak of Orizaba, 
 which is 17,200 feet high. It requires but five hours of 
 a good climb to reach the summit. The last eruptions 
 it had were in 1545 and 1566. Several times it has. been 
 reported smoking, but the rumors were finally, on in- 
 vestigation, pronounced unfounded. The well-to-do peo- 
 ple occupy one and two-story houses with overhanging 
 and tile roofs, while the poor class consti'uct their man- 
 sions out of old boards, sugar cane stalks, barrel staves, 
 pieces of matting, sun-dried bricks, and thatch them 
 with palm leaves and dried strips of maguey. Their 
 floor is always the ground. The highest temperature in 
 the shade at Orizaba is 30 deg., the lowest 12 deg., but 
 the average is mostly 21 deg., with always an east wind 
 prevailing. 
 
 Orizaba is a delightful place for a stranger to stroll 
 about in. We started out to see the town without guide 
 or companion, and felt ourselves fully repaid by the many 
 strange and delightful things we saw. 
 
 We went to the market, which is situated on an open 
 square, and examined all the curious things. The birds 
 especially attracted our attention, the many varieties, 
 colors and shapes, and the extremely low prices, some 
 selling for a medio (6|- cents), others for a real. Young 
 parrots were fifty cents, mocking-birds $1, and buglers, a 
 bird shaped like the mocking-bird, but lighter in color and 
 far superior in song, 12.50 and $3. All that restrains one 
 from making a large investment is the fact that many 
 cannot live in cages, as none know on what food they sub- 
 sist, consequently they have to die. Little snow-white 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 135 
 
 dogs, with bright black eyes and hair fine as silk, about 
 three to five inches in length, sell for $2, while the famous 
 Ohihuajiua dog, which weighs about half a pound when 
 full grown, commands from $75 to llOO, since tourists 
 have ruined the prices. 
 
 Out by the unlucky Cathedral wo saw the hearse of 
 the town. It is the shape of a coffin, held aloft by 
 springs above four wheels. It is draped with crape and 
 plumes. Two black mules, stuck with plumes on every 
 available spot, draw it, and the driver, dressed in black 
 with high hat decorated with a plume, handles the reins, 
 perched on a small seat about four feet above the rest of 
 the hearse. The coffin is slid in at the back or end like 
 the case in which coffins are often hermetically sealed. 
 
 Selecting a poor street, we started to make our way 
 toward the mountains. On it we found a row of houses 
 numbered in the following style: January 1, February 2, 
 March 3, April 4, May 5, June 6, July 7, August 8, Sep- 
 tember 9, October 10, November 11, "December 12. Still 
 further down we saAV one called '^ The place of Provi- 
 dence,^^ each different door designated as " The place of 
 Providence A, the place of Providence B,^' and so on 
 throughout the alphabet. Next we came to a laundry 
 which did not remind us in the least of those at home. 
 The river was the tub, a porous stone the washboard, 
 and the little bushes and green bank the clothesline. In 
 this manner all the washing of the town is done. We 
 admired the washwomen for quite a while as they rubbed 
 the clothes on the stone and then doused them up and 
 down in the stream. 
 
 At last we concluded to jump across and go down on 
 the other side, but we forgot we were women and that 
 the dress of last fall was extremely narrow. We jumped 
 from one washboard to another."^ We landed on it all 
 right, but we did not stay long, but slipped back into 
 the water, which Avas about three feet deep, much to our 
 consternation. On our way home we stopped at the 
 Tivoli, the bath-house and the main alameda, which is 
 situated at the foot of an immense mountain, and is said 
 to be one of the prettiest in the republic. The walks 
 and drives are wide and nicely paved, a great variety of 
 trees furnish the shade and musical fountains are jolenti- 
 ful, A nmsio stand ia in the cejiter aii4 Js occupied 
 
186 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO,] 
 
 nightly by a good band. The water-carriers were get- 
 ting their supply from one of the large basins; they were 
 also different from others we have seen. They have a 
 long pole across their shoulders, and susj)ended from each 
 dnd is a bucket containing the water, after the style of 
 the milkmaids in the States. It seems strange that 
 though every city has its water-carriers and that every 
 one in the same tovrn carries exactly alike, yet in no two 
 towns do they carry in the same manner. 
 
 I cannot forget to introduce you to the pleasant gen- 
 tleman we met on the train. He is Mr. A. Baker, Her 
 Britannic Majesty^s Consul at Vera Cruz. He speaks 
 fluently fifteen different languages, and when I asked 
 him if he was not very proud of the fact, he replied: 
 "Yes, until I met a waiter in a restaurant who could 
 speak eighteen."" He is a widower, and came here ac- 
 companied by his only son, while his three daughters are 
 at school in Europe. The common expression made of 
 him here is, that " he is good enough for an American.-" 
 Now you can judge how agreeable he is. He has been 
 knighted three different times, and was colonel in two 
 different armies, yet he is still plain Mr. Baker. '^ Oh, 
 I had ancestors," lie said, jokingly, as we were discussing 
 people's little vanities, '^^and they came over in the ship 
 of the conquerors, also. My forefather was a cook. One 
 day the bread was exhausted, and there was no way to 
 procure more, so the cook made some pancakes, and 
 waited in terror while they were taken in to his majesty. 
 At last he got a summons to appear before him; trembling 
 and expecting to be beheaded, the poor fellow sank at 
 his sovereign's feet, when, instead of a sentence to be 
 executed, he heard: ^Rise, Sir -Baker.^ Since then that 
 has been the family name." 
 
 Accompanied by Mr. Baker, we started north to see a 
 waterfall, and to take the train at the next station. We 
 got in a car and went winding in between the high 
 mountains from which the black marble is quarried un- 
 til we reached a stretch of land, where we alighted and 
 crossed the fields until we came to that wonderful stream. 
 The water is quite cold and mineral, and as clear as 
 crystal, one being able to see the bottom at the depth of 
 twenty feet as though there was no water intervening. 
 Down wli^re tJje water was more shallow were several 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 137 
 
 liorses fishing for the grass that grows in the bottom; 
 they thrust in their heads until their eyes were in the wa- 
 ter, and then pulled out a mouthful of grass; they made 
 a beautiful picture. Baths are situated here, and trees 
 grow around just plentiful enough to be pretty. Foot 
 logs span the stream, and the cool, green, velvety plots 
 invite a longer stay. 
 
 On one foot log we discovered what appeared to be 
 walking leaves, as the green leaves glided along, moved ; 
 by an unseen power. Investigation proved them to be 
 an army of ants, each one carrying a leaf on its back 
 which looked like a little sail. On the edge of the bank, 
 half in the water, half out, lay a branch of willow. These 
 little things climbed it, risking life and limb, and, cut- 
 ting off a leaf, hoisted it on their backs and marched 
 easily a quarter of a mile to their home. They had a 
 path of road about five inches wide made along the grass 
 all the distance. The street cleaners must be faithful, 
 as it was as clean as could be, shaded on either side by 
 the grass, without one blade in their way. They crossed 
 the foot log and disappeared in a hole at the other end. 
 We wondered what they were making inside with those 
 many leaves. They were so interesting at their work that 
 it was with reluctance we left them. Boarding our train, 
 with much regret, we were soon lost to sight of the Val- 
 ley of Orizaba and were once more on our way to a new 
 and strange city. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 THE VTOi^^DERS OF PUEBLA. 
 
 If the innocent-looking tourists believed all that is told 
 them here they would conclude that every spot and town 
 of interest had been built by the Virgin and the angels. 
 One night many, many years ago, so the story runs, one 
 good priest, who was known by the name of Motolinia, 
 which means humble, mean, lowly, had a vision. A 
 number of sweet angels — all of the feminine gender — 
 draped with some soft, thin material, with long, silky 
 black hair that fell to their feet in heavy folds, and 
 sparkling black eyes, took the good father in their arms 
 and bore him through the air to a spot not far distant from 
 his little hut. After setting up a stone cross, which, at 
 
138 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 their petition, apparently descended from the skies, they 
 helped him to build churches, houses, factories, and bull- 
 rings (perhaps). It took seven days and the same num- 
 ber of nights to build the world, but the city of Puebla 
 was built in a few moments. Probably the fatigue from 
 work or the unusual company made the good man tired 
 and drowsy, so he fell asleep, as sweetly as a babe, fanned 
 by the wings of the heavenly beings around him. Waking 
 from a most refreshing nap, in which he had dreamed of 
 honey, golden crotvns, feathered wings, and regiments of 
 beautiful creatures, he found to his surprise that he was 
 once again in his little bed, with no angels in sight. 
 ^' They have gone out to complete the work, while I, 
 lazy creature, slept," thought the good father, and going 
 to the window he flung it open. He saw the green plain 
 undisturbed. 
 
 At first he was surprised and disappointed, and had he 
 been a dyspeptic all would have ended there, and this 
 story would not have to be told; but, like a good and 
 faithful believer, he worked out a solution of the strange 
 vision, which was that the angels had appeared to show 
 they wanted the work done and how, but he must ac- 
 complish it himself. To prove beyond doubt their visit, 
 the stone cross was left standing where their angelic 
 hands had placed it. So encouraged, and with great 
 faith, he related his vision to the people, and with their 
 aid began to build the city of Puebla around the stone 
 cross, leaving more than a square vacant where it stood. 
 This was three hundred and fifty-five years ago, on the 
 16th of April. The square is now used for the city mar- 
 ket, and the stone cross, revered and respected, is stand- 
 ing in the courtyard of what was the convent of Santo 
 Domingo, but now a church, where at the same place 
 they will take from the altar and show you a coat which 
 was once worn by a very holy monk, and for some good 
 act the Virgin stamped her picture on the sleeve of it. 
 It is very interesting to look at, even if one be so unfort- 
 unate as to possess but little faith; the most interesting 
 thing in Puebla is its churches. Every one has some 
 wonderful tale attached. 
 
 Puebla was named in honor of its first visitors, Puebla 
 de los Angles (Town of the Angels), but it is very seldom 
 spoken of except as Puebla. The corner-stone of the 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 139 
 
 first cliurcli was laid in 1531, and that of the first cathe- 
 dral in 1536. Both of these buildings have disappeared, 
 as they were originally, though it is proven that part of 
 the former is the present Sagrario, covered with parasites 
 and in almost utter ruins. The present cathedral was 
 finished in 1649, and is one of the finest and most ex- 
 pensive in Mexico. One of its towers alone cost $100,000. 
 The high altar, composed of Mexican marble and onyx, 
 is one of the finest ever constructed. It is said to have 
 cost 1200,000. This altar, before the reform, was loaded 
 with gold, silver, and jewels. The bishops' sepulcher is 
 beneath. A beautiful carving in ivory of the Virgin, 
 which was completed after three years' hard labor, and 
 a wonderful curtain, which was a present from the King 
 of Spain, as well as the dungeons beneath, are a few of 
 the things worth seeing. It has eighteen bells. The 
 largest weighs nine tons. 
 
 The Chapel of Oonquistadora contains an image of the 
 Senora de los Eemedios, which was presented by Cortes 
 to the Hascallan, Don Axotecatl Cocomitzin, for his good 
 help and friendship during the time of the bitter war 
 with the other natives. Upon the main altar lie the re- 
 mains of the man who first introduced oxen into Mexico, 
 and who for many years was the means of passage and 
 communication between Mexico and Vera Cruz. His 
 name was Sebastian de Aparicio. He was born in 1502, 
 and died, after living a good and useful life, in 1600. At 
 the Dominican Monastery they showed half the handker- 
 chief on which the Virgin wept and wiped her eyes at the 
 foot of the cross. The people claim that San Jose pro- 
 tects their town from lightning, so they built a church 
 named in his honor, and have in it a strange image carved 
 from what was a lightning-riven tree. Another beautiful 
 church has a picture of a saint which has been heard to 
 speak. Still another contains thorns from the crown of 
 Christ. N'early every two squares boasts a church, and 
 every church has some wonderful history connected with 
 it. The Church of San Francisco, which was founded 
 by the good priest, Motolinia, the father of Puebla, was 
 established a short time after the city, and is worth see- 
 ing, if from nothing else than an architectural point of 
 view. The choir is the most wonderful thing in exist- 
 ence. It is flat and Jooks as though it would tumble down 
 
140 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 every moment; even the man who built it fled for fear it 
 would fall, when taking out the supporting beams, and 
 kill them all. The monks then decided to burn them 
 down, and then if the choir fell no one would be hurt. 
 Well, they burned and crumbled down, but the choir 
 still remained firm, and does to this day, after at least 
 two hundred and fifty years of constant use. 
 
 Puebla is fully seventy miles from the City of Mexico 
 and is the capital of the state of the same name. It is 
 one of the cleanest and prettiest towns in the republic, 
 and has at the least 80,000 inhabitants. It is full of in- 
 teresting historical events. Cortes located here; General 
 de Zaragoza won a victory over the French here on the 
 5th of May, 1862, and General Diaz, now President, won 
 a more brilliant victory and gained greater fame for him- 
 self here in the war five years later, April 2, 18G7. Both 
 events are celebrated in fine style every year. Puebla is 
 not situated on the main line of the Vera Cruz line, but 
 connects with a narrow gauge which i;uns to Apizaco, 
 twenty-uine miles distant. It takes from 4:40 to 6:10 to 
 make the trip, but one forgets the length of time by look- 
 ing at the beautiful valley which surrounds them. When 
 we were out a short distance, by looking back over the 
 way we traveled, we saw between two large hills, sur- 
 rounded by trees, flowers and rocks, the Cascade de) 
 Molino de San Diego, showing just over the top of the 
 falling waters a fine old stone mill inclosed with a variety 
 of different green trees, all of which seem to be spring- 
 ing out of the waters whose fall faces us. Next we pass 
 the pretty little village of Santa Ana, interesting not only 
 because it is named in honor of the old warrior, but for 
 its people and the many odd things which they make so 
 deftly and sell to passing tourists, Mexican drinks and 
 ice cream, called agua a nieve (snow water), made simply 
 by pouring sweetened and flavored milk over snow which 
 is brought down from the Volcano Popocatapetl and the 
 White Lady. 
 
 Between here and our destination we can see by the 
 door of every little Jiut a large clay object shaped some- 
 what like an urn, taller even than the houses; they are, 
 translated into English, '' Keepers/' and hold the water 
 used by the people; they have no wells, as they carry 
 their supply from a river many miles away, hemmed iu 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 14t 
 
 on eitiier side by a deep bluff Although water is very 
 scarce in the majority of places in Mexico, this is the 
 only spot where one finds the keepers. Another town 
 and we enter the city of Puebla, as it nestles down be- 
 tween a chain of mountains like a kitten in the sun. 
 With a view from some high tower, it looks like a flower 
 garden, dotted here and there with picturesque houses. 
 On the west is Popocatapetl.and Ixtaelhuatl, sending 
 down an ever-cool and invigorating breeze, which plays 
 with their snowy robes, and then descends into the 
 green valley to salute the hot brows of mortals there 
 with a kiss of health and happiness.. 
 
 The coat of arms was given to Puebla by Charles V. of 
 Spain, in July, 1538. Of the inhabitants thirty thou- 
 sand seven hundred are men and thirty-seven thousand 
 eight hundred and thirty women, besides more than thir- 
 teen thousand people who work in public establishments, 
 which number in all about one hundred. There are pa- 
 per, cotton, flour and wax taper mills. The people are 
 very religious, and fall on their knees when the bishop^s 
 carriage passes, even if it is unoccupied. They have 
 plenty of policemen at night, though nearly everybody 
 has retired by 10 o^clock, and not only are they on the 
 streets, but on the housetops. We saw the little red 
 lanterns blazing forth from almost every other house, and 
 being of an inquisitive turn we made inquiries and learned 
 the above facts. They look very odd, and on a dark 
 night one can see nothing but the red light gleaming 
 forth like a danger signal. The policemen are all well 
 armed, but it strikes an American that the lanterns are 
 displayed so that their owners cannot accidentally get 
 hurt. The city supports several free hospitals; the finest 
 one was established a few years since, and is the best- 
 building of the kind in Mexico. Three days after the 
 death of Luis Eharo, a bachelor of considerable wealth, 
 they found in his Bible a will leaving one hundred thou- 
 sand dollars to build this home and one hundred thou- 
 sand dollars to be invested and used to maintain the 
 same. 
 
 The three men named as executors — Clemente Lopez, 
 A. P. Marin, and Y. Qutiores- -were all wealthy, but 
 were to receive for managing and looking after the home, 
 115,000 apiece; thi building alone was to cost 140^000, 
 
143 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 and after it was finished the contractor, E. Tamaris, 
 would accept no pay and allowed the price to go back 
 into the original sum. The building is marble^ the floor 
 marble tile, the decorations carved onyx, and this pala- 
 tial mansion is to-day the home of hundreds of poverty- 
 stricken and deserted mothers and babies. When Mex- 
 ico feels charitably inclined she does it on a grand 
 scale — no half-way business, like in many places in the 
 States. 
 
 The houses here are generally two-story, with flat 
 roofs, and fronts inlaid with highly glazed tile or else 
 gaudily painted. All the windows facing the street have 
 iron balconies, and all the courts are filled with flowers, 
 birds and fountains. There were once seventy-two 
 churches, nine monasteries and thirty nunneries, but the 
 latter have been abolished, and, with the exception of a 
 half dozen, they are used as churches. One is a round 
 house for the engines, another formed the theater for the 
 bull ring. There are but two small Protestant churches, 
 which are not well attended. Since the rebellion there 
 have been established 1800 schools, with an attendance 
 of only 3G,000 children. The College of Medicine and 
 Academy of Arts and Science are maintained at the ex- 
 pense of the town, free to all who care to go. 
 
 The famous pyramid of Cholula is but eight miles from 
 the city. Street cars run out about four times a day and 
 charge fifty cents, first-class, a trip. On the way we 
 passed a large rock which has caused a sensation lately. 
 It is about two hundred feet high and at the very least 
 six hundred feet around the base. It looks very strange 
 lying on an otherwise level green space for acres around. 
 The stone is covered with parasitical orchids and ferns 
 and has been known to the oldest natives by the name of 
 Cascomate. ISTo one ever thought much about it except 
 to wonder how such an immense rock got into an other- 
 wise reckless spot. Some advanced the opinion that it 
 had been thrown there during one of the eruptions of 
 Popocatapeti, when it merited the name of ^^ the smoking 
 mountain. •'■' A German who spends much of his time 
 searching for the queer in Mexico thought one morning 
 as he was taking a walk, about ten days ago, that he 
 would climb to the top of this rock and take a view of 
 the valley. The ascent was very difiQcult, but he per- 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 143 
 
 severed and on reaching the top was surprised to find a 
 big opening yawning at his feet. The stench coming 
 from it was very strong, so lighting his strongest cigar, 
 he began to investigate. The opening was about fifty 
 feet in circumference, and easily the same depth. At the 
 bottom were lying several skeletons. He quickly returned 
 to town and reported his discovery, but so far no investi- 
 gations have been made. One man who was talking over 
 it said: ^^ Please do not put it in your paper, because 
 Mexico has a nasty name for foreigners now. That 
 stone,^^ he continued, ''was used by duelists to hide their 
 victim^s body, and when the people perceived a stench 
 they reported it to the police, who always investigated 
 and had the body buried.^' 
 
 ''If that is true, why is it that everybody considers the 
 find new and startling, and no one has come forth to say 
 he knows what use it was put to before this? If the po- 
 lice investigated and took out the bodies, why did they 
 not have the hole filled up, and why are there so many 
 skeletons in it at the present day?" 
 
 He did not try to answer these questions, but only 
 begged our silence. 
 
 Oholula retains little of its old-time grandeur. At 
 the commencement of the sixteenth century Cortes com- 
 pared it, to the largest cities of Spain, but with the 
 growth of Puebla it has diminished, until the present 
 day it is but a small village. Its streets are broad and 
 iinpaved, the houses one story with flat roofs, and there 
 is little to attract one — although they have some few 
 .manufacturers — except the world-famous pyramid and 
 some of the old churches. One of these churches was 
 formerly a fortification built by Cortes. It is a fine, 
 massive stone building of immense size. Perfect cannon 
 of medium size answer for water-spouts on the roof. In 
 the door of the main entrance there are 375 nails, no two 
 of which are alike. When the building was being erected 
 there were many skilled blacksmiths in the vicinity. 
 Each was desirous of showing his skill, so with chisel 
 and hammer they made these long nails and presented 
 them to the conqueror, making the door one of the 
 strange things of Mexico. 
 
 In another church near here, also erected at the com- 
 mand of Cortes, is a black velvet altar cloth, with saints 
 
144 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 embroidered in gold all over it. The workmanship is 
 exquisite, and some of the likenesses perfect. There is 
 also a black velvet vestment embroidered in the same 
 manner, which is only for use on holy week. They were 
 both a present from Charles V., of Spain. The Bishop 
 of Mexico has been anxious to obtain possession of them, 
 and has repeatedly offered 13500 for the two pieces, but 
 they refuse to sell at that price. This church is known 
 as the Eoyal Chapel. Its architecture is very pretty, yet 
 extremely odd. Every way one counts across the chapel 
 gives seven arches — lengthwise, crosswise, corner wise, 
 etc., the end is always the same — seven. In the center 
 of this queer construction is a pure well, the waters of 
 which are noted for their coolness, healing qualities and 
 love charms. One strange fact about this church is that 
 the morning following its dedication it fell to the ground 
 completely demolished, but was immediately rebuilt. In 
 this vicinity there are no less than twenty-nine churches, 
 which can be counted, nestling within a very small space, 
 from the pyramid, which is left for another chapter. 
 
 CHAPTEE XXIII. 
 
 THE PYEAMID OF CHOLULA. 
 
 The pyramid of Cholula is very disappointing to any 
 one who has seen illustrations of it in histories of 
 Mexico; there it is represented as a mass of steps, grow- 
 ing narrower as they reach the top. At present it looks 
 liko many of the other queerly-shaped hills which one 
 sees so frequently in Mexico. Closer inspection shows 
 there were once four stories to it, but it is now badly de- 
 molished, and the trainway has cut through one side, 
 damaging the effect. At present it is three thousand 
 eight hundred and sixty feet around the base, although 
 once it is said to have been one thousand four hundred 
 and forty feet on each side, or four times that around 
 the entire base. Some say its height is no more than 
 two hundred feet, while others affirm it is at the very 
 least five hundred feet high; the ascent is made by a 
 Spanish stairway of hewed stone fifteen feet wide, and 
 there is a second stairway of two hundred steps leading 
 from the main one to the church door. 
 
 The little church on top was first built by the Spaniards 
 
St^ MONTHS IN MEXICO. 145 
 
 in the place of the temple called Quetzalcoate (the God 
 of the air), bnilt by the Astecg. The church was first 
 in the shape of a cross, but alterations have been made of 
 late years, destroying entirely the original design. It 
 was dedicated to the Virgin of the Kemedies, or Health 
 — Senora de los Eemedios, and she is said to have pej- 
 formed some wonderful miracles, at any rate her image 
 is covered with tokens of her goodness. There is a desk 
 in the church where they sell beads and measures of the 
 Yirgin^s face, which are said to keep away the devil and 
 Dring good luck to the wearer. A little tinseled charm 
 on the beads contains some part of the Virgin^s garments, 
 and when I, in a weak moment, asked the seller if he 
 really meant it, I knew by his answer I had met George 
 Washington, Jr. It was, ^'^ Senorita, I cannot lie.^' 
 
 At places where the hill is dug away can be seen the 
 layers of mud-brick, which proves undisputedly that the 
 pyramid was really built. It is thought to have served 
 as a cemetery as well as a place of worship. The Indians 
 liave a tradition that when Cortes tarried at Oholula, a 
 number of armed warriors plotted to fall suddenly upon 
 the Spanish army and kill them all. Cortes may have 
 had a suspicion, or a desire for more blood and more 
 stolen wealth, for without the least warning, he attacked 
 the citizens of Puebla and killed outright 6,000 besides 
 terribly wounding thousands of others. When the road 
 was being made from Puebla to Mexico they cut through 
 the first story of the pyramid. In it was found ji square 
 chamber, destitute of outlet, supported by beams of cy- 
 press and built in an odd and remarkable manner. Curi- 
 ous varnished and painted vases, idols in basalt and skele- 
 tons were in it. The only conclusion offered was that it 
 was either a tomb for burial or else the warriors who 
 wanted revenge on the Spanish were by some means bur- 
 ied in this hiding-place. The pyramid is now covered 
 with grass, trees and orchids. 
 
 Famous stone idols are found in this vicinity. In 
 plowing the fields or digging holes they are turned up by 
 scores, in all shapes and sizes; the tourist pays good 
 prices for them, and the more sensational the story at- 
 tached the higher the tariff; the guide at the hotel 
 showed me a white arrow flint. He had bought it the 
 ^ay before at Cholula for a medio, and said he was going 
 
146 Six MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 to. daub it with chicken blood and sell it to the next 
 party of tourists as a wonderful relic, which had been 
 used on the sacrificial stone to kill thousands of people. 
 He would tell them that the worshipers of the sun used 
 to get a victim and the one who could send the arrow 
 with this flint directly in the center of thevictim^s heart 
 stood in favor with their god, the sun. At the depot, 
 besides being bothered with at least twenty idol peddlers, 
 a woman with a baby tried to make me buy it. She re- 
 fused to sell to any one in the party, but coaxed me to 
 take it, telling all its good qualities. It was good, very 
 amiable, sympathetic and very precious. Partly to get 
 rid of her I asked, '' How much?" " Dos reals" (twenty- 
 five cents) was her astounding reply. ^' That is too 
 cheap," I said; '^I cannot take it unless the price is 
 $100." Evidently she did not understand jesting, for 
 she kept on saying, '' No, senorita, dos reals; muy ben- 
 ito." I successfully resisted its charms as well as her 
 persuasions. At the last moment, when the car started, 
 she ran after me, saying I could have the baby at 1100, 
 if 1 wouldn't take it at twenty-five cents; but the car soon 
 left her in the distance, and we had a good laugh at the 
 poor woman's reasoning powers and lack of business qual- 
 ities. 
 
 The tramway ends at Atlixco, a lovely little village 
 midway between Obolula and Puebla. One of the most 
 beautiful things along the way is the famous tree at the 
 foot of St. Michaers Mountain. It is called Ahuehuete. 
 It is many centuries old and a very curious shape. Its 
 trunk is hollow, with a hole big enough for a horseman 
 to enter at one side. Thirteen men on horseback can 
 find plenty of room in its big body. The orchards at 
 this village are valued at $2,800,000. 
 
 There are twenty-four hotels in Puebla, and some are 
 first-class in every respect. They serve coffee from 6 to 
 9, breakfast 1 to 3, and dinner 6 to 9. The penitentiary 
 looks like a Spanish fortress. It is very old, picturesque, 
 and covered with orchids, but the state authorities de- 
 cided they needed a new one, and have built a handsome 
 one of stone and brick, which is said to resemble one in 
 Pennsylvania, whether East or West I know not, but 
 from a distance it looks somewhat like the Western, al- 
 though all similarity faded on closer inspection. There 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 147 
 
 are several parks, and very pretty ones^ too, in Puebla. 
 In the main one they have music nightly. At the east 
 end of the town they have sulphur baths, which are con- 
 sidered very healthy. 
 
 The most unique bull-fights of the whole republic are 
 held here. One Sunday they fought all afternoon in the 
 regular style, but when evening came, they turned on the 
 electric lights, set a table in the center of the ring, put 
 on it tin dishes, and all the fighters sat down as though 
 to eat, one of them attired in a long, white dress. As 
 soon as they were seated comfortably the gate was flung 
 open, and the toro rushed in. At the same moment two 
 banderillas containing fire -rockets were stuck into him, 
 and as they exploded the maddened bull made a rush for 
 the table. The occupants jerked up the tinware, and 
 with it began to fight off the bull. Then they jerked 
 the table apart, and fought it with the pieces. When 
 the men and beast were pretty tired, the bull was allowed 
 to attack the one in white, the so-called bride, and the 
 swordsman, who of course represented her husband, de- 
 fended her, and killed the bull with one thrust of the 
 sword. It was simply magnificent, and so exciting that 
 everybody was standing on their feet yelling lustily at 
 every new move. The fight was called '' The Interrupted 
 Bridal Party. ^' 
 
 The next Sunday they fought the bulls on burros in- 
 stead of horses. The men had their bodies protected by 
 plates of tin, and when the toro charged they jumped off 
 the borro and ran behind screens, while the poor little 
 animal had to run for his life, and that was the funniest 
 part of the programme. The following Sunday all the 
 fighters stuffed themselves. They looked as if they had 
 feather beds around their bodies. Then they dressed up 
 in fantastic garb. No horses were allowed in the ring. 
 When the time came the men lay flat on their backs, and 
 and as the door was opened and the bull came tearing in,_ 
 they wiggled their legs in the air to attract its atten- 
 tion. 
 
 One peculiar feature of bull-fighting is that the bull 
 will never attack a man's legs, but always strike for his 
 body. The toro would rush for the prostrate form, and 
 the American auditors would hold their breath, and think 
 
148 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 that the fighter^s end had come, but just then the bull 
 would gore him in the stuffed part, and the man would 
 turn a complete somersault, alighting always on his feet, 
 safe and sound. The bull would turn those men into 
 all sorts of shapes without either hurting them or him- 
 self. 
 
 Puebla is considered the richest State. in Mexico, and 
 in it one can select any climate he desires. Puebla City 
 is never cold, is never warm; it has the most delicious 
 climate in the world, just the degree that must please 
 the most fastidious; In the State are wonderful stone 
 quarries. Every color of clay is used to make dishes, 
 vases, and brick, and abundance of chalk for making 
 lime. In the rivers and small streams several kinds of 
 sand are secured, which is used for many purposes, and 
 a few miles away are large veins of iron and other min- 
 erals; there -are mountains of different varieties of 
 marble and onj^x, from the transparent to the heaviest 
 known; extensive fields of coal, quicksilver, lead, with 
 wonderful mines of gold and silver everywhere; there is 
 one strange mountain called Nahuatt (star) covered with 
 rock crystal, the fragments resembling brilliant dia- 
 monds, and at another craggy place beautiful emeralds 
 are found. In many places are hot springs. 
 
 The woods are fortunes in themselves. Besides all the 
 Mexican varieties are cedar, ebony, mahogany, pine, oak, 
 bamboo, liquid amber, India rubber, and above all the 
 writing -tree, the wood of which has been 23ronounced the 
 finest by five countries. Its colored veins are on a yellow- 
 ish ground, and it forms thousands of strange figures, 
 monograms, words and profiles. Then there are the silk 
 cotton tree, the logwood and thousands of others. Some 
 of them produce rich essences, others d3^es which never 
 fade. A cactus also grows here from which wine is made 
 which they say far excels that of Spain or Italy. In the 
 cold and warm districts are raised cotton, tobacco, va- 
 nilla, coffee, rice, sugar-cane, tea, wheat, aniseseed, barley, 
 pepper. Chili beans, corn, peas, and all the fruits of the 
 hot and cold zones. There are salt mines and land where 
 cattle, horses, mules, burros, sheep, goats and pigs are 
 raised on. an extensive scale. The flowers are so varied 
 and abundant that a gentleman who has been exploring 
 the paradise says their products would supply all the drug 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 149 
 
 stores of the world with perfume. These are a few of 
 the charms of the State of Piiebla. 
 
 There is quite an interesting story connected with the 
 emerald district. The Indians found one and placed it 
 on the altar of the church to serve as a consecration 
 stone. It was three-quarters of a Spanish yard, or a 
 little over one-half English yard, in length. Maximilian, 
 during his short reign, went to Puehla to examine it, 
 and offered 11,000,000 for it the moment the jewel ex- 
 pert with him pronounced it extremely fine. The In- 
 dians refused, and asked $3,000,000. Afterward an 
 armed force went to kill the tribe and carry off the gem, 
 but were themselves whipped. The Indians then de- 
 cided to bury it for safe keeping, when a wily Jesuit 
 promised eternal salvation to the living, the dead, aud 
 the unborn, if they would give it him in the name of the 
 Holy Virgin, who, he said, had asked for it. The poor 
 innocent and faithful wretches gave their immense fort- 
 une away for a promise that was worse than nothing, and 
 the treacherous purchaser cut it into small portions and 
 sent it across the sea to be sold, he reaping the benefit. 
 The god Quetzalcotl, which once graced the top of the 
 pyramid at Oholula, was sold to an American a few years 
 since for 136,000. 
 
 A few miles out from the city, situated in the midst of 
 a barren plain, stands the magnificent old castle of 
 Perote, which is celebrated in Mexican history as the last 
 home of many of her dark-eyed senoras, who have either 
 pined to death in its dreary dungeons or been murdered 
 during revolutions. It was once the national prison of 
 the republic, and was considered one of the strongest 
 buildings in the world. Even now it is stronger and 
 more formidable than most fortresses. There is much 
 more of interest, historical and otherwise^ to be seen in 
 and around Puebla, and one could spend months of 
 sight-seeing every day, and still have something worth 
 looking at. If a gentleman or lady resident of Puebla 
 is asked where their home is they will quickly answer, 
 "I live in Puebla, but am not a Pueblaen.-'^ The latter 
 word translated into Spanish means false and treacherous, 
 hence the carefulness of the people always to add it. 
 
 I cannot end this until I give you a sample of the 
 meanness of the Mexicans, other than Indians. The 
 
150 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 real Mexican — a mixture of several nationalities — lias a 
 great greed for cold casli, and thinks the Americano, 
 Yankee, or gringo, was sent here to be robbed. They 
 do not draw the line on Americans, but also rob the poor 
 Indian of everything. When I asked for my hotel bill, 
 which was 14 a day, the clerk handed me a bill with 
 11.25 extra. ^^What is the extra for?"" I inquired. 
 '^Charming senorita," he answered, ''you called for eggs 
 two or three times."" ''Yes,"" I replied, "when you set 
 down goat"s meat for mutton, and gave me strong beef I 
 had seen killed by the matadore in the bull-ring tlie day 
 before."" " Well,"" he continued, " eggs are expensive, 
 and it was a trouble to cook them.'" " My dear senor, I 
 have no intention of paying your salary, and your pocket 
 is just minus an expected $1.25. Here is the other."" 
 That settled it. 
 
 While looking at some marble objects in a store a poor 
 Indian came in with twelve blocks of marble twelve by 
 twelve on his back; the poor fellow had hewn them 
 smooth and then traveled undoubtedly two days or more" 
 on foot over hills and through valleys, the ground at 
 night his bed and the wild fruits or a few beans brought 
 from home his food. He was ragged and tired, and 
 dirty, but he had a good, honest look on his face. He 
 asked the shopkeeper to buy the marble. After a little 
 inspection the merchant purchased, and for it all, which 
 was weeks of labor to the poor peon, and meant at least 
 1300 for himself, he gave fifty cents. Nor was that the 
 worst of it; the two quarters were counterfeit and the In- 
 dian told him so, but he said no. I stepped to the door 
 and watched the peon go to a grocer"s store across the 
 street. They refused to take the money and he came 
 back and told the marble dealer. Upon his refusing to 
 give good money the Indian turned to me for help, where- 
 upon the keeper laughed and said: "She is a Yankee 
 and can't understand you."" 
 
 Well, I had not been in Mexico long, and was entirely 
 ignorant of the language, but my American love for jus- 
 tice was aroused, and in broken English and bad Spanish 
 I managed to tell him I knew the money was bad, and 
 that the merchant was like the money— that by even giv- 
 ing good money he was cheating the poor peon of his 
 goods. He was surprised, that is if a Mexican can be 
 
JSTX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 151 
 
 surprised, and he gave out some little change, which I 
 examined, and not being sure whether it was good or bad, 
 put it into my own purse, giving the man a quarter in- 
 stead. He thanked me warmly, tied the money up in the 
 corner of a rag he had tied around his waist, and then 
 went out and tried the other quarter. This also failed to 
 pass, and he returned to the now furious storeman, who 
 threatened to call the police if he did not go away. " If 
 you do,^^I will tell them that you are passing counterfeit 
 money,'' I said, whereupon he gave the peon another 
 piece, and the poor fellow departed happy. While the 
 storekeeper said some nasty things in Spanish about 
 " Grmgos,'' it is needless to add I did not buy, nor had 
 he the least desire to sell to me. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 A FEW KOTES ABOUT MEXICAN PKESIDEiq-TS. 
 
 Very few people outside of the Republic of Mexico 
 have the least conception of how government affairs are 
 run there. The inhabitants of Mexico— at least it is so 
 estimated— number 10,000,000 souls, 8,000,000 being 
 Indians, uneducated and very poor. This large majority 
 has no voice in any matter whatever, so the government 
 is conducted by the smaller, but so-called better class. 
 My residence in Mexico of five months did not give me 
 ample time to see all these things personally, but I have 
 the very best authority for all statements. Men whom I 
 know to be honorable have given me a true statement of 
 facts which have heretofore never reached the public 
 prints. That such things missed the public press will 
 rather astonish Americans who are used to a free press; 
 but the Mexican papers never publish one word against 
 the government or officials, and the people who are at 
 their mercy dare not breathe one word against them, as 
 those m position are more able than the most tyrannical 
 czar to make their life miserable. When this is finished 
 the worst is yet untold by half, so the reader can form 
 some idea about the Government of Mexico. 
 
 President Diaz, according to all versions, was a brave 
 and untiring soldier, who fought valiantly for his beau- 
 tiful country. He was born of humble parents, his father 
 
M I^IX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 being a horse dealer, or sometliing of that sort; but he 
 was ambitions, and gaining an education entered the 
 field as an attorney- at-law. Although he mastered his 
 profession, all his fame was gained on the battle-field. 
 Perfirio Diaz is undoubtedly a fine-looking man, being 
 what is called a half-breed, a mixture of Indian and 
 Spaniard. He is tall and finely built, with soldierly 
 bearing. His manners are polished, with the pleasing 
 Spanish style, compelling one to think — while in his 
 presence — that he could commit no wrong; the brilliancy 
 of his eyes and hair is intensified by the carmine of cheek 
 and whiteness of brow, which, gossip says, are put there 
 by the hand of art. Diaz has been married twice — first 
 to an Indian woman, if I remember rightly, who left him 
 with one child, and next to a daughter of the present Sec- 
 retary of the Interior, Manuel Romero Rubio. She is 
 handsome, of the Spanish type, a good many years 
 younger than the president, and finely educated, speak- 
 ing Spanish, French and English fluently. Mrs. Diaz 
 has no children, but is step-mother to two — a daughter 
 and a son of the president. The president, so far as 
 rumor goes, follows not in the footsteps of his country- 
 men, has no more loves than one, and is really devoted 
 to Mrs. Diaz. 
 
 There are two political parties, a sort of a Liberal and 
 Oonservative concern, but if you ask almost any man not 
 in an ofi&cial position he will hesitate and then explain 
 that there are really two parties; that he has almost for- 
 gotten their names, but he has never voted, no use, etc. 
 Juarez, who crushed Maximilian, while a good president 
 in some respects, planted the seeds of dishonesty when 
 he claimed the churches and pocketed the spoils there- 
 from. Every president since then has done what he 
 could to excel Juarez in this line. When Diaz first took 
 the presidency he had the confidence and respect of the 
 people for his former conduct. They expected great 
 things of him, but |)raise in a short time was given less 
 and less freely, and the people again realized that their 
 savior had not yet been found. When his term drew near 
 a close, his first bite made him long for more, and he 
 made a contract with Manuel Gonzales to give him the 
 presidency if he would return it at the end of his time, 
 as the laws of Mexico do not permit a president to be his 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 153 
 
 own successor, but after the expiration of another term 
 (four years) he can again fill the position. 
 
 Tiie constitution of Mexico is said to excel, in the way 
 of freedom and liberty to its subjects, that of the United 
 States; but it is only on paper. It is a republic only in 
 name, being m reality the worst monarchy in existence. 
 Its subjects know nothing of the d alights of a presiden- 
 tial campaign; they are men of a yoting age, but they 
 have never indulged in this manly pursuit, which even 
 our women are hankering after. No two candidates are 
 nominated for the position, but the organized ring 
 allows one of its members— whoever has the most power 
 — to say who shall be president; they can vote, though 
 they are not known to do so; they think it saves trouble, 
 time, and expense to say at first, ^^this is the president,^' 
 and not go to the trouble of having a whole nation come 
 forward and cast the votes, and keep the people in 
 drunken suspense for forty-eight hours, while the man- 
 agers miscount the ballots, and then issue bulletins stat- 
 ing that they have put in their man; then the self-ap- 
 pointed • president names all the governors, and divides 
 with them the naming of the senators; this is the ballot 
 in Mexico. 
 
 Senor Manuel Gonzales readily accepted Diaz's propo- 
 sition and stepped into the presidency. He had also 
 been a loyal soldier, and was as handsome as Diaz, though 
 some years his senior. Gonzales is a brave man, power- 
 fully built, but was so unfortunate as to lose his right 
 arm in battle. He has, however, learned to write with 
 his left in a large, scrawling style. He has a legal wife, 
 from whom, however, he is separated. While he was 
 filling the presidential chair she made a trip through the 
 United States, and gained some notoriety by being put 
 out of the Palmer House because she did not pay bills 
 contracted there on the strength of being the wife of the 
 President of Mexico. On her return to the land of the 
 Aztecs, she found that the law could not touch the Czar 
 Gonzales, who was living like a king, nor could she get a 
 divorce, as Mexico does not sanction such luxuries. She 
 started a sewing establishment, but it is said that she is 
 living in abject poverty, and, like all Mexican women, 
 with the door to the way of gaining an honest livelihood 
 barred against her because of her sex. 
 
154 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 Their family consists of two sons, both captains in the 
 army — Manuel, twenty- seven years old, and Fernando, 
 twenty-five — fine-looking and well educated. The latter 
 is said to be quite good to his mother. It is reported 
 that Manuel Gonzales and Miss Diaz, the only daughter 
 of the president, are to be married shortly. 
 
 Gonzales while in power issued several million dollars' 
 worth of nickel money, which the people refused to ac- 
 cept. One day, as he was being driven from the palace 
 in an open carriage, he was surrounded by a mob who 
 threw bags of the coin on him, while others cried out for 
 his life. The driver — who, by the way, was at that time 
 the only negro in the City of Mexico — fiercely fought 
 those who had stopped his team and resisted bj main 
 force their efforts to unseat him. He wanted to drive 
 the fine-blooded horses right over the angry, howling 
 mob, but Gonzales calmly told him to desist, and then, 
 revolver in hand, descended from the carriage, asked the 
 people what they wanted, swore roundly at them and 
 commanded them to disperse. 
 
 The effect was astonishing. Without one outburst, as 
 though quelled by an immense army, that maddened 
 mob moved away and Gonzales re-entered his carriage 
 triumphantly, and was driven home unmolested and un- 
 injured. The money, however, was sold for almost noth- 
 ing, and some Europeans were smart enough to buy. In 
 a short time the government bought it all back, paying 
 cent for cent, and I know personally one man who made 
 $100,000 in one day on his lot. In truth, it was the 
 foundation of more than twenty fortunes in Mexico at 
 the present time. Eight months before Gonzales retired 
 he tried to force the people to accept the English debt 
 law. They refused, and filled the halls of Congress, in 
 which they had congregated, with cries and groans. 
 They woald not cease at the presidential command, and 
 Gonzales ordered the soldiers to fire on them several 
 times. It was impossible that in such a narrow space all 
 should escape death, yet no true report was ever made of 
 the affair. 
 
 When Gonzales went into office 1900,000 could be 
 counted in the treasury. On the last day of his term his 
 annual income exceeded $200,000 and his salary, which 
 was $30^000 jesiilj. On the morning of his last daj he 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 155 
 
 sent to the treasurer to know how much money vet re- 
 named m the treasury. -One hundred thousand dol- 
 lars was the reply. Gonzales requested that it be sent 
 to him and when tlie treasurer meekly hinted that it 
 might be good for his neck to know to whom to charge 
 It, Gonzales replied that if he did not know that much 
 he had better send m his resignation. The money was 
 m the president's hand in a very short time after this 
 ^ext he bought a $2 ticket from the state national 
 ottery and with it sent a little line to the managers, 
 bee that this draws the prize to-day." The first prize 
 was 1100,000. Strange to relate his tioket drew^the 
 lortunate number, and Gonzales closed his eyes that 
 night with a murmur like Monte-Cristo as he gazed upon 
 the sea, - The world is mine!" That evening the people 
 were so glad that they gathered in an impassable mob 
 around the palace and cathedral, and tried to enter the 
 latter, ttiat they might proclaim their feelings by ring- 
 ing forth from the numerous bells which hang in the 
 mammoth towers, one happy peal; but an army was soon 
 on the spot and prevented any demonstration. Investi- 
 gation showed 1^^5,000,000 missing and the government 
 employes unpaid. 
 
 ^ Experts figure out that Gonzales raked in 125,220 000 
 m his four years of official life, and he didn^t have to ^0 
 to Canada, either. Gonzales immediately went to Guana- 
 juato as governor, where he was received with open arms 
 and when the people, who found the bank broke iust as 
 they expected to take it, began to whisper that they would 
 like a httle investigation, Gonzales swore he would spend 
 every cent they were clamoring after in raising an army 
 to overthrow the Diaz Government. On hearing this 
 Diaz slunk off like a half-drowned cat and made a law 
 which went into effect June 22, 1886, taking a percent- 
 age off every government employe to help pay up the 
 Gonzales deficiency. ^ "^ ^ 
 
 Gonzales is modest; he don^t want the presidency any 
 more. He wisely invested his hard-earned cash m an 
 estate His palaces and haciendas are something won- 
 derful for size, beauty, and furnishment. Of course 
 giye a man a bad name and everything mean is laid at 
 his door; but it is credited to him that he took a fancy 
 to a yery rich hacienda, and he told the owner he would 
 
156 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 give him $200^000. The haciendado said it had belonged 
 to his family since the time of Cortes, and he had not the 
 least desire to sell, besides it was at the very least worth 
 $2,000,000. Immediately all sorts of evil fell upon the 
 unhappy owner. His horses were shot, his cattle, water, 
 and even family poisoned. At last, when hope was 
 crushed, G-onzales accidentally reappeared, and told the 
 heart-broken man that he would give him 110,000 for 
 this place. The hacienda was immediately his, but the 
 former owner is still looking for his money. The strange 
 part is that Gronzales has not suffered the afflictions vis- 
 ited upon the former owner. 
 
 President Diaz has two years from next December to 
 serve, that is, providing a revolution does not cut his 
 term short. The people Avill not say much about his 
 going out, as one just as bad will replace him. They al- 
 ways know one year in advance who the president is to 
 be, and even at the present date it lies between Diaz's fa- 
 ther-in-law, Eomerio Rubio, or Mier Teran, Governor of 
 Oaxaca, both of whom belong to the ring. Diaz fears a 
 revolution, and is afraid of losing his life. It is said he 
 hastened his removal to Ohapultepec because they threat- 
 ened to blow up his house on Oalle de Oadena, 'No. 8, 
 with dynamite. Last January a party of Eevolutionists 
 laid plans to overthrow the Diaz Government, but one 
 fellow got into a controversy with a Diaz party while rid- 
 ing on the Pasio, and so they came to blows, the news got 
 abroad and armies paraded through the streets of Mexico 
 until the poor little body of ^' righters " were overawed 
 by the demonstration. Gonzales is sixty-five years old. 
 He gets along nicely as Governor of Guanajuato, having 
 no duties and being looked up to as a king by the peo- 
 ple. When he comes to Mexico for a few days they pre- 
 pare expensive receptions for his return. They are his 
 humble subjects, and he is satisfied to be king of that 
 state. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 MEXICAiq" SOLDIEKS Al^D THE RUEALES. 
 
 El Mexicako thinks it would be one of the pleasant- 
 est, as well as one of the easiest, things in the world to 
 whip the '' Griugoes," while the latter, with their heads 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 157 
 
 a little swelled, perhaps, imagine otherwise, and scoff at 
 the idea of the '^Greasers" winning even one battle in 
 the event of war. Be that as it may, solid, unvarnished 
 facts will prove to the most headstrong that the advan- 
 tage is mostly on the other side. 
 
 The standing army in Mexico is said to number forty 
 thousand men, but is believed to be more. Every little 
 village of a few hundred people has its army, and every 
 day that army is being increased; the officers range from 
 those who have gained experience and fame on the battle- 
 field to the young ones reared and trained in military 
 colleges; they are mostly all of what is considered the 
 highest class of people in Mexico. 
 
 The rank and file are mostly half-breeds or Indians, 
 who are not by any means volunteers. They are nearly 
 all convicts. When a man is convicted of some misde- 
 meanor he is enlisted in the regular army, separated 
 from his home, and to serve the rest of his natural life. 
 This life is not a bed of roses — there is no bed at all, and 
 out of a medio (0|- cents) a day, he has to furnish his 
 food and comforts. The dress uniform is made of 
 coarse woolen goods, with yellow stripes on the sleeves; 
 and the undress uniform, which is worn constantly ex- 
 cept on review days, is but white muslin, pants, waist 
 and cap. 
 
 Some of the Indians are stolen and put in the army, 
 and they immediately resign themselves to their fate, for 
 there is no more escape for them than there is from 
 death. 
 
 The wives of these poor fellows are very faithful, and 
 very often follow the regiment from one place to another; 
 they live on what nature grows for them and what they 
 can beg or steal; the men are called in Spanish '^^solda- 
 dos,^^ and the women, because they cling to their hus- 
 bands, ''soldadas.'' It looks very pitiful to see a poor 
 Indian woman with a babe tied to her back and one cling- 
 ing to her skirts, dusty, hungry and footsore, trayeling 
 for miles through the hot sun with the regiments. 
 
 These soldados are wonderfully hardy; they can travel 
 for a week through the hot sun, with nothing to drink 
 and but a spoonful of boiled beans and one' tortillia — a 
 small flat cake — for two days' rations, sleep on the ground 
 at night, and be as fresh for service as a well-kept mule. 
 
158 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 Fight! well those who imagine it such an easy thing to 
 whip them should stand off and witness some of their 
 feats first; they love their country, and consider life well 
 lost in defense of it; they are ignorant, it is true, but 
 seem- the more courageous for it. When told to fight, 
 they go at it with as much vigor as a bull dog after a cat; 
 they don^t know why they are fighting, or for what, but 
 it is their rule and custom to obey, not to reason why. 
 If you would stop one soldier in the midst of his fight- 
 ing and ask: '^ Why are you fighting?" he would an- 
 swer in the characteristic words of his people, " Quien 
 sabe?" 
 
 If a man is silly enough to try to escape from this 
 bondage he is immediately shot, or if he disobeys orders 
 they have time but to punish him with death. A short 
 time before leaving Mexico some guards at the prison 
 tried to desert, and immediately every regiment was 
 notified to be on the lookout, and others were sent out to 
 recapture them, and as soon as. found they were shot. 
 The soldiers have an herb named marijuana, which they 
 roll into small cigaros and smoke. It ^oroduces intoxica- 
 tion which lasts for five days, and for that period they 
 are in paradise. It has no ill after-effects, yet the use is 
 forbidden by law. It is commonly used among prisoners. 
 One cigaro is made, and the prisoners all sitting in a ring 
 partake of it. The smoker takes a draw and blows the 
 smoke into the mouth of the nearest man, he likewise 
 gives it to another, and so on around the circle. One 
 cigaro will intoxicate the whole lot for the length of five 
 
 The Mexican officers are unpleasantly sarcastic, or 
 rather they have a custom that is the extreme of irony. 
 It is known as la ley fuga (the law of escape). They will 
 tell you they are going to take a prisoner, or soldier, as 
 the case may be, out to the suburbs to give him a chance 
 to escape. It sounds very pleasant to the stranger. They 
 will, for example, politely ask the railway conductor to 
 stop the train in some quiet place, as they want to let a 
 prisoner escape. The American conductor finds his heart 
 warming within him for tliese generous officers, and 
 quickly and gladly obeys. The train is stopped, they all 
 get off, and the officers form in a single line, with guns 
 raised to the shoulders. The prisoner is placed before 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 159 
 
 them and told to Vamos. He gives one glance into their 
 unchanging faces, the surrounding land, and then starts. 
 That moment he falls to the earth riddled with a dozen 
 bullets, and the executioners re-enter the train and are 
 speeding fast away, almost before the echo of this fatal 
 volley died away. They cannot waste time putting his 
 body beneath the ground, but before long some Indians, 
 traveling that way, find it. He is one of them, and their 
 turn may be next, so they lay him in a hastily-dug hole, 
 erect a wooden cross at the end, murmur a prayer, and 
 leave him to return to that from which he sprung. This 
 is the merciful " law of escape" practiced daily in Mex- 
 ico. 
 
 Once every year to commemorate the victory over the 
 French on the 5tli of May, 1862, the president reviews 
 all the troops. They flock to the city from mountain, 
 valley, town, and city, clad in holiday attire. Then only 
 one realizes their strength, as they march before the pal- 
 ace where the president is seated on the balcony. The 
 finest looking men in the whole 40,000 are the rurales. 
 They number 6000 and are larger men than Mexicans 
 usually are. 
 
 These rurales are a band of outlaws who came forward 
 with their chief and aided Diaz during the war. When 
 it was over Diaz recognized their power, and was so afraid 
 of them that he offered them a place in the army, with 
 their chief as general, and they are to-day not only the 
 best paid, but — speaking of their fighting ability — the 
 best men in Mexico. In the first place they are large 
 and powerful and known over the entire country, mount- 
 ain, town, and valley, as thoroughly as we know our A, 
 B, 0. They fear nothing on earth, or out of it, and 
 will fight on the least provocation. They would rather 
 fight than eat, and have a great aversion to exhibiting 
 themselves, as they demonstrated on the 5th of May last, 
 when only 800 could be persuaded to participate. 
 
 They have their own bands and a number of buglers. 
 Every man owns his horse, which must in color match 
 that of the rest of the regiment. Their uniform is yel- 
 low buckskin, elaborately embroidered with silver and 
 gold, upon the pants and on the back, front and sleeves 
 of the short cutaway jacket. Their wide sombrero is the 
 fame color, ^nished with the same embroidery and a 3il- 
 
160 SIX 3I0NTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 ver cord and tassel. Their saddles also match their suits 
 in color and silver finish. How they ride! It is simply 
 perfection. The horse and rider seem to be one. 
 
 I don^t think they con Id carry any more weapons if 
 they tried. Each man has a good carbine, a sword, two 
 revolvers, the same number of daggers and two lassos, 
 and they fight with any or all of these weapons. They 
 fight very cleverly with the lasso. If they wish to take a 
 prisoner — a very unusual proceeding on their part — they, 
 with the rope, can either lasso man and horse together or 
 two or more men. The other lasso is of wire, which not 
 only catches the fugitive, but knocks him senseless or 
 cuts his head off, as the case may be. 
 
 These rurales guide tourists through the interior and 
 also attend all public places to keep order; they receive 
 one dollar a day, which is enormous compared with the 
 other soldiers' ^a.j of six and one-quarter cents. They 
 have their horses in perfect control, and can make them 
 execute all kinds of movements in a body, while the tricks 
 performed by individual horses are numberless. 
 
 The Mexicans have a good deal of suppressed wrath 
 bothering them at the present day; they know that Diaz 
 is a tyrannical czar, and want to overthrow him. It may 
 be readily believed that Diaz knows they are bound to 
 get rid of this superfluous feeling, and he would much 
 rather have them vent its strength on the Americans than 
 on himself; thus he stands on the war question. He is 
 a good general, and has many good, tough old soldiers, 
 the best of whom is ex-President Gonzales, to aid him, 
 besides the convict soldiers and the rurales. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 THE PRESS OF MEXICO. 
 
 The press of Mexico is like any of the other subjects 
 of that -monarchy, yet it is a growing surprise to the 
 American used to free movement, speech and print who 
 visits Mexico with the attained idea that it is a republic. 
 Even our newspapers have been wont to clip from the lit- 
 tle sheets which issue from that country, believing them, 
 untrammeled, and quoting them as the best authority, 
 when, in truth, they are but tools of the organized ring; 
 and are only capable of deceiving the outsider. 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 161 
 
 In the City of Mexico there are about twenty-five news- 
 papers published, and throughout the empire some few, 
 which are perused by the smallest possible number of peo- 
 ple. The Mexicans understand thoroughly how the 
 papers are run, and they consequently have not the slight- 
 est respect in the world for them. One can travel for 
 miles, or by the day, and never see a man with a news- 
 paper. They possess such a disgust for newspapers that 
 they will not even use one of them as a subterfuge to hide 
 behind in a street car when some woman with a dozen 
 bundles, three children and two baskets is looking for a. 
 seat. 
 
 The best paper in Mexico is Ul Monitor RepuUicano 
 (the Republican Monitor), which claims to have, in the 
 city, suburbs, and United States, a circulation of five 
 thousand. It is printed entirely in Spanish. The Mexi- 
 can Financier is a weekly paper — filled with advertise- 
 ments from the States — which is published in English 
 and Spanish, and is bought only by those who want to 
 learn the Spanish language, yet it is the best English 
 paper in Mexico. Another English paper is published 
 by an American, Howell Hunt, in Zacatecas, but it, like 
 the rest, is of little or no account. One of the newsiest, 
 if not the newsiest, is El Tiempo (tho Times), which is 
 squelched about every fortnight, as it is anti-govern- 
 mental. 
 
 Very few have telegraphic communication with the 
 outside world, and none whatever with their own coun- 
 try. They mostly clip and translate items from their ex- 
 changes, heading them "Special telegrams," etc., when 
 in reality they are from eight to ten days old. El Monitor 
 RepuUicano steals from its exchanges first and the other 
 papers copy from it. Not a single paper has a reporter. 
 Two men are considered plenty to clip and translate for 
 a daily, and it is not unusual for them to borrow type to 
 set the paper. All the type-setting is done in the day- 
 time and a morning paper is ready for sale — if anybody 
 wanted it — the afternoon before. While our morning 
 newspapers allow their brains to rest at 5 A. m., the Mexi- 
 can brethren cease labor the day before at 4 p. m. 
 Things happening on the streets, which would make a 
 " display head " with us, are never even mentioned by 
 them. One day I saw a woman fall dead two s(|uares 
 
162 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 away from a newspaper office, and after a long time read 
 in the same paper: ^' One of onrresj)ected contemporaries 
 is authority for the story than an unknown Indian woman 
 dropped dead on the street about two weeks ago/^ It 
 needed no label ^^ castanado " (chestnut). For a time 
 the papers imagined they had an item. 
 
 There was an old Frenchman who made some sort of 
 taffy and with it used to perambulate the streets crying, 
 '' Piruli.^' The English paper came out quoting a notice 
 of this old fellow. In a few days they quoted another to 
 the effect that the old fellow had died of smallpox. 
 Then, after using space for one entire week, changing 
 every other day the cause of the old nian^s death and sub- 
 stituting some new disease, the learned editor stated that 
 according to all reports the old fellow was not dead at 
 all, but had charmed some rich Mexican widow with his 
 musical voice — or taffy — and was enjoying a honeymoon 
 on her bank account. We even did not get peace with 
 that, but in a few days they declared the report false and 
 gave a new version. When we left there, five months 
 later, they were still contradicting themselves about the 
 old taffy-peddler. 
 
 Quite as bad was their treatment of a small forest fire 
 located about twenty miles from the city. I was at the 
 village at the time, and was quite amuyed, when the fires 
 were extinguished after eight hours' burning, to read for 
 two weeks after contradictory stories on it. It Avas still 
 raging with renewed energy — hundreds of lives had been 
 lost, etc., until one morning the English paper said: 
 ^^ According to a letter received at this office yesterday, 
 the forest fire only lasted a few hours, and our contem- 
 poraries, from whom we have been quoting, have made a 
 big mistake. No lives were lost."*' 
 
 When a new member was added to the royal family of 
 Spain the notice was clipped from a foreign paper, in 
 which it stated clearly that the Queen Regent Christina 
 had given birth to a boy baby. Yet it was headed: *'Is 
 it a Boy?'' When it grew a little colder than usual in an 
 interior town, they headed the item: " A Mexican Town 
 in Danger." When Eos well P. Flower, of New York, 
 returned from his trip to Mexico he was interviewed by 
 some reporter, and while ho said nothing in Mexico's 
 favor he said nothing against it; so they headed the 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 168 
 
 clipping: ^' He Loves Mexico." Moralizing is quite cus- 
 tomary, at least with the English paper. After quoting 
 an item from La Patria about a married pair quarreling 
 so fiercely that the mother-in-law took bilious fever and 
 died, it gave a sermon entitled: "Let not your angry 
 passions rise." On another occasion, speaking of the 
 criminal list being unusually large for the last month, it 
 broke out with: "Oh, pulque, pulque, what evils are 
 committed under thine influence! And yet, verily, thou 
 art a most excellent aid to digestion." 
 
 All the papers which I know of are subsidized by the 
 government, and, until within several months ago, they 
 were paid to abstain from attacks on the government. 
 This subsidy has stopped, through want of funds, but the 
 papers say nothing against the government, as they care 
 too much for their easy lives; so they circulate among 
 foreigners misrepresenting all Mexican affairs, and put- 
 ting everything in a fair but utterly false light. The 
 Mexicans have nothing but contempt for the papers, and 
 the newspaper men have no standing whatever, not even 
 level with the government officials, whose tools they are. 
 If a newspaper even hints that government affairs could 
 be bettered, the editors are thrown into prison, too filthy 
 for brutes, until they die or swear never to repeat the of- 
 fense. The papers containing the so-called libelous items 
 are all hunted up by the police and destroyed, and the 
 office and type are destroyed. These arrests are not un- 
 usual; indeed they are of frequent occurrence. While 
 in Mexico I knew of at least one man being sent to jail 
 every two weeks; they are taken by force, in the most 
 peculiar manner for a country which lays claim to having 
 laws, not to speak of being a republic. Just for an im- 
 aginary offense in their writings, they are remanded to 
 prison, and are kept in dark and dirty cells, shut off from 
 connection with the world without trial, without even 
 enough to eat. 
 
 A satirical paper named Ahuizote was denounced by 
 some offended government officials and the editor was 
 thrown into jail. Then Daniel Cabrera started another 
 Mexican Puck and called it Hijo del AJiiiizote (the son of 
 Ahuizote). It was quite clever and got out a caricature 
 entitled: "The Cemetery of the Press," showing in the 
 background the graves of the different papers, and in the 
 
164 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 front a large cross engraved, '^ The independent Press. 
 E. I. P./^ while hanging to each side was a red-eyed owl 
 with a spade. On top of the tomb was a lighted fuse 
 marked '^ Liberty.^' Underneath it read, '' The sad 
 cemetery of the Press of Mexico, filled by liberty leaders, 
 Juarez, Lerdo, Diaz and Gonzales.''^ The police were 
 sent out to gather np and destroy every copy of this 
 paper. 
 
 Editor Cabrera was put in Belem, where he remained 
 in the most pitiable condition until death promised re- 
 lease; through the influence of friends they took him 
 home to die, guarding his house with a regiment until 
 he should be fit to be carried back to jail or until they 
 should see his body consigned to the grave. To say li- 
 belous things is as dangerous as to write them. One fel- 
 low who ran a liquor shop let his tongue wag too much 
 for wisdom, and one night a member of the police secret 
 service went in, and as the proprietor turned to get the 
 drink the policeman had called for, he was shot in the 
 back and again in the body after he had fallen. Tlie no- 
 tice of the affair ended by saying: "It is not known 
 whether the policeman had orders to do the shooting.-'' 
 La Cronicade Trihunalcs (the Court Chronicle) editor was 
 denounced and imprisoned for simply speaking about the 
 rulings of one of the judges. 
 
 As all know by the Editor Cutting case, even a foreigner 
 does not write about Mexico's doings as they really are. 
 I had some regard for my health, and a Mexican jail is 
 the least desirable abode on the face of the earth, so some 
 care was exercised in the selection of topics while we were 
 inside their gates. Quite innocently one day I wrote a 
 short notice about some editors, who received no pay from 
 the government, being put in jail. The article was copied 
 from one ^oaper to another, and finally reached Mexico. 
 The subsidized sheets threatened to denounce me and 
 said in Spanish, ^' One button was enough;" meaning by 
 one article the officials could see what my others were 
 like, but by means of a little bravado I convinced them 
 that I had the upper hand, and they left me unhurt. 
 They have a law, known as "Article 33," which defines 
 the fate of " pernicious " foreigners who speak or write 
 too freely of the land and its inhabitants. Once or twice 
 they have been kind enough to take the offending for- 
 
^IX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 165 
 
 eigner and march him, with" a regiment of soldiers at his 
 heels, across the boundary line. 
 
 Professor Francis Wayland, of Brown University, to- 
 gether with the American Consul, Porch; and Dr. Par- 
 sons, visited the prison Belem to ascertain the conditions 
 of the editors imprisoned there. They were not grarfted 
 any of the customary privileges, but one little paid sheet 
 was afraid some truth would reach the public's eye, as 
 Professor Wayland was soon to return to the States. In 
 referring to the visit, this paper said: '' It is to be noted 
 that these men wanted to enter the very gallery where 
 the newspaper men were confined, and that they took 
 ' note in a memorandum book of all answers.' " To save 
 trouble. Dr. Parsons, who resides in Mexico, said they 
 merely exchanged the usual greeting with the prisoners. 
 Some of the editors confined thought, that as they be- 
 longed to a press club, that they could appeal to the As- 
 sociated Press of the United States for aid. Of course, 
 such an appeal would be useless; the papers now pub- 
 lished there take pride in copying and crediting them to 
 other papers. N'o dependence can be put in any of them 
 for a true statement of affairs. The Ttvo RepuUics was 
 started and run by a Texan, Major Clarke. He lived, in 
 Mexico with his family and regularly every evening used 
 to take a walk down the paseo with his two daughters, 
 who always walked a couple of yards in advance. This 
 was repeated every day until the Mexicans used to say, 
 ^' There is Clarke and his Two Eepublics." 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 THE GHASTLY TALE OF DOH JUAK MAKUEL. 
 
 Whek able to translate Spanish, there is nothing that 
 will amuse a tourist more in the City of Mexico than 
 reading the street and store signs and names of the dif- 
 ferent squares. Streets are not named there as here. 
 Every square is called a street and has a separate name; 
 the same witli all the stores and public buildings. No 
 difference how small, they have some long, fantastic 
 name painted above the doorway. We used to get lunch 
 at a restaurant called^' The Coffee House of the Little 
 Hell,'' and our landladv always bought her groceries at 
 ^^The Tail of the Devil." 
 
166 ^IX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 ^^SaiVs Shoe," the ^^ Paris Boot/' and the "Boot of 
 Gold/-' were all shoe stores of the very best order, where 
 they will make lovely satin boots, embroidered in gold 
 or silver bangles for $8 a pair, or of the finest leather 
 for 13 to $5. They never havo numbers to their 
 sho^s, and if none will fit, they make to order with- 
 out extra charges. There is not a low-heeled, flat shoe 
 in Mexico; they cannot be sold. One pair of Amer- 
 ican make, in a window on a prominent street, attracted 
 a great deal of attention and ridicule. The Mexican 
 women have lovely feet, and their shoes are very fancy 
 — extremely high cut, French or opera heels and pointed 
 toes. The shoemakers have a book in which they take 
 orders for shoes. First they set the foot down on a clean 
 page and mark out the exact size; then they write on it 
 the measure and the thickness, and when the shoe ar- 
 rives it is of perfect fit. Let it be added, as encourage- 
 ment to La-Americana, that although the dark-eyed 
 Senorita's foot is exquisite in size and shajDC, she walks 
 with a decided stoop, caused by the extremely high heels 
 she has worn from babyhood, 
 
 " The Surprise,'' the "God of Fashion," the "Way 
 to Beauty is Through the Purse," the "Esmerelda" 
 and the "Land of Love" are dry goods stores kept by 
 Frenchmen, and filled, with the most expensive things 
 ever exhibited to the public. While the "Red Som- 
 brero" sells silk hats at three dollars to hundreds of 
 dollars for sombreros covered with fifty pounds of silver 
 and gold embroidery, the " Temptation," the "Reform," 
 the "Flowers of April," the "Sun of May," the "Fifth 
 of May," the "Christmas Night" and the "Dynamite" 
 sell pulque at a laco a mug to the thirsty natives. 
 
 The names of the streets were such a source of unfail- 
 ing interest to me that I cannot refrain from telling of 
 some of the strangest and most peculiar ones. All the 
 saints ever heard of or imagined are honored. The 
 Mexicans do not say street after a name, in our fashion, 
 but always say the street of — such as the Street of the 
 Little Hand, of the Masons, of Montezuma, of the Ma2^- 
 nolia Tree, of the Moon, of Grace, of Joy, of the Joint 
 of God, of Jesus and Mother, of the Sad Indian, of In- 
 dependence, of Providence, of Enjoyment, of the Hens, 
 of the Steers, of the Slave, of Pain, of the Devil, of the 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 1^7 
 
 -^ 1- • f +1.P Dflnce of the Green Cross, of the 
 
 Dehciou. of the ^^^^^^ f J^ j.,,1^^ of the OaTalry 
 Crosses of Cayote, ?^ tbe -t^J^A^ g^ht, of a Good 
 
 tX ?f^^;e"^^^^^^^ f'T 
 
 Death, 01 tne >vooa,ui. ^f +hp Trees of the Angles, ' 
 
 of the Pf™' °'/rY^ Jf Mosquitoes, of Paper Money, 
 
 equally curious. ,,,.,, 
 
 There are eleven streets named after Humholdt m the 
 ritvoMexicr Curious legends are attached to many 
 
 it is: 
 
 When the Spaniards first^««ed in Mexico there ^^^^ 
 one man named Don Juan Manuel, ^^l^^' .^^*^°3 ^'*''^^ 
 ;"th a handsome wife, was always ^iscon nted and 
 
 th msanl la'nLl > -T -^ 'thfl^rtrhis' fltM ani 
 
 +T.O irio^ that his wife was unfaithful to iiis ntiui auu 
 
 retful devoton and he sat up at night brooding over 
 
 tS and writing down beautiful names he would hear 
 
168 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 and read of, that would be handy in case of any sudden 
 and unexpected event whereby they could be utilized. 
 
 One night while thus occupied the devil appeared and 
 told him to bring his nephew from Sj^ain, and also to 
 stand, wrapped in a long black cape, such as is yet worn 
 by his countrymen, in front of his house at eleven o^'clock 
 that night (a very late hour for a Spaniard to be abroad 
 in Mexico). The first man who passed would be the one 
 who had stolen his wife's love, whispered the devil, and 
 Don Juan Manuel must say to him: '^'' My friend, what 
 is the hour?" and, on the man's replying, continue: 
 '' You are a happy man; you know the hour of your 
 death," then stab him to the heart. This done, he was 
 to immediately feel relieved. His wife's love would re- 
 turn, and he would ever after be supremely happy. 
 
 The don, much elated at the promised downfall of an 
 imaginary rival, and the ease it would bring to his wor- 
 ried mind, hastened to do the devil's bidding; the very 
 next night, wrapped in his long cloak, he stood in the 
 shadow of his house; just as the watchman's whistle, call- 
 ing the hour of eleven, had ceased to sound way off in 
 the distance, a man, as the devil predicted, came walk- 
 ing by. '■^My friend, what is the hour?" cried Don Juan 
 Manuel. True to the historic courtesy of his birth, the 
 stranger politely stopjDed and replied: ^^Witli your per- 
 mission, eleven o'clock, Senor Don." ^'^You area happy 
 man; you know the hour of your death," and the unsus- 
 pecting stranger fell, stabbed to the heart, while Don 
 Manuel hastened into his casa. 
 
 But he found no relief. While he had no regret for 
 the deed, his jealousy seemed to burn with increased fire: 
 so the devil came again and told him he had killed the 
 wrong man, but he must persevere — go out again, kill 
 the man that he should see at that hour, and at last he 
 would find the right one; the people began to talk about 
 a man being found every morning dead at the same spot 
 and in the same manner. But Don Juan was one of 
 their highest by birth and rearing and was above sus- 
 picion. Their superstition made them attribute the 
 deaths to an invisible power, and no investigation was 
 made. 
 
 In the meantime Don Juan's dearly beloved nephew 
 had arrived from Spain, and was not only warmly wel- 
 
J^IX MONTHS IN MEXICO. iGd 
 
 corned by liim, but by liis wife, who hoped the nephew 
 might be the means of helping to bridge the chasm, 
 which for months had steadily been increasing between 
 herself and her husband. Night came on, and the don 
 went out to perform his deadly business. A man clad 
 like himself came along, and Don Juan approached with, 
 <' My friend, what is the hour?" '' Eleven o'clock. 
 Adois," briefly answered the one addressed. " You are 
 a happy man; you know the hour of your death,'' and 
 the dark-clad stranger sank with a slight moan, while the 
 don fled to his dreary chambers. 
 
 Morning dawned, and a dead man, as usual, was found. 
 Don Manuel met them carrying the body into his casa, 
 heard the screams of his wife, and saw the rigid face of 
 his beloved nephew, dead, and by his hand! He rushed 
 to his father confessor, whom he had not visited for so 
 long, and begged absolution. '' Thou must first repent," 
 said the father. '' Repent, repent!" cried the wretched 
 man; " I am racked with misery. Grant me absolution." 
 '' Prove thy repentance first," answered the father; " go 
 and stand beneath the scaffolding in front of the official 
 building when the bell and watchman tolls the hour for 
 midnight. Prove thy repentance by doing that thrice, 
 then come to me." 
 
 After the first trial he returned to the father, begging 
 that absolution be granted, for devils had wounded his 
 flesh and tortured him as he had stood beneath the scaf- 
 folding. ''No, twice more must thou stand there," was 
 the unrelenting reply, and once again he went. Morning 
 brought him more dead than alive to the good father's 
 side. His face wore the hue of death, his form was 
 trembling, his eyes were glassy and his words wild. '' I 
 cannot endure the third night. Angels and devils alike 
 surround me. My victims ask me, with their cold hands 
 about my throat and glassy eyes staring into mine, to 
 name the hour I want to die. My flesh is bruised where 
 they burn and prick me. My head is sore from the fre- 
 quent pulling t)f my hair. Grant me absolution; they 
 have showed me the bottomless pit of hell, and I cannot 
 return!" 
 
 The good father prayed long and earnestly with him, 
 that the Almighty power would deal leniently with his 
 many crimes, but commanded the trembling wretch to 
 
170 st:x: montbs m Mexico. 
 
 spend the third and final night beneath the scaffoldinof. 
 Dawn came, but it brought no hopeful man for the 
 promised absolution. They found him hanging on the 
 scaffolding dead. Some say the angels took him away 
 because he had suffered sufficiently for his sins. Others 
 say the devils hung him because he tried to escape the 
 toil he had willingly accepted. But he was dead. His 
 story was made known, and because of the strangeness 
 of it, this street was named after him, and I never tra- 
 versed it while in Mexico but that I felt sorrow for the 
 poor insane wretch as he stood three nights beneath the 
 scaffolding on Don Juan Manuel. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 A MEXICAiq" PARLOR. 
 
 Most readers will probably be interested to know how 
 custom rules that a j)arlor shall be furnished ^'in Span- 
 ish " as we quaintly say in Mexico. For the knowledge 
 that all are of a different tongue makes a rather queer 
 impression and it is quite common for foreigners to re- 
 mark: '' Oh, they can^t hear, they are Spanish." We 
 even get to think they cannot see and that people laugh 
 and babies cry ^' in Spanish." 
 
 A parlor, or scda, is found in every private Mexican 
 house, but until within the last two years there was not a 
 hotel in the republic that had a parlor. Boarders enter- 
 tained their friends in their bedrooms — and this is yet 
 considered quite the proper tiling to do. Some of the 
 hotels now advertise as Americanos on the strength of 
 having a little parlor. Calling or visiting is quite un- 
 common, as there is no society, and little sociability out- 
 side their home doors, yet occasionally relatives call on 
 one another; still I have been with cousins who accident- 
 ally met at church, and though they were the best of 
 friends, living within a dozen squares of each other, 
 they had not exchanged visits for throe years; this is 
 quite common. I know two sisters living within four 
 squares of each other who have not been in each other^s 
 house for a year. I hardly think the reason is a lack of 
 sociability or hospitality, as, once within the massive 
 myalls of their casa, the Spanish courtesy is readily ex- 
 
SIX 3I0NTHS IN MEXICO. 171 
 
 hibited; tliey are your servants, and their house is yours 
 for the time being, but the main causes are the gradual 
 decrease of their once princely fortunes, and their lazi- 
 ness; the latter I regard, from close observation, as the 
 chief fault. 
 
 Yet with all their retired habits they retain the '' cus- 
 tom '' of former generations as to how their parlor must 
 be arranged and visits paid and received, as strictly as 
 thouo-h they were in the midst of an ultra society circle; 
 their" customs, I have been informed, are thoroughly 
 Spanish and are the only ones practiced both m bpam 
 and Cuba. 
 
 The sala is always on the second floor, as none but 
 servants occupy the ground or first floor, and it is gener- 
 ally the only room in the house which boasts of a carpet. 
 In several cases I have seen the floors made of polished 
 wood and marble tiling; the walls are beautifully frescoed 
 in colors, and the ceiling, which is always very high, has 
 a magnificent painting in the center, the subject invari- 
 ably of angels or a group of scantily-clad females. In 
 each corner there are round, brass-edged openings ot 
 about ten inches in circumference, which serve as ven- 
 tilators and very often a double purpose by letting scorp- 
 ions in on unwilling victims. 
 
 The windows are but glass doors opening out upon lit- 
 tle iron-railed balconies shaded by awnings. Each win- 
 dow-shade IS transparent, and as the light shines through, 
 it not only fills the room with some beautiful delicate tints, 
 but discloses a lovely Southern scene. Cobweby curtains 
 of creamy white hang from brass poles, suspended at 
 least a foot and a half from the window, forming m 
 themselves little nooks which would be idohzed by 
 romantically inclined '^spoons'' and '^spooners ot the 
 States. 
 
 The Mexicans are all good judges of paintings and 
 many are talented artists; they do not harrow up one s 
 sensibilities with dollar daubs of blue-trees, lavender- 
 tinted skies and a mammoth animal with horns and tail, 
 standing on a white streak in the foreground, which (the 
 animal) placed cross-wise, could stand on all fours and 
 never touch water. Nor does one's eyes have to long tor 
 the waters of Lethe because of tea prizes and Mikado 
 
172 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 ornaments. But a selection of good oil paintings and 
 French-plate mirrors, all framed in brass, grace their 
 rooms. 
 
 The piano is almost universal and occupies some nook 
 by itself; the furniture for the sala is always cushioned 
 and is composed mainly of easy chairs; the sofa — the seat 
 of honor^is placed against the wall beneath some large 
 painting or mirror and a large rug is laid in front. 
 Starting from either end are the easy chairs which form 
 an unbroken circle around the sofa, all thus being able 
 to face it w^ithout turning their backs on any one. Di- 
 rectly at the back of the chairs, or facing the sofa, is a 
 round table with a ^'^ crazy ^^ patchwork cover — which 
 craze has invaded even that country — or a knitted scarf. 
 Then it is actually littered with ornaments of every de- 
 scription, leaving no empty space; as an Englishman 
 rather tersely remarked to me, '^ They look like a counter 
 in a crowded pawn shop.^' 
 
 All the chairs, and the ^ofa, have crocheted tidies on 
 the backs, arms and seat, each separate, and enough to 
 madden a Talmage convert. You may rise up slowly 
 with an Andersonian grace and first one female politely 
 begs permission to remove one of her tidies from your 
 hat; then they will file into the next room, one by one, to 
 see how La Americanos' sombrero becomes them, while 
 another removes a white, delicately constructed thing 
 from your ^^tournure'^ (what they dote on), which lat- 
 ter they have been dying to closely inspect, and to find 
 how you manage to have it hang so prettily. And after 
 you remove another tidy which has become fastened to 
 your heel (although you can't imagine how), you detach 
 yet another from the side trimmings of your dress. By 
 that time you are flustered, forget the Andersonian grace, 
 and utter some emphatic words about tidies and tidy mat- 
 ters in general, and sit down with a real Castletonian 
 kick. 
 
 The sala is not complete without at least two cabinets 
 to hold the overflow of the center table. In all the odd 
 corners are pedestals on which are statuettes in marble, 
 bronze, or plaster-of-Paris, just as the owner's purse per- 
 mits. Tropical plants in quaint jars of Indian design 
 and construction and rustic stands are grouped about, 
 and parrots, mocking-birds, and gayly-colored birds of 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 173 
 
 high and low voices complete the attractions of the beau- 
 tiful Mexican sala. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 LOVE AKD COUETSHIP IN" MEXICO. 
 «' Why the world are all thinking about it, 
 
 And as for myself I can swear, 
 If I fancied that Heaven were without it, 
 
 I'd scarce feel a wish to be there." Moore. 
 
 Beneath the Mexican skies, where everybody treats 
 life as if it were one long holiday, they love with a pas- 
 sion as fervent as their Southern sun, but — on one side 
 at least— as brilliant and transient as a shooting star. 
 Yet there is a fascination about it which makes the 
 American love very insipid in comparison. 
 
 In childhood, boys and girls are never permitted to be 
 together. There is no rather sweet remembrance of 
 when we first began to love, or having to stand with our 
 face in the corner for passing 'Hove letters, ^^ or the fun 
 of playing "^ Copenhagen ^^ when we didn^'t run one bit 
 hard. It is only of a dirty little schoolroom filled with 
 dusky ninos, all of the same wearing apparel, who stud- 
 ied ''out loud;" a fat little teacher who never wore tight 
 dresses, and who only combed her hair ''after the senor- 
 itas had gone home." A scolding French master and an 
 equally bad music master completes the memories. 
 
 When Mexican damsels reach that "hood " which per- 
 mits of long dresses and big bustles, they are in feverish 
 expectationyuntJl, during a walk or drive, a flash from a 
 pair of soft, black eyes tells its tale and a pair of starry 
 ones sends back a swift reply, and with a tender sigh she 
 realizes she has learned that which comes into the lives 
 of them all. That night slie peeps from behind her cur- 
 tains and watches him promenade the opposite sidewalk 
 back and forth, the gaslight throwing his shadow many 
 feet in advance, which, she vows — next to him — is the 
 most beautiful thing she ever gazed upon. She does not 
 show herself the first time or does he expect it. Modesty 
 or custom prevents. Just as he takes off his hat to 
 breathe a farewell to her balcony, a white handkerchief 
 flutters forth for an instant, he kisses his finger tips, 
 the light goes out, and both retire, longing for manana 
 noche. 
 
174 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 Time goes on, and slie gets bold enongli to stand on 
 the balcony, in full glare of the laughing moon, whilst he 
 walks just beneath her. When it rains he will stand 
 there until hat and clothing are ruined, to show his de- 
 votion. When she goes for a walk he is sure to follow 
 slowly behind, and if chance offers he touches his hat 
 slightly, and she with upraised hand deftly gives the 
 pretty Mexican salutation. When the novelty wears off 
 all this, she gets a pencil, paper, and cord, with which 
 she transfers to him those sweet, soft little nothings 
 which the love-stricken are so fond of, -and the fair fish- 
 eress never draws in an empty line; hers are but the 
 repetition of what almost any love-si^k maiden would 
 pen — badly written and mis-spelled, it is true; his is 
 something of this style: 
 
 "Beautiful, Extra^^cikci Aj;rGEL, — Your loving 
 slave has been made to feel the bliss of heaven by your 
 gracious and pleasing condescension to notice his mad- 
 dening devotion for you. I long to touch your exquisite 
 hand that I may be made to realize my happiness is 
 earthly. Life has lost all charms for me except beneath 
 your fortunate balcony which has the honor of your pres- 
 ence. Only bless me with a smile and I am forever your 
 most devoted, who lives only to promote your happiness. 
 
 ''^ Your Servakt t^^ho bends to kiss your hand.^' 
 
 Every letter ends with this last, as we end ours " Ee- 
 spectfu'lly/^ If they do not care to write it out fully they 
 put only the initials for every word. If a girl is inclined 
 to flirt she may have seA^eral '* bears, ^' but her fingers tell 
 a different hour for each. If two should meet they in- 
 quire the other^s mission, and their hot blood leads them 
 into a duel — which, however, is less frequent of late 
 years. No difference how much a girl may care for a 
 duelist, she does not see him after he has fought for her. 
 
 Winter comes at last, and with it the annual receptions 
 of the different clubs. A mutual understandi^ng and 
 many fond hearts beat in anticipation of the event. Once 
 there they forget the eyes of their chaperons, and in 
 their adorers" arms they dance the Spanish love-dance. 
 It is really the danza. At all receptions it comes in every 
 other dance and is played twice the length of any. It is 
 the one moment of a Mexican's life, and I assure you 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 175 
 
 they improve it. The danza is rather peculiar, and not 
 at all pleasing to an Americana. It is nearly the waltz 
 step reduced to a slow, graceful motion; the high heels 
 and tight boots prevent any swift movement; the gentle- 
 man takes the lady in his arms and she does likewise with 
 him — as nearly as possible — and in this way they dance 
 about three minutes, then encircling, as two loving 
 schoolgirls walk along, they advance, and, clasping hands 
 with the nearest couple, the four dance together for a 
 little while and then separate; this repeated by the hour 
 constitutes the Spanish danza. Uninterrupted conversa- 
 tion is held continually as the girl's cheek rests against 
 the gentleman's shoulder. Love is whispered, proposals 
 are made, and arrangements for future actions perfected. 
 
 When parents notice a '' bear,'' if they are favorably 
 inclined, they invite him in, where he can see the object 
 of his adoration hemmed in on either side by petticoats 
 of forbidding aspect. When he once enters the house it 
 means that he has been accepted as the girl's husband, 
 and there is no '' backing out." The father sets a time 
 for a private interview and when he calls they settle all 
 business points: As to what the daughter receives at the 
 father's death, when the marriage shall take place, where 
 the bride is to live and how much the intended husband 
 has to support her; the lawyer finishes all arrangements 
 and escorts the engaged pair to a magistrate, where a 
 civil marriage is performed— that their children may be 
 legal heirs to their property. Even after this they are 
 not permitted to be alone together; the intended bride- 
 groom buys all the wedding outfit, for the bride is not 
 allowed^io take even a collar from what her father bought 
 for her before. 
 
 The final ceremony is performed in a church hj a padre, 
 who sprinkles the young couple with holy water and 
 hands an engagement ring to the groom, which he puts 
 on the little finger of his bride, then the padre puts a 
 marriage ring on both the bride and groom. After 
 which, holding on to the priest's vestments, they proceed 
 to the altar, .where they kneel while he puts a lace scarf 
 around theii^ shoulders and a silver chain over their heads; 
 symbolic that they are bound together irrevocably, as 
 there is no such thing as divorce in Mexico. After mass 
 is said the marriage festivities take place and last as 
 
176 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 long as tlie husband cares to pay for them, anywhere 
 from three days to a month, and then, like the last scene 
 on the stage, the curtain goes down, lights are put out, 
 and you see no more of the actors who pleased your fancy 
 for a short time. 
 
 The husband puts his wife in his home, which is hence- 
 forth the extent of her life. She is devoted, tender, and 
 true, as she has been taught. She expects nothing ex- 
 cept to see that the servants attend to the children and 
 household matters — and she gets only what she expects. 
 He finds divers amusements, for, according to the cus- 
 toms of his country, his ^' illusion'^ (what they call love) 
 dies after a few days spent alone with his bride, and he 
 only returns at stated intervals to fondle or whi|) his cap- 
 tive — just as fancy dictates. The men discuss at the 
 club the fact that he has more loves than one, but they 
 all have, and it excites no censure. But the world can 
 never know what the bride thinks; private affairs are 
 never made public. He can even kill her, as did their 
 predecessor Cortes, and it will excite little or no com- 
 ment. When matured years come on, she loses what 
 good looks she had; three hundred pounds is nothing: for 
 weight, and on her lip grows a heavy, black mustache. 
 She cares for nothing but sleeping, eating, drinking, and 
 smoking the perpetual cigarette. And in this way ends 
 the fair Mexican^'s brief dream of the grande passion. 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 SCENES WITHIi^ MEXICAN" HOMES. 
 
 The City of Mexico makes many bright promises for 
 the future. As a winter resort, as a summer resort, a 
 city for men to accumulate fortunes, a paradise for stu- 
 dents, for artists; a rich field for the hunter of the cu- 
 rious, the beautiful and the rare, its bright future is not 
 far distant. Already its wonders are related to the en- 
 ter|)rising people of the States, who are making tours 
 through the land that held cities even at the time of the 
 discovery of America. 
 
 The Mexican Central road, although completed only 
 five years ago, offers every, and even more, comforts than 
 old established eastern roads. Many excursionists have 
 
MX 3I0NTHS IN MEXICO. m 
 
 had delightful visits here, and at present a number of 
 Quakers have come to see for themselves what Mexico 
 offers. One of the party was quizzing Mr. Theo. Geste- 
 feld, editor of the Ttvo RepuUics, on the advisability of 
 opening a mission for the poor and degraded of Mexico. 
 Mr. Gestefeld is a first-class newspaper man, formerly 
 employed on the Chicago Tribune, and has a practical 
 and common sense way of viewing things. His reply 
 should be studied by all coming to Mexico to stay. He 
 said: '^ Their religion has been the people^s faith always, 
 even before Americans lived. They are fanatics, and 
 trying to change or convert them is wasting time. Let 
 their faith alone, and go out and buy a farm on the table • 
 lands and teach them how to farm and how to live. You 
 will find them ready, willing, even anxious to learn. 
 They will quickly imitate any way they know is better 
 than theirs. '' The Quaker is still here, but, so far as 
 known, has neither started a mission nor bought a farm. 
 
 Mexico is colder these last few days than the tra- 
 ditional oldest inhabitant ever remembered, but it is a 
 pleasant change to the visitors who have left the snow- 
 bound country, even if a fire is an unheard-of thing. 
 
 People who read history form wrong ideas of how 
 Mexican houses are built. They are square, plastered 
 outside and decorated. Many are three and four stories 
 in height. The windows, which are always curtained, 
 are finished with iron balconies. Massive doors, on 
 which are ponderous knockers of antique shape and size, 
 keep from view the inhabitants of the Oasa. A knock, 
 and the doors swing open and a brown portero, dressed 
 in the garb of his country, sombrero, serape and all, ad- 
 mits you to the lower court, where the stables are kept 
 and the servants live. . Beautiful flowers, rare orchids, 
 and tall, waving palms are growing in rich profusion. 
 Directly up through the center is a large, open square; 
 a stairway, decorated in the highest style of art, leads to 
 the different departments. Fine statuary, singing birds 
 and fountains mingling with the flowers aid in making 
 the scene superb. 
 
 Just the opposite of the States, the higher up a room 
 is the better it is considered, and in hotels they charge 
 accordingly, $1 first floor; |2 second; 13 thirds and so 
 
its 
 
 SIX MONTHS m MEXICO. 
 
 on. A room is not healthy unless the sun shines into it; 
 and they have no windows — just glass doors. 
 
 All the hotels in Mexico are run on the European plan. 
 They have restaurants attached where the waiters, as 
 long as they smile, cannot do too much for their cus- 
 tomers. Mexico has several good hotels, of their kind, 
 and most of them equal, if they are not superior, to the 
 Iturbide — pronounced Eeturbeda — but Americans who 
 riLTi after royalty want to stop here so they can say they 
 
 have stayed at the 
 house which was the 
 palace of the first 
 emperor after Mexico 
 was independent. 
 
 Mexico looks the 
 same all over, every 
 white street termin- 
 ates at the foot of a 
 snow-capped mount- 
 ain, look which way 
 you will; the streets 
 are named very 
 strangely, one 
 straight street hav- 
 ing half a dozen 
 "names. Each square 
 has a different name, 
 or designated as 
 Eirst San Erancisco; 
 the next block 
 Second San Eran- 
 cisco. Policemen 
 stand in the middle 
 of the street all over the city, reminding one of so many 
 posts. They wear white caps with numbers on, blue 
 suits, nickel buttons. A mace now takes the place of 
 the svvord of former days. At night they don an over- 
 coat and hood, which makes them look just like the pict- 
 ures of veiled knights. Their red lanterns are left in the 
 place they occupied during the daytime, while they retire 
 to some doorway where, it is said, they sleep as soundly 
 as their brethren in the States. At intervals they blow 
 a whistle like those used by street car drivers, which are 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 179 
 
 answered by those on the next posts; thus they know all 
 is well. In small towns they call out the time of night, 
 ending up with tiempo sereno (all serene), from which 
 the Mexican youth, with some mischievous Yankeeism, 
 have nicknamed them Sereno. 
 
 It is very easy for those unaccompanied and not speak- 
 ing Spanish to get around in Mexico. A baggage man 
 meets the train out from the city, who not only attends 
 to his regular duties, but gives any information regarding 
 hotels that visitors may want. Numerous carriages of 
 all kinds and descriptions, stand around the depot. Each 
 one is decorated with a flag, by which the visitor may 
 know the price without asking. White, red, and blue — 
 fifty cents, seventy -five cents, and one dollar. The drivers 
 often try to get the best of a tourist, es|)ecial]y if he 
 speaks Spanish, and charge him one dollar for a seventy- 
 five cent carriage. The Mexicans do not differ much 
 from the Yankee hackman. If any, it is in favor of the 
 Mexican. They do not cheat so much, because they are 
 not sharp enough. 
 
 Pulque shops, where they deal out the national drink, 
 are quite plenty. These are the only buildings in the 
 city that are decorated. They are generally corner 
 buildings, and the two sides have finely-painted pictures 
 of ladies, ballet-girls, men on gayly-caparisoned horses, 
 angels floating on clouds, etc. Numerous flags of black 
 and red^ or red and white, answer for a sign, but it is 
 against the law to use the national flag. These saloons, 
 or shops, as they are called, stand wide open, with no 
 screens to hide the dirty bar and drinkers from the eyes 
 of pedestrians. They are patronized by men, women, 
 and children, and are kept open all the time. 
 
 ** Sabe que es pulque — 
 Licor divino ? 
 Lo beben los angeles 
 En vez de vino." 
 
 Know ye not pulque — 
 
 That liquor divine ? 
 Angels in heaven 
 
 Prefer it to wine. 
 
 Pulque is the fermented juice of the agave, or so-called 
 century plant, which matures in from five to fifteen 
 
180 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 years, instead of one hundred as generally believed. It 
 grows wild here, but large plantations of it are cultivated. 
 Just before the plant is ready to blossom the natives 
 gather the big fat leaves together, around the bud, form- 
 ing a sort of basin. The bud is then cut out and the 
 juice from the stalk collects in the leaf-formed basin. 
 One stalk will yield as high as two gallons a day for six 
 months. 
 
 The pulque is collected in jars that the gatherers carry 
 suspended from their shoulders. . It is sucked out of 
 the basin through a hollow bamboo or reed, and squirted 
 from the mouth into the jar. A knowledge of this fact 
 does not render the stuff any more palatable to foreign- 
 ers. It is awfully nasty stuff, but they say that when you 
 get acquainted with it you like it real well. 
 
 Mescal is a sort of brandy distilled from pulque, and 
 will paralyze almost as promptly as a stroke of lightning. 
 Metheglin — honey and water — is made from the honey 
 ant; they are j^laced in a piece of bolting cloth and the 
 honey squeezed out of them. 
 
 The street-car system here is quite unique. But first 
 a few statistics may prove interesting; they run on ninety 
 miles of rails, and carried last year nine million passen- 
 gers; the company owns one thousand five hundred 
 mules and horses, one hundred and thirty-nine first-class 
 coaches, sixty-five second-class, forty-six platform or 
 friiight cars, and twenty-six funeral cars. They" pay an 
 annual dividend of six per cent, on a capital of 15,000,- 
 000. The Chairman of the Board of Directors, Senor 
 Castillo, speaks Spanish and English; they are very 
 particular about free passes, and so far this year have 
 only issued six. 
 
 First-class cars are exactly like those in the States, 
 and the second-class look just like the ^^ Black Maria,'' 
 except the wheels. Cars, just like open freight or truck 
 cars on railroads, are used for hauling instead of wagons, 
 and a dozen of these, loaded with merchandize, are 
 drawn by one team. Movings and everything are 
 hauled in this manner; the price charged is compara- 
 tively small. Cars do not run singly, but in groups of 
 four and five. Even on the first-class cars men smoke as 
 much as they wish, and if the women find it unbearable 
 they go out and stand on the platform; there are two 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 181 
 
 conductors on each car; one sells the tickets, the other 
 collects them. 
 
 When the line was first opened an enterprising stock- 
 holder bought up all the hearses in the city and had fu- 
 neral cars made. The coffin is laid on one draped car; 
 white for young and black for old, and the mourners and 
 friends follow in street cars hired for rhe purpose. A 
 stylish funeral will have a dozen or more cars, the win- 
 dows of which are hung with white crepe, and the doors 
 with black; the drivers and conductors appear in black 
 suits and high, silk hats; the horses are draped, and have 
 black and white plumes on their heads. The cost of fu- 
 nerals ranges from 120 to 11500. A stylish one is a beau- 
 tiful sight; the poor, by making application to the po- 
 lice, are given the funeral car and passage for two per- 
 sons free; the low and poverty-stricken class also hire the 
 coffins, and when they reach the cemetery the corpse is 
 taken out, wrapped in a serape and consigned to a hired 
 grave — that is, they buy the grave for five years, at the 
 end of which time the bones are lifted and thrown in some 
 corner, exposed to the gaze of the public, in order to 
 make room for new-comers; and the tombstones — then 
 useless — are laid in one heap by the gate. The people 
 are no respecters of human bones; Americans always 
 wank to go back to the States to die. 
 
 Street car drivers, of which there are two on each car, 
 are compelled by law to blow a horn at every crossing to 
 warn pedestrians of their coming; the horns are similar, 
 in tone and shape, to those used by fish peddlers in the 
 States. Drivers of every kind of vehicles use the long 
 lash whip of plaited leather exclusively, and they ply 
 them quite vigorously on their animals; they also urge 
 them to faster speed by a sound ssimilar to that which the 
 villain on the stage makes as he creeps upon intended 
 victims when asleep, with his finger on his lips. It 
 sounds like a whip lash cutting through the air. 
 
 The carts in use here are of the most ancient shape 
 and style; two large, wooden wheels su|)port a big square 
 box. One mule is hitched next to the wagon, and three 
 abreast in front of that, and one still ahead; the harness 
 baffles description. Drivers very seldom ride, but trot 
 along beside their team with rope lines in their hands; 
 
182 
 
 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 they can trot afc the speed of the mules with apparent 
 comfort. 
 
 Mexico 'does not breakfast. When people go into the 
 restaurants and order a breakfast the waiters look at them 
 in wonder, and inform them in the most polite terms in 
 the world that they have but coffee and dry bread for 
 breakfast. It is asserted that to eat breakfast will cause 
 a heaviness and dullness for the entire day, but whether 
 this is true or otherwise, it cannot be stated, for since 
 our arrival in Mexico we have been unable to find any 
 other than as before mentioned — and black coffee at that. 
 Every family takes their coffee in their bedrooms. It 
 takes at least two hours to get through an ordinary din- 
 ner. 
 
 A description of dinner in a private family will, no 
 doubt, prove interesting to most readers, especially if 
 they understand the dTfficulty of obtaining admission 
 
 into a family. A 
 Mexican will be all 
 politeness, will do 
 anything for you, will 
 place his house at 
 your service, but he 
 and his family will 
 move out. He will 
 do anything but ad- 
 mit you to the -se- 
 crecy of his house. 
 So this experience is 
 rare. 
 
 Dinner was an- 
 n u n c e d and the 
 gentlemen, in the 
 most courteous man- 
 ner, o ff er e d their 
 arms, and we walked 
 along the balcony to 
 the dining-room. 
 The lace-hung doors 
 w^ere swung open, 
 and there before us was the table with plate, knife and 
 fork, and a penny loaf of bread at eacii place. We sit 
 down, take our napkins, and the waiters — always men— 
 
8tX MONTffS M MEXICO, 18B 
 
 fill our glasses from tlie elegant water bottles that grace 
 each end of the table. One dish, containing, perhaps, 
 cold meat, salad, red pepper, radishes, and pickled beans, 
 is served on plates, and the Urst ones taken away from 
 us, although not used. After endeavoring to swallow 
 some of this nauseating stuff, which the natives devour 
 with relish, the servant removes the dish, our plates, 
 knives and forks, and another equally strange and equally 
 detestable dish is brought on. Thus the feast continues, 
 meanwhile breaking the penny loaf in bits and eating 
 without a spread. 
 
 Butter, which commands II a pound, is never seen 
 from one year's end to another, and jelly is an unheard- 
 of dish. The last dish, and one that is never omitted 
 from dinner or supper, is frijoles — pronounced free- 
 holies — consists of beans, brown ones, with a sort of 
 gravy over them. If a Bostonian were but to visit this 
 country his intellectual stomach, or appetite, would be 
 sated for once. Sliced orange, covered Avith sugar and 
 cinnamon, is dessert, after which comes chocolate or cof- 
 fee; the former superb, the latter miserable. With the 
 coffee the ladies and gentlemen smoke their cigarettes. 
 
 Children are really good here, their reverence for their 
 parents being something beautiful. When entering the 
 dining room each one kisses its mother's hand, and when 
 she asks them if they wish such and such to eat they 
 reply: ^'W^ith your permission.'' Although all are 
 smokers they could not be persuaded to take a cigarette 
 in their mother's presence. The pulque, which is also 
 given around with the coffee, they refuse through respect 
 to their mother; but they drink when she is not by, and 
 of course she is aware of the fact, and has no desire to 
 prohibit them from it. It is just their form of respect 
 to refrain in her presence. A Mexican could not be 
 compelled to eat of two different dishes from one plate. 
 Even the smallest child is proof against persuasion on 
 this point. 
 
 The frijoles, or beans, are served on a tortilla, a sort 
 of corn-cake baked in the shape of a buckwheat cake. 
 Another tortilla is folded together, and answers for a 
 spoon. After finishing the beans it is not considered 
 proper or polite unless you eat your spoon and plate. 
 
 Every family has at least half a dozen servants. They 
 
184 
 
 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 are considered excellent when tliey receive five dollars a 
 month, and board themselves. Sometimes they are paid 
 three dollars a month, and allowed six cents a day to fur- 
 nish what they want to eat. This sum is called the 
 retainer. Women do the cooking, and the men wait on 
 the tables, make the beds and nurse the babies. Con- 
 trary to the usual report, they are very, very cleanly. 
 Every room in the house is swept daily; balconies and 
 uncarpeted rooms scrubbed as often. Beds, which are 
 
 p;>iv^_-^.^^> always single iron 
 
 cots like those used 
 
 ^^/^.'^^:;^SM'^f'^ in hospitals, have 
 V£i^$'\ ^MX ^oard or i^n hot- 
 toms, and the hard- 
 est of hard pillows. 
 
 Brooms are an un- 
 seen article, notwith- 
 standing the country 
 furnishes the most 
 beautiful broom corn 
 in the world. It is 
 bought in bunches 
 and tied to a short 
 stick, and used in 
 that manner, forcing 
 the sweeper to bend 
 nearly double. Scrub 
 brushes are but a 
 bunch of coarse straw 
 tied around the top 
 2^ ^ ^ with a string, but 
 
 L.w=s:,:ia^ they make the floors 
 
 perfectly white. There is a fortune here awaiting some 
 lively fellow who will bring machinery and make brooms 
 and brushes for the natives; the straw costs comparatively 
 nothing, and is of the very best quality. 
 
 Lotteries swarm here, and are a curse to the poor. 
 Men, women, and children sell the tickets along the 
 streets, and the poor have such a mania for buying that 
 they will pawn their clothing in order to obtain a ticket. 
 There are no newsboys in this country. Occasionally 
 a boy is seen with a package of papers, but he does not 
 call out like they do in the States. Women generally 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 185 
 
 sell papers, which they fold and hold out toward pass- 
 ers-by, never saying a word. 
 
 The people appear just the opposite of lazy. They 
 move along the streets with a trot, equal in speed to the 
 burro; they never turn their heads to gaze at a stranger, 
 but go along intent on their own affairs as if they realized 
 the value of time and shortness of life. 
 
 Ladies in the States should import their servants from 
 Mexico. Their hire is a very little sum; they furnish 
 their own food; they are the most polite, most obedi- 
 ent people alive, and are faithful. Their only fault 
 • — and a very common one with servants — is that they are 
 slow, but not extremely so. To children they are most 
 devoted; as nurses they are unexcelled; their love for 
 children amounts to a passion, a mania. As a common 
 thing here, a girl of thirteen is not happy unless she has 
 a baby; but with all that they are most generous with 
 them,. Much amusement was caused the other day by an 
 American asking a pretty little black-eyed girl if the 
 bouncing babe tied to her back was hers. *'Si, senor, 
 and yours, too," she replied, politely. 
 
 The men share the troubles of nursing with the 
 women, and the babies, tied on their mother^s or father's 
 back, seem as content as if they were rocked in downy 
 cradles. Babies, as soon as born, are clad in pantaloons 
 and loose waist, irrespective of sex. There are no three- 
 yard skirts on them. Boys retain this garb, but girls, 
 when able to walk, are wrapped twice around the body 
 with a straight cloth which serves for skirts. 
 
 If you ask a native in regard to the sex of a baby he 
 will not say it is a boy or it is a girl, but ''el hombre " (a 
 man) or **la mujer " (the woman.) All efforts fail to 
 make them say ''hijo" (son) or ''hija'' (daughter). 
 
 OHAPTEE XXXI. 
 
 THE EOMANCE OF THE MEXICAK PULQUE. 
 
 The maguey plant is put to as many uses by the Mexi- 
 cans as the cocoa palm is by the South Sea Islanders. 
 All around Mexico, even on the barren plains where 
 nothing else can exist, it grows in abundance. Its leaves 
 are ten and more feet in length, a foot in breadth and 
 ^bout eight inches thick, Of course, there are smaller 
 
186 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO, 
 
 and larger growths, according to tlieir age. After col- 
 lecting strength for about seven years it sprouts from the 
 center a giant flower stalk, twenty or thirty feet high, 
 on which often cluster three thousand flowers of agreen^ 
 ish yellow color. These wonderful plants in bloom along 
 the plains form one of the most magnificent sights in 
 Mexico. At the very least, forty have been seen at one 
 place, each vicing with the other to put forth the most 
 beauty. 
 
 A prince named Papautzin, of the noble blood of the 
 Toltec, discovered some fluid in a plant whose flowering 
 spike had been accidentally broken off. After saving it 
 for some time, he had the curiosity to taste it, and that 
 taste was not only delicious to him, but was destined to 
 moisten the throat and muddle the brain of the Mexicans 
 for generations and generations, and to cause the curious 
 and ever inquiring tourist to do like the whale did at the 
 taste of Jonah. This noble prince was not like an East- 
 ern Yankee; he did not keep his mouth shut until he ob- 
 tained a patent. If he had, telephones and gas wells 
 would be nowhere in comparison as a money-making 
 scheme. He kindly sent some to his sovereign by his 
 beautiful daughter, Xochitl, the flower of Tollan. The 
 noble king drank and looked, looked and drank — the 
 more he drank the more he liked the stuff; the more he 
 looked the more he liked the girl. So he kept her, a 
 willing prisoner, and their son was placed upon the 
 throne. 
 
 Generations after generations rolled by lovely Xochitl. 
 The king, their son, and the illustrious discoverer had 
 solved the wonderful problem. The maguey plant was 
 cultivated by thousands, and oceans of its fluid had gone 
 down the throats of tlie natives. This was the origin of 
 the Mexican national drink, pulque. No estimate can be 
 formed of the amount used, but it is enormous. It is 
 simply water for the natives, and a pulque shop graces, 
 almost invariably, every corner in the cities. As stated 
 in a former chapter, these shops are the finest decorated 
 places in Mexico. Superb paintings of all scenes grace 
 the interior and exterior; flags float gracefully over the 
 doors, and customers are always plenty. Men, women, 
 and children can be seen constantly drinking from clay 
 pitchers of a generous size, for the full of which they 
 
^IX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 181' 
 
 T5av but two cents. No respectable Mexican would enter 
 a pulque shop, but they all drink it at every meal. 
 
 Yhe m~ is planted at the interval of three yards 
 anart and in such a manner that every way you look 
 across an estate the plants run in a straight line; they 
 thrive in almost any soil, and after planting need no more 
 attention until the time of flowering, which ,s anywhere 
 from six to ten years. The Indians know by infallible 
 signs just when the flowering stem will appear, and at 
 tlfattmethey out out the whole l^f^, leaving on y a 
 thick outside, which forms a natural basm Into tbis 
 the sap contimially oozes, and it is removed twice, some_ 
 
 imes thrice a day'by a peon, who sucks it ^to his mouth 
 and then ejects it into the ]ar he carries on liis back. As 
 soon as the plant exhausts all this sap, which was origin- 
 ally intended to give strength and life to the flowering 
 stem. It dies, and is replaced by innumerable suckers from 
 the old root. Great care must be exercised m cutting 
 the plant— if the least too soon or too late, it isthedeatli 
 
 °*When first extracted the sap is extremely sweet, from 
 which it derives its name, aguamiel (honey water). 
 Some of this is fermented for fifteen and twenty-five 
 davs, when it is called madre pulque (the mother of 
 nuloue) This is distributed m very small quantities 
 among different pigskins; then the fresh is poured on i , 
 and in twenty-four hours it is ready for sale I'lants 
 ready to cut are valued at about $5, but an estebhslied 
 maguey ground will produce a revenue of $10,000 to 
 mmo per annum. Pulque is brought to town in pig 
 and goat skins. It has a peculiar sour-milkish taste, and 
 smells exactly like hop yeast. „ ■, i 
 
 - Prom the mild pulque is distilled a rum called mescal. 
 It is of a lovely brown, golden color, and very pleasant 
 to the taste. One can drink it all night, be as drunk as 
 a lord, and have no big head in the morning. If it was 
 once .introduced into the States nothing else would be 
 used for no difference how much is drank, the heaa is 
 as clear and bright as the teetotaler's in the morning 
 Nor is this the only use of the plant. Poor people roof 
 their huts with the leaves, placing one on the other like 
 shingles. The hollowed leaf serves as a trough for con- 
 ducting the water. The sharp thorns are stripped ofi, 
 
188 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO, 
 
 leaving the fibers attached, and the natives use them as a 
 needle, already threaded. Paper is made from the pulp 
 of the leaves, and twine and thread from their fibers. 
 The twine is woven into rugs, mats, sacks, ropes, har- 
 ness, even to the bits, and dainty little purses, which 
 tourists buy up like precious articles. 
 
 The wonderful productive powers of this plant do not 
 end here.. The expensive cochineal bug, used for color- 
 ing purposes and for paint, counts this maguey its foster- 
 mother. On its wide leaves does it live externally and 
 internally until the gatherer comes and plucks it off, 
 probably to color some dainty maid's gown in the far dis- 
 tant land or tint some sky of an artist's dream. 
 
 Yet maguey thinks it has not done enough for mortals, 
 and it accomplishes one more thing for which the Mexicans 
 would treasure its memory but Americans would gladly 
 excuse it. Clinging to the shadiest side, in a childlike 
 confidence, is a long green worm, similar to the unkilla- 
 ble cabbage worm of the States. Peons in a gentle man- 
 ner, so as not to crush or hurt, pluck these tender young 
 things, and, putting them in a vessel, bring the fruits of 
 their work to town. Nothing can be compared to the 
 way and haste in which iDeople buy them. Fried' in but- 
 ter, a little brown milk gravy around, and they are set on 
 the table as the greatest delicacy of all Mexican dishes. 
 It is needless to add that the natives eat them with won- 
 derful relish, and are quick to say '' We know what these 
 dainty things are, but you folks cat oysters!"' 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 MEXCIA]^ MAI^KEIiS. 
 
 Among the most interesting things in Mexico are the 
 customs followed by the people, which are quaint, and, 
 in many cases, pretty and pleasing. Mexican politeness, 
 while not always sincere, is vastly more agreeable than 
 the courtesy current among Americans. Their pleasing 
 manners seem to be inborn, yet the Mexican of Spanish 
 descent cannot excel the Indian in courtesy, who, though 
 ignorant, unable to read or write, could teach politeness 
 to a Chesterfield. The moment they are addressed their 
 hat is in hand. If they wish to pass they first beg your 
 ,permission. Even a child v\^hen learning to talk is the 
 
SIX ilONTHS IN MEXICO. 189 
 
 perfection of courtesy. If you ask one its name it will 
 tell yon, and immediately add, ^'^ I am your servant '' or 
 ^^ Your servant to command/^ This grows with them, 
 and when past childhood they are as near perfection in 
 this line as it is possible to be. 
 
 When woman meets woman then doesii^t come '^the 
 tug of war," but instead the '' hug and kissing;" the 
 kissing is never on the lips, but while one kisses a friend 
 on the right cheek, she is being kissed on the left, and 
 then they change off and kiss the other side. Both sides 
 must be kissed; this is repeated according to the famil- 
 iarity existing between them, but never on the lips, al- 
 though with an introduction the lips are touched. The 
 hug — well, it is given in the same place as it is in other 
 countries, and in a right tight and wholly earnest man- 
 ner. From the first moment they are expected to address 
 each other only by their Christian names, the family 
 name never being used. 
 
 The parlor furniture is arranged the same all over 
 Mexico; the sofa is placed against the wall and the 
 chairs form a circle around it; the visitor is given the 
 sofa, which is the ''seat of honor," and the family sit in 
 the circle, the eldest nearest the sofa; the visitor expects 
 to be asked to play the piano, which she does in fine 
 style, and then the hostess must play after her or commit 
 a breach of courtesy, which social crime she also commits 
 if she neglects to ask the guest to play; visitors always 
 stay half a day, and before leaving she is treated to a dish 
 of fine dulce, a sweet dessert, cigarettes and wine; then 
 mantillas are put on, blessings, good wishes, kisses and 
 embraces are exchanged, each says ''My house is yours; I 
 am your servant," and depart. All the rules of decorum 
 have been obeyed. 
 
 When men are introduced they clasp hands, not the 
 way Americans do, but with thumbs interlocked, and 
 embrace with the left arm; then the left hands are 
 clasped and they embrace Avith the right arm, patting 
 the back in a hearty manner; the more intimate they be- 
 come the closer the embrace, and it is not unusual to see 
 men kiss; these embraces are not saved for private or 
 home use, but are as frequent on the streets as hat tip- 
 ping is here; the hand clasping is both agreeable and 
 hearty. They clasp hands every time they part, if it be 
 
190 SiJt MONTifS IN MEXICO. 
 
 only for an hour's duration, and again when they meet, 
 and when careless Americans forget the rule they vote 
 them very rude and ill-bred. Undoubtedly, as a nation, 
 we are. 
 
 On the street a woman is not permitted to recognize a 
 man first. She mnst wait until he lifts his shining silk 
 hat; then she raises her hand nntil on a level with her 
 face, turns the palm inward, with the fingers pointing 
 toward the face, then holds the first and fourth fingers 
 still, and moves the two center ones in a quick motion; 
 the action is very pretty, and the picture of grace when 
 done by a Mexican senora, but is inclined to deceive the 
 green American, and lead him to believe it is a gesture 
 calling him to her side. When two women walk along 
 together the youngest is always given the inside of the 
 pavement, or if the younger happens to be married, she 
 gets the outside — they are quite strict about this; also, if 
 a gentleman is with a mother and daughters, he must 
 walk with the mother and the girls must walk before 
 them. A Avoman who professes Christianity will not wear 
 a hat or bonnet to church, but gracefully covers her head 
 with a lace mantilla. No difference how nicely she is 
 clad, she is not considered dressed in good taste unless 
 powdered and painted, to the height reached only by 
 chorus girls. Four years ago, the Americans tell me, the 
 Mexican women promenaded the streets and parks and 
 took drives in ball-dresses, low neck, sleeveless, and with 
 enormous trains; this has almost been stopped, although 
 the finest of dresses, vivid in color, and only suitable for 
 house or receiDtion wear, are yet worn on Sundays. 
 
 Everybody wears jewelry, not with good taste, but 
 piled on recklessly. I have seen men with rings on every 
 finger, always excepting the thumb; and the cologne 
 used is something wonderful. You can smell it while 
 they are a square off,, and it is discernible when they are 
 out of sight. A man is not considered fashionable unless 
 he parts his hair in the middle, from his forehead to the 
 nape of his neck, and dress it a la pompadour. The 
 handkerchief is always carried folded in a square, and is 
 used alternately to wipe his dainty little low-cut boots 
 and the face. Afterward it is refolded and replaced in 
 the pocket. 
 
 Visitors are always expected to call first to s^e their 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 191 
 
 friends when in town, as it would be a great breach o£ 
 decorum for a family to call on a Yisitor before he or she 
 came rtheir house. If two or more people meet m a 
 ?rr^andare not acquainted they must speak, but not 
 shake hands; they can converse until some one comes 
 when they w 11 accept an introduction and embrace, as if 
 rhevhadiust that instant met. When one occupies a 
 bench in he park with a stranger nei her must depart 
 wUliout biddi'ng the other farewell, and very of ten while 
 murmuring adieus they clasp hands and lift hats. 
 
 Mm cans in talking employ a number of signs which 
 mean as much to them and are as plainly understood as 
 Msh words would be to us. They speak their sign- 
 lanl age gracefully; indeed, they are a very graceful 
 peop efand yet they never study it or give it a thought. 
 When they want a waiter in a restaurant, or a man on 
 the streets, they never call or whistle, as we would do 
 but simplv clap the hands several times and the wanted 
 mitv comes. The system is very oonvement, and far 
 WepTeSing than the American pan. When wishing 
 to beSon any one, thev throw the hand from them in 
 the same manner as Americans do if they want any one 
 to mre on To go away, they hold the fingers together 
 and move them toward the body. 
 
 Thev never say that a man is drunk; it sounds vulgar, 
 and as tTey will " get that way," they merely place the 
 fndex finger on the temple and incline the head slightly 
 toward the person meant. They could never be abrupt 
 enough to say any one was crazy or had no brains, so they 
 touch the foreheid, between the eyebrows, with the fir t 
 finger. To speak of money they form a circle of the 
 thifmb and forefinger; to ask you to take a drmk or tell 
 the servants to bring one, the thumb is ^™f ^^^ f, 
 the mouth; to ask you to wait a little ^hi e the fi.st 
 fineer is held within a quarter of an inch of the thumb. 
 To'hold the palm upwVd, and f owly move Oie han^ 
 backward and forward says as pain as English 1 am 
 going to whip my wife," or " I whip my wife It they 
 lant vou to play a game at cards, they dose both iists 
 Tnd hold them tightly together. Touching the thumb 
 ranidlv with the four fingersclosed meansyouhave much 
 or many of anything, like many friends. Making a scis- 
 Sgn with the fist and second finger means you m 
 
192 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 cutting some one in the back. Whittling one forefinger 
 with the other means '^ yon got left." When courting 
 on the balcony and the girl smooths her lip and cnm, you 
 are warned to get out; ''the old man is coming." In 
 company, when one is so unfortunate as to sneeze, they 
 are greatly insulted, and the company is badly wanting 
 in good manners unless, just as the sneeze is finished, 
 every one ejaculates '' Jesu," '' Jesucristo." 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIIL 
 
 NOCHE TEISTE TREE. 
 
 I PRESUME everybody who knows anything about his- 
 tory remembers reading how Cortez, when he thought he 
 was going to lose the fight for Mexico, on July 10th, 1520, 
 retired under a tree and wept. 
 
 Since that time the tree has been known to the inhab- 
 itants as the Noche Triste (the sad night). It stands 
 before an ancient chapel, in a public square of the little 
 village of Popotla. I don't know why, for I could never 
 think of Cortez except as a thieving murderer, but the 
 Noche Triste receives a great deal of attention from the 
 natives and all the tourists. On the second oi May, 
 1872, the tree was found to be on fire. A citizen of 
 Popotla, Senor Jose Maria Enriquez, who venerated the 
 old relic, followed by hundreds of people, rushed to its 
 rescue. 
 
 They did what they could with buckets, and at last 
 two hand pumps were brought from an adjoining college. 
 It is said that fully five thousand people visited the burn- 
 ing tree that day. After burning for twenty- four hours 
 the flames were conquered. Since then Noche Triste has 
 been inclosed by a high, iron fence; despite the fire it is 
 yet a grand old tree. 
 
 Everybody visits the cathedral of Mexico. It is a 
 grand old building, of enormous size, and covered with 
 carved figures, facing the zocalo. It is surrounded by 
 well-kept gardens, in which are many beautiful statues 
 and ancient Aztec figures. In the cathedral is the tomb 
 of the Emperor Yturbide, and superb paintings, some by 
 Murillo. The history of the cathedral is interesting; it 
 was the church of Sant^aMaria de la Asuncion unti] 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO, 193 
 
 January 31, 1545, wlien it was declared the metropolitan 
 cathedral of Mexico. 
 
 Philip II. issued a royal decree that the cathedral 
 should correspond to the magnificence of the city, and in 
 1573 the work was begun. It occupies the very ground 
 on which stood the principal temple of the Aztecs; the 
 site was bought from the Franciscan monks for forty dol- 
 lars. 
 
 A period of forty-two years was consumed in laying the 
 foundations, raising the exterior walls, building the 
 transverse walls of the chapels, working the columns to 
 the height of the capitals, and making some progress 
 upon the domes. 
 
 The architecture of this temple pertains to the Doric 
 order. The structure is one hundred and thirty-three 
 Spanish yards in length, and seventy-four in width. In 
 has one hundred and seventy-four windows, and^ is 
 divided into five naves, the principal one of which 
 measures fifty-three feet in width from column to column. 
 The aisles correspond in number to the thirty-three 
 chapels, formed by twenty pillars, ten on each side; 
 from base to capital the pillars measure fifty-four feet in 
 height, and fourteen in circumference. The roof is com- 
 posed of fifty-one domes or vaults, resting upon seventy- 
 four arches. The church is pyramidal in form, its 
 height diminishing in regular proportion from the main 
 narve to the chapels. There are three entrance-doors on 
 the southern front, two on the northern, and two on each 
 of the sides. 
 
 After ninety-five years of^ continual work, the final 
 solemn dedication was celebrated December 22, 1677. 
 
 The cost of the cathedral, exclusive of the external 
 decoration, at least of the Sagrario, amounted to $1,- 
 752,000, so that it may well be said that two and a half 
 million dollars were invested in the two churches, whose 
 erection extended over more than a century. 
 
 During my six months in Mexico I received hundreds 
 of letters from men asking my advice about their com- 
 ing to Mexico for business purposes. I never give ad- 
 vice, but if I were a man and had a certain amount of 
 patience I should go to- Mexico. If one can get used to 
 the people and their mauana movements, the place is 
 perfect. The land, in r-io^t localities, is the easiest im- 
 
194 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 aginable to cultivate. A farmer can have as many har- 
 vests a year as he has space. He can sow in one place 
 and harvest in another, so perfect is the climate. The 
 only complaint is of the lack of water, but as it is always 
 to be found six feet under the surface of the earth one 
 can have it. Anything will grow if put in the ground. 
 I visited one place that had been barren three years 
 previous, and it was the most beautiful garden spot in 
 Mexico. The trees were equal to any nine year old trees 
 in tho States. There is no weather to interfere with 
 their growth. 
 
 A great number of Englishmen, Germans and French 
 have settled ,in Mexico, and by their thrift are accumu- 
 lating fortunes rapidly. Barring a little dislike, the 
 Americans have the same chances. 
 
 Mexico produces better broom-corn than the United 
 States, and for the smallest possible cost and trouble. 
 Very few farmers interest themselves in broom-corn, so 
 there is a place for Americans to step in and make money. 
 
 Silk culture could also be made one of Mexico's prin- 
 cipal industries. It can be carried on with little or no 
 capital. Any one who possesses a few mulberry trees 
 can, without abandoning his regular work, care for silk- 
 worms. An ounce of silk- worm eggs costs five dollars, 
 and it will produce not less than fifty kilogrammes of 
 cocoons that are worth one dollar per kilogramme. 
 
 It is only necessary to buy eggs the first time, for the 
 worms keep producing them. The mulberry tree thrives 
 in all parts of Mexico, and the silk- worm needs no pro- 
 tection of any kind from the climate, nor are they sub- 
 jected to diseases here which elsewhere cause great loss. 
 It costs less to raise silk-worms in Mexico than in Eu- 
 rope, and a far better quality are produced. Mulberry 
 shoots will produce sufficient foliage to maintain silk- 
 A7orms within three years after planting. 
 
 The eggs, while containing the embryo silk- worm, have 
 a dull lavender color, but after discharging the worm 
 they resembled little sugar pills. The worms were about 
 one-sixteenth of an inch long, but the first week of moult- 
 ing shows them to be half an inch long and the second 
 week one inch. For the third moulting they are placed 
 on perforated paper, through the holes of which the 
 worms crawl. This relieves the attendant of consideri^" 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 195 
 
 ble labor in transferring them. The fourth week the 
 head is white, and the worm has attained its normal 
 growth. There is nothing now for the worm to do but 
 loaf around and lunch on mulberry leaves until the eighth 
 or ninth day after shedding its skin the fourth time, 
 when he or she, as the case may be, proceeds to form its 
 cocoon. It is then of a golden transparent color. It 
 takes about five days for the industrious worm to finish 
 its cocoon. Then, to destroy the moth inside, it is sub- 
 jected to heat, 'and the cocoon is then ready for spinning. 
 
 When ready for use the cocoons are soaked in a tub of 
 water until all the glutinous substance is removed. 
 With a small whisk-broom the cocoon is brushed until 
 ends, which are as fine as a cobweb, come loose. They 
 will then reel off without breaking. One cocoon will 
 give four hundred yards of raw silk. 
 
 Indian rubber trees are also easily cultivated in Mex- 
 ico, and the demand for them is large. It's easy to make 
 a comfortable income in Mexico, if one goes about it 
 rightly. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 LITTLE KOTES OF li^TEKEST. 
 
 Superstition is the ruin of Mexico. While we were 
 there some children found a shell containing an image of 
 the Virgin. The matter was deemed miraculous, and 
 they directly decided to build a chapel on the spot where 
 the shell was found. 
 
 In the State of Morelos exists a stone that they say was 
 used before the conquest to call the people to labor or to 
 war. The stone appears to be hewn. In the center of 
 the upper part is a hole which runs into the heart of the 
 stone, forming a spiral. On fitting to this a mouth- 
 piece and blowing, the sound of a horn is produced, some- 
 what melancholy in tone, but so loud that it can be heard 
 a great distance; the ranchmen of that locality employ 
 it as a means of calling their flocks and the animals 
 quickly obey the summons. It is known as the *' Calling 
 Stone." 
 
 There is a tradition about this stone; they say that no 
 difference where it is taken, that by some invisible means 
 it always goes back to the spot it has occupied for the 
 
19G SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 past century. They say tliat once it was even chained in 
 a cellar, but in the morning it was missing, and when 
 they searched for it, it was found in its old position. 
 
 Mexico abounds with the most beautiful and wonder- 
 ful flowers. Many are unknown even to horticulturists. 
 One of the novel flowers I heard of was one which grew 
 on the San Jose hacienda, some twenty-two leagues from 
 the City of Tehuantepec. In the morning it is white, 
 at noon it is red, and at night it is blue. At noon it 
 has a beautiful |)erfume, but at no other time. It grows 
 on a tree. 
 
 There are very few fires in Mexico, and it is a blessing 
 to the citizens; they have one flre company, but no 
 alarms. When there is a fire the policemen nearest give 
 the customary alarm, three shots in the air from his re- 
 volver; the next 2:)oliceman does the same, and on up un- 
 til they come to the policeman near the firemen^s office. 
 The fires are always out or the place reduced to ashes be- 
 fore these noble laddies put in an appearance. 
 
 On every corner is hung a sign, giving a list of all the 
 business places on that block. 
 
 The turkeys in Mexico are the most obliging things I 
 ever saw; they are brought into town in droves and they 
 never scatter, but walk quietly along, obeying the voice of 
 their driver. If he wants a drink he makes them lie 
 down and they stay until he returns. 
 
 Mail is delivered every day in the week, Sunday not 
 excepted. Every letter-box contains a slip which the 
 carrier fixes, which tells when the next collection will be 
 made. Printed slips are published daily, and hung in 
 the corridors of the post-office, of unclaimed letters and 
 papers, and of those that have not gone out for lack of 
 postage. 
 
 Houses are never labeled '^To Let ^' when they are 
 empty; a piece of white paper is tied to the iron balcony 
 and everybody knows what it means. No taxes are paid 
 on empty houses or uncultivated land. People never 
 rent houses by the year, but by the day or week; they 
 can move at any time they wish; this makes landlords 
 civil. 
 
 Grass is cut in the park with a small piece of zinc, 
 which is sharpened on a stone, and it is raked with a 
 twig broom. 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. W1 
 
 _Ko houses have bathrooms, but the city is well sup- 
 plied with public swimming baths. One can have a room 
 and private bath for twenty-five cents. Everybody of 
 any note takes a bath every morning. It is quite a pretty 
 and yet strange sight to see the beautiful voung girls 
 coming leisurely up the prominent thoroughfares early 
 in the morning, with their exquisite hair hanging in 
 tangled masses, often to their feet. They are always at- 
 tended by a maid. 
 
 Mexican ladies have a contempt for people who do not 
 have servants. They never carry anything on the streets; 
 but always have a mozo, even to carry an umbrella. 
 
 Because Vera Cruz has such a large death rate from 
 yellow fever the Mexicans have named it La Cindad de 
 los Muertos (the city of the dead.) 
 
 In Yucatan the Maya language is still used. It is very 
 musical and is written all in capitals. 
 
 It is considered polite and quite a compliment for a 
 man to stare at a lady on the streets. I might add that 
 the men, by this rule, are remarkably polite. 
 
 Families employ street musicians by the month, to visit 
 them for a certain time daily. The hand-organs there 
 are most musical instruments. 
 
 Shoes are never marked with a number, but are fitted 
 until they please the buyer. The shoes worn on the 
 street are what would be the pride of an actress. They 
 are very cheap. 
 
 The easiest English word for the Mexican to learn is 
 ^^all right.'' Even the Indians catch it quickly. They 
 all like to speak English. 
 
 Butter is seldom seen in Mexico. The only way they 
 have of getting it is by its forming from the rocking on 
 tlie burro's back while being brought to town. It is 
 skimmed off the milk by the hand and is sold at a big price. 
 It is never salted. The butter is alwavs wrapped in corii 
 husks, looking exactly like an ear of corn until it is 
 opened. They also make cottage-cheese, and tying it up 
 m green reeds sell it. Salt is very expensive. 
 
 It costs a single man about one hundred and fifty dol- 
 lars a month for his room rent and board. He must also 
 retain the chamber-maid and the patero (door-keeper,) 
 with certain amounts. Young men never carry night 
 keys in Mexico, because they weigh about a pound. 
 
108 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 According to law every door must be locked at ten 
 o'clock, and all those entering afterward must pay the 
 patero for unlocking and unbarring the heavy portals. 
 
 The poor, when dead, are carried to the graveyard on 
 the heads of cargadores. If the coffin is only tied shut 
 with a rope, it is borrowed for the occasion. The body 
 is taken out at the cemetery and consigned, coffinless, to 
 mother earth. 
 
 The JViexicans began to call the Americans gri7igos 
 during the war. They say the way the title originated 
 was this: at that time an old ballad, *' Green grows the 
 Enshes, 0!" was very popular, and all the American 
 soldiers were singing it. The JMexicans could only catch 
 ^^ green grows"' and so they have ever since called the 
 Americans /^gringos." 
 
 Newspapers are published every day in the week ex- 
 cept Monday. Sunday is always a feast day, and as no 
 one will work then, the paper cannot be gotten out for 
 Monday. 
 
 Mexicans never suffer from catarrh; they say it is be- 
 cause they will not wash the face while suffering from 
 a cold. They say a green leaf pasted on the temple cures 
 headaches. 
 
 The women in Mexico are gaining more freedom grad- 
 ually; they have them now as telegraph and telephone 
 operators. Some Mexican bachelors use the telephone 
 for an alarm clock, that is, they have the girls wake them 
 by means of the telephone placed in their room. 
 
 No bills are legal unless they are stamped. Every man 
 has a j)eculiar mark which he scratches beneath his name. 
 It is a sort of a trade mark, and makes his name legal. 
 
 The Indian women have some means of coloring cotton 
 so that it will never fade. 
 
 There are public letter writers on the plazas, where one 
 can have the correspondence attended to for a small 
 sum. 
 
 Letter-writing is an expensive thing in Mexico; to all 
 points not exceeding sixteen leagues, they pay ten cents 
 for a quarter of an ounce, or fifty cents an ounce. Postal 
 cards are two cents; to send a letter to the United States 
 only costs five cents. Every state in Mexico has its own 
 stamps. 
 
 Some haciendas are enormously large in Mexico. One 
 
ISTX MONTim IN MEXICO. \% 
 
 man owns a farm through which the railroad /runs for 
 thirty miles. It is said to comprise ten thousand square 
 miles. 
 
 The public schools in Mexico are similar to those in 
 the States fifty years ago; the schools are never mixed; 
 the boys attend one place and the girls another; the ad- 
 vanced teachers are elected, and are given a house to hold 
 the school in, and one hundred dollars a month for con- 
 ducting it. For the others they get a house somewhere, 
 and from thirty to sixty dollars; ten. years ago girls were 
 not taught spelling or writing in public schools; they are 
 now taught all the common branches and English, which 
 has replaced French; sketching," music, fancy-work, and 
 plain sewing; the hours are from 8 to 12.30, and from 2 
 to 6; they are thoroughly taught the geography of their 
 own country, but they absolutely learn nothing of other 
 lands. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 A FEW RECIPES FOR MEXICAN DISHES. 
 
 Probably some one would like to make a few of the 
 dishes most common to the Mexican table. Of course 
 you will think them horrible at first, but once you ac- 
 quire the taste, American food is insipid in comparison. 
 
 Recipe for tortillas:— Soften corn in alkaline water, 
 then grind it fine, pat into round cakes, and bake on a 
 thin, iron pan. Eat while hot. They are made very 
 good by wrapping them around meat, or a seasoned pep- 
 per. 
 
 Alboudigas (meat balls):— Take equal parts of fresh 
 pork and beef, say one pound, cut as for sausage, put in 
 salt, pepper, a small piece of soaked bread, and one Qgg, 
 well beaten; make into small balls, putting in each a 
 piece of hard-boiled egg, an almond and a raisin. In a 
 dish of hot lard put five or six crushed tomatoes, a little 
 chopped onion, salt, pepper, and broth. Let boil a few 
 moments, and then put in the balls. When the meat is 
 cooked it is ready for the table. 
 
 Rice with chicken or fresh pork: — Wash and dry the 
 rice; have a dish of hot lard, put in the rice, fry a few 
 moments, then add chopped tomatoes, onions, salt, pep- 
 per, two or three thinly sliced potatoes, and a few pease; 
 
'<jOO six IIONTHS IN MEXICO. • 
 
 cook a few moments, then pour into it the chicken or pork 
 and some of the broth in which they have been boiled. 
 
 Stuffed red peppers: — Open the pepper, take out the 
 seeds and wash and dry carefully. Boil and then chop fine 
 as much fresh pork as you will need to stuff your peppers. 
 In a dish of hot lard put the meat with plenty of fine-cut 
 tomatoes and onions, salt and pepper. Boil a few mo- 
 ments, then add a little sugar, cloves, cinnamon, al- 
 monds, and raisins cut in half, cook a little, then fill the 
 peppers. If you have eight peppers beat three eggs, 
 whites and yolks separately; when well beaten put to- 
 gether, and in this roll the peppers, having first sprinkled 
 over them a little flour. Have a dish of hot lard, to 
 which has been added a little ground tomato, cinna- 
 mon, salt, pepper, and a little water. Boil a few mo- 
 ments, then put in the peppers, having first fried them 
 in hot lard. Boil a few moments, and they are ready for 
 use. The peppers can be filled with cheese if preferred, 
 instead of meat. 
 
 Green peppers with eggs and cheese:— Eoast the pep- 
 pers over the coals, take off the thin skin, take out the 
 seeds, wash and cut into thin strips. In a dish of hot 
 lard put some tomatoes and onions, cut fine, and about 
 two cups of water. When boiling, break in as many 
 eggs as desired. When cooked, put in the peppers and 
 slices of cheese. Eightly prepared, it is delicious. 
 
 Cocoanut dulce: — Grate fine two cocoanuts. Put in a 
 dish three pounds of sugar, let boil, take off the scum, 
 then add the cocoanut, stirring all the time. After a 
 little a bowl of cream, then later eighteen eggs, well 
 beaten. Let cook, stirring constantly, until, when you 
 pass the spoon through the middle of the mixture, you 
 can see the bottom of the dish; then take off. Put in 
 platters. Peel and cut almonds in half; put them in as 
 thickly as you please. Pass over it a hot iron until nicely 
 smoothed. 
 
 Pineapple and sweet-potato dulce: — Grate pineapple, 
 and boil sweet potatoes, half and half. For one pine- 
 apple two pounds of sugar; let boil and skim. Put in 
 and boil, stirring all the time, until you can see the bot- 
 tom of the pan as the spoon passes through the center. 
 
 Eice and almonds: — One ounce of grated almonds, one 
 ounce of rice washed and ground; put in enough milk so 
 
BIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 201 
 
 it will pass througli a cloth; put this in a quart of milk 
 with three yokes of eggs and sugar to taste; boil nntii 
 well done; flavor to taste. ^ 
 
 CHAPTEE XXVI 
 
 SOME MEXICAN LEGENDS. 
 
 Theee is hardly a spot in Mexico that has not some 
 romantic history connected with it; and the tales are al- 
 ways so beautiful and full of thrilling romance. I would 
 like to live in Mexico some time, and devote ail my at- 
 tention to gathering these interesting stories^ I have 
 given samples of them in the history of Don Juan 
 
 Manuel. . , ^ t -^i i. 
 
 The Street of the Jewel is also connected with a story 
 full of love and its companion, despair. Here dwelled 
 Gasper Villareal and his wife, Violante Armejo. Gasper 
 was a man of moderate means, but he had enough to 
 preserve his wife from labor. She was of wondrous 
 beauty but quite strange, she only cared to hide herselt 
 in her convent-like home. She loved her husband, and 
 he was as iealous as a Mexican can be. , ■ , ,, 
 
 One day a young noble, Diego de Fajardo, rode by the 
 door, and, being thirstv, he asked the mozo for a drink. 
 Violante sat in the corridor, looking upon the garden, 
 and dreaming, doubtless, of her absent lord. True to 
 the instincts of her race, she ordered the mozo to take 
 the stranger a glass of wine. The servant did her bid- 
 ding, explaining to the young cavalier the reason ot the 
 change m his refreshments. Diego de Fajardo felt that 
 it would be churlish to ride away without acknowledging 
 the gracious hospitality. He tossed his bridle to the man 
 and passed into the garden. 
 
 Violante still sat in her hammock, garbed m spotless 
 white, the perfection of beauty, grace and innocence 
 The young calallero had not uttered his thanks until 
 he had vowed to win Gasper Villareal's lovely wife. 
 
 Dav after day he watched the casa, waiting for an op- 
 portunity to find the wife alone. At last fate favored 
 him It was near nightfall when he saw the husband 
 come forth, and, taking saddle, ride toward the city. In 
 a moment, eager and confident, he fell on his knees be- 
 fore Violante and confessed his love. 
 
203 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 She did not fall into his arms, but she spni'ned him and 
 with such anger that he saw his conduct in its true light, 
 and, repentant he arose from his knees and left her. 
 Violante started to her chamber to seek her rosary and to 
 cool her throbbing brow with the touch of holy water, 
 when her foot struck a sparkling object; it was a bracelet, 
 with her name, " Violante,^" in diamonds, close beside 
 the coronet and arms of De Fajardo. 
 
 As she stood her husband entered. Having to return 
 for something, he had been struck with horror to see a 
 man rush from his gateway. There stood his wife with 
 the jewel in her hand, the evidence of her guilt. With- 
 out a word he sunk his dagger in her breast. As she 
 sank lifeless to the floor, he snatched the gleaming brace- 
 let from her stiffening fingers and left the house. 
 
 Diego de Fajardo was wakened in the morning by his 
 mozo. Something had happened and he was wanted to 
 go out in the street to see if he could understand it. 
 Tremblingly he obeyed. On the pavement. Gasper Vil- 
 lareal lay rigid, his garments soaked with his life's blood, 
 l^ear the bronze knocker of the massive door was a 
 splendid diamond bracelet, suspended on a blood-stained 
 dagger. 
 
 In 1550 the lake of Texcoco overflowed, and almost 
 submerged the City of Mexico. Among the objects 
 found drifting upon the water was a large canvas, on 
 which appeared a beautiful representation of the Virgin. 
 None could determine where it came from, so a chapel 
 Avas built for it. It is called ** Our Lady of the Angels." 
 For centuries it has received the veneration of man. 
 
 Another inundation occurred in 1607, and all the 
 chapel, except the side holding the Virgin's picture, was 
 washed away. Despite all the storms the picture was 
 said to be as bright as if just from the painter's brush. 
 A new chapel was built around this marvelous painting, 
 which stood until 1627, when another flood took it all 
 away excepting the one wall holding the Virgin's like- 
 ness. There, neglected and unprotected, it stood as the 
 storms had left it until 1745, when a succession of pub- 
 lic calamities drove the people to implore the succor of 
 tlie Virgin. A building was again erected around the 
 uninjured painting. Thus, until the present day, the 
 
^1:K 3I0NTHS IN MEXICO. S03 
 
 people in need seek the painting to pour forth their 
 prayers at its feet. 
 
 El Desierto and its old Carmelite convent occupy the 
 most charming spot in Mexico. It is only fifteen miles 
 from the capital, and the way is along the most romantic 
 and picturesque road a Southern clime can produce. The 
 forest that surrounds El Desierto is composed of the 
 largest trees in the valley, hardly excepting those of 
 Ohapultepec. The convent was a group of massive build- 
 ings, domes and turrets, now crumbling into decay. In 
 1625 the monks retreated to this wilderness to mortify 
 tlie flesh, and strange stories of their serio-jovial life, 
 their sparkling wines and romance of their hermit-like 
 existence come creeping down through centuries; the 
 jolly monks are no more, and the winds sigh through the 
 mighty forest that has ridden romance, love and tragedy 
 from the world. 
 
 The conqueror, Cortez, not satisfied with robbing the 
 grand old Aztec king, Montezuma, of his land and lifcj 
 also robbed him of his daughter. The poor woman, af- 
 ter he deserted her, died in a convent, leaving a daugh- 
 ter, the child of Cortez. This daughter of Cortez', and 
 granddaughter of Montezuma, was married very young 
 to a Spanish captain, Quinteros. There are now in 
 Puebla descendants of that illegal love. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 PEINCESS JOSEFA DE TTUEBIDE. 
 
 I ciiiriTOT close this little book without speaking of 
 one of the most remarkable and brilliant women in 
 Mexico, the only daughter of the emperor. After the 
 execution of the emperor the family came to the States, 
 and settled in Philadelphia. Josefa was sent to George- 
 town to receive an English education, and she yet retains 
 a love for America and its people. When Maximilian 
 entered Mexico he restored the, titles to the Yturbide fam- 
 ily, and invited the cultured princess to become a mem- 
 ber of his imperial household. Subsequently Emperor 
 Maximilian adopted Augustin Yturbide, grandson of the 
 late emperor, and appointed the Princess Josefa guardian 
 of the "prince imperial. '^ Maximilian soon recognized 
 
204 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 the wonderful executive abilities of tlie princess, and lie 
 consulted her on momentous occasions. Had he taken 
 her advice, I doubt not but that Mexico would have had 
 an empire to-day. 
 
 After the fall of Maximilian, Mrs. Yturbide (formerly 
 Alice Green, of Washington, D. C.) claimed and recov- 
 ered her son, who had been temporarily " heir presump- 
 tive" to the throne of Mexico. The Princess Josef a 
 went to the court of Austria. Nine years ago she re- 
 turned to Mexico, where she lives in seclusion. 
 
 She is one of the loveliest Avomen, in every respect, I 
 ever met. Her rooms at the Hotel Humboldt are plain, 
 but contain many little mementos of former glory. 
 The pictures and busts of the unfortunate emperor and 
 empress occupy prominent positions. 
 
 " Carlotta was only twenty-three years old when she 
 came to Mexico,^' said the princess. '' She was a beauti- 
 ful girl, with a creamy complexion, dark eyes and hair. 
 She worshiped her young husband, as he did her, and 
 she was ambitious for his sake. What a sad fate was 
 theirs!" 
 
 The princess then showed me five letters she had re- 
 ceived from Carlotta, written in English, after the em- 
 perors death; they gave no evidence of her insanity. 
 
 The princess has never received any recompense for 
 the land which the government took from her father, and 
 even a pension due her, which now amounts to some hun- 
 di^ed thousands, has never been paid. She receives many 
 promises from Diaz but never the money. 
 
 The worst things the Mexicans ever did for themselves 
 was to shoot Maximilian. They have never had one 
 quarter so good government since. They had sworn good 
 faith to the emperor and said if he sent part of the 
 French army back they would support him. He believed 
 them, and when he found that they were dishonest he 
 applied to Napoleon for aid. When he received no an- 
 swer, the empress, eager to save her noble husband, 
 started to beg Napoleon personally for help, much against 
 the wish of Maximilian. 
 
 The republican powers getting too strong for the em- 
 peror, some advised him to seek refuge until things grew 
 calmer. The refuge he sought was the prison they had 
 
SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 
 
 205 
 
 prepared for him. He walked into it, and he never 
 came forth until the day he was shot. His bosom friend, 
 Lopez, whom the emperor had enriched, had made a 
 general, and intrusted him with all his secrets, betrayed 
 him to his enemies. On June, 19, 1867, Maximilian and 
 his brave comrades, Miramon and Mejia, were led forth 
 to a little hill near Queretaro and shot, Maximilian^s 
 last words were: *^' Poor Carlotta.-'' Three little black 
 crosses now mark the spot where those noble men died. 
 
 [the end.] 
 
WHAT IS SAPOLIO? 
 
 It is a solid, 
 handsome cake 
 of scouring soap, 
 _ _ ^ which has no 
 qual for all cleaniing purposes except the laundry. To use it is to value it. 
 What will Sapolio do? Why, it will clean paint, make oil-cloths bright, and 
 give the floors, tables, and shelves a new appearance. 
 
 It will take the grease off the dishes and off the pots and pans. 
 You can scour the knives and forks with it, and make the tin things shine 
 brightly. The wash-basin, the bath-tub, even the greasy kitchen sink, will be as 
 clean as a new pin if you use SAPOLIO. One cake will prove all we say- 
 Be a clever Mttle housekeeper and try it. 
 
 BEWARE OF IMITATIONS. 
 
 ABANDON PHYSIC! 
 
 
 i 
 I 
 
 Dr. a. W. Thompson, Northampton, Mass., says: " I have tested the Gluten 
 Suppositories, and consider them valuable, as indeed I expected from the excel* 
 lence of their theory." 
 
 Dr. Wm. Todd Helmuth declares the Gluten Suppositories to be " the best 
 remedy for constipation wiiich I have ever prescribed." 
 
 As Sancho Panza said of sleep, so say I of your Gluten Suppositories: " God 
 bless the man who invented them!"— E. L. Ripley, Burlington, Vt. 
 
 "T prescribe the Gluten Suppositories almost daily in my practice, and am 
 often astonished at the permanent results obtained."— J. Montfort Schley, 
 M. D., Professor Physical Diagnosis Woman's Medical College, New York City, 
 
 HEALTH FOOD CO., 76 Uh Avenue, N. Y. 
 
 Neuralgine, the Great Pain Cure. 
 
 One application of NEURALorNE removes in many cases the most excruciO' 
 ting pain— the worst cases rarely needing more than two or three. 
 SUFFERERS should at once send for this invaluable R E M E D Y- 
 
 Price 50 cts. per Bottle. 
 
 For sale by all Druggists, o» will be sent by mail to Any address, postfifip 
 
 26 Vandewater Street, New Tori. 
 
The treatment of many thousands of 
 cases of those chronic weaknesses and 
 distressing ailments peculiar to females, 
 at the Invalids' Hotel and Surgical In- 
 stitute, Buffalo, N. Y., has afforded a 
 vast experience in nicely adapting and 
 thoroughly testing remedies for the 
 cure of woman's peculiar maladies. 
 
 I»r. Pierce's Favorite Prescrip- 
 tion is the outgrowth, or result^ of this 
 great and valuable experience. Thou- 
 Btmds of testimonials received from pa- 
 tients and from physicians who have 
 tested it In the more aggravated and 
 obstinate cases which had baffled their 
 •kill, prove It to be the most wonderful 
 remedy ever devised for the relief and 
 cure of suffering women. It is not re- 
 conunended as a "cure-all," but as a 
 most perfect Specific for woman's 
 peculiar ailments. 
 
 As a powerful, invigorating 
 tonic it imparts strength to the whole 
 eystem, and to the uterus, or womb and 
 its appendages, in particmar. For over- 
 worked, "worn-out," "run-down," do- 
 blhtated teachers, milliners, dressmak- 
 ers, seamstresses, "shop-girls," house- 
 keepers, nursing mothers, and feeble 
 women generally. Dr. Pierce's Favorite 
 Prescription is the greatest earthly boon, 
 bemg unequalled as an appetizing cor- 
 aial and restorative tonic. It promotes 
 digestion and assimilation of food, cures 
 naxisea, weakness of stomach, indiges- 
 tion, bloating and eructations of gas. 
 
 Asasoptians and strensilien- 
 Ing nervine, " Favorite Prescnption " 
 is unequalled and is invaluable in allay- 
 ing and subduing nervous excitability, 
 irritability, exhaustion, prostration, hys- 
 teria, spasms and other distressing, nerv- 
 ous symptoms commonly attendant upon 
 functional and organic disease of the 
 womb. It induces refreshing sleep and 
 rehevee mental anxiety and despond- 
 ency. 
 
 Br. Pierce's Favorite Prescrip. 
 *^^^ ^^ * legitimate medicine, 
 carefully compounded by an experienc- 
 ed and skillful physician, and adapted 
 to woman's delicate organization. It is 
 purely vegetable ja its composition and 
 
 perfectly haa-mleas in its effects In any 
 condition of the system. 
 
 "Favorite Prescription" is a 
 positive cure for the most compU- 
 cated and obstinate cases of leucorrhea, 
 or " whites," excessive flowing at month- 
 ly periods, painful menstruation, unnat- 
 ural suppressions, prolapsus or falling 
 of the womb, weak back, " female weak- 
 ness," anteversion, retroversion, bearing- 
 down sensations, chronic congestion, in- 
 flammation and ulceration of the womb, 
 inflammation, pain and tenderness in 
 ovaries, accompanied with internal heat. 
 In pregnancy, " Favorite Prescrip- 
 tion" 18 a "mother's cordial," relievinir 
 nausea, weakness of stomach and othw 
 distressing symptoms common to that 
 condition. If its use is kept up in the 
 latter months of gestation, it so prepares 
 the system for delivery as to greatly 
 lessen, and many times almost entirely 
 do away with the sufferings of that try- 
 mg ordeal. ' 
 
 "Favorite Prescription,'' when 
 taken m connection with the use of 
 Dr. Pierce's Golden Medical Discovery, 
 and small laxative doses of Dr. Pierce's 
 Purgative Pellets (Little Liver Pills), 
 cures Liver, Kidney and Bladder dis- 
 eases. Their combined use also removes 
 blood taints, and abolishes cancerous 
 and scrofulous humors from the system. 
 Treating the \rrong Dis^se.- 
 Many times women call on their family 
 physicians, suffering, as they imagine, 
 one from dyspepsia, another from heart 
 disease, another from liver or kidney 
 disease, another from nervous exhaus- 
 tion or prostration, another with pain 
 here or there, and in this way they all 
 present alike to themselves and their 
 easy-going and indifferent, or over-busy 
 doctor, separate and distinct diseases; 
 for which he prescribes his piUs and 
 potions, assummg them to be such, 
 when, in reality, they are all only symth' 
 toms caused by some womb disorder. 
 The physician, ignorant of the cause of 
 suffering, encourages his practice imtil 
 large bills are made. The suffering pa- 
 tient gets no better, but probably worse 
 by reason of the delay, wrong treatment 
 and consequent complications. A prop- 
 er medicine, like Dr. Pierce's Favorite 
 Prescription, directed to the cause would 
 have entirely removed the disease, there- 
 by dispelling all those distressing symp- 
 toms, and instituting comfort instead of 
 prolonged misery. 
 
 "Favorite Prescription" Is the 
 only medicine for women sold, by drug- 
 gists, under a positive guarantee. 
 from the manufacturers, that it will 
 give satisfaction in every case, or money 
 will be refunded. This guarantee has 
 been printed on the bottle-wrapper, and 
 faithfully carried out for many yearSo 
 Eiarge bottles (100 doses) $1.00, or 
 six bottles for $5.00. 
 
 j^" Send ten cents in stamps for Dr. 
 
 Pierce's large, illustrated Treatise (ISO 
 
 pages) on Diseases of Women. Address, 
 
 3^0xld's Dispensary Medical Assoclatioiii 
 
 HO, ess Main sxbbet, Buffalo, jv, j^ 
 
s ^^JjT 
 
^