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MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

BY THE SAME AUTHOR.

THEOUGH FINLAND IN CARTS. Third Edition.
A WINTER JAUNT TO NORWAY. Second Edition.
DANISH VERSUS ENGLISH BUTTER- MAKING.
THE OBERAMMERGAU PASSION PLAY. Out of

Print.
WILTON, Q.C. ; OR, LIFE IN A HIGHLAND

SHOOTING BOX. Second Edition.
A GIRL'S RIDE IN ICELAND. Third Edition.
GEORGE BARLEY, F.R.S. ; OR, THE LIFE OF

A LONDON PHYSICIAN.

MEXICO AS I SAW IT

MRS. ALEC TWEEDIE

{nee Harley)

AUTHOR OF

"Through Finland in Carts "
"George Harley, F.R.S."

ETC.

ILLUSTRATED FROM PHOTOGRAPHS
BY THE AUTHOR.

SECOND EDITION

NEW YORK

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

1902

All 7-ights reserved

/2/S

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

Water-colour sketch of Mexican Valley from the Castle of Chapul-

tepec, by Author Frontispiece

Piles showing all that remained of one of the four railway bridges

washed away .......... i

Steamer on dry land, Galveston ....... i

Cremating the dead at Galveston

House blown over by the storm ....... 8

Branded ! 1 6

Six men to one calf! . . . . . . . • • i6

The loneliness of the prairie : A caporal ..... 34

The writer on a corral ......... 34

Horses on the prairie ......... 38

Mules on the prairie ......... 38

A cowboy luncheon party . . . . . . . . 42

" Bunches" of horses on the prairie ...... 42

A goat herd ........... 44

Making tortillas, the staple food of the country .... 44

Divided skirt for riding astride ....... 46

A private car .......... 58

Barred windows, to prevent thieving . . . . . . 58

The writer viewing the sham fight at Monterey in honour of General

Diaz being re-elected President for the sixth time
A Mexican beggar

Native adobe house, without windows
A Mexican market
Durango ....

A cock-fight ....
The water-seller .

Lampote (wald sunflower), used for fuel
A Mexican well
Grass coat made from cactus .
Virgin of Guadalupe, patron saint of Mexico, as she appeared
miraculously on the Indian's Tilma, 1531. Now above altar

66
66
69
69
72
76
76
86
97
97

1367808

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

FACING
PAGE

Interior of Guadalupe church, showing the altar above which is
framed the famous Tilma, depicting the Virgin of Guadalupe
The white priest below is in marble ; balustrades of solid silver
Pilgrims in front ........

Guadalupe pilgrims returning from the upper church. Walls
crooked from earthquakes

Modern Indians in old Indian dress

General Porfirio Diaz, President of Mexico

Doorway in Mexico City

Madame Diaz .....

Notice proclaiming General Diaz President of Mexico for the sixth
time, September, 1900 ....... page

Senor Guillermo de Landa y Escandon

Type of Mexican (i) .

Type of Mexican (2) .

Type of Mexican (3) .

Matadors in front, mounted picadors behind

Entrance of procession for the bull-fight

Picador and blindfolded horse

A brilliant feat by the banderillero .

The Alguacil, or chamberlain of the bull-ring

Death of the bull ....

Ornamentations from Aztec Wall of Serpents

Stone serpent's head from Wall of Serpents

Man and gourd, with which he extracts pulque (the drink of the
country) from the maguey plant

Drainage excavations, Escalerillas Street, in which over ten tons of
Aztec treasures were found

Aztec altar exactly as found in the drains

Xehecatl, God of the Air

Gold ornaments belonging to Xehecatl .

Indio Triste (sad Indian), so named from sad expression

011a in which burnt bones were found .

Replica of Book of Famine. Aztec eagle

Modern Indian in dug-out canoe, Viga Canal

Aztec stone cylinders, representing cycle of fifty-two years, by which
time was measured .

Urns for cremated bones

Spoons for burning incense .

Arrow heads ....

109

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

TIaloc, God of Rains ........

Three Mexican policemen .......

Crucifix carved out of a living tree .....

Discovered in drains of Mexico City, January, 1901

Jockey Club patio, Mexico City ......

Church domes .........

Our coach. Lake Chapula .......

Guanajuata ..........

Water-colour sketch of the fruits of Mexico, by Author .
Mummies, Guanajuata ........

Rurales, the only body of soldiers of the kind in the world .
Water-carrier, Guanajuata .......

Burros (donkeys). Cross to keep away the devil on the wall .
A ride on an engine ........

Native huts on Canon to Tampico. .....

A couple of hand-cars ........

A native vine bridge ........

The writer in her divided riding-skirt for mounting astride

The writer mounted astride outside the Xochicalco ruins, Southern

Mexico ..........

Theatre invitation ........

Cortes' own hacienda near Cuernavaca, showing the original pots in

which he made sugar in 1520 .
Inscription on an inside window at Cortes' hacienda, said to have

been written by him in 1520 .
Colonel Alarcdn, Governor of the State of Morelos, with two of hi

guard ..........

Reception at Alpuyeca, State of Morelos ....

Xochicalco ruins .........

Bower of orchids, flowers, and palms put up by the Aztec Indians

at Xochicalco ruins ........

One of the war-plumed Aztecs carved on the Xochicalco ruins
Some of our horses and soldiers waiting near the caves of Cacahui

milpa ..........

Telegram announcing the death of Queen Victoria, received in caves

of Cacahuimilpa ........

San Gabriel Hacienda ........

Organ-cactus hedge ........

FACING
PAGE

217

222

224

228

243
249
249

253
257
260
260
263
275
275
280
280
291

291
298
301

304
304

309

309
312

314
314

326

333
335

344

Xll

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

Aztec Indian ..........

Cholula pyramid .........

Big tree of Tule, 154 feet round the trunk at six feet from the
ground; a native says, " It takes two looks to see the top."

Chinese god found in a tomb, Huehnetlan, State of Oaxaca. The
figure is bronze, and sits 2^ inches high. Said to be 4,000 years
old

Idols found near Mitla. Generally five in a tomb . . . .

Ox waggon, showing big wheel and bad streets ....

Native Indian church near Mitla, where the entire altar, rails, lamps,
etc., are of silver .........

Hall of Mosaics, Mitla

View of one of the Temples of Mitla, at the back of which is the
Hall of the Monoliths, showing where Professor Marshall Saville
found cement pavement (now cleared) and set of steps leading
to the temple. Dark hole is entrance to cruciform chamber

Exterior of Mitla grave ......

Interior of Mitla grave ......

Hall of Monoliths, Mitla .

Zapotec girls, in the Hall of Monoliths, Mitla

Cruciform tomb at Guiaroo, near Mitla ....

Ancient fortress. Upper Guiaroo, Mitla ....

Burning effigies of Judas in Mexico City on Easter Sunday

Alligators on banks of tropical rivers • .

Indian dug-out canoe, 150 years old, river San Juan, Isthmus of
Tehuantepec ........

A Tehuantepec girl with her " Huipil " (headgear)

Tehuantepec family .......

IMarket baskets for sale ......

Bringing the ore from the mine .....

An arrastra. Native mode of grinding ore

FACING
PAGE

344

354
354

365
365
372

372

379

Map of Mexico, showing author's route

384

388

393

396

401

414

lus of

414

423

431

446

Efid of

Book

i«M«M«i^««MittMMt«HbMM*IWM

i*«i«/iii#iKt»i}iiHli(iiUitiiiiriitti/|i 1$

Piles showing all that remained of one of the four railway bridges washed away.

To face page i.

Steamer on dry land, Galveston.

MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

CHAPTER I.

ONE OF THE DISASTERS OF THE WORLD.

"Why did I choose Mexico ?" has continually been asked.
Because, with all the world before me, that land seemed
to offer a more historic past than almost any other country
on God's earth, and was there not a spice of danger and
romance yet lurking among its hills and valleys ?

There, men still carried arms ; no one dare do other-
wise, for, although seldom necessary, the mere fact of
having them commands respect. Wild journeys on horse-
back through the mountains, to old Aztec ruins, more-
over, sounded inviting.

In some respects Mexico, in this year of grace 1901,
is highly civilised, but in others it remains utterly barbaric.
Truly a land of paradox. It is most interesting, always
picturesque, sometimes blood-curdling, and often sad.

That Mexico had a past I knew, that Mexico has a
future I have only lately learned. Its future does not lie
in wars and colonisation, but in its own mineral wealth
and agricultural development, of which I shall have much
to say later on.

Having written an account of " The Days of my Youth "
for the series which appears in " M.A.P.,'' I decided on
another expedition before settling down to " middle age "

2 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

and quietly contemplating the approach of "senile decay,'
for if the days of my youth were indeed irretrievably past
— as the request of " M.A. P.'s " Editor so plainly hinted —
this would probably be my last jaunt before betaking
myself to that bath-chair a reviewer once unkindly sug-
gested would be my means of travel in the future.

That reviewer said he had "watched my literary career
with interest. As a girl she 'rode through Iceland,' a little
later she ' snow-shoed through Norway,' and then," he
added : " She took to driving through ' Finland in carts,'
therefore in more advanced years we may look for her
travels in a bath-chair ! "

He has been mistaken this time, however, for my out-
of-the-way journeys through Mexico were generally under-
taken astride a horse !

I wound up the four-hundred-day clock upon the library
chimney-piece, bidding it tick on until my return, and tell
forth the hours from hot summer to chilly autumn, from
sombre winter to joyous spring. It kept faith, and on my
return nearly eight months later was still ticking merrily.
What months of wandering' those were ! I traversed some
25,000 miles by sea and land, slept in sixty-two different
beds, and passed thirty-four nights in moving trains.

After winding the clock, taking a last look at home,
and bidding farewell to family ties, I started forth on my
travels for the first time alone.

It was a long journey ; from Liverpool to Quebec,
through Canada to Niagara, back to New York, Chicago,
Washington and Philadelphia, peeping into lovely homes
and happy families by the way ; but still on I roamed.

New Orleans made me pause, but Mexico was my goal.
As Galveston, however, is the last port before entering that
fascinating country, this book begins there — recent events
having made that town too historical to be passed by un-
visited — and ends at the most southern harbour on the

ONE OF THE DISASTERS OF THE WORLD. 3

Isthmus of Tehuantepec, which is destined to play an im-
portant part in the world's shipping commerce.

On Saturday, September 8th, 1900, one of the greatest
storms this world has ever known broke over the Texan
port of Galveston. More than eight thousand human
beings met their death in a few hours, perishing cruelly
by wind and wave.

On my way to Mexico I passed through Houston
Junction, some fifty odd miles from Galveston, and as
only ten weeks had elapsed since that frightful catastrophe,
I turned aside to visit the ruins of a busy city.

"Are you not afraid of fever .^ " several friends asked
nervously when they heard of my intention.

" No, if we were afraid of everything in life we should
never accomplish anything," I answered, and went.

What a sight ! What desolation ! ! What misery ! ! !

Each wave as it lapped that Galveston shore seemed
to be sobbing a requiem mass for the dead.

Some of the survivors told me the morning of that
Saturday dawned wet and windy — as the sun rose the
storm increased ; heavy rain fell, and surging clouds chased
one another overhead. Still it was only a boisterous
morning ; so far nothing more. Storms and rough waves
are not uncommon ; consequently no great trouble was
anticipated.

Galveston, be it understood, though an island some
twenty-five miles in length, and varying from two to five
miles in breadth, is really nothing more than a sand-bar,
which only stands about five feet above the ordinary sea-
level. To an outsider it seems a perfectly insane idea ever
to have built a town on such a site, but this sand-bar affords
the only harbour between New Orleans and Tampico in
Mexico, a distance of nearly two thousand miles !

The town is all on the surface ; there are no cellars
in Galveston, and water is generally reached at a depth

4 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

of four feet. The island was connected with the
mainland by four bridges, but on that awful night those
bridges were swept away ; every telegraph pole was
blown down, all artificial light extinguished, till at last,
shrouded in darkness and swept by storm, the town — •
completely cut off from communication with the outside
world — had to face destruction alone.

To the South, Galveston is washed by the mighty
waters of the Gulf of Mexico, which rising as one huge
wave, in a single night destroyed thousands of human
dwellinofs.

Along the shore of the bay were the poorer homes ;
there, for a distance of four miles and a depth of one
(or seven streets), the entire area was swept clean.

About ten o'clock on that fatal morning the storm
became terrible, the waters of the Gulf rose, and the
inhabitants commenced to feel alarmed. Galveston had
once before been partially submerged. This evidently was
going to prove no ordinary storm, and anxiety filled every
heart. The gale increased in intensity, the rain still
fell, and hour by hour matters became more serious.
Ocean steamers dragged at their anchors, smaller vessels
were torn from their moorings, and blown on to the
land ! Steadily but furiously the waters ascended ; the
wind blew a hurricane. People found it difficult to
stand upright. Chimneys, slates, tiles, and loose timber
whirled about like paper, and still the storm grew more
violent. Billows rushed through the streets ; mighty
waves swept all before them.

By three o'clock the waters of the Gulf of Mexico
had spread over the city, and joined company with
Galveston Bay, on the north side of the island.

Think of it ! The whole town submerged. In some
places the water rose thirty-three feet, and actually twenty
feet within the city limits. It was like the Deluge !

ONE OF THE DISASTERS OF THE WORLD. 5

Heart-rending were the tales I heard concerning that
awful time ! I saw a poor old woman tending four little
children, the youngest being a baby only a few months
old. She had lived near the beach with her two sons,
one of whom was married. When the waters began to
rise the latter took her and his four children to a house
in the business part of the town — the only part which
escaped destruction — and returned to fetch his wife and
brother. Neither he nor that ivife nor brotJier ivas
ever seen again !

Another woman whom I met in what had been a
street kept wailing, "Why, why was I saved?" That
story was terrible. She and her husband, with two
children on his shoulders, had breasted the waves till
they rose as high as his arm-pits ; nothing more is
known of their struggle, except that the poor young
wife was seen floating past a house when someone
caught her by her hair and pulled her in through an
open window. Her body was saved ; but her reason
lost. What became of the husband and children can
only be imagined.

One poor youth, whose family was swept away, had both
legs broken by falling timber ; another bent old man
searched for his wife during ten long weeks, but never
found her. And so one might go on and on, relating the
horrors wrought by that dreadful gale !

It is now said if people had only realised about
mid-day that the waters would not subside as they did
in 1875 and 1890, and at once left their homes and
gone' to the highe-f business streets, much less loss of
life would have resulted ; as it was, when they tried to
escape in the afternoon and evening, by endeavouring
to wade through four, five, six and seven feet ot water,
they perished in the attempt. Many were drowned ; but
even more were stunned and killed by falling buildings,

6 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

for a deadly shower of timber and tiles accompanied the

gale.

The wind had attained a velocity of eighty-four miles
an hour when the anemometer broke and the register
ceased ; but a high official stated the later speed of the
hurricane was computed at a hundred and twenty miles
an hour ! Who or what could withstand such a pace ?

As daylight began to fade on that memorable Satur-
day, it was found that all the electric plant had been
destroyed, that no lamp or candle would burn a single
instant, and hopeless darkness was closing in upon the
already ruined city. Weeks later I saw the remains of
what had been the motor house : the larofe stone build-
Ing was an utter wreck, no complete wall remained ; the
dynamos were bent and twisted, the huge wheels used for
working the machinery doubled up and lying a useless heap
in the street !

All agree that the inhabitants of that ill-fated town lost
heart when this awful darkness fell upon them, and seem to
have anticipated the Judgment Day was at hand. Every
hour made things more hopeless ; the storm increased
each minute, the black pall overhead made every heart
quail, every nerve relax. One man said to me : —

" I kissed my wife and children, and we all prayed
together that we might meet in Heaven." Then he
added, " No death, no parting, no torture on the rack,
could ever be more horrible to me than the memory of
what we passed through that night."

Only when one saw the devastation that resulted did it
become possible even vaguely to imagine the agonies which
must have been endured by those poor people. Every
hour the heavens seemed to grow more densely black.
Darkness and despair such as those men and women had
never before even conceived, settled down upon them ;
they heard the wind roar, and felt the waves still rising.

ONE OF THE DISASTERS OF THE WORLD. 7

but could see nothing. Their houses swayed above and
around them, a door or a window was blown in, bit by-
bit whole buildings fell. Many, numbed with cold and
exhausted by hunger, relaxed their hold to whatever they
might be clinging, and were drowned.

Yet the chief Rabbi told me he did not see a single
tear ; emotion was paralyzed by fear.

" No one wept during those hours of storm," he added,
" but for days afterwards one continually beheld the
meetings of people who, after having long searched in
vain for their loved ones, eventually found them alive.
Then, and not till then, tears of joy and relief over-
powered them."

Tears as often betoken joy as sorrow !

It would be quite impossible to describe the scenes of
desolation I beheld in Galveston even seventy-two days
after the storm. With the exception of the business
quarter of the town — which had been repaired by import-
ing some thousand men for the job — miles and miles of
streets still lay ruined and desolated. Pavements were
torn up, great stone flags lay piled up against some
obstacle which had arrested them in their wild course,
trees — once forming shady avenues — lay right across the
side paths, telegraph poles were bent over, roofs which
had been blown away entire were lying in gardens, amid
huddled masses of bricks, wires rusted and tano;led.

Among the debris were saucepans, baths, perambulators,
and endless garments. Bits of clothing were torn from
the people by the storm ; many of the wretched creatures
were stripped almost naked on that cold cruel night.
Children suffered fearfully. Horrors too terrible to pen
happened on every side.

As one approached the beach, the aspect of affairs
became more and more appalling. Here one saw a
demolished tram-car, off its rails, which were all broken

8 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

and bent for a mile and more ; there, amongst the tumbled
spars and splinters that had once been a wooden house,
stood a cottage piano. Poor piano ! Think of the boys
and girls who had spent their happy evenings with that
now shattered instrument, soaked with rain, half its notes
dumb for ever, its legs broken, a wreck which had been
left out in all weathers during ten long weeks. There
was something very pathetic about that piano, which had
probably required all the savings of the family to purchase.
There it was, shorn of its glory, its harmony gone, only
able to emit a weird croak as we touched a note. Probably
the fingers which once awoke its music were cremated in
the heap of ashes close by.

In the first panic, when drowned or stunned corpses
were washed away into the ocean, it was arranged all re-
maining bodies should be placed in barges and, after
being weighted, buried in the depths of the sea. Terrible
was the result, however, for a few days later the sea gave
up its dead !

Then some scientifically wise person suggested crema-
tion, and subsequently, wherever a dozen or more corpses
were discovered, they were collected together, the shattered
walls of houses, doors, floorings or what not, piled upon
them, and the heaps ignited. This saved Galveston ;
otherwise it is certain some terrible epidemic must have
broken out, some plague finished the work of destruction
begun by wind and water.

Passing on down the street, I saw rows of small houses
standing on their heads ; they had been turned literally
upside-down, and so they remained. On a side path lay
the ruin of what had once been a sewing-machine. There
it stood, rusty and useless, yet three months earlier some
woman probably earned her livelihood by working those
treadles. Where was that woman now ?

Mournful, most mournful were the endless tragedies that

Cremating the dead at Galveston.

House l)lown over by the storm.

[ To face page 8.

ONE OF THE DISASTERS OF THE WORLD. 9

had been enacted — girls looking for their lovers in the piles
of dead, wives seeking their husbands. When I was there
men were still unearthing corpses from under the ruins,
the ruins of a city which once contained thirty-five thousand
human beings, nearly a quarter of whom were killed in a
few short hours.

Man could do nothing ; he was utterly powerless, he
had not even time to run away. It was all too horrible,
too terrible. As I wrote in the hotel which withstood the
storm (though five feet of water had crossed the pavement
and flooded its hall) it was November 19th, 1900, barely
five weeks from Christmas, yet the heat was extraordinary,
the thermometer standing at 90 degrees F. in the shade.
The tropical rain of the previous night had barely run
away even in that sandy soil, mosquitoes hovered around in
millions, attracted by the terrible things which still lay con-
cealed in every corner of Galveston, till they formed a
veritable plague. Mosquito nets and curtains would not
keep them out ; the air literally teemed with myriads of
flies.

A plague of locusts in Morocco once amazed me ; but
they were clean — this plague of flies frightened me, for they
were multiplying on putrefaction. Thirty-seven bites on
my face, I honestly own, alarmed me. Would they bring
blood-poisoning in their wake, I wondered ; was I mad
after all to visit Galveston, when that very day over one
hundred corpses had been unearthed ? It is useless an-
ticipating evil, however, so back I started to the beach.

A strange sight presented itself We passed stone
houses three floors high, roofless, or perhaps with only
one story remaining, and felt for the rich folk as we
beheld one wrecked dwelling after another ; but it
was beside the shore that the most pathetic scenes pre-
sented themselves. Hundreds and hundreds of poorer
homes had entirely gone ; nothing whatever remained

lo MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

standing, the wreckage had been blown into a sort of sea
wall, and the belongings of the poor had helped to preserve
the residences of the rich. Here was the frame-work of
what once had been a bedstead, now only a twisted mass of
old iron, there an oven upside down, the leg of a chair, a bit
of crockery, the pendulum of a clock, a pair of trousers,
half a hat, a broken frying pan, a child's tin soldier covered
with rust. Here lay the entire worldly goods of thousands
of people, all collected into one huge mound, from beneath
which, for days and nights, press gangs had been excavating
dead bodies. In all, six thousand five hundred bodies were
officially counted and disposed of, and it is estimated that
fifteen hundred more were washed out to sea in the first
instance, making a total of over eight thousand persons
who met their death in the ruins of Galveston.

As each corpse was found, all clothes and valuables were
gathered together, put in a little bundle, numbered, and
officially kept with a label bearing the date of finding the
body and an account of its disposal attached. This was a
splendid scheme for identification ; but it led to many
sad results. People who had searched for days and
weeks among the debris for their beloved ones, went to
the office to examine these little bundles, and many a
heart-breaking scene ensued as some lone survivor found
the records of a dear one's death in that pathetic little
collection. Thousands of articles have never been iden-
tified — indeed, only about half of those eight thousand dead
was it possible to trace by name at all. Whole families
were swept away, and no one survived able to tell who
they had been.

After the storm sul)sided on Sunday afternoon, every
able-bodied man was pressed into the service of burying
the dead and clearinq- the town. Their shrift would have
been short had they refused. Some of the niggers, who
rifled the dead, were shot in the act, and that put a stop to

ONE OF THE DISASTERS OF THE WORLD, ii

theft. Conscription was universal. Every man obeyed the
command, and performed the work allotted to him.

For the survivors the arrangements were as follows : —

In rows upon the cleared part of the beach were ranged
tents provided to protect the homeless. They were quite
nice tents, large and airy, with double roofs ; but oh ! so
sparsely furnished, for their wretched inhabitants had lost
all they possessed. One encampment was for the utterly
destitute, that is to say, families without a bread-winner ;
there were six hundred and forty such families when I was
there, and these destitute people were given three meals a
day from a public kitchen, it was wonderful to see the
organisation. Further down the beach were tents lent as
houses to people able to provide for themselves. Water
was laid on to the so-called "street" between the lines of
tents at Beach Camp, and a sergeant from Texas seemed
to keep excellent order, and see that nothing was thrown
away likely to cause disease. Exemption from illness
under such dreadful circumstances was the most remark-
able result of the organisation.

Within forty-eight hours of the storm the stench in the
town became almost unbearable, but so ably were matters
coped with that no pestilence ensued, and, all thrngs con-
sidered, little sickness. Judging by the millions of flies and
mosquitoes that crawled everywhere, it seems a miracle that
the survivors of the storm did not perish from some plague.
Ozone, however, is a great purifier. Besides, all was under
military rule and medical supervision. Carbolic and dis-
infectants ran down the gutters till nothing unpleasant
remained except the scourge of flies.

A stranger could only marvel at the promptitude and
method with which everything had been carried out, or
rather was being carried out, for on the second day after my
arrival at Galveston, the following statement appeared in
the chief papers : —

12 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

MORE STORM VICTIMS FOUND.

A number of the unburied dead disposed of by cremation.

A SEARCH FOR MISSING RELATIVES.

A horrifying Spectacle Down the Island. Swamp Filled with one hundred Dead.

Attacked by Hogs.

So that one hundred dead bodies were actually found
while I was in Galveston ; but the sight was too horrible,
and I kept away. Seventy more were discovered during the
following week, but in such a state of decomposition that
they were quite unrecognisable, and had to be cremated at
once. This cremation was, undoubtedly, the salvation of
the survivors.

For weeks the outside world had been asking, "Is it
wise to keep Galveston as a port after the storms of 1875,
1890 and 1900?" Certainly when walking round the
low sand-bank of an island, a stranger would say decidedly
" No ! " Local opinion declares, however, that Galveston
is of vital importance, not only to Texas, but to America.
This is the only possible port between New Orleans and
Tampico, and has an excellent deep-sea harbour. Hence
its great business, its vast import and export trade ; but
oh ! one has only to look at it under its present conditions
to feel that no less desirable position for a home could be
found upon earth !

The estimated loss to the survivors in the poor districts
alone was 4,000,000 dollars.

Some people have doubted the necessity of restoring
Galveston as a port, but they will hardly continue to doubt
its importance when they learn that barely ten weeks after
the disaster 29,000 bales of cotton were received in one
day, which shows possibilities for the future !

People were given grants to rebuild their homes. It
was not much — 250 dollars, or ^50, being the largest
sum allowed to any one individual — still in the cases of the
really poor and destitute that was everything, and enabled

ONE OF THE DISASTERS OF THE WORLD. 13

many to start life afresh. A little house of two rooms and
a kitchen was not to be despised. Help was also given in
repairing or removing a house. Many homes were put on
rollers and moved back bodily a quarter of a mile ! Even
brick buildings, strange as it may seem, were rolled con-
siderable distances to their former sites.

One of the things which struck me as particularly curious
was the want of method of the storm. The hurricane had
blown in a circle, the wind whirling round and round, and
the result was extraordinary. For instance, houses for-
merly in a line in the street had each been twisted in such
a way that they sat in the next garden facing one another
at an angle, or two fronts almost touching. It seems im-
possible ; but it is true. Many things at Galveston
seemed impossible, but they were able to prove themselves
facts. Strangely enough, a well-built wooden house
seemed to withstand the storm better than a brick one. It
bent, sometimes it was blown bodily half a mile away, but
the better wooden houses appeared to stick more together.
Among brick buildings, the churches suffered by far the
greatest damage. Hardly a single church remained stand-
ingf, althouofh in one street two darkies' churches had
resisted the force of the storm, while four others were
totally destroyed. The steeple of a Baptist chapel re-
mained, while, singular to say, the church itself was a ruin.

This reminds me of a curious coincidence. Above the
altar of St. Mary's Cathedral was a large crucifix ; the
storm tore down the wall behind it ; but in some wonderful
manner the enormous cross, when falling outwards, was
caught on a timber, and hung there at an angle of 45
degrees, a weird illustration of the lowering of the cross !

It would be impossible to close this chapter without men-
tioning that great and good woman, Mary Barton, the
Florence Nightingale of America, who hurried from Wash-
ington two or three days after the storm with an army of

14 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

doctors, nurses, and a corps for distributing food and
clothing. America had great faith in her ; her appeals
were immediately responded to, and for eight weeks she
organised the succour of the people.

Was it not Sainte Beuve who considered Experience a
great book, the events of life its chapters ? As one travels
in distant lands and studies men and things, one realises
more and more what a vast book Experience really is.

Poor Galveston ! Nearly three thousand residences,
according to official count, were totally destroyed ; ninety-
eight and a half per cent, of the remaining homes badly
damaged, while not one single building escaped harm.

For eighteen hours that storm raged with mad fury,
and then subsided almost as quickly as it arose. But
the Great Gulf waves had encroached one thousand
feet upon the land to stay, and they now wash hourly
over what was formerly the site of the Beach Hotel, and
the dwellings of many people. The shore front is
changed ; but is it for ever ?

■^ ^ "^ ^ "^ ^ ^

A few days later I was at San Antonio, Texas, and
when driving out to the delightful old Catholic Mission-
Houses, my conversation with the darkie coachman turned
on Galveston.

" I was there durino- the storm," he said, in that soft
musical voice peculiar to these people, who seem to talk
the best English in America. " I had a week's holiday,
and went there to see some friends, and the very day
before I ought to have left that storm came. Oh my ! "

" It must have been fearful!" I exclaimed.

" There is no word for it. I just thought it was the
end of the world — we all did. Oh my, it was bad !
The only bit of luck I had was to get my leg smashed
by some falling timber."

" Why luck ? " I asked in surprise.

ONE OF THE DISASTERS OF THE WORLD. 15

" Well, you see, no man that could work was allowed
out of the town, he had to help bury and tidy up, and
oh my, there were some sights ! But as I couldn't
walk they let me go, and I felt as if I was getting
out of Hell, I did ! "

And remembering what I myself had seen in Galveston,
I felt how truly the darkie was describing the scene in
his own simple language.

CHAPTER 11.

LIFE ON A MEXICAN RANCHE.

For hours and hours the train had been pounding along
between huge Texan ranches — low-lying country covered
with a sort of scrub intermingled with cactus and small
trees, among which cattle or horses were grazing.

The journey seemed horribly uninteresting and dusty
after leaving that delightful old town, San Antonio,
with its history of war and plunder, and I was sitting
lazily looking over some MSS. when an official in
uniform appeared before me.

" Are you Mrs. Alec Tweedie ? " he asked.

" I am," I answered with an outward show of courage,
though inwardly wondering " Who can he be ? A
detective ? What does this portend ? What crime am
I supposed to have committed ? Will he stop my
journey ? " All of which questions and a dozen more
flashed through my brain during the moment that passed
ere he said :

" I have come to help you at the frontier with your
luggage." > ^

I sighed with relief, thanked him, and after his departure
tried to go on with my work.

A few minutes only elapsed however, we had just
passed a junction, ere another man stood before me,
who likewise enquired :

Branded !

k.v-

Six men to one calf !

S^To face page i6.

LIFE ON A MEXICAN RAN CHE. 17

" Are you Mrs. Alec Tweedie ? "

I trembled ao-ain. What did it mean ? Was mv
luggage overweight, or about to be confiscated, or what ?
Nevertheless I managed to reply calmly once more.

" I am."

" I come from the International Railway to bid you
welcome to Mexico," was the astonishing explanation.

What a relief! He was a gentleman this time, and I
asked him to sit down, and we chatted, but not for
lonof, since in a few minutes —

" Are you Mrs. Alec Tweedie ?" demanded a third man,
handing me a telegram. It was really too funny, and this
time I laughed outright, as did Mr. Carrington, to whom I
had just related my previous experiences.

" I come from Mr. Cloete's ranche," explained the third
envoy, " to look after you, and welcome you in his name,"
and Mr. Le Mare thereupon joined our party.

Only a short time went by, and we were chatting
about my recent adventures, when a foitrth man
presented himself

" Are you Mrs. Alec Tweedie ? " he queried.

Convulsed with laughter, I could only nod assent.

" Mr. Barrett, of Sonora, asked me to meet you at
the frontier, and see you safely to Sabinas," said Mr.
Cowell, a mining engineer, looking surprised, as well
he might, at my unexpected escorts.

It really was extraordinary. Four men had arrived
from different directions, each on the same errand and
each unknown to the other.

After all there are advantages in travelling alone.
Every person offers to look after one, and certainly
on those thousands of miles of journey I was scarcely ever
allowed to feel solitary, and rarely sat down to a meal by
myself during the many happy months I was on American
soil.

1 8 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

How kind people are to strangers ! How hospitable
and thouohtful for their comfort.

Thus I crossed the Rio Grande at Eagle Pass, sur-
rounded by friends, to be met on the frontier at Porfirio
Diaz by charming ladies, Mrs. King, Mrs. Hamilton and
Miss Carrington, all bringing lovely flowers, and a hearty
welcome to Mexico. Under such delightful auspices I
first trod on the soil of the Toltecs and Aztecs.
Nearly all those people were strangers to me ; yet when
I left Mexico six months later, I felt I might number many
of them among my friends.

It was quite dark, lo p.m., when we arrived at Sabinas,
I and mounted into the queer Mexican carriage, drawn by a
couple of steady-going mules, and were driven by a
Spaniard in an enormous hat, to the ranche, or hacienda
(h omitted in pronunciation) as it is called. It was not a
long drive, or particularly delightful, though the hum of
thousands of crickets added to its strangeness. The cry of
those insects haunted me for months ; but that night, in
the dark and the oppressive stillness, it seemed absolutely
weird.

" We four men who live at the ranche," said my host, as
we drove through the night, " have all cleared out of the
big house, so that you can have it to yourself. It is a
two-storey building, with wide_halconies, and I hope you
will be comfortable."

"Who sleeps there .'^ " I ventured to ask, the heart of
even an " elderly scribe," failing somewhat at the prospect
of spending a night alone in a big two-storey house in the
wilds of Mexico — a land I had only entered that evening,
where even my four bachelor hosts were strangers — if the
Irishism may be excused — and where I knew every male to
be fully armed !

" No one," was the reply, "the servants have their own
huts, and our house is across the garden."

LIFE ON A MEXICAN RANG HE. 19

This was too much ! I simply could not. It was close
on midnight, there was not even a moon, and everything
looked so black and strange that visions of dusky Mexican
Indians with stiletto knives, pistols, long swords and um-
brella-like hats — all of which I had noticed on the station
platform — rose before me. Almost ashamed to own my
fear — I was afraid, for the croaking of those millions of
crickets well-nigh drowned the roar of the river below
the house, and added uncanniness to night — I timidly
remarked I should prefer someone sleeping within call. It
was suggested that a man and his wife should be fetched,
from a cottage a short distance away, and remain on the
premises during the night.

After something to eat my kind hosts, each carrying a
lantern, escorted me by the outside staircase to my room.
Stairways are generally outside I found, and the rooms
open directly on the verandahs. The balconies were about
twenty feet wide, and creepers climbed up the supports.

" There is a lock on the door," said someone in a tone
of pride. I had taken for granted there was a lock, for I
had not then learned there is rarely such a thing in Mexico.

It was a large room, so large that even though lighted
with a couple of lamps the corners seemed far away. Two
of the men remained chatting on the balcony, while the
others proceeded to show me how to lock the door.

A twist, a squeak, an ominous crack, and lo, the key
had broken in the lock !

Here was a pretty state of affairs ! The men, looking
terribly distressed, suggested they could get out of the
window and jump to the floor below — the door being the
only opening on to the balcony ; this idea was all very well,
but what was to happen to me }

Finally, a towel was bound round the stump of the key,
some Herculean efforts ensued, and the thing turned in the
lock. Yes, it moved, and in a moment the door stood wide.

20 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

What a relief for everyone. Mentally vowing not to
attempt to lock it again, I said good-night, and the four
men with their lanterns tramped down the wooden stair-
case and away into the darkness.

Here was a funny beginning. I, alone in a large square
room without a lock on the door — outside a wide balcony
and staircase. No one in the house but myself — and
outside darkness, impenetrable darkness, with the roar of a
river below, and the maddening hum of those crickets.
I had not even seen the place, for it was dark when I
arrived. Everyone and everything was strange to me,
and — I may as well confess — I did feel more than a little
nervous, though I hoped my hosts had not noticed the
" white feather." They were concerned enough about my
comfort without that. I argued with myself, decided I was
a fool, and went to bed.

Morpheus soon claimed me for his own — the result,
doubtless, of a good constitution and a clear conscience — I
forgot all about bandits and pistols, thin knives and large
hats, and did not even dream of the broken looking-glass
seen a couple of days previously at Houston, which had
much impressed me.

It so happened that I arrived at Houston — the junction
from Galveston for San Antonio — at nine o'clock one night,
and as I was hungry and had a couple of hours to spare
before the " sleeper " started, a friend advised it would be
well to get some supper. Opposite to the station was an
hotel.

"Can we have something to eat?" my friend ventured
to ask.

" No, certainly not," was the uncompromising reply.

Nothing is served in an ordinary American hotel except
at meal times. In fact, it seems to be an unpardonable
crime to wish to eat, excepting at the moment when
everyone else does. However, we walked about the town,

LIFE ON A MEXICAN RANG HE. 21

and at last found one small restaurant open. It was not
grand, but half-a-dozen men and a couple of women were
there. A large mirror covered the wall from floor to ceiling
near our table, and in it were two round holes and many
splinters ! " What were they ? " we enquired.

" The result of a pistol-shot fired last night," replied the
waiter, quite calmly. " The landlord regrets there has not
been time to have the glass replaced."

Even to-day men go about armed in the Southern States
of America and Mexico, and shootino^ bouts are not uncom-
mon, as the prisons testify. To a Londoner all this seems a
little alarming ! I slept peacefully, nevertheless, till suddenly
awakened by a loud noise, a wild wind, cold and chill. I sat
up in bed, shaking from head to foot.

I found the candle and struck a match which was
instantly blown out. Great Heavens ! Where was I
and what could have happened ^ Why, oh why did I
ever come to Mexico ? A second attempt was equally
unsuccessful. I fervently wished 1 had never been born.

The wind had risen towards morning, and my door blown
open by a more than usually boisterous blast. That was
all. I got up, shut the door, dragged my big trunk against
it, and was getting back into bed again when I heard an
extraordinary howling growl. Were the horrors of that
night never to end ? It was still pitch dark — just 4 a.m. —
what new trouble did that strano-e noise forebode ?

I sat down and wished mvself at home aq;ain. I was
probably alone in an unknown house, for the carpenter and
his wife whom my host had gone to fetch might have refused
to leave their home in order to sleep on the floor beneath
for my protection, and if I were, I did not even know where
those four men slept " across the garden." The crickets
still hummed unceasingly ; but above all else those weird
howls continued.

Next morning I learned they were caused by wolves.

22 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

and before many days were over I became well
acquainted with their music and appearance. My lock
was repaired the next day, and after a survey of the
country in general and my house in particular, I had no
more silly frights. Still, on a ranche one must be prepared
for anything, and life is distinctly interesting. It is busy
simply because everyone has to do everything for himself.
It is almost impossible to procure servants, and a friend,
the daughter of a Lincolnshire parson, wrote the other day,
saying "she had been without any domestic at all for more
than a year, had cooked, washed, scrubbed, cleaned, in fact
done everything for her three brothers, the greatest effort
being to try to keep awake in the evenings to play accom-
paniments or sing to the boys ! " " For, ' she added, " I'm
often so dead-tired after cooking the supper on the top of
the day's work, that if the boys didn't help me wash up, I
really couldn't keep my eyes open to play a note."

The men are always out, they get up before daylight,
breakfast, and away after the cattle they gallop. Perhaps
they get home to dinner, more often not, in which latter
case they take food with them. They usually return
about sunset, and after a wash and brush-up settle down
to supper and a "civilised hour" before retiring to bed
about 7.30 or 8 o'clock. Posts are rare, once or twice
a week, in really out-of-the-way places once or twice in
three months ; indeed, letters often have to be fetched a
distance of many miles.

It is a healthy life, interesting to a man fond of
sport, horses and animals ; but intellectually it is
stultifying. Any man or woman who manages to read
and keep up with the times, only does so by a tremendous
effort. Bodily fatigue robs one of the inclination to read,
and difficulty of procuring literature means self-denial in
other ways, in order that a purchase may be made at all.

A ranche is often two or three hundred miles in

LIFE ON A MEXICAN RANCHE. 23

circumference, hedged in by wire fencing, and as some
haciendas are sixty and seventy miles across, it will be
readily understood that there is not much society.

"Can you be ready to start soon after 5 a.m. .? " asked
one of my bachelor hosts.

" What, in the dark, with the stars } " I enquired
anxiously.

" Yes, just before dawn, for we have to drive twelve
miles, and that takes us over three hours in this rough
country."

Of course I was ready, who would not have been ready
for such an interesting spectacle as a cattle rozind-tip ? It
must be owned the view from the balcony at 4 a.m. was
not inspiriting ; true, the stars shone brightly in the deepest
blue of heaven, but a thick mist lay over the river, and a
heavy dew was falling. But just as there is no twilight in
Mexico, so there is no dawn, and before breakfast was over
the lamp and the flickering of the cheerful 7iiesquite wood
fire — which emits a delicious odour — were being extinguished
by the streaks of a new-born day.

The ca7'r2Laje (or coach) was at the door ; the driver
with his big Mexican hat, and couple of sturdy mules.
Luncheon was stowed away behind, and my host and I
mounted to seats beneath the canopy which such vehicles
always have. I can only liken such a coach to an acrobat
who apparently has no bones, and can turn and twist
and wriggle any and every way. A Mexican coach has
no apparent springs ; its wheels are loose, everything is
loose. The wheels on the near side, in fact, can run
along the bed of a stream, while those on the off-side are
high up on the bank, and although the vehicle looks and
continually feels as though it were turning over, nothing
happens. In spite of bangs and bumps that verily
make one's heart stand still, the carruaje merrily con-
tinues its way over the roadless ranche, momentarily

24 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

threatening to eject its passengers, despite their holding
on in very truth " for dear Hfe."

The sagacity of the mule is surprising ; he knows the
prickly pear will penetrate even his coarse coat and
tough hide, and \ALhen one is driving along over the
trackless prairie, if prickly pear comes in the way of a
pair of mules they instantly part, each pulling away as
far as his traces will allow. A moment later, perhaps,
the funny mountain cart has to pass between a couple of
cacti ; the mules see them in a moment, and will draw
quite close together, their sides touching, in their endeavours
to avoid the thorns. Every plant in Mexico seems to have
a thorn, and some of them are three inches long.

A cattle " round-up " is a novel experience. Once a year
every ranche has its stock-taking — truly stock-taking in
its literal sense — and when, as in this instance, there were
some ten thousand head of cattle, the entertainment lasts
about a fortnight.

Twenty-five cowboys were employed to collect the
cattle — not all at once, but from six to twelve hundred
animals at a time. Men accustomed to the district are
absolutely essential, as they alone know, from experience,
where to find the herds, which will sometimes move
fifteen miles in a single night, and when found how to
work them to the " corral," or cattle pen.

The main corral is usually about the middle of the
hacienda, and is composed of two or three large cattle
pens, the palings of which are from seven to eight feet
high, so that the animals cannot jump over them.

Before dawn the cow-boys start off to some water hole
where they expect to find a herd ; there they may perhaps
be lucky enough to come upon two or three hundred head
at once, in which case they surround, while taking care not
to frighten, them, for once alarmed a herd is very difficult
to move. The animals are allowed to run in little groups

LIFE ON A MEXICAN RAN CHE. 25

called "pie," given their heads, in fact, until they become
accustomed to such an unusual sight as a number of
mounted men. When the herd is trotting along pretty
steadily, some of the cowboys will slip off to collect mx)re
cattle, and if they luckily come across a "bunch," drive it
to the original herd. It is wonderful to see the dexterity
of the stockmen, the way they gallop round the herd to
bring in a straggler, whip one up, or, if necessary, lasso or
rope another. The riders' enormous straw hats, coloured
shirts and wonderfully tight brown trousers — made of
leather to protect the legs in the low scrub — the Mexican
saddles, the quaint stirrups of leather, various metals or
wood, to keep the sun from burning the feet, and the yards
of rope thrown over the saddle pommel, all combine to
produce a marvellously picturesque whole.

On jogs the herd ; bulls, cows, and calves — even a baby
calf two or three days old will travel beside its mother for
four or five miles. The number is always increasing.
Generally, if well handled, they go along quite nicely,
at other times they give no end of trouble. For
instance, I heard of a case in which thirty men got nine
hundred cattle up to a corral gate, and after five hours
they only succeeded in driving seven hundred inside,
the remainder had just galloped away.

It is very exciting to join the finish of a drive, and this
can only be done on horseback. Some animal is always
breaking out of the line, A cowboy rides in front to lead
the herd, two or three men are placed at intervals down
each side of the group ; others form a line at the back to
drive the beasts on, so that the cattle seem to be literally
surrounded, yet one or two find a way of escape every
few minutes, and often great chases ensue, which person-
ally I found most thrilling. Occasionally a horse is hurt,
when a bull turns and charges, but the men nearly always
seem to escape. It is a wonderful sight to see hundreds of

26 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

cattle driven over the plains. Many of them are such
splendid beasts, that when they have the courage to break
through the line, one instinctively hopes they may escape.
Some look so grand as they show fight, and as the sun
glistens on their coats, the dust gives a sort of pic-
turesque mysticism to those in the rear, and a round-up
becomes most artistic as well as skilful.

When the herd reaches the gates of the corral, the
cowboys slip behind, and forming into a horseshoe in the
rear, gradually close in until they get them all into the
stock-pens. Of course, many of them objected, and
wonderful fights took place between the will of beast and
the skill of man ; but finally they were all driven inside
the largest corral. The best way — indeed the only way —
to drive them in properly, is to get the entire herd
narrowed down into a long line ; if they get spread out
the difficulty is considerably increased. Cowboys seem
able to do anything. The head man gives his orders like
a general, and the herd is made to go almost in single file
if he so ordains, and yet these animals are all wild, and
only once a year, at the annual round up, do they ever
come near men at all. It is very interesting to watch
the cowboys at work ; their dexterity in the saddle, their
power with the ropes, and their wonderful quickness, can
only be acquired by long experience. Buffalo Bill's cowboy
performances which so fascinated London may be seen any
day on the open prairie. At the round-up, by four o'clock
in the afternoon, I saw thirteen hundred cattle penned ;
which completed the work for that day.

Next morning at the first streak of dawn, the men,
who were living in camp — some in tents, others sleeping
in the open between mackintosh sheets, or rolled in a
blanket — were out again, dividing the cattle for branding.
This branding is a great feature of the yearly round-up,
as all animals born since the last count have to be

LIFE ON A MEXICAN RANG HE. 27

" branded for life," on this occasion. It sometimes
happens that a particularly wily beast may escape for
years, and I chanced to see a seven-year-old bull caught
for the first time ; he was a magnificent creature. He had
long eluded capture, but the day of reckoning came, and
his fight for independence was worth travelling to
Mexico to see. He deserved to escape ; nevertheless
he was conquered — and branded.

A magnificent bull truly ! First one of the boys
managed to lasso him by the horns. He shook his head,
charged, and went full tilt after his adversary, who only
managed to scramble over the wooden railings in time
to miss those tremendous horns as they rattled into the
planks. Another cowboy, by this time, had caught him by
one leg ; but his strength was splendid, and he plunged
and snapped the rope. Times without number those men
fearlessly approached that wild beast, lassoed him, and once
they actually managed to throw him. Caught by the head
and both fore and hind legs as he was, he got up, snapped
all three ropes, shook himself free, and galloped off more
wild than ever. He bore himself like a hero, but even-
tually was vanquished.

Branding is managed thus : —

A gate leading from the large into a smaller pen is
opened, and the calves are all driven through. A man sits
on high, and as the animals pass along a narrow walled
lane built for the purpose of causing them to move slowly,
he calls out to the stock-keeper — who marks them down
accordingly — their age and sex from the appearance of
their heads. At the end of the lane is a revolving gate,
and so cleverly does another man work it that he makes
all the calves go into one pen, and the remaining stock
into another.

The poor baby calves, naturally feeling sad at being
separated from their mothers, a regular concert ensues.

28 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

When all are within the branding pen, the chief excitement
of the day — requiring the greatest skill — begins. Each calf
has to be caught for branding, and each animal distinctly
objects to the operation. Two or three cowboys in the
corral are mounted, the rest are on foot, and every man
has his ten yards of rope, for lassoing the creatures, hang-
ing in front of his saddle. The ranchero gallops off to
the bunch, throws his rope over the calfs head — and a
calf of a year old is a big fellow, especially if he be a bull — ■
and drags him kicking and plunging back to the place
where the branders are ready for him. Then another man
on foot, with the most marvellous dexterity, will lasso him
by the hind-legs, and perhaps a third catches him by the
same means in front, when the cowboys finally throw him
over. Some of the animals show wonderful pluck, fight,
caper and dance around in grand style. I loved the roping ;
it was simply splendid to see the certainty with which it
was done. The lasso had a loop at one end, and was thrown
in such a way that the loop should fall just in front of the
calf's legs. As he moved, he jumped into the noose, and
like a flash of lightning the thrower pulled it tight. Poor
calf! he struggled bravely ; but could not get away.

In a hole in the earth, is a fire with hot irons, made in
the shape of a long poker, bearing the owner's initial or
sign at the far end, like an open seal. Immediately the
calf is thrown, one of the branders takes his iron, and hold-
ing it against the animal's side, burns the hair down to
the flesh, so that if he ever wanders off the ranche his
ownership can be proved. A snip in the ear also adds
to the identity. These markings are all registered at the
Municipal Offices, so that there is little difficulty in
establishing ownership of ranche animals, whether horses
or cattle. The former have a much smaller and neater
brand, and their ears are not cut. If the beast be young
its brand grows with it, and a mark six inches long when

LIFE ON A MEXICAN RANG HE. 29

made on a calf a few weeks old, will be fifteen inches at
least on a full-grown animal. When the operation is over,
up jump the branded calves, and with a shake and a snort
away they run, but not before the hair of the tail has been
cut straight, so that in a moment a cowboy can see which
beast is no longer wanted, and can turn his attention to
animals whose tails have not been snipped.

It takes an entire day to brand three or four hundred
calves ; but when the business is over they are allowed to
go back to their mothers, lowing for them on the other side
of the paling. They are all left together for an hour or
more, to give them an opportunity of finding their relations.
When one sees over a thousand animals in a pen, it seems
perfectly amazing that a calf should know its own parent ;
but the mother, at any rate, immediately recognises her
own offspring.

If possible, the animals are let out that night, so that
they may get to food and water, and oh, what a noise, what
dust, as helter skelter they rush through the gates away to
their native heaths, never to come near man again for a
whole year, unless when sick or wanted for slaughter.

At Mr. Merrill's hacienda, Soledad (meaning solitude), I
saw a round-up for the butcher. It took place out on
the open prairie. Six or seven hundred animals were
collected together ; the butcher rode in amongst them, and
one by one selected the hundred he wanted. Each beast
was cut out in turn, that is to say, separated from the herd.
The fattened steers went to one side, and were finally
driven in single file for counting, and to see that they were
all up to the required weight, and were then driven off to
the train. Butchers buy in quantities like this, and choose
stock on the prairie.

Now for a little practical information about a Mexican
hacienda. It is roughly reckoned that fifteen acres ot
land will support one animal ; thus, ten thousand head of

30 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

cattle will require one hundred and fifty thousand acres of
land ; but everything depends on the water supply. With-
out natural water-courses it is often necessary to bore and
pump water by means of a small windmill into a tank or
earth-deposit ; of course, the windmill when once fixed
works alone. By means of these artificial supplies, the
cattle are usually able to obtain water every four or five
miles, which is quite sufficient distance. In spite of all
precautions, however, drought is not unknown. That
proves an awful calamity, and generally spells rtiiii to many.
In the event of a drought the animals will wander in a
body to the river, when for miles from its bed they eat up
all the grass. Gradually, they are driven so far back for
food that, the grass and the water being too distant for
them to travel daily from the one to the other, the poor
creatures simply lie down and die by the way. Thousands
perish in this manner, and the only thing to do to avert
pestilence is to collect the carcases together and burn them.
The wolves and vultures make an end of those not disposed
of in this m'anner.

By the way, Mexican wolves often kill little calves, and
the sight of a calf without a tail means that though Mr.
Wolf had the tail, its owner was clever enough to save its
body. Lynxes abound ; but seldom molest the calves —
chickens are more in their line, while the panther will not
only kill colts, but also devour young horses.

Native cattle cost about fifteen dollars (Mex.), or thirty
shillings apiece; they are, however, poor and unsatisfactory.
" Improved cattle " — meaning those crossed with other
breeds, notably Herefords and Durhams — are more profit-
able ; they fetch from twenty-eight to thirty dollars a head,
or from £2 los. to ^3.

It is always well to be as practical as possible, and since
some of my readers may like to have a clearer idea of the
value of stock on a northern ranche in Mexico, and the

LIFE ON A MEXICAN RANG HE.

number of beasts to the acreage, the following table, is
from a stock book after the yearly " round-up."

On a cattle hacienda of 225,000 acres, or about 340 square
miles, the amount of stock was somewhat as follows : —

Number.

Class.

Value per Head.

Total.

3>292

Cows

$15

$49,380

1-095

Calves

7,665

443

Heifers, l year

4,430

835

,, 2 years

10,020

1,050

Steers, i year

16.50

17,325

1,638

,, 2 years

31,122

1,438

„ 3 „

26.50

37,948

1,119

4 ,,

33,570

21 Bulls, I year

315

24 Bulls (Herefords)

135

3,240

Bulls, 2 years

1,360

1S3

Bulls, 3 ,,

5,490

11,200

$201,865

5,978

Auxiliary Stock (see

below)

7,660

17,178

AUXILIARY

STOCK.

.$209,525

Number

Class.

Value per Head.

Total.

5,341

Goats, 4 years

$0.50

. $2,670.50

Jacks, 4 ,,

14
31

6
II

3
13

9
7
7

16
26
24

37
22

121

159
5,978

Colts
Jennies

I year

2 years
I year
Colts

Mules

,, 3 years

2
,, I year
Colts
Colts, Horse, 3 years
,> 5, 2 ,,

,, ,, I year

Odd
Colts, Filly, 3 years

,, ,5 2 ,,

,, ,, I year
Odd
Stallions
Mares
Saddle Horses

20
10

1.50
40
30
20

15
10

8
5
4
2

I
20

6
12

20
70
98
155
24

4.50
520
240
180
105

70
128
130

74
66
66
62

726

1,908

$7,660.00

The value of the live stock exported from Mexico
in 1899 was greater than in either of the two previous

32 MEXICO AS I SA W IT.

years, and amounted to ^634,710 in 1899, as against
^436,719 in 1897 and ^500,479 in 1898.

The night of my first cattle round-up proved most
exciting. A cow had been killed in the rush in the corral,
and the stockmen dragged the carcase outside, and left it
at some little distance from the pen. About ten o'clock at
night when all was dark and still — the stillness of a Mexi-
can night is wonderful, and the clearness of the dark blue
heavens soul-thrilling — a pack of prairie wolves, smelling
the feast from afar, made their way towards it. Even two
wolves will make a tremendous noise as they reply in rapid
succession each to the other's howls, and half-a-dozen such
prowlers can furnish a fine concert, albeit in a somewhat
dreary key.

The cattle, which had not been turned out, were pre-
sumably asleep when Mr. and Mrs. Wolf and family
arrived on the scene. One of the herd must have noticed
the noise, or possibly the wolves got into the pen and tried
to secure a baby calf ; whatever the cause, all the cattle
became alarmed, and the thirteen hundred of them stam-
peded. With a roar of fright they rose as one beast. In
spite of massive palings seven or eight feet high, built of
thick planks, the animals in front made a rush, those behind
pushed after them, and in a twinkling twenty-three feet of
paling were thrown down, and hundreds of free animals
flying madly over the prairie. Like wild things they fled,
bellowing with fear. A stampede is something appalling,
yet only one animal was killed in the rush — another cow,
which we found lying a quarter of a mile away next day,
almost devoured by seventeen prairie wolves, who were so
busily employed upon the carcase they did not even notice
our approach until we were quite near them. What the
wolves do not eat the vultures soon finish ; they hover
around, ready to swoop down at any moment.

On a ranche one may sometimes find a skeleton of a

LIFE ON A MEXICAN RANG HE. 33

horse or cow torn in pieces, for the wolves in their wild
hurry to gnaw the flesh from the bones frequently sever
the joints asunder.

A stampede nearly always occurs at night, and generally
in a corral. In the open some of the cattle remain awake
for protection, " on guard," so to speak ; the only thing
that will then cause a stampede is the appearance of a man
on foot. Such an unusual apparition frightens them, and
at the sight off they go. A man on foot, however, is rarely
about at any time, and almost never at night, so such
rushes seldom occur. In a pen cattle feel they are shut
in, and therefore settle down to sleep contentedly. If one
becomes scared, they all seem to rise simultaneously, like
the bang of a cannon every hoof touches the earth, and
away they go at lightning speed. Big steer cattle will run
seven or eight miles when really frightened, and lose more
flesh in one night than they can make up in a month, even
on good pasture.

A man once told me he had known a herd so wild
that they rushed right over the edge of a bluff, never
even seeing it in their alarm ; the result being that fifty-
three mangled carcasses were found at the bottom of the
ravine ! As may be gathered, a stampede is a thing to be
avoided at all costs. Once the cattle are started the only
way to lessen the danger is to set them " milling," viz.,
running round and round in a circle, and the cowboys are
so experienced they can often succeed in doing this, even
with a big herd. That night the boys were in their saddles
in a twinkling, and caught up the cattle before the herd had
run two miles. It was wonderful. They surrounded the
animals, and although some naturally escaped, the majority
were set " milling," and finally brought back to the pens.

In these stampedes the long horns often do much harm,
and now it is quite usual to cut the horns of cattle,
especially bulls, at two years old. This is also an

34 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

advantage when travelling by rail, for most cattle are borne
to their doom in freight vans, and much bloodshed is con-
sequently saved by blunted horns.

" What kind of cattle are most dangerous to meet
alone ? " I once enquired.

"A single cow," was the reply. "She is vicious and
vindictive, and may rush straight at you. A bull on the
other hand is not so quarrelsome, and if he should charge
he closes his eyes at the moment of attack, so you can
dodo-e him as he makes his rush. A matador can figfht a
bull ; but I do not think any matador would venture to
fight a frenzied cow ! Strangely enough, herds in the open
are never dangerous ; but a few cattle scattered about will
sometimes go for a man, more particularly if he happens to
be unmounted."

A poor little calf was born in the corral on the night of
the stampede, and the next morning when we went out, we
found the wee thing looking very sad and clejected, bel-
lowing for its mother. I patted it and it sucked my
fingers, and stuck its nose against me, evidently attracted
by the warmth. No one seemed to think anything of the
mite's being left alone ; that is the fashion in ranche-land.
A small calf is told by its fond mamma to remain where she
leaves it, and off she goes, perhaps, for an entire day, to
search for food. Towards evening, however far she has
wandered, she returns to her baby, stays all the night with
it, and next morning goes off and leaves it again. As the
calf grows bigger it learns to follow its mother, and by the
time it is a week or a fortnight old, runs by her side.

Cattle have curious ways of their own ; for instance, an
ordinary herd will string in to water about nine or ten
o'clock every morning. One of the old cows will start off,
generally to the same pool, and the others invariably
follow in single file. They walk right into the water and
drink, then go and lie down on the bank to chew the cud.

" -<^^*}"'^^^ If J

LIFE ON A MEXICAN RANG HE. 35

They stay near water until about four o'clock in the after-
noon in the summer, during which time they will drink,
perhaps, three or four times. Towards the cool of the
evening they begin to wander away, going in single file
along the paths they have made. Many animals have
their own particular feeding-ground, and travel, perhaps,
three or four miles back to it, not stopping to eat any-
thing by the way. They feed until it is quite dark, often
indeed when it is dark, and then lie down and go to sleep.
By daylight they are busily eating again, and when satisfied
trail off to the water.

In summer, cattle go every day to water ; but in the
cooler weather they do not drink for two or three days at a
time ; especially if they get lots of prickly pear, a form of
cactus which is the salvation of prairie cattle in times of
drought ; it is very juicy, being 'iy per cent, water. The
animals eat the cactus, including all the prickles and
thorns — they are real prickles and thorns — and sometimes
their mouths get so full of them that when they are killed
it seems wonderful they could have managed to exist under
the circumstances, for the back of the tongue looks like a
cushion stuck full of pins.

To encourage the cattle to eat sufficient prickly pear to
live on in times of drought, the ranchmen cut it off the
stem, make a fire, and burn off the worst of the prickles,
which they do by holding the leaves over the flames for a
moment ; the wildest animals will follow anyone about in
the tamest manner to obtain this specially prepared deli-
cacy, which often goes far to save their lives. A train of
Mexican carriers, who travel about with perhaps forty carts
of goods and half-a-dozen oxen yoked to each cart, feed
their animals entirely on these pears. The species abounds,
and good jelly is made from the fruit. The flower, too, is
pretty.

The real wild cattle, which still exist in parts of Mexico,

36 MEXICO AS I SA W IT.

are weedy and small, with enormous horns ; they live on
the prickly pear and grass, never seek water like the ranche
cattle, and never drink at all except when it rains and they
find a puddle. They are fast dying out, indeed ranche
owners shoot them whenever they get a chance. Some-
times the cowboys rope, and neck or yoke a wild beast
with a gentle one, hoping to tame the monarch of the hills,
but as a rule this does not answer ; the wild animal generally
dying of a broken heart. He simply lies down, sulks, and
kicks. It is found better to kill them at once, for otherwise
they cause a great deal of trouble.

These wild beasts unfortunately entice the tamer animals
away into the hills.

Certain ranches are famous for the fighting qualities
of their bulls, and to see these bulls caught for the
bull-ring is thrilling. A herd is collected into a corral.
The finest bulls of the appointed age are marked by the
Caporal (head ranche-man), and C2it out from the herd.
The Caporal rides into the herd, lassoes his bull, and
gradually works him to the gate, where he is driven
into another pen. Several bulls will thus be collected
together. But it is not easy work, and the play of
some of them is, to the onlooker, really alarming. They
rush at the horses and try to gore them ; they tear
after the men and endeavour to toss them, and both
men and horses are in peril of their lives. Indeed, the
more fight the bull shows, the more will he be prized
in the ring. Once in the pen, which for this purpose is
adjoining the railway line, one of them is driven along a
passage way which gradually slants upwards, at the end
of which is the box which is to carry him to destruction.
He is not put into an ordinary freight van, like beef
cattle; but into a box just big enough to hold him,
and where he is in the dark. Thus in solitary grandeur
each beast goes in his own little chamber to his doom.

LIFE ON A MEXICAN RANG HE. 37

What afterwards happens to him will be described in
another chapter.

There are two exciting performances at a ranche.
One is " tailing the bull," the other is riding him.
Tailing is a funny entertainment, but a little cruel. A
ranchero at full gallop rushes after a bull ; his horse
comes up to it. Instead of attempting to lasso the beast,
the cowboy waits till he is up to him, leans down, catches
him by the tail, swings the tail over the lasso pommel in
front of his Mexican saddle, and throws the bull. A bull
is a heavy beast, and the nerve, pluck, dexterity and
strength necessary for this enterprise are enormous, both
on the part of the cowboy and his horse.

To ride a bull is equally exciting. First he must be
lassoed and thrown. A rope is sometimes put round
his body for the rider to hold on to, and the cowboy
seats himself astride the great carcase as it lies on
the ground. The lassoes are let loose ; up jumps the
bull. He has never had anything on his back before. He
kicks and plunges, bucks and jumps, and then off he goes
at full gallop. The stockman is invariably thrown in the
end, but meantime the pair have good sport. I have seen
more courage on the prairie than in the bull-ring !

C H APTE R I I I.

HORSE ROUND-UP.

We all knovv^ horses in cabs and carriaoes ; some of us
have hunted or seen them racing ; but a horse never
looks so splendid, so bold and fearless as in his semi-wild
state on the prairie.

Horses are easier to deal with than cattle ; the reason for
which is soon explained. The horse is a more delicate crea-
ture ; he needs constant care ; consequently the cowboys
are often after the bunches of horses, attending to one that
has gone lame, to another that is sick, and so on. Horses
do not go about in huge herds like cattle ; in well-managed
ranches they are taught to run in bunches of colour.

" What is a bunch } " I enquired when I first heard that
expression.

" A bunch or manada is composed of twenty-five mares
and one horse, or a jack donkey when mules are required,"
was the reply ; " each manada is well selected as to colour —
bay, brown, white, chestnut, roan, or black — so that the
breeding may be uniform."

It was a wonderful sio-ht to see a number of these
bunches coming in. About twenty men went out before
day-break, and it was nine hours before they had collected
sixteen manadas or bunches, and brought them up to the
corral. This amounted to four hundred and sixteen horses,
and as there are usually in addition seventy per cent of
foals, the Q^rand total was about seven hundred !

Horses on the prairie.

Whiles on llie prairie.

{To face page z^-

HORSE ROUND-UP. 39

Seven hundred almost wild horses galloping over the
prairie and yet when Cortes landed four hundred years ago
a horse or an ox was unknown !

Like a small cloud they first appeared on the horizon ;
so small, indeed, that my untrained eye did not see any-
thing for nearly an hour after it was first sighted. Then
a soft grey mist appeared to be rising from the ground ;
thicker and thicker it grew until it looked like smoke or
spray ascending forty or fifty feet above the prairie. No
one can understand the dust of a ranche who has not seen
it, neither can any person realise the strange effect of the
sound of hundreds of galloping feet, like a cavalry charge,
while the animals' heads gradually emerge from clouds of
flying sand. So great was the dust that it was almost
impossible to realise the number ; seven hundred horses,
and yet only about a dozen of the foremost to be seen !

I had seated myself on the top of one of the great corral
gates, that top piece which binds the whole structure
together, and there, Kodak in hand, waited the advent of
that army thundering over the plain. On it came — on blew
that bank of sand, and then one by one the heads emerged.
As I saw them, and prepared to take snap-shots, they saw
me, and prepared to run away ! They had probably never
beheld a woman before, and certainly not one perched up on
a bar twenty feet above the ground ! They were startled
and inclined to fly ; then one, more plucky than the rest,
seeing an open space beyond the gateway, galloped beneath
me, and all the others quickly followed suit. They looked
simply splendid, their nostrils dilated, their long tails and
flowing manes, with a certain wild beauty about them all.
The finely built thoroughbreds, the dear little foals looked
so tree and independent !

The common Mexican horse is a weedy specimen, and
of little or no value. Stock horses only cost about six
dollars (Mex. = 12/-) apiece, but "improved breeds" are

40 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

worth twenty dollars " all through." Of course this means
buying in numbers. One hundred or a hundred and
twenty dollars are readily given for a three-year-old colt
from Mr. Brodrick Cloete's ranche at Sabinas, and sixty-five
to seventy-five dollars for a two-year-old mule, while from
three hundred and fifty to four hundred dollars are paid for
a pair of trained mules of good size. Mr. Cloete has made
a speciality of horse-breeding ; he has imported pedigree
stock, including a pair of American trotters, a couple of
Cleveland bays, etc. The pedigree horses are all branded
on the cheek, and not on the flank like cattle. Fine breeds
of horses that have been imported stand the climate well ;
but among English bulls the death-rate has proved to be
about ninety per cent !

The native horse is generally too small. The idea of
getting larger animals is to increase the weight. The
most saleable horse in Mexico is from 15 to 15}^ hands
high, and such stature can only be found in inipT-oved stock.
During cold weather— in Northern Mexico (about four
months) — thoroughbred horses and jacks are stabled and
fed ; native horses of course do not require this care, nor
even the cross-breeds.

It seems marvellous that bunches of colour do not get
mixed up on a ranche some twenty miles across ; but the
animals are taught to run together. At first they are sorted
carefully as to build and colour, till twenty-six are settled
on ; a boy is sent for days to ride out with the bunch, and
his duty is always to keep them together. Continually
riding round and round them, he sends each straggler back
to the main body, till gradually they become so friendly that
nothing will separate the happy little family ; so much so,
indeed, that if two or three bunches chance to come
together, they sort themselves again and oft go the twenty-
five mares with their horse.

Boys begin this sort of work almost as babies on a

HORSE ROUND-UP. 41

ranche. One sees a toddlinq; lad of five lassoiiiQ: the
chickens and pigs outside — or even inside — his father's
httle hut, and so accustomed do they become to riding that
they are nearly all bow-legged ! This is not surprising
when one learns a man spends ten hours out of twelve on
the saddle. They walk badly ; but they ride magnificently.

The head stock-man, or Caporal, is nearly always an
Indian. One man I saw was a very fine specimen ; he
inherited the marvellous traits of his tribe — instinctively
knew where to find water, could prophesy the weather
accurately for days ahead, could predict drought, and of
course was a splendid rider, thinking nothing of seventy or
eighty miles a day on a dozen different mounts. He was
very black and had a most villainous face. He looked like
a murderer, and rumour whispered he had verified his looks.
There were a couple of dozen boys under him ; oh dear,
what a life he must have led them ! But he was invaluable
as regards the stock ; to his animals he was kind and
thoughtful — verily a strange specimen of humanity.

Another Caporal, of whom I saw a good deal, was
quite a character. He came from Texas, and had been
a cowboy for thirty-six years, having maintained him-
self entirely since the age of eight. He did not know who
his father and mother had been.

'* I don't think I ever had any," he laughingly said.
He could neither read nor write, yet he managed to
keep the most accurate accounts in his head, and could
tell exactly what stock there had been at each round-up
for years past, or the prices the beasts fetched at any
particular time. He went to bed when the sun went down,
and got up when it rose. He knew almost every animal
on his ranche, and there were at least fifteen thousand ;
if he did not know them all he knew about most of them,
and had theories — probably correct ones — about the rest.
He was most polite ; but treated even a lady quite as a

42 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

" pal " and equal ; in fact he was one of Nature's gentlemen.
A man with the strongest sense of honour and justice,
determined, self-reliant, plucky, he was yet gentle as a child
with a sick animal.

Cowboys are studies ; they seem to have been born
in the saddle, to be capable of enduring the greatest
fatigue without ever feeling tired. For instance, one
day after starting before daylight to round-up cattle,
they did not get back to the corral, where we were
waiting for them, until two o'clock ; thus they had been
ten hours in the saddle, during which time they had
been incessantly on the gallop. They unsaddled their
horses, and settled down to their dinner. They closed
round the camp fire, but not to sit like other folk, oh dear
no ! Each man knelt on one knee while he sat on the heel
of his other foot, and ate his dinner with his plate — on the
ground! It seemed to me a most uncomfortable and
unrestful proceeding, but apparently they liked it

We had not intended to stay out to lunch, and were
therefore unprovided with the usual basket.

" Very sorry, Mrs. Tweedie," said my host ; " but it
is two o'clock and either you must join the cowboys'
fare, or wait three hours till we ride home again."

"Anything will do for me," I replied. "A glass of
milk and a piece of bread and butter will suit splendidly."

" You have asked for three things I cannot supply," said
my host, looking woebegone. " Milk we never have ; wild
cows give very little, and they have to be lassoed to be
milked and then hold the milk back, so it is not worth the
trouble. Butter ditto, and bread is never baked at these
camps. They make a hard biscuit which lasts for days.
So you see the three most ordinary forms of food
cowboys have to do without."

Here was a revelation ! But it tauoht me not to ask for
such luxuries in future.

A cowboy luncheon party.

Bunches " of horses on the prairie.

[ To face page 42.

HORSE ROUND-UP. 43

I was given a place at this strange repast, and a tin
pail turned upside down served as a seat ; a plank of
wood supported by an old box and another bucket made
an excellent table. I never enjoyed anything more in my
life than that cowboys' dinner-party !

We had hot meat served in a tin can ; the beef was
"jerked" or sun-dried. When an animal is killed, the
best joints are reserved for immediate use, if the weather
be cool enough for it to keep at all ; but the loin,
round, neck, etc., are all jerked. That is to say, they are
cut into thin slices, from a quarter of an inch to an inch
thick, thoroughly salted, and then hung out in the sun
to dry. In from thirty-six to forty-eight hours they are
sufficiently dried, and will keep for almost any time. This
is indeed much the same process as that of the biltong of
South Africa ; in summer-time all the meat has to be sun-
dried at once ; but in winter the necessity is not so great.

Our dish of jerked beef had been cut into a sort of
mince, flavoured with onions and fried, and it was really
excellent for anyone who did not mind onions. We had a
kind of ship's biscuit made over the camp fire ; large round
cakes, eighteen inches in diameter, and about two inches
thick ; besides which we were given tea and sugar.

Everyone seemed to eat heartily, but in twenty minutes
the meal was finished, and putting cigarettes in their
mouths, the cowboys went off to the corral to brand their
horses. Poor little colts, their legs were so fine it
seemed more sad to see them thrown for branding
than the calves. They looked such pretty fragile things,
one felt really sorry for them. But anyway they were not
going to the butcher's knife, and their lot would probably
be happier than that of the cattle.

Most ranches have herds of goals, because they are
paying animals. From five hundred to ten thousand
goats are, as a rule, to be found on an hacienda.

44 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

Each herd, consisting of twelve hundred, is looked after
by a pastor. He goes forth with his flock every morning,
stays with them at their pasturage all day, and brings
them back to camp before night-fall to avoid the wolves.
On a well-organised ranche every goat is counted, so that
each evening if any are missing they may be sought for
and found.

There is always a ready market for goat flesh at a
ranche, the price varying from 3 to 3^ dollars (Mexican
= 6/- to 7/—) per head ; this includes the skins, which
the purchaser re-sells for about half-a-crown.

It is the custom on a ranche for the master to find
rations for all his hands, and while the cowboy is given
beef, the ordinary labourer receives Q^oat, which is the
natural diet of the poorer classes who are sufficiently
well off to eat meat at all. Goat-fiesh is quite good,
indeed many people would not know it from mutton
unless they were told to the contrary ; but in Mexico,
as in all warm climates, the meat is invariably tough
because it cannot be properly hung. Oh, the joy of
tender beef and mutton after months of stringy, newly-
killed food ! Could anything taste more delicious than an
English sirloin of beef, or an American chop ?

As I am a warm advocate of riclino- astride for women,
perhaps it may be well to describe why and how I came
to adopt that mode. My first long expedition was in
Iceland, where on one occasion a girl and I accomplished
a distance of 163 miles in three days and a few hours.*
This was in a land where there were no bridges, rivers had
to be swum by the ponies, there were no roads, and rough
paths and dangerous mountain passes formed the track.
Such rides could never be accomplished on a side-saddle,
whereas mounted astride the woman is no longer handi-

* "A Girl's Ride in Iceland."

>.>'^^^c&-r^'^ ..y

'"■■ «-

^ — X

■1^^^

^^^^^f

- \

■

P^-^

A coal herd.

^Making loilillas, ihe staple iood ol the country.

\To face page 44.

HORSE ROUND-UP. 45

capped, and provided she have equal strength with her male
companion, can go where he goes. I believe I was the first
to advocate riding astride in book form ; the volume insti-
tuted that long war of controversy "Should Women Ride
Astride ? " in the Field and Daily Graphic about ten years
ago. Oh, how some of these dear people jumped on me
for " immodesty, indelicacy," and other words of condemna-
tion ! To have written such sentiments was a crime, to have
ridden in such style an offence against all propriety. But I
still live !

Later I adopted the same plan in Morocco, and, much to
the surprise of my good friends, in Mexico — where they are
barely accustomed to the fact of a woman mounting a horse
at all, and certainly not on a man's saddle — yet I hope and
trust I succeeded in riding down their prejudices.

There is nothing new in sitting astride. Women w^ho
have to traverse lonQ- distances on horseback in foreio;n
countries, invariably do so ; indeed, every woman in
England rode in this manner until side-saddles were in-
troduced by Anne of Bohemia, wife of Richard IL, and
many continued to ride across the saddle until a much later
date.

As a girl I followed the hounds, both fox and stag, on a
side saddle, in which position I rode from the time I was
seven years old ; therefore I have no prejudice against that
fashion, and am perfectly aware that it looks more elegant,
and one might add, more feminine on ordinary occasions.
But, for purposes of travel, where rough country has to be
crossed, when eight or ten hours a day are spent in the saddle,
it is absolutely essential for the comfort of both the woman
and the horse that the former should ride astride. Ridinof
man-fashion is far less tiring, the position is perfectly natural,
and in no way injurious to health. It is also preferable, because
the spine is not twisted. As women ride at the present
moment, horses with sore backs are unfortunately no rarity ;

46 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

it is true these galls are caused by bad riding, still such
things are more easily avoided by the use of a man's saddle.
A horse is sooner knocked up when ridden by a woman than
a man, yet the latter is usually the heavier weight ; but then
he is properly balanced.

Then aeain, in mountainous districts where the animals
have to clamber from one rocky prominence to another, it is
positively unsafe to be seated on a side-saddle, and when
the path leads round the edge of a precipice on the near side,
should the horse stumble and fall, he naturally falls on top of
his unfortunate rider, who has not the slightest chance of
extricating herself. There is no doubt about it that sitting
sideways is absolutely dangerous for rough country work ;
is injurious to a woman's health, is always fatiguing, and
besides knocks up a mount much sooner than riding man-
fashion.

Having advocated that women should ride astride for long
distances, it may be well to describe the kit which experience
has proved to be the most useful. Ordinary riding breeches
and boots are absolutely indispensable, and if the country
traversed be in any way tropical, brown boots are preferable,
as they are not so heating to the feet. They must be high,
as insects bite, and thorns prick, and anyone who has been
in the Tropics knows that they can do both with consider-
able severity.

Being so far attired for riding the difficulty centres in the
skirt or habit. On most occasions it is impossible to carry
anything but the lightest luggage ; for instance, in the
Mexican mountains everything had to be transported by
means of mules. Therefore, as one practically lives in
one's riding-dress, it is essential that riding-dress should be
as comely as possible, something that will represent a skirt
in Ordinary wear, and yet be practicable for riding. I find
closely- woven serge or whipcord the best materials, as these
while light do not tear. Having selected the material, it is

Mrs. Alec Tweedif-s Divided Skirt, for riding astride. Shown lyin- flat open.
2. Deep Hem. 3. p:iastic bands (inside) to pass the legs through.
4. t olds, which button over for walking.

[ To face page 46.

HORSE ROUND-UP. 47

not difficult to make the skirt. It must be narrow, and
gored for standing ; some six or eight inches from the
ground does not look outrageously short, even at a luncheon
party, and when mounted will come down well over the in-
step, as may be seen in the photographs (Chap. XIX.). The
skirt can fasten either at the back or in front, because In
both places a large fold of the material is necessary to make
the habit sit well ; the front is preferable. The material can
be drawn perfectly tight over the hips, but before and behind
it must be full near the hem, and therefore must be folded in,
two or three inches at the waist. The back opening is
better sewn securely so far down as the saddle (when the
rider is seated), that is to say, about twelve inches from the
waist belt. When riding the skirt falls over loosely on both
sides, and is kept from blowing about or getting out of
place by a couple of elastic straps inside each side piece,
through which the legs pass. Its own weight, and the
width of the hem are capable of keeping it down even in a
strong wind. When mounted the rider from the off or near
side looks as if wearing a habit, and nobody can tell she is
seated astride, unless immediately before or behind her.

When off, if the skirt is well cut and the pleats full, it falls
into position by itself, and looks like an ordinary skirt, but
in order to be more sure that it will remain closed when
clambering about stony ruins or jumping over streams, it
is well to have a couple of buttons about a foot apart to
fasten both the back and front openings. These can be
adjusted or undone in a moment, and when secured nobody
can possibly tell that the wearer is not dressed in an ordinary
skirt.

To be more sure of keeping the habit in its place, when
mounted an elastic band can be fastened from the back to
the front of the skirt so that it may not ride above, or over
the seat of the saddle.

A habit of this kind is very simple, and anyone can

48 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

manufacture it out of an old skirt at home. Indeed, the one
depicted in the photographs, showing the skirt both off the
horse and on, was made in this way, I am perfectly aware
that a smart habit bodice would look better, and if the
photograph had been taken in Piccadilly, should have
donned one for the occasion, but as this picture was a " snap-
shot " some seven thousand miles away from Piccadilly,
in the wilds of Aztec ruins under hot Southern skies, a
shirt was cooler, if not so becoming, and a sombrero more
practical if not so smart as a top hat !

It is hardly necessary to repeat the well-known maxim
that whatever exercise we may be taking it is advisable to
wear light flannel rather than cotton, and this applies to
riding as much as to anything else. Therefore, ye women
travellers, before starting on long and fatiguing expeditions,
lay these facts to heart, and remember that, as mentioned
above, cross-riding is no novelty, that ladies in the old days
mounted in that manner, that all native women who ride for
business and not for pleasure invariably sit astride. My
own experience only endorses the advisability and practica-
bility of adopting this sensible and convenient style.

Ranche life is very interesting ; but it generally leads
to little. After talking matters over with a number of
Englishmen, I found they seemed to be of opinion that
physically it is a pure healthy life ; but mentally, an utter
failure. It is existence in the present, but offers no future.
Men so situated cannot make enough money to save,
and thus they become alienated from their families, from
their country, and all home ties ! For the first five years
or so it is all romantic and wild ; they ride and shoot,
sleep in the open, forget top hats and dress clothes, and
feel like heroes of romance and adventure. Freedom from
conventionality has its charms at first, yet a few years later
they long for that very conventionality, long to feel the
necessity for wearing a collar or having a shave, yearn to

HORSE ROUND-UP. 49

have a chat with a lady, and to feel the gentle influence of
the female sex.

"I even long to hold a good woman's hand," a man
once said to me ; "it elevates and refines a chap ; it makes
him try to be better than he is.''

" But," as several men remarked, " I do not feel it
would be fair to marry. I should not care to take a wife
from any but my own class of life, and it would be wrong
to ask any lady to come to such isolation, such monotony
and loneliness, as life in a ranche must prove to a woman.
We have our work, and that often takes us away from
home for days at a time ; would it be right to ask a girl to
stay alone in such a far away place, without a soul to whom
she can speak, or would it be fair to take her with me to
distant parts of the ranche, where she would have to sleep
in a waggon, or perhaps on the ground ? "

It is a difficult problem, this ranche life, and one which
apparently affects men in different ways. Many take to
drink ; some become reserved and almost morose ; others,
on the other hand, have such a lono-ino- for human
sympathy, that they cannot talk or hear enough when
they meet a stranger. All, whatever their character, seem
to become more chivalrous to women than men who live
constantly in their midst, and cannot, apparently, do enough
for one of the gentler sex. They will cook a little surprise
for her, boil warm water for her bath, gather flowers and
put them in her room, get up early to catch fish for break-
fast, ride miles before daylight to fetch a pound of butter,
collect wood and light a fire — not only think of a hundred
litde kindnesses, but actually do ihem, with all the grace of
a courtier in the days when knighthood was in flower. It
is very sweet of them ; but it is a hard school in which
they have learned, poor things !

There are absolutely no women ! It was all very strange,
after being entertained at lunches, receptions and dinners

50 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

by some of those great Women's Clubs in the States, after
meeting Hterally hundreds of the brilliantly clever, smart
women of America, to travel in Mexico, and hardly ever
see a female, not even a servant !

There are not enough men to go round in England, and
there are a dozen men to every woman in Mexico, so let me
recommend the possibilities of that country to old maids.

Probably the warmth of the climate does not make fatty
matter a necessity, for, as we all know, the colder the land,
the more fat is required, hence the Esquimo's love of
blubber and oil. Anyway, butter is an almost unknown
commodity, even in Mexico City.

On the ranches there is no butter, because there are too
many cows with too little milk. What butter there is in the
cities is simply awful. It is made without salt, is perfectly
white, like lard, and if its tastelessness guarantees its purity,
I am Goth enough to prefer a little salt. At the hotels it is
served for foreigners ; and actually, the American residents
in the capital itself send to the United States for their table
butter. In really Mexican homes it is seldom seen. At
their early coffee, they dip their roll, or sweet bread, into
the liquid, and the same with the afternoon chocolate.

The native of Mexico is practically always an Indian,
while the high-class Mexican is a Spaniard, or of Spanish
descent, the different characteristics of the two races being
strongly marked. The cowboys of Mexico are generally
Indians. They are supplied with horses and saddles by
their masters, and they are usually paid about ten dollars
(Mexican money=20s.), a month, with food and lodging.
Every ranche has a little shop where the hands can buy
things. Their chief requirements in this line — for. from
their ranche rations they eke out enough to support an
entire family — are tobacco and hats. Large sums are spent
on the hat, which often costs from twenty to thirty dollars,
and is trimmed with silver cord, embroidered on felt :

HORSE ROUND-UP.

however poor a man may be, he always saves up for his
hat. In other respects, he and his family may be in rags ;
but a fine head covering is considered a necessity.

On their feet the natives wear a sort of sandal, without
stockmgs ; but cowboys when riding, wear boots in order to
protect them from sun and thorns. Calico, prints, muslin
for dresses, cloth for men's clothes, coats, trousers, and
blankets are all sold at the hacienda shop, and the goods
charged to the cowboy's account, which is usually overdrawn.
The days of slavery are over ; nevertheless, in many of
the native Mexican ranches there are still "peons" {i e
more or less slaves), who are bound to their masters by
debt. rhey are, indeed, so bound, that they cannot oet
away, and if they try to escape the master sends for them
and generally manages to evade the law, and insists on
their return. The following facts show to what magnitude
the "peons system" has grown. On one ranche in
ban Luis, where about a thousand persons are employed
the total debt of the peons amounts to one hundred and
twenty thousand dollars ! Anyone buying a ranche of this
sort IS obliged to purchase the peons' debt, which practically 1
means buying them as slaves. The law while prohibitino- ^
this system, practically encourages it. "^

I said just now that a cowboy earned about one pound
sterlmg a month ; and alas, in the Southern States and in
Mexico there are hundreds of public school boys and Uni-
versity men earning that miserable sum, and only too glad
to get it. To my personal knowledge, the saddest of iTves
are being dragged out on some of those ranches. One man
about twenty-eight years of age, told me his story, which
brought tears to my eyes.

"My father was a clergyman in Yorkshire, who had nine

children, he said ; " I was sent to a public school and the

Varsity, and chose the army as my profession. I was the

eldest, and the family cheese-parings were great to give me

52 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

that education at all ; but I never stopped to think about
the fact then. I went up as a 'Varsity candidate and failed.
My father was very much distressed.

" ' Bob,' he told me, ' I have not the money to pay for you
again ; but if you promise to work this time, my boy, and
are certain to get through, I will borrow it,' He did so.
I failed again. Poor old father ! I realise now what the
disappointment must have been to him ; I feel all the
sorrow and sufferinQ- mv mother must have endured while
they were paying off that loan."

He was a fine fellow, and I honoured him for the tear
which he wiped away as he chokingly continued : —

" Well, I had thrown away my chance ; I had played the
fool, and to add to everything else, contracted debts. What
was I to do ? I, who had misused all the help that had
been given me ? A few pounds were somehow collected,
and I was shipped off to Mexico, I had no profession,
I knew nothing practical, nobody wanted me. On the
verge of starvation I was lucky enough to get a berth as a
cowboy, and here I am, after six years, earning £12 a
year, and with very little prospect, so far as I can see, of
ever doing any better. There is no future in it. The
excitement is all gone after the first year. My associates
are illiterate — good fellows in their way — but this is merely
existence, not life,

" They send me papers from home ; I am too tired even
to read them. When the day's work is over I get some-
thing to eat and tumble into my blanket, and with daylight
I have to be up and out again.

" Fool, fool, fool that I was," he exclaimed almost
passionately, " to turn aside from good chances at home,
where I was surrounded by love, refinement and learning,
and chuck my life to the winds as I have done."

Poor fellow ! My heart ached for him, and yet his case
is only one of hundreds in a like position.

HORSE ROUND-UP. 53

Then, again, I met a man who used to drink hard in a
London office, besides doing other evil things. He was
shipped off to Mexico.

" On my honour," said he, " I have never once taken a
drop too much since. I am no teetotaller, that seemed
cowardly, but I'm sober, and getting on well in conse-
quence. My folly at home killed my mother ; I realise it
all now it is too late, and no future success can ever make
me an inwardly happy man. The world may smile, may
forgive and forget, but I find one can never forget one's
own sins."

Poor fellow. The iron had eaten into his soul.
Remorse is bitter, but he was doing his best, and the
kindly hand of time may help him to be happy again some
day. To have conquered sin is finer than never to have
met temptation. But a truce to moralizing !

Writing of horses and a round-up reminds me of a funny
little incident which occurred in New York. I had not
lono^ been in the States, and was in Fifth Avenue one
afternoon, when it began to rain. I had on my best hat,
and was carrying no umbrella. Turning into the doorway
of a shop, I waited some minutes for a cab, there being no
tramcars in that particular street — the only really peaceful
street in New York, where life is spent hanging on to a
strap !

No cab passed, so I walked up to the counter of a drug-
gists, to find, to my surprise, a series of taps and other
queer arrangements that looked like American drinks.
Turning to the young man behind the counter, I said : —
" Do you think I could get a hansom cab here V
" No, ma'am," he rejoined civilly ; " but I'll mix you a
' Horse's Neck,' " and at once proceeded to do so, that
being the latest " soft drink."

Are drug stores prophetic } Iced drinks on one side,
and medicines on the other! The term, "soft drink," for

54 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

non-intoxiccints is as quaint as that expressive : — " Have a
smile ? " meaning a drink of more fiery nature.

It was at a ranche that I first experienced a Mexican
"norther." Nothing- in the world is more horrible. It is
" awful," in the true sense of that often misused word.
A London or Chicago fog brings despair to the housewife
when it arrives just before a dinner-party, and turns her
brightly shining silver yellow ; but a smoky fog is a
mere bagatelle when compared with a real Mexican
" norther."

It had been very hot for a couple of days — between
eighty and ninety degrees in the shade in November ; the
air, however, was heavily laden with moisture, like a
Turkish bath. Everyone, therefore, predicted a " norther,"
and everyone, alas ! was right.

First the wind got up — from the north, of course ; the
air grew more and more chilly, until it swept over those
vast plains of Texas, like an arctic blast. The wind
increased in force as the atmosphere became colder. All
this was endurable — one could bear a terribly cold windy
storm — but the wind had a companion, and that was the
dust. Usually a ranche is all dust ; the grass is in plots
and patches, between which lie acres — thousands and
thousands of them — composed of sand and prickly pears.
Once the norther sets in, all the dust gets loose, and whirls
and hurtles about in a storm which defies description.

It was my fate, alas! to drive twelve miles in such a
gale. Under other circumstances, we could easily have
accomplished the distance in three hours, but we took four
and a half Gates had to be opened, and a big man could
only with difficulty re-shut them ; every moment it seemed
as if the coach must be blown over. Eyes, nose, mouth,
ears, were choked with dust — hard, sharp, cutting, sandy
dust — and by the time we reached home, my raven locks were
grey. People are said to have gone white in one night ;

HORSE ROUND-UP. 55

I accomplished that feat in a few hours. Think of it !
Think of long hair and sandy grit — even my eyebrows and
eyelashes were white, while my face was so yellow and
begrimed, that I hardly recognised myself in the mirror
from which I had to remove a dusty coating before I could
see in it at all.

Those dust-storms, and consequent head washings in
a basin, were terribly trying to the temper, and I always
looked forward to the day when I should reach Mexico
City, and enjoy the delights of a hairdresser's douche. It
seems impossible, but it is nevertheless true, that up-to-
date, smart and fashionable as that city undoubtedly is,
there is no lady's coiffeur from end to end of the town.

On arrival I asked a friend where I could find one ; he
promptly replied :

" There is not such a thing.''

" Then what on earth do the Mexican ladies do ? " I
enquired.

" I think they have their hair washed at home by their
maids," answered he.

" But I have no maid, and at present no home ; what is
to happen to me ? "

He finally promised to find someone, and accordingly
the following day, as arranged, "el barbero " duly arrived
at the appointed hour. I smiled upon him, and he smiled
upon me, and we proceeded amicably to a basin. The
conversation was necessarily limited, for I had not then
been long in Mexico, and Spanish was his only language.
It took a vast amount of persuasion to get the gentleman
to rinse my hair sufficiently, in spite of my determined cry
of " Encore ao-ua ! "

At last that difficulty was got over, and we had become
quite friendly when he began to rub. It must be owned
that fine hair which is long enough to sit upon, is difficult
to wash and easy to tangle. The gentleman did not

56 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

succeed in drying my head to my satisfaction, but in spite
of many efforts, I could not make him understand At
last a bright idea struck me, remembering dry champagne
was called " sec," I might try the word upon the barber.
Accordingly, I said :
" Non sec ! "

" Si, Senora," replied he, for I had hit the right nail on
the head, seco being the Spanish word, so there was some
association between dry champagne and my hair.

So far so good, but when the time came for him to
depart, not yet feeling quite satisfied about my tresses,
which were scarcely so dry as I thought they ought to be, I
kept a towel over my shoulders, put a chair with its back
to the balcony, and proceeded to sit in the glorious sun-
shine, to let the rays of that warming orb penetrate where
the towel could not. The barber danced about, he talked
volubly, I only shook my head, for I could not understand.
He became more and more excited, he patted me on the
back, explained many things about "sol" and " sombra,"
but I could only imagine the man had gone suddenly mad,
and persistently sat drying my hair.

At last he departed. About a quarter of an hour later,
when I was just thinking of retiring from my sunny corner,
a knock came at my door.

" May I come in '■ " queried the voice of the friend who
had sent the barber.

" I will try and be ready in a few minutes," I replied,
" but my hair is down."

" I know it is," he answered, " that is why I have come."
This was surprising, but before I had time to say any
more he opened the door, and with an agonised expression,
exclaimed :

" Please get out of the sun at once."

" What do you mean ? " I asked, more perplexed than
ever.

HORSE ROUND-UP. 57

" The barber came round to my office and told me you
insisted on sitting in the sun with a damp head, that no
words of his could persuade you to do otherwise, and as he
was sure you would die of fever, he begged me to come and
rescue you from the jaws of death ! "

This idea of the danger of exposing a wet head to the
sun's rays, universally prevails in Mexico.

Such were my subsequent experiences : meantime I tried
to pour water out of the jug — out came a yellow fluid ;
the water was entirely coated with dust, the basin was
a mass of sand, the toilet table was quite yellow, and as
I lifted a brush, its shape remained clearly imprinted
below. The sponge was full of grit — a sort of sandy grit
that hurt ; even the tooth-brush had not escaped. No
words can describe the horrors of it all. A " norther " gets
under the doors and through the cracks of the windows,
and even after washing and tidying up, when one eventually
goes to bed weary and exhausted, 'tis but to find the pillow
and sheets all full of sand.

Fortunately, these " northers " are not very frequent, but
a few occur each winter, when nothing escapes their touch,
and on a ranche, with miles and miles of sand stretching in
every direction, they are enough to break any house-
keeper's heart. They fill her kitchen, her pots, her sitting-
room and her ornaments with sand, ruin her clothes, and
everything she most values, poor soul ! Only washing
materials and wickerwork furniture are really practical
articles for wear, anything else can be destroyed by a
"norther " in an hour.

That experience, repeated later in varied degrees, was
one which might surely be numbered with black fogs,
mosquitoes and moths, among the plagues of this earth.

CHAPTER IV

LIFE ON A PRIVATE CAR.

What could be more delightful, after eight or nine nights
spent in Pullman railway cars, surrounded by snoring
humanity, than to be invited to pass a few days in a private
railway coach belonging to the General Manager of an
important line ?

A room, think of it, actually a room, and all to myself!
No upper and lower berths turned up by day, or pulled
down by night, no conductors or darkie porters continually
passing in and out ; but a real bedroom to myself and the
run of a whole car ! Oh, the joy of those private cars, in
several of which I spent many happy weeks in Mexico !

Let me first describe my chamber. It was twelve feet by
seven — as big as a ship's cabin, and quite as convenient,
with far more height and much more air, as it boasted three
nice windows, to say nothing of ventilators in the roof
There was a double bed, with splendid springs and the
downiest of pillows, beneath which were large commodious
drawers. High up above the bed was a shelf a foot wide,
on which many things could be stowed. Then there was a
small hanging wardrobe between the bed and the door, with
a large mirror set into its frame. Imagine a cheval glass
in a private car ! To such luxury are these homes on
wheels brought nowadays !

A wash-hand stand, with dressing-table attached and
drawers underneath, a seat and an armchair, completed the

«»gKafes«*fe'

A private car.

Jiarred windows, to prevent ihicvin

[ To fare piige 58.

LIFE ON A PRIVATE CAR. 59

furniture ; yet in spite of this splendour there was room to
turn round, breathe and feel a veritable Queen !

The car itself was a full-sized Pullman ; at one end was
the sitting-room, containing four lovely armchairs covered
in pale green silk brocade, to match the window-curtains,
and a couple of sofas that could be made into beds when
necessary, a writing-table, several shelves, while all the back
was glass to form what is called an "observation car," with
a balcony beyond, and as a private car is always at the rear
ot a train, the view of the country was magnificent.

Beyond this drawing-room, a couple of bed-rooms (similar
to that previously described), and a lavatory opened off the
passage ; then came the kitchen, where a darkie cook
concocted most delicious dishes, while, at the end of the
corridor, was the dining-room. What more could mortal
man wish for than to spend a short time in such a car,
being shunted at desirable spots, and while leaving it by
day, feeling it was always waiting to offer a home at night,
one in which packing and unpacking were consequently un-
necessary } Only those who have travelled some thousand
miles in a few weeks, with constant stoppages, hotels and
Pullman " sleepers," can realise the blissfulness of life on a
private car.

Many rich people who travel about a good deal have
their private car, which, at a cost of from fifteen to twenty
first-class tickets, can be hooked on to any train. If there
be a party of half-a-dozen, the expense is not as great as
would at first appear.

The hotels in Mexico are so bad as a rule, that the nicest
way to travel about is in a private car. This saves hotel
bills, endless 'buses and cabs for luggage, as well as that
constant packing and unpacking which wearies the soul and
sorely tries the temper of the " best-regulated " traveller.

Fifteen first-class tickets must be taken in order to hire
a car. Suppose the tickets be from the frontier to Mexico

6o MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

City ; that car, if so desired, may dally for weeks on the
way ; the fifteen tickets allow that, and the hire is fifty
dollars (Mexican) a day. Now if there be six or eight
people in the party it will be readily seen that the rent with
extra tickets is not very dissimilar to the hotel charges.
A cook and porter accompany the car, and arrangements
can be made by which the former undertakes to feed the
party at so much per head. The darkies cook, wait, and
discharge all their duties surprisingly well.

Two or three months can be spent most happily in Mexico
in this manner, an occasional trip away from the car for a
night or two into the wilder regions is all that is necessary.
By this luxurious means the traveller takes his house along
with him.

Monterey is one of the chief business towns of Mexico.
It is situated in the north, where American and Encrlish
influence is much felt. Still in spite of chimneys and manu-
factories it remains a strangely primitive place. Flat-
roofed houses remind one of the East ; yellow, blue, pink,
or white-washed walls with o-reen shutters announce a
sultry clime ; a splendid palm, mimosa, castor-oil or banana
tree whispers that one is nearing the tropics, and behind
the town stands a fine range of hills.

The better houses have iron bars before the windows ; this
is to prevent stealing, for the windows are kept constantly
open.

An English resident told me one night, when asleep, he
dreamed a dream, and in that dream he thought his bed-
clothes were slipping away. Suddenly something seemed
to jerk, and he woke in a fright to find his sheets and
blankets disappearing between the iron bars of his window !
Even iron bars won't stop Mexican thieves, who have a clever
way of fixing a hook at the end of a pole, and so manage to
confiscate odds and ends on which they have set their hearts.

The roads of Monterey are paved with red bricks ; but

LIFE ON A PRIVATE CAR. 6i

these bricks are cemented together, and not loose, as in the
quaint little island of Borkum, in the North Sea — the only
other place where I have seen brick roads, and the one
spot on earth from which Jews are banished.

I noticed several queer stone rings on my way from
the station, and on asking what they were, the railway
official who kindly acted as my guide replied : — " They are
wells. People make a well first, and if they strike water
proceed to build up their house."

This is sound wisdom, no doubt, nevertheless half-a-
dozen wells look rather strangle to the uninitiated.

It was a cold morninof as we drove from the station, and
all the natives were wrapped in their blankets. How
picturesque they looked, with their big hats and flowing
coverings of every shade and hue ! Like vultures they
stormed the railway carriage, touting for everything under
the sun, and all of them talking at once.

Tram-cars, drawn by a couple of sad-looking mules,
had taken the place of the swift electric trams of the
North, and the natural indolence of a Southern people was
noticeable after the bustle of Chicago or New York.

At Monterey I saw the Guggenheim smelting works,
one of half-a-dozen large smelters at present in regular
work. Mr. William Guggenheim, a delightful American,
told me they employ a couple of thousand men to extract
the lead and silver from the ore. Monterey promises here-
after to be the great business centre of Mexico, and judging
from the numbers of Americans, English and Germans
already settled in the place — which boasts 73,000 inhabitants
— it is almost as cosmopolitan as Chicago, to which pros-
perous town Mexicans ambitiously liken it.

Speaking of Chicago how easily things can be misunder-
stood ! I was staying in that city some weeks previously,
and wishing to send a wire to London, telephoned to an
old friend at the Calumet Club asking him what time the

62 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

message would arrive in London, as I did not want it to be
delivered in the middle of the night.

"If I send it about eleven o'clock, before going to
bed, it will arrive in the morning," he replied,

"Very well, please write it down, 'Joachim, Sand-
ringham Club, London. Accept.' "

" What } " was called through the telephone.

" 'Joachim, Sandringham Club, London. Accept,' " I
repeated.

" Shall I sign it Tweedie ? " he enquired.

" Oh no, that will be all right," I answered.

" Well, I never, you accept a chap by wire, and don't
even sign it ! "

This was too much, the absurdity of the thing flashed
across my mind. He thought I was accepting a pro-
posal of marriage, while it was merely a wire to Miss
Eugenie Joachim, the niece of the famous violinist, to
say my name could be added to the programme for his
London Concerts in 1901 !

From such trifles grave mistakes occur.

In Monterey, there are good houses and fine buildings,
almost side by side with the most terrible native huts. The
men working in some of the large factories live in hovels
built of bamboo reeds, which are often so small and low
that a man cannot stand upright in his own home. They
look like gipsy tents, and yet the tenants are content to
live in them year after year. A thatch of palm leaves lets
in the rain, bamboo walls admit the wind, and the floor is
mother earth. If a man possess a pig he is considered
wealthy, and that pig shares his home. If he have a bed
he is much to be envied, for old sacks thrown on the bare
ground form the Indian's usual couch. In the middle of
the hut — which proljably measures twelve feet by eight — is
his cooking-stove, made by placing two or three bricks on
the ground, and the smoke issuing therefrom finds its way

LIFE ON A PRIVATE CAR. 63

out between the palm leaves, which in the same manner
let the rain in.

The family possessions consist 01 a square tin can — which
originally held oil — and is universally used for hot water, or
for washing the clothes of the family or even for cookino- in
a large way. There is always a stone trough on four legs
— metate — so named from the lava rock of which it is
made, and this is used for grinding the Indian corn which
the housewife makes into tortillas. She sits on her heels
in true native fashion, and rubs a small roller up and down
until she has ground the corn. This, with water, she
makes into dough, takes a small quantity in her hand, pats
it out flat until it is the size of a plate and very thin,
then she puts it into an iron pan and bakes it over the fire,
thus preparing the staple food of the family. A brown
bean known as frijoles is also largely used. Two or three
artistic-looking pottery jars complete the list of worldly
goods, and thus one can see that these people are literally
so poor that they could not possibly be poorer and yet keep
body and soul together. Their little straw huts may be
covered with lovely purple convolvulus, known as " mornino-
glory," and a cat or a hen may bring gaiety or an occasional
^g% to their home.

They cannot read or write, they do not know how to
think ; all they want is food and shelter, and so their
animal existence continues year in, year out. Bjornson, the
great Norwegian writer, says that an agricultural labourer is
happier with his spade than the literary man with his pen.
If this be true, and mere animal existence a joy, the native
Mexican has surely reached Elysium !

Scarcity of labour is one of the crying evils of Mexico.
The country is sparsely populated, only about fifteen millions,
and although prolific (eight is quite a usual number of child-
ren to be born in a family), more than half of them die in
mfancy. Tortillas and pulque are hardly proper food and

64 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

drink for a baby, yet on such diet are they nourished by
their ignorant parents, the resulting infant mortality being
appalling. Medical men in Mexico will have to enforce
more attention to the laws of health, food and sanitation.
It is not want of proper medicine or surgery, it is ignorance
of nature's teaching that produces this enormous death-rate
amono- native children.

Another cause of dearth of labour is that the Mexican
Indian has no ambition. There is a hopeless apathy about
him. He never thinks of saving money; he sees no comfort
in independence, cares for nothing higher than the position
and circumstances in which he was born. Some few men
have risen to position and wealth ; but even their example
does not inspire the multitude. Mexicans are able to live
on little. A large employer of labour told me that his
greatest difficulty was to get the men to work conseczttively.
To encourage this he pays higher wages to those men who
will work twenty days in a month, but, even with this
inducement, the majority prefer idleness ; not more than
seven per cent, avail themselves of his offer. Many
employers of labour testify that, as a rule, they gain nothing
by advancing the rate of wages, because the generality of
men will only work long enough in any one week to secure
sufficient for their pressing needs during that particular
week. They never think of the future, so long as they have
a few cents in their pockets, and will loll about or gamble at
the roulette tables until that small sum is exhausted.

Thus one sees that scarcity of labour, briefly stated,
arises from —

(i.) The want of population.
(2.) Lack of ambition.

So enormously have the industries of Mexico increased
since the introduction of railways, that the population cannot
supply sufficient labour. This does not mean that it would
be of any use for an Englishman to imagine a field of action

LIFE ON A PRIVATE CAR. 65

is waiting for liim, for he could not live on the wages given,
except for skilled labour, and that finds a market in almost
all lands ; but it does mean that outside work has to be
procured, and from China and Japan comes the supply.
The Chinese are no longer allowed to settle in the United
States ; but they may go into Mexico, for which purpose
they come through America " in bond" ; i.e., they are put
into cars in San Francisco, a Government Official travels
with them, and are only let loose when they reach Mexican
soil. Every fortnight or so a coach laden with fifty or a
hundred of these Chinese passes through the States ; the
door is kept locked during the whole journey. These
emigrants are chiefly employed at the mines, where there
are whole settlements of them.

It is these mines which promise so great a future for
Mexico.

It was on a fine November day in 1900, that Mr. Lorenzo
Johnson, General Manager of the International Railway,
picked me up in his private coach, the " Sabinas." My
introduction to him came from Colonel Aldace Walker,
Chairman of the Atcheson, Topeka, Sante Fe Railway, one
of the most delightful friends I have in America. Alas ! I
should rather say, "had," for Colonel Walker died suddenly
only a few days after I sailed for England. My last Sunday
in New York was spent with him and his family.

The day was an eventful one, for it chanced to be the
inauguration of General Porfirio Diaz, as President of the
Mexican Republic for the sixth time, and was consequently
kept as a holiday, and day of rejoicing.

Electing a President seems a very different affair in
Mexico from what it is in the United States. In the
latter country I witnessed the frenzied excitement over the
re-election of McKinley (October, 1900), when over one
hundred thousand of the most respected citizens of New
York formed themselves into a procession, and marched

66 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

through the city. In order to show the country that the
wealth of America was ready to support McKinley against
the democratic oratory and socialistic tendencies of Bryan
and his party, this body — calling themselves the " sound
money men " — turned out in force. They were really the
Conservative party of America, if anyone dare apply such
a term to men born in a Republic !

For five miles, in pouring rain, from early morning till
late in the evening, that marvellous procession toiled along
Broadway. It was, indeed, a strange sight to see these
elderly millionaires, umbrella in hand, wading through mud
and mire, each waving his flag on high to show his support
of McKinley, the man under whose sway America has
advanced so enormously. What a wonderful country it is !
With the yells of a Chicago mob still in my ears, uttered
when the news of McKinley's re-election was known, the
lack of interest in Mexico over an election struck me as par-
ticularly strange. The fundamental laws of the country
provide universal suffrage, it is true ; but it has never been
exercised, and the President is re-elected by his political
following. The ordinary rancheros and cowboys know
nothing about the election until they hear it is over, when
they just nod and say nothing. As far as they personally
are concerned, it appears of no consequence whatever.

The President, General Diaz, is a great Dictator, who
began his career as a revolutionist. The day, however, on
which this marvellous potentate — the greatest and wisest
despot of modern times, whose acquaintance I was for-
tunate enough to make later — takes his vote of office, all the
folk in every town make merry. In Monterey, where I
chanced to be, there was a sham fight, and a very in-
teresting fight it proved.

My host, Mr. Johnson, fetched me from the hotel, where
a brick floor, many panes of glass missing from the window,
and no latch whatever on the door, had not impressed me

LIFE ON A PRIVATE CAR. 67

with the comfort of Mexican hotels in general. Little did
I guess when I started in the " Sabinas " of all the wonders
in store for me, the endless private cars, special trains or
steamboats that were to be my lot. In my wildest dreams
I could not have hoped that the President of Mexico would
prove such a friend, that Governors of States would enter-
tain me so royally, or that troops of soldiers would escort
me through the mountains, yet all these marvellous thino-s
happened ! *

After driving to the station yard where the car stood
awaitmg our arrival, we sallied forth to see the soldiers
assembled close by. There was nowhere to sit, and as
standmg is tiring, I ventured to suggest that we should get
on the roof of one of the covered-in " box " cars, standing
close at hand. My companion smiled at the idea, and
remarked that the only way up was by means of the iron
steps fixed in the side, which the railway men use.

" I'll try," I replied, and accordingly we climbed to the
top of a freight car of the International Railway, where a
splendid view of the sham fight rewarded us for our pains

In front, on an open space of ground, both infantry and
cavalry were assembled ; the men were small in size, though
tidy in appearance ; but they seemed to know their work
well, and the charge of the cavalry was particularly excitin-

Soldiers in Mexico are recruited from the prisons. It ts
a curious arrangement, but a fact nevertheless. Those
gaol-birds make good soldiers, and being under supervision
are unable to get into further mischief, while being utilised
to serve their country.

The grim old chain of mountains must have smiled at
this sham fight, if it remembered the valiant and bloody
deeds of 1846, when Mexican troops, posted along the low
ridge overlooking the valley, were assailed by the American
army from the plains below, and utterly routed.*

* See General Howard's " Campaign of General Taylor."

68 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

After a delightful little dinner we set sail — no, that term
will hardly do, despite the American cry, " all aboard " —
so we will merely say that after being " switched on " to the
nio-ht train bound for Durang^o — some four hundred miles
distant, with a rise of nearly five thousand feet — away we
went.

For the first time in my experience of railway cars, I
managed to sleep fairly well, although the stoppages in-
variably woke me with a jerk, reminding me — despite my
private room and capacious bed — that I was still on the
track !

About breakfast-time we reached Torreon, where the
International and Mexican Central Lines intersect. Tor-
reon is not famous for anything in particular, but since the
advent of the railroad, it is growing at wonderful speed into
a commercial and manufacturing town. It was Sunday,
and though still early, about two hundred and fifty idlers in
bright-coloured blankets were loitering about. Chinese
with their pigtails were "en evidence," and the general
" dolce far niente " air of a southern clime prevailed.
What gay colouring, what an Oriental scene ! The
women were carrying pitchers on their heads, the men
large baskets of fruit. Each man had a little trestle in
his hand, and before a probable customer he fixed his
table, and dexterously lifting the large basket from his
head, placed it thereon. Here were vendors of hats and
baskets, besides people whose chief excitement in life is to
hang about a railway station. It is a " rendez-vous " just
as the hall of a large American hotel is used as a business
meeting place, much to the amazement of a Britisher, who
on first entering to engage a room finds dozens and dozens
of men all standing about and talking loudly.

The crowds at Torreon surprised me, but I found they
were an ordinary occurrence at every station in Mexico.
In most towns there is only one daily passenger train in

Native adol:)e house, without windows.

A Mexican market.

To face page 69. ]

LIFE ON A PRIVATE CAR. 69

and out, and the inhabitants flock eagerly to see that train
come in, just as folk at Dover or Calais turn out on a
rough day to witness the arrival of the poor sea-sick
passengers. The peons will idle about for hours, waiting
for the train if it happen to be late. A smoke, a chat, and
a loll at the station, are " a la mode " in Mexico.

Blind musicians appear at every station. Either there
must be an exceptionally large number of blind folk in
Mexico, or else all who are thus afflicted make a point of
appearing on the station platforms, where they warble to
the accompaniment of violin, guitar or mandoline, the
instrument being often home-made.

Indians are certainly musical. It is, of course, their own
native music they love — sad and doleful, as most native
music is wont to be ; but they will sing and play for hours
on the slightest provocation.

Torreon was far more Mexican than Monterey ; the
foreign element which has crept into the latter town, was
hardly noticeable at all, though many modern houses of
brick and stone, two floors hieh, have been erected since
the introduction of the railway. The houses, however,
are mostly one storey with no window to the street, only
large wooden doors, which when opened admit light.
This arrangement is universal in Mexico ; the smaller
houses never have windows, and the door is the only
available opening. It was extraordinary to notice among
the poorer people the systematic avoidance of light and air.
The door admits both, in a minor degree, but at night,
when that aperture is shut, neither can enter. This led
me to remark another thing. The Mexican Indian simply
shrivels up in the cold ; he is always poorly clad, and once
the temperature falls he falls with it, and instead of bustling
about to try and get warm, he simply sits down and shivers.
A " norther " absolutely paralyzes him, not because of the
dust which strikes horror to any creature accustomed to

70 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

cleanliness, but on account of the sharp cutting wind which
accompanies it. His dark skin seems literally to turn
pale ; he refuses to work — indeed, he cannot, for cold
petrifies him.

What a surprise the railway development of the last few
years must have been to the native ! The Mexican Cen-
tral runs over 2,192 miles of country, and the Mexican
National 1,120, besides which there are several other lines
of considerable lencjth. At first the native exhibited fear
when he saw an engine, then stood open-mouthed, and
finally availed himself of the train, as the numerous pas-
sengers in the third-class carriages prove.

There are curious laws in some countries in connection
with railway affairs. One of the odd features of railway
operations in Mexico is that train officials are promptly
arrested and imprisoned in cases of personal injury to any-
one on the track, even when their innocence of blame is
apparent ! The stupidity of the native, however, is appall-
ing ! Not only will he walk along the station track — which
has no platform — he will lie under the cars for shade
and so universal is this habit, and so many heads have
consequently been chopped off, that the railway officials
have actually to search the sidings and rout out these
people before the cars can be started !

Humboldt, when he visited Mexico, said it would be
possible to lay railroads all over the country, and extra-
ordinary as the idea then seemed in so mountainous a
land, his prophecy is being fulfilled. The average speed,
including stoppages, is about thirty miles an hour, which is
wonderful when one remembers the high grades often
passed over at such places as the approach to Zacatecas,
the descent from Esperanza to Orizaba, or from San Luis
Potosi to Pascon, on the Tampico division of the Central
Railway, or from Puebla to Oaxaca, each of which has a
four per cent, grade. On the other hand it must be remem-

LIFE ON A PRIVATE CAR. 71

bered that miles and miles and hundreds of miles of rail
in Mexico run through perfectly flat valleys, where the
expenses of building, maintaining and working are com-
paratively small.

It is strange in such a mountainous land to find so many
perfectly flat valleys. One is led to suppose, especially
from the sandiness of the soil, that millions of years ago
they were vast inland seas. At any rate, these flat valleys
have proved of enormous service in making railways, for
sometimes twenty or thirty miles of perfectly straight track
without any grade is found. When the line has to cross
the mountains, and rise ten thousand feet, as it often does,
the engineering displayed is amazing.

I said on a former page that one of the great wants of
Mexico was labour ; another great want — in the north at
least — is water. This does not mean that there is no water,
on the contrary, there is plenty in the wrong place — rivers
and lakes are numerous ; but there are also vast areas
where neither lake nor river is to be found ; therefore when
the heavy rains come from May to October, they are
usually wasted, for lack of storage. Without water there
can be no life. The subject of irrigation is, however, at
present much to the fore, and a great deal is now being
done to supply this much-needed commodity, especially in
Southern Mexico. If well irrigated much of the waste
desert land of Northern Mexico could be made profitable.
The railways are there ; but enterprise to thoroughly irrigate
the land, and turn it to agricultural account, is still lacking.

With labour, water and fuel, Mexico would soon become
a veritable paradise.

CHAPTER V.

A PEEP AT A COCK-FIGHT.

A COCK-FIGHT, termed Los Gallos, is a very favourite
amusement. Barely thirty years since we had cock-fights
in England, although they were actually forbidden by Act
of Parliament in 1849. They could never have been so
picturesque as one of these entertainments in Mexico,
where every hat or blanket of the spectators has its
especial colour and its charm.

On Sunday morning the cock-fights begin ; then there
is a pause for dinner and the usual siesta — every man,
woman and child sleeps in Mexico from one to three — and
about four o'clock the fray recommences. On driving up
to the cock-pit a curious spectacle met our eyes. In the
centre of an open space was an arena, probably a little
more than eight yards in diameter, fenced in by a hoarding
some three feet high. Round this circus-like arrangement
were tiers and tiers of seats, occupied by about a couple
of hundred men. Nearly all of them wore the enormous
Mexican hat of straw or felt, and the majority sported a
bright blanket as the day was chilly. Overhead — to keep
off the expected sun — a sheet was hung, which gave a
certain shadow to the scene and made the snap-shots
failures.

We climbed up a ladder-like stair, and three rough-
looking Mexican Indians, with innate politeness, vacated

A PEEP AT A COCK-FIGHT. 73

their seats, being evidently entertained at the advent ot
an Englishwoman.

The cock-fight in Durango was a strange and interesting
sight. Below, in the arena, were twenty- eight men with as
many cocks. Now a good cock, be it understood, is an
expensive luxury, for while an ordinary one will cost about
12 dollars, a really good game cock of weight, breed,
and comes of a strain of fighters, will fetch 50 dollars
(Mexican), or ^5 in English money. Many of the best
cocks are imported from the United States, but when bred
in Mexico, Japanese hens are generally used.

Some of the birds in the arena were beautiful ; of
various sorts and kinds, several game, birds being among
them ; but they all seemed to be large and in fine plumage.
Each bird had a leather cuff round his foot, to which he
was secured by a string. Some of the cocks were standing
about, all crowed cheerily in turn, while their owners
caressed and stroked them. At one end of the ring a sort
of major-domo sat with a box before him ; he was apparently
the umpire, and had something to do with the betting,
which soon became fast and furious, the sums staked
varying from 25 cents to 100 dollars.

After a great deal of talk and general fuss, the ring
was cleared. The cocks were taken to the side to be
weighed, just as jockeys are weighed-in before a race.
Only two men remained, a gentlemanly-looking person
with his cock under his arm, and a regular old beggar —
judging by his appearance — also with his bird. Then the
mysterious case in front of the umpire was opened, and lo,
it contained the implements of war. In rows inside the
case were thin, cruel-looking knives, with an upward bend,
almost like a scythe. They were four or five inches long,
and very sharp in the blade. Each man had chosen his
spur or knife, its length varying according to the weight
of the cock, and he now proceeded to attach it to his bird's

74 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

foot. Apparently they adjusted a leather band round the
right foot into which the end of the blade was stuck. They
then proceeded to bind the blade most securely to the
back claw with string.

Having arranged this horrible weapon to their satisfac-
tion, they put a leather shield over to protect it till the
right moment arrived ; the spur was fixed to the right foot,
and curved upwards. At a given signal the shield was
removed, the President of the ring stepped into the middle
of the arena, and drew three lines with his stick in the
sand. At either side a man immediately crouched with his
cock, sitting usual native fashion on his heels. He held
his bird till its head was almost up to the middle line,
and within a few inches of the beak of the rival cock. Up
to that time the cocks had been most placid, then, as if by
magic, up ruffled the feathers of both. Their owners drew
them apart, and again faced them together. Twice this
was done, each time more feathers ruffling up, and the
second time their beaks opening in anger. Immediately
each man spat upon his cock's head for luck, after which
the birds were let loose, the proprietors stepping quickly
back. Like furies, in a second the two cocks went for
each other ; jumping right up into the air, they seemed to
fight off their feet. One moment of deadly combat, and
the cock belonging to the richer man lay dead. It was not
really horrible, for it was almost instantaneous, and a far
more merciful ending than the slaughter of an ordinary
chicken for table use. This cock fought for two or three
seconds for his life, and perished in the excitement of the
fray with all his sporting instincts aroused ; thus he
valiantly died on the battlefield! If cock-fights always
ended so quickly and mercifully there would be nothing cruel
in them ; but, unfortunately, this is not always the case.
One combat was enough for me, I had seen all I wanted —
the ring, the enthusiasm of the spectators, the pluck of

A PEEP AT A COCK-FIGHT. 75

the birds, and had luckily witnessed a practically painless
ending, so I went away. Alas! Horrors of endless cuts
and hacks, and long drawn out tragedies sometimes occur
at such contests, when the birds lie bleeding and panting,
and yet struggle to rise again, for they say a cock fights
even after he is dead !

Mexicans have a wonderful way of sending fighting
cocks by train. They take a piece of board about five feet
long and a foot wide. Then they buy the very cheapest
sombreros (hats) they can get. They double the brims
together to form a basket, and put Mr. Cock inside. His
feet go down into the head part ; his tail sticks out at one
end and his head at the other, while the two flaps of the
brim meet over his back and keep his feathers from ruffling,
and the edges are nailed to the board. Three or four
cocks will travel on one board ; they look like so many
basket hats fixed like the rungs of a ladder on the board,
until one sees a cock's head projecting at one end of each
hat and his tail at the other. Their heads hardly look like
cocks', because they are shorn of their combs, which are
always given to the birds to eat for luck, and while still
bleeding from the operation they swallow the dainty morsel.
These combs are cut off so that their adversaries may not
have such nice projecting objects at which to aim.

Sometimes the birds are carried from place to place in
curious baskets.

There are regular trainers for Los Gallos, men who
spend their time training the creatures, just as in other
lands horses are trained for racing. The cocks are kept in
rows in their separate little stalls, and each has his name
painted above him, as in a racing stable.

El Mauser . . The Champion Chato . . . Snub Nose

El Gorrion . . The Sparrow Gate . . . Cat

Each bird is fastened by a little chain to the floor.

76 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

Every day he is taken out for a run, and is allowed a
dust bath to clean and preen himself. He is only fed
once in twenty-four hours, and then on wet corn ; but
before the fioht he is oiven various luxuries, includino- raw
meat and sherry. Cocks never fight until they are two
years old, and their first combat is often their last.

Cock-fights are not peculiar to Durango ; they are even
more universal in Mexico than bull-fights, because less
expensive, and consequently they form the usual Sunday
entertainment at every village throughout the country from
October till March.

In towns there is usually a cock-pit ; but in villages the
fights take place at the street corners, as I myself have
often seen.

Durango is also famous for its bull-fights ; only a fort-
nioht before we arrived there had been areat excitement

over one. The entertainment was poor, the bulls showing
no pluck ; the populace became angry, and fiercely threw
stones and orange-peel, and even tore up their seats and
hurled them down at the unfortunate matadors and animals.
The mayor rose and called for order ; no one listened ;
he shouted to the spectators to behave properly — no one
paid any attention. They began to demolish the bull-ring
and throw pieces of wood studded with nails about wildly.
He commanded the soldiers — who are always present on
/ such occasions — to clear the ring. Shots were fired, a
furious row ensued, dozens of people were severely injured,
and several persons killed. The Mayor subsequently for-
bade " another bull-fight pending his pleasure," by way of
punishment to the rioters.

Shooting is by no means uncommon in Mexico, and
many of the people in towns like Durango, who are now
living in wealth, were bandits a few years ago. Strangers
are not molested, and in any ordinary way it is perfectly
safe to go about ; but rows frequently occur among the

A cock-fight.

The water-seller.

[ To face page j6.

A PEEP AT A COCK-FIGHT. 77

residents themselves ; for about three halfpence they can
get drunk on pulque, a fight ensues, and a stab in the back
is the result. A man going off to his work in the early-
morning may find a dead body lying in the road-way. Of
course there is an enquiry — the Mayor settles the matter,
and, as a rule, sends the offender to join the army, military
discipline being the ordinary punishment for most crimes.

We were walking back from the Plaza one night, after
listening to the music, and while passing through a deserted
street — where the lamps were only oil — we heard a drunken
brawl. Two men were apparently fighting ; the one was
noisily drunk, his companion seemed to be trying to take
him home. They were reeling along, falling at intervals,
and evidently quarrelsome. The houses in the street
were, as usual, one storey high, flat-roofed, and entirely
devoid of windows. Suddenly the more sober man
clutched his comrade under the arms from behind, kicked
open one of the doors, and the two tumbled into a little
tenement shrouded in inky darkness. A piercing yell and
a howl, then silence.

" Is he going to murder him '^ " I asked, horrified at
the spectacle.

" Probably not ; the more sober one is merely taking his
friend home."

"But surely we ought to go and see what has happened ;
that terrible yell meant mischief ; there may be a woman
and children in there, and those drunken brutes might
murder them all. Let us go."

" No, we had better not ; we strangers never interfere.
If we did it would probably mean death to the gringo
(foreigner), so come along and think no more about it."

But I could not help thinking more about it, and worried
all night over the hideous scene and terrified yell. Next
morning I went back, on the plea of taking my Kodak to
get some pictures, for I was sure I heard a woman's cry,

78 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

and wondered what had happened to her and the children
when those intoxicated ruffians tumbled in upon her.

There, at the door, stood a smiling woman, whose
apppjarance testified all was right. Perhaps, poor soul, she
was so accustomed to such midnight revels that she thought
nothing of them.

It was bright, clear weather, the sun hot in the day-time,
the temperature falling low at night ; but then Durango is
six thousand feet above sea level, considerably higher than
any mountain peak in Britain.

The market was a sight. Sweets (dulces) of all kinds of
gorgeous and deadly hues are a source of trade, and little
tables of confectionery under bright cotton umbrellas
formed a pleasing picture. Sweet potatoes, covered with
thick purple syrup, appeared to be a favourite food, and a
brown dirtv-lookingf cheese, made from the fruit of the
prickly pear, considered a delicacy. In the middle of the
market hall was a cock-pit, which looked like a large well
or fountain, but was meant for a less useful, and more cruel,
purpose. A quantity of the market produce was in curious
open tubs made of ox-skin, with the hair on ; the Mexicans
have evolved a way of making tubs, and even carts, out of
strips of wood and cow-hide ! Their ropes are woven from
the cactus, maguey and corn plants, or from horses' tails ;
this latter fact was particularly interesting to me, as ropes
made from horse-hair are the only kind in use in Iceland.
Mexico shows distinct traces of Egyptian, Chinese, and
other origins, of which more hereafter ; but the tail-rope
reminds a traveller forcibly of Iceland.

How do the children of Mexico ever live to grow up ?
Most of them die, it is true that the native population does
not increase, but how is it that any survive ? On a sharp
cold morning there is a touch of frost in the air. When
the sun is out the thermometer stands at 90° or 100° in the
shade, but in the cold of early morning, when every native

A PEEP AT A COCK-FIGHT. 79

had on his blanket, a couple of stark-naked babies — aged
two and three respectively — were squatting in a wooden
packing-case in the market place. They were jumping up
and down, playing and crying, but their mother was busy
selling pottery, and just turned round and bade them be
quiet. One punched the other's head and made it cry, but
the mother, beyond scolding, took no notice of them. They
were fighting over a bit of sugar cane, which both wanted
to suck. They looked blue with cold ; they had absolutely
not a rag on, and there was not a sack even at the bottom of
the wooden box. Poor little shivering mortals, what a life !

Throwing dice at the market corners is a great entertain-
ment, indeed, there is no form of gambling unknown to the
Mexican, who will shake a bottle of cream up and down
in one hand to make butter, and throw his dice for centavos
with the other.

The Cathedral in Durango is handsome. The place is
terribly priest-ridden, and the Church wealthy, but the
gorgeous draperies, jewels, and laces are hidden away, and
the altar decorations strike a stranger as tawdry in the
extreme. In all the churches of Mexico, old lace has been
superseded by common, machine-made curtain stuff, while
cotton hangings have supplanted the silks and velvets of yore.

There are few seats in the churches, everyone kneels Greek
fashion, anywhere on the stone flags, and we saw people
crawling on their knees to the altar, others doing penance
with their arms extended, and various curious forms of
worship.

Outside the town, on a hill, is an old cathedral with a
famous shrine. It is believed to be a sort of miraculous
haven, where all diseases may be cured. At certain
seasons of the year pilgrimages are made to this edifice,
not only by the sick, but by their friends, for invalids who
are too ill to go. They crawl up that long hill-side on
their hands and knees to pray for deliverance from disease.

8o MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

Old people are sometimes eight or ten hours getting up to
the church ; but they think nothing of the fatigue, so great is
their faith, so strong their religious belief in the pilgrimage.

On Saturday, when the natives of Mexico receive their
wages, they redeem their things from pawn for ' Sunday.
On Monday they go and put them all back again.
Wonderful things may sometimes be found at the pawn-
shops, though filthy rags are more commonly met with
than anything else.

In most towns the drinkino- water has to be fetched
from public wells, men and women carrying it in pitchers
on their heads. The scenes around the wells remind
one of Venice, though the brown earthenware pots are
Egyptian in shape. In many places there are water sellers
who carry the liquid in large vessels on their backs, or
wheel it round the town in a barrow.

In Durango, streams of water run down the street.
They are covered in, except here and there, where a
stone flag is left off for the buckets to be conveniently
dipped. Sometimes the drain is at the side of the foot-
path, at others in the middle of the road. The Indian takes
off his hat, places it on the road beside him, and almost dis-
appears after his can into the hole in his endeavours to get
the water. Oil cans are universally used for this purpose.
These openings in the street are terrible traps on a dark
night, and mean a tumble of three or four feet for anyone
who steps in by accident.

In Durango there is music in the Alameda every even-
ing. This is a thoroughly Mexican custom, and a funny
one, too, in some ways. Alameda means, and is, a sort of
public square which is to be found in every town. The
Mexicans are musical, even the poorest Indians sing and
play to amuse themselves. On one occasion we were
passing a few huts made of bamboo reeds, and hearing a
noise peeped in at one of the openings — doors there are

A PEEP AT A COCK-FIGHT. 8i

none. There a man was singing "La Golondrina " — -a
sort of national hymn — to the accompaniment of a harp.
Such a harp ! He had made it himself out of bits of a chair
and the leg of a wooden bedstead. It really was a won-
derful production ; and the sounds emitted were not at all
bad. We admired his ingenuity, and would have bought
anything so eminently quaint ; but he prized his handiwork^
more than silver, and declined to part with it.

To return to the Alameda. Mexican people like to walk
abroad in the dark — of course there is no twiliafht. About
six o'clock on a winter's day, night has settled clown, and
then the inhabitants turn out in shoals to pace up and
down the Alameda. This may seem strange ; but it is
the way they were brought up— to come out, like the bats
and owls, at night. Except in Mexico City — which is
more cosmopolitan — the men all walk on one side and the
women on the other ; but reverse ways, so that they meet
one another. It is a curious mode of procedure, and to
our mind hardly amusing, yet thus they trudge round and
round for an hour or so every evening. A man will time
his place to pass the girl of his choice quite close, and we
have seen little notes and flowers thrust into her hand
in passing, while " Mamma " walked apparently quite un-
suspiciously by her side.

Love-making in Mexico is a queer affair. A man
admires a girl he meets on the Alameda ; follows her home,
sees where his novia (lady-love) lives, and, if he be really
taken with her, begins to play "the role of the bear." This
means that he nightly stands outside her window (for the
better-class houses have them), strange iron-barred windows
like one sees in Italy. Some tine night the lady notices
her " novio," and waves her hand ; another she smiles.
After months of waiting at his divinity's casement, he may
throw her a flower or pass her a note ; but it is only when
he has proved his devotion that he may seek an introduction

82 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

and call, and finally ask for her hand. I saw a window in
Durango where a man had played the bear daily for three
years and, said my friend : —

"He has only just gained admittance to the house as
a suitor ! "

From the point of view of the English or American
woman — let us say the Aryan woman, for that term repre-
sents the English-speaking race — the Mexican lady has a
poor time. She seldom walks out, and is then usually
accompanied by a maid, she hardly ever rides a horse, and
to mount a bicycle would be considered positively immoral !
She is pretty and charming, kind and courteous ; but of the
joy of sport or games she knows nothing. She wears silk
petticoats and Louis XV. shoes ; short skirts and stout boots,
with their accompanying emancipation, are unknown to
her. She lives the life of the exotic flower, not that of the
field daisy.

Talking of women, a Mexican man once said : —

" I give my wife all the smart frocks she wants, lots of
chocolates, and diamonds on her birthday ; what more
can any woman desire ? "

What more ? Great heavens, what less } The doll, the
puppet, the plaything may be contented with chocolates ;
but the woman } No, the capable, thinking, loving woman,
who is fit to bring up children, and able to manage a home,
who is worthy of the love and respect of a man whose help-
mate and companion she ought to be through life — will she
be satisfied with chocolates ?

With the men it is quite different. They breed horses
and race them, play polo, ride daily, cycle, enjoy the Mexican
ball-game or lawn tennis, and even handle a cricket bat.
They are more athletic than the over-working Americans,
and less so than the under-working English! Mexican
men take much exercise, are therefore often away from
home, and of course their wives cannot be with them

A PEEP AT A COCK-FIGHT. 83

as they do not participate in any of their athletic amuse-
ments.

The present condition of the women of Mexico is not
unhke her position in the England of the eighteenth cen-
tury. It is barely more than a hundred years since women
were first allowed to think for themselves in England.

" A soulless toy for tyrants' lusts " wrote Byron of the
women of the East ; but they knew no better, and the
Moor and the Turk are the sons of such women to-day.
It is only in England and America that women have found
their level. It is the sons of these countries that are now-
making the history of the world.

A masculine woman is as bad as a feminine man. Each
sex has its place, its own appointed duties to fulfil ; yet the
strong man is none the worse for being kind and gentle,
nor is the kind and gentle woman in any degree lacking in
these qualities because she is mentally strong.

Mexican girls never meet men alone, not even when
they are engaged ; they marry very young, and live most
secluded lives ; one might almost as well enter a convent
as be a Mexican lady in a small town, so far as society and
amusement are concerned.

Love-making is a very public affair in the country of
Cortes' adoption ; it can be witnessed at any street corner
every night. The novios are always there — she on her
balcony, or behind her barred window ; he — a wild enthu-
siastic youth — standing below. With the rich folk marriage
is the natural sequence, and all goes well, or ought to.

With the poor folk it is otherwise. Enquiries have
lately been set on foot concerning the morality of village
life, and the consequent discoveries are positively appall-
ing ! There are pueblos where no wedding has occurred
in a generation ! The Government have decided to
abolish polygamy, and insist on marriage. They are none
too soon in undertaking this delicate task ; the state of

84 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

affairs revealed is simply awful ! Two hundred miles from
the City of Chihuahua a hamlet, San Felizo, was visited,
when it was discovered among the twelve families com-
- posing the population, there had never been a marriage
from the oldest generation to the youngest. Kinship had
been disregarded, and the results were terrible. President
Diaz has taken up the matter warmly, and, aided by Govern-
ment and priests, a better condition of things may shortly
be looked for.

I need not apologise for the disagreeable things I have to
say concerning Mexico. They are not meant to hurt the
feelings of many kind friends in that interesting land, but if
one sees the good side of life one must necessarily likewise see
the bad, and the only useful result is obtained by weighing
the two in the balance. Whether my judgment be right
or wrong, that judgment is at least honest. This book is
an account of " Mexico as I saiu ?V," and no one and no con-
sideration has swayed my judgment. I do not possess a
single share in railway or mine, I have no interest whatever
in Mexico — I wish I had, for commerce promises well — and
therefore the opinions expressed in these pages are un-
biassed, even if they be wrong !

One cannot go very far into Mexico without seeing and
Clearing a great deal about mining industries, but the sub-
ject is so vast it will be treated with trade in a later chapter.
There are mines everywhere, chiefly in the hands of
Americans and worked by American capital. With rail-
ways the case is different, England has found the money
and built most of the lines.

The capitalists of the country are certainly Anglo-Saxon,
for the most part enterprising young men, who live a
rough but healthy life, and are pushing the English-speak-
ing race and its language into the very heart of Mexico.

What will this mean in the future .'* Will Mexico some
day find herself in the position of the Transvaal } Will

A PEEP AT A COCK-FIGHT. 85

she try to impose taxation on all foreigners without repre-
sentation ? If so, it will be a bad day for the land of
Montezuma, which will then be overwhelmed by the
stronger and wealthier force which even now practically
controls the railways and great industries.

\
\

CHAPTER VI.

HOW I WAS THE FIRST PASSENGER ON THE NEWEST RAILWAY

•

IN MEXICO,

It is always delightful to know one is doing something
that no one else has done before, therefore I felt enchanted
when asked to go on a final inspection trip with the
engineers of a new line ere it was open to the public ; in
fact, to be the first passenger to Santiago by the newest
railway in Mexico.

This railway must become very important in time, for
it is the last link but one in a long chain connecting the
Mexican International with the Pacific Coast, and shortly
after this book is published that final link may be forged
to the port of Mazatlan, a distance of something like one
hundred miles from Santiago. But those hundred miles
cover steep and terrible mountains, the spur of the Rockies,
in fact, which has hitherto baffled the skill of engineers.
Now, however, all difficulties will be overcome. Mexico is
so go-ahead to-day.

Leaving Durango, with its queer, old-world ways, in
Mr. Lorenzo Johnson's car " Sabinas," we proceeded to
Santiago along the most modern of all railways — a railway
so modern, in fact, that it was not opened to the public until
a couple of days after our journey. It was quite extra-
ordinary to notice how flat the valleys were between the
mountain ranges, allowing the line to run straight and
smooth for miles at a time ; but a sudden change came

HOW I WAS THE FIRST PASSENGER. 87

occasionally, when wonderful engineering skill was
exhibited. Along the track, shunted on a siding, we twice
passed "work trains," that is to say, entire trains composed
of several box cars, in which persons engaged in making
the line lived, and were moved about as necessity arose.
It is all very ingenious. A bit of line is laid, the work
train is run along it until some more of the road is ready,
when they follow up. Thus the workmen literally live on
the spot, a most important matter in a country where
villages lie so far apart. The engineers have a series of
tents, and. of course, these camps can be moved as
required. Sometimes the line is begun at both ends, to
enable the men to meet in the middle ; generally the most
difficult piece of engineering is attacked first, so that
it may be ready by the time the rest is completed.

Small wooden houses, forming a miniature village, met
our eyes here and there ; these had been put up for the
permanent dwellings of the engineers and railway people,
but as it was inexpedient, at first, to erect more buildings than
were absolutely necessary, no attempt had then been made
at a station. A railway truck served the purpose p7'0 tern.
When once things were a little more advanced, stations
would naturally follow, the material for building them
being brought from Durango, the nearest town, by means
of the railway line itself Every twenty miles or so we
passed one of these strange little settlements of railway
folk, with its half-dozen wooden houses, its water-tank for
the engines, truck station, and near at hand a siding.
Thus we arrived at Chinacates, which up to that time
had been the end of the line. A few box cars, and a
couple of tents, constituted the terminus !

On the edge of the prairie stood two wondrous old
diligences, which formerly ran twenty miles each day to
Santiago. Two more journeys, and their life on that
route would be ended ; in future they were to start from

88 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

Santiago to a point still further afield, until again followed
up by the railway. The iron horse was chasing the old
coach from the road. Once painted bright red, these
quaint vehicles were much faded by sun and weather.
They hung on enormously thick leather straps instead of
springs, and as they moved swung from side to side.
There was room for two people beside the driver ; behind
him, and on the top, three could sit — beneath a cotton
head-covering — whilst inside, nine persons could be stowed
away, which must have been a fearfully close pack.
Behind went the luggage and bundles. One vehicle was
having its brake mended ; the coachman held a block
of wood nearly a foot square, and was trimming it to fit
the wheel. He seemed to be managing cleverly ; still,
everything depended on that brake holding out, for he had
a tremendous mountain pass before him.

We alighted from our travelling home at Chinacates, as
it had to be detached from the single passenger car, luggage
van, and two trucks which composed the mail train from
Durango.

That railway terminus was intensely interesting ; what
a contrast to Perth in Scotland, or St. Louis in Missouri !
No house of any kind, no proper station, only that van,
just a handful of passengers, and bags of silver ore ;
nothing else to be seen, save miles and miles of wild
prairie, with high mountains towering beyond. The mail
train — which I honestly believe did not contain a single
letter — waited an hour, and then went back again to
Durango, while the few passengers it had carried to China-
cates went off in coaches, or on mules and horses brought
from neighbouring haciendas by their friends to meet them.
Those who had arrived in like fashion squatted about,
intending to travel to Durango in the train, when it was
ready for its return journey. In this small way many things
begin, but after the lapse of a few years what a difference !

HOW I WAS THE FIRST PASSENGER. 89

Our shunting was soon over, and back "on board" we
went. The first train to pass up and down that splendid
gorge, and steam into the little mud-hut town of Santiago,
consisted of an engine and the private car " Sabinas." It
was truly a novel experience. We rose a thousand feet
during the twenty-mile run — a steep incline and a decline
with wondrous curves. It was amazing to find how
smoothly we travelled, and we actually accomplished twenty
miles in fifty-seven minutes ! This, as previously remarked,
was a new line, barely finished, with considerable grades
and turns round the mountain's sides, and yet we did the
twenty miles in less than an hour ! Some railway lines in
England that have been in use for a half a century ought
to be put to shame by such a feat.

We passed wonderful flocks of birds, not hundreds or
thousands, but tens of thousands. They looked like black
patches in the fields, and rose like sable clouds into the air.
The effect was strange, and although I have seen great
flights of birds and locusts in Morocco, I never saw any-
thing resembling those in Mexico.

Another matter that arrested my attention was the fact
that platforms were erected in corn-fields. These were six
feet square, light and primitive, rising some eight feet above
the ground, or about two feet higher than the Indian corn
when fully grown. Men stand on them at hours of the day
when crows, blackbirds, or wild geese congregate, and with
a sling about a yard long, which they twist round and round,
fiing a stone with a crack like a pistol shot. Sometimes they
actually kill the bird, at other times merely frighten it away.
One end of the sling is securely fixed to the man's thumb
or wrist, the other he holds loosely ; at the end is a bit of
leather with a hole in the middle for the stone to rest on.
As the man swings the missile over his head with two or
three whirls, he releases the loose end, and away flies the
stone with no uncertain aim.

go MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

I The Mexican Indian is kind to all animals, with the

. " exception of his beasts of burden. He pets his cats and

M dogs, and lets them sleep on his bed by day or night ; but

- he kicks and punches, and even sticks nails into his mules

to make them go. He loads up poor little donkeys until

they can hardly move, and when they fall by the way he

kicks and beats them until they stagger up again. But,

unlike the Moor whom he so much resembles in this respect,

^e does not himself ride on the top of the load, and, indeed,

' rarely mounts a pack animal. When riding on his ordinary

pacing steed the Mexican, like the Icelander, claps his legs

all the time ; he rides thus for hours, perpetually striking

the animal's sides as a means of persuading it to go on.

The natives often ride pillion fashion — two grown men

I* on one small donkey being quite a common sight.

Along the line from Durango to Santiago, then barely
in working order, it was interesting to see the beginning of
a new track. It really was a beautiful bit of scenery we
beheld while we turned and twisted in the canon, passed
through cuttings, or crossed the Santiago river ; but to me,
not being an engineer, and a novice with regard to sleepers
; and ties, frogs and ballast, and other queer words endlessly
in the mouths of railway men, the most curious things were
the old castles, the quaint ruins, or sort of Irish towers,
which, after all, were nothing of the kind, being merely
extraordinary rock formations in the hills themselves.

It seemed very lovely to be doing something for the first
time ; who knows but our little trip might lead to great
' developments? There are mines and undiscovered ores in
these mountains ; there is timber on the hills — and timber
is of great value in Mexico — indeed, there are great possi-
bilities throughout that wonderful country, and the funny
little ill-paved adobe-built huts of Santiago may some day
turn into a prosperous township.

It may be well here to explain what adobe houses, so uni-

HOW I WAS THE FIRST PASSENGER. 91

versal in Mexico, really are. Adobe forts, raised by Aztecs
two or three thousand years ago, are standing to-day.

Unlike the bricks in biblical days, there is no straw in
an adobe, which we often saw being made. Two or three
men would be at work together ; they dug out the clayey
soil, mixed it with water, put it into wooden moulds, which
generally held four at a time, and left the muddy compounds
to dry in the sun, when they turned them over to dry the
other side. When quite firm, these strange brown earth
bricks, about 6 x 12 x 18 inches, were ready for building
purposes. Adobes are native products, and the haciend-as
throughout Mexico are built of them.

Sometimes the engineers have strange experiences when
constructing lines in those wild districts. Not long before
our visit a poor fellow met with a sad fate. He went off
cheerily one fine morning with his gun, in pursuit of game.
He did not return for supper as arranged, so the next day
his friends set out in search of him, but two days elapsed
before they found his body on the mountain side. He had
been stabbed in the back, otherwise there were no signs of
violence. Presumably he had been killed for the sake of
his gun and a few valuables. Some fiend had doubtless
taken his life simply for that handful of spoil.

On we puffed. -Mr. Rankin Johnson, the chief engineer
of the line, a nephew of my host, with a couple of engineers
had started an hour earlier, preceding us on a hand-car — not
for our safety, but simply because they wanted to examine
some culverts — and having come out to Chinacates in our
car, they began their inspection on their own account, so
that later we might bring them back from Santiago to
Durango. Half-way along the line we overtook the party.
In order to let us pass, they and their four peons
alighted, lifted the whole affair bodily off the track, and
directly our engine and car had gone by, they put it
back on to the line and resumed their journey behind us.

92 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

I once had a narrow escape on a hand or trolley car
which, as it had nothing to do with the International Line,
I may relate.

Engineers and road-keepers are continually travelling up
and down the line, since on every railway track in the world
some daily repairs are, or should be, in progress. It is not
always practicable to utilize a train, or even an engine, to
get to the spot where they wish to make their investigation,
therefore they use a hand-car. This, as the word implies,
is worked by hand. It is on four small wheels, which run
along the track, and usually has a sort of plank seat in front
for the " boss," as our Yankee friends would say. There
is always just enough danger about such a ride to render it
excitinof, but it is a form of locomotion hardlv suitable for
anyone suffering from " nerves," especially on such a down-
ward grade as a "four per cent.," where the men standing
behind have to apply the brake with all their strength, to
prevent the car from running away.

On the occasion in question we were going down a steep
canon, and the peons were working hard to prevent our
speed becoming break-neck. We had just crossed a bridge
— one of those bridges without any rails at the side to
keep one from falling over, merely sleepers laid across
supports between the spaces of which we saw the water
flowing below. It was fortunate we had passed this point.

Suddenly an engineer seized me by the neck, and we fell
together, on the edge of the precipice. It was a bad spot
to fall, but dazed though I was, I realised it was better to
be upset thus ignominiously than to be smashed to atoms,
as our car immediately was, by an engine which had come
down upon us. It was a miraculous escape ; the iron
wheels of our car flew to either side, while the wood
cracked up into a thousand splinters. It all happened in a
second, but oh, what an experience !

Ears accustomed to such sounds had heard the engine

HOW I WAS THE FIRST PASSENGER. 93

of a freight train when turning one of those sharp
corners. The peons jumped off, and my friend dragged
me along with him, thus saving my Hfe, for in ignorance of
danger I should have sat there chatting till death tore down
upon me from behind.

Engines and freight cars had been in and out of
Santiago for a week or two, but such a thing as a
proper Pullman had never before been seen by the
inhabitants. Their amazement was delio^htful to witness.
As our engine steamed in front of the town, the people
began to assemble to look at what was still such a novelty,
when they discovered something strange in shape and form
was following the engine. Young people fetched out their
fathers and mothers, the fathers and mothers unearthed the
aged, even the blind, and gradually the entire population of
the little township gathered together to see a Pullman Car
and an Englishwoman! It would be hard to say which
created the greater excitement, the white woman who came
from over the sea, and wore a hat, or the car which had real
rooms in it, beds, a kitchen and a fire ! Never, never had
anything so extraordinary been dreamt of, and they simply
stood round open-mouthed and paralyzed with surprise.

It appears that when the first engine arrived with some
freight cars, the natives were terribly alarmed, so experts
carefully explained to them how the machinery and the
steam made the engine pull the cars along. This pacified
them ; they had feared it was something uncanny, which
foreboded evil. One day, however, an engine backed,
when terrible was the consternation of the populace.
Nothing had been said about that, and they thought it must
be a device of the devil himself! Panic reigned for a time,
for those uneducated folk are terribly superstitious.

When we pulled up at Santiago, a miniature Jerusalem
lay before us. One-storeyed, flat-roofed, windowless, mud-
brick houses, huge prickly pears and cactus, long-haired

94 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

pigs, women with shawls over their heads, generally bare-
footed, or — if richer — wearing sandals of leather, all these
met our view. Scenes reminding one of Bible history-
met the eye on every side, even the grinding of corn
between stones.

Santiago intends to grow big ; it has already started a
plaza, or public garden, and even put up a band-stand,
a strange anomaly amidst so much that is primitive. Pigs
and chickens were running about the ill-paved, cobbled
streets, and live at night in a room occupied by a whole
family. The door of the house is shut, there is no window
or ventilator of any kind, and darkness and general stuffiness,
added to the odour of pigs and chickens, prevail.

Oil lamps occasionally swing across a street from ropes,
but only where four roads meet. Women — and quite
young women too — stand at their doors smoking.

From twelve noon to three o'clock is the hour of rest.
Even the church door is locked — an almost unknown event
in a Catholic country. Priests are not allowed to dress in
their clerical robes in the land of Montezuma, so, as a sort
of compromise, they wear black tall hats ! Even in the
wilds of the country, far away from the haunts of civilisation,
one meets the curious spectacle of a top hat, worn with a
black Spanish cloak. Such top hats they are, too! They
would do credit to Ally Sloper.

In the middle of the town was the " ball wall " ; every
village has this. Ball is a great Mexican game ; it re-
sembles tennis — ^not lawn tennis — except that it is played
with the hand instead of with a racquet, and the wall and
sides are not nearly so large as in a racquet court.

Santiago, a mighty queer old spot, untouched by civilisa-
tion, is still real primitive old-world Mexico. Half-a-dozen
engineers, a handful of engine-drivers, and a few miners
were the only white people who, up to that day, had set
foot in the place. Yet it had its music-stand and its fine

HO IV I WAS THE FIRST PASSENGER. 95

old church ; its public gardens and its promenade. The
poorer women wore their reboso, or head shawl, and the
richer their lace mantillas — until my arrival a woman in a
hat had never been seen.

When we returned to our car we found an admiring
crowd still standing round, engaged busily examining it, and
when we left the town the crowd ran alongside the rails
with us for at least half a mile, the men wildly waving their
hats and yelling ; but whether they were most interested
in the sight of an Englishwoman or a Pullman Car, will
ever remain a mystery.

A couple of days later we reached Torreon ; it was
ten o'clock, and my train for Mexico City — a twenty-nine
hours' run — was timed to leave at 7.30 the next morning.
I was to bid good-bye to the delightful car which had been
my home for a week, and which finally conveyed me to the
frontier when I left Mexico, six months later.

Letters for Mr. Lorenzo Johnson and business telegrams
were brought "on board," and an enquiry made as to
whether anyone of the name of Tweedie was on the car.

" Yes ! "

" Two Federal telegrams arrived yesterday for that
name, and no one has claimed them."

My heart jumped ; the only person who knew I might
pass through Torreon was the British Consul at Mexico
City, who kindly allowed my letters to be addressed to his
house ; no local telegrams could have discovered my
whereabouts. " Two Federal telepframs ' sounded most
alarminor. Had anythino^ orone wrona in Enoland, and did
those messages contain a summons home, sent on from
the Consulate ? I felt literally sick with apprehension,
and things did not improve when it transpired that no
telegrams could possibly be unearthed that night. The
office closed at eight o'clock, the man with the keys was
not to be found, and no information could be obtained before

96 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

eight next morning, while my southern train was to leave
at 7.301 What was to be done ?

The only train in the day must not be missed for caprice,
and yet to go further south when I might be wanted north,
on my way back to England, seemed impossible.

What a niofht of misery I endured ! Even the com-
fortable bed in the Sabinas had lost its charm, and with
each succeeding hour things looked blacker and blacker.
Something must be done at dawn, or I felt I should go mad.
So much might have happened nearly six thousand miles
away in London since my last letters ! " Two telegrams "
rang through and through my brain ! One might not have
meant much, but two seemed more important, especially
when ascertaining my whereabouts must have caused great
thought and trouble. It was horrible !

At early dawn my kind host was up and away, and I
waited and waited, watching the streaks of day break into
the sky before the sun rose at six o'clock. He returned an
hour later. He had found the Federal Office and Clerk,
had appealed to the Spanish gentleman on behalf of the
English lady, had looked through a whole pile of telegrams,
but found none for me.

" It was probably a mistake," said he ; "most likely the
official had got confused in some way over the English
name," and accordingly, somewhat consoled, I left for
Mexico City, Mr. Johnson promising to continue the
search, and wire to me along the line. A few hours later I
heard " nothing had turned up," so a sleepless night, hours
of horrible suspense and anxiety, were all the outcome
of some stupid blunder ; still, even twelve hours of worry
and uncertainty were a cheap price to pay for escaping what
mioht have been a tanfjible sorrow.

It was a sad moment when I bade good-bye to the
Sabinas and my kind host, Mr. Lorenzo Johnson, who had
made my trip on a private car as delightful as instructive.

A Mexican well.

--(^

■:■/ ■/.

(irass coal made Iroiii cactus.

To face page 97. j

HOW I WAS THE FIRST PASSENGER. 97

By way of comfort, he gav^e me a stick of sugar-cane at
parting, and I found the watery sweet not at all bad.

Sucking sugar-cane is a great Indian habit ; the peasants
of Mexico suck cane more than the natives of the United
States chew gum, and that is saying a good deal ! A man
will buy two or three long sticks of cane, perhaps eight feet
in length, and after peeling off the outside, will cut bit
after bit, and chew it all day. Perhaps it is a good pre-
ventive of thirst.

Mexico must surely be the most dusty country in the
world. From New Orleans to Mexico City the train passes
through two thousand miles of dust ! Texas is terribly
dusty, but Mexico is worse. Yet away from the railways,
which naturally run through flat valleys, there are some of
the most beautifully vegetated spots on earth.

Between Torreon and Mexico City we crossed the tropic
of Cancer, throucrh which most of the line runs at an
elevation of from five to eight thousand feet above the sea
level ; the vegetation became more tropical hour by hour.
Yet strawberries are to be found all the year round in
Central Mexico.

We passed numerous peasants clad in coats made from
the grass of the palm cactus. They are really very quaint,
just a series of spikes from which the rain easily drips
away ; they are cheap and warm, and do not take long
to fashion. The native Mexican makes coats, baskets,
combs, anything and everything, out of his palm cactus or
maguey plant, just as the Finlander makes the same things,
including his shoes, out of birch bark !

It was pouring with rain, on a horribly windy cold
night, when I first entered Mexico City, and to add to the
misery of it all I had a large part of my luggage stolen —
where and how shall not be stated — suffice it to say it was
never recovered. A man arriving in London or Paris
without his dress clothes, or even a frock coat, would feel a

98 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

little unhappy ; what about a woman, then, who had lost
her best silk dresses, and all her gloves, and was about to
make her bow in the Paris of the Western Hemisphere !

As my trip to^ Santiago was made on the latest railway in
Mexico, a description of the first line seems appropriate here.
I had the pleasure of meeting the engineer who laid the
first railway in Montezuma's land ; his account of the
struggles for its accomplishment was somewhat strange.
Major Robert Gorsuch, an American by birth, was sent
for to Mexico, and after successfully performing several
engineering feats, had the honour of opening the first
railway on July 4th, 1857.

" Our little line ran from the city to the village of Guada-
lupe," he told me; "it was a bold experiment, and one
which led to the ope^ning up of modern Mexico."

An , engine was made at great expense in Philadelphia,
and out of compliment to the country's Patron Saint a
large copper plate was fixed on either side of the cab, on
which the Virgin of Guadalupe was painted. All devout
Indians felt kindly disposed towards the new invention in
consequence of this dedication.

After being made in the States, the engine and railway
cars were all taken to pieces, packed in boxes, sent by sea ^
to Vera Cruz, and then travelled between two and three
hundred miles over the mountains by the old Puebla roads
to Mexico City. These mountain passes are in places
1 1,000 feet high, and dreadful were the experiences of those
engaged in getting the heavy engine across those rugged
paths. Every waggon had a team of twenty-two mules ;
but whenever the way was muddy; the road bad, or the
ascent particularly steep, two and sometimes three teams
had to be harnessed together in order to get along at all,
for each waggon contained 12,500 lbs. of iron! Imagine
sixty-six mules dragging one waggon up a hill, and even
then experiencing difficulty in making progress !

HOW I WAS THE FIRST PASSENGER. 99

At last everything arrived — the locomotive and four cars
rom the United States, the rails and fastenings from
England. Major Gorsuch managed to construct his little
line in spite of the revolutionary condition of the country,
at a time when no one knew to-day if he would live to see
the morrow.

The excitement was tremendous ; only a few people in
Mexico had ever seen a train. The President and all the
high officials of the Federal and Municipal Government,
the Archbishop and other ecclesiastical dignitaries, mustered
in full force. A religious ceremony prefaced the proceed-
ings, and 100,000 people assembled, riding or walking in
from miles around.

For weeks and months men arrived from the surround-
ing haciendas (ranches) — sometimes a distance of hundreds
of miles — in order to try the speed of their favourite horses
against that of the steam engine. They would bet — no
Mexican can ever do anything without betting on the
result — but alas ! the engine always won, although for fun
the enp-ine-drivers would often oive the horsemen a start,

o o

and only open the throttle and dash off just in time to reach
the o-oal ahead of their rivals.

" The iron horse," said Major Gorsuch, " with his lungs
of fire and sinews of steel, always won."

The people used to ride backwards and forwards in the
cars for excitement ; when their money was exhausted they
pawned a shirt or a belt in order to have another ride.
They clambered on to the roof, and it was with the greatest
difficulty they were kept from being killed. Even to-day
trouble arises when new lines are opened. Although the
modern Indian may have heard of a railway train,, he seldom
knows what it really is, as I am aware from the excitement
caused by the first sight of one at Santiago.

lOO

CHAPTER VII.

CELEBRATION OF THE GREAT SAINT OF GUADALUPE.

The Guadalupe Festival is far more famous in Mexico
than even a pilgrimage to Lourdes in Europe. At modern
Lourdes one beholds a strange and wonderful spectacle,
people weak in body, yet strong in faith ; but for weird
splendour and picturesque devotion we give the palm to
ancient Guadalupe. What a scene it was !

It is well known how at L.ourdes, in 1858, the Virgin
appeared to a young girl named Bernadette, and after
promising the girl happiness in this world, as well as in
that to come, bade her ask the priests to build a church
near the spring, where the sick should be healed. Several
times the Virgin appeared to Bernadette, and from that day
Lourdes became famous.

In the origin of the apparition, and in many other
ways, the story of Lourdes strangely resembles that
of Guadalupe, where three hundred and twenty-seven
years prior to the appearance at Lourdes, the Mexican
miracle was vouchsafed. The story which originated
those remarkable pilgrimages, held to the present day, is
pretty and romantic.

Guadalupe, only a few miles from the city of Mexico,
was formerly a great Aztec stronghold. Up to the time
of the miracle the country had been Pagan ; the Aztecs
practised human sacrifice ; Malintzi, the saviour of the
people, had still to come, but after Juan Diego saw the

\ iit^in (,r (nuulalupc, patron saint of .Mexico, as siie appeared miraculously on the
Indian's 1 ilma, 1531. Now above altar.

{To face page 100.

I
CELEBRATION OF THE GREAT SAINT. loi

Virgin, all was changed. An excellent account of the appari-
tion was' written by Fray Augustin de Vetancourt in 1672,
Juan Diego was a peasant, living in Tolpetlac. One
Sunday morning (December 9th, 1531) his attention was
attracted by the sound of singing. As he approached
the hill of Tepeyacac — now called Guadalupe — he felt the
singing could be no other than that of angels. He stood
spellbound ; the music fascinated him ; the longer he
listened the more it seemed to penetrate his soul. It
was like nothing he had ever heard before, so tenderly
sweet, so wonderfully grand, that he hardly dared glance
at the mountain to see whence it came. At last, raising
his eyes to the rocks above him, he beheld a lovely vision,
just such a vision as appeared three centuries later to
Bernadette. He fell upon his knees, when the lady,
encircled by a halo of light, in gentle tones bade him tell
the Bishop it was her wish a great temple should be
built upon that hill in her honour. He knelt for a time
in terrified amaze, and when he again ventured to look up,
the vision had vanished.

The Bishop, Don Juan Zumarraga, an Indian of some
repute, was incredulous when he heard Juan Diego's story,
and although he listened patiently to what the man had to
say, told him he must have corroborative proof before
considering the matter. Poor Juan went away disconsolate,
and returning to the hill, waited, hoping against hope for
the lady's reappearance, in order that he might tell her how
fruitless had been his mission. To his surprise he suddenly
saw her standing in front of a rock, watching for his return.
She looked more beautiful than ever, and instead of being
angry at the Bishop's incredulity, vanished as before after
bidding the Indian return.

The following Sunday, as desired, Juan repaired once
more to the hillside, when he again beheld thii vision.
Again she bade him tell the Bishop her command that a

I02 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

temple should be erected on the hill. Poor Juan returned
to the great potentate, and repeated what he had s,een and
heard, but the Bishop, still unconvinced, refused to take any
steps in the matter unless proof of her supernatural power
were forthcoming. The Indian departed crestfallen. The
Bishop's curiosity having been aroused, however, he sent
a couple of servants — so runs the legend — to follow Juan
Diego, and see what actually happened. The peons started
eagerly on their mission, and all went well until ihey reached
the hill now known as Guadalupe, when sudde^nly the man
they had been sent to watch miraculously disappeared from
view.

The Indian, however, though invisible to those who
followed him, soon found audience o( the Lady of
Guadalupe, and told her the Bishop demanded evidence of
her appearance. She would not give it, and Juan was
leaving her, disconsolate, when she bade him return on the
morrow, when proof should be forthcoming.

Juan, in a state of feverish excitement at the great and
marvellous vision which had been vouchsafed to him,
went home, expecting strange things next day. Unfor-
tunately he found that his uncle, Juan Bernadino, had been
taken very ill with the fever known to Indians as cocolixtli.
The stricken man was so much worse the next day Juan dared
not leave him. The sickness increased, and the following
morning, death seeming imminent, the Indian hurried off to
summon a confessor. He was afraid to pass the spot where
the Virgin had appeared, so he sought another path on the
eastern side of the mountain. As he passed the hill, how-
ever, lo ! he saw the lady coming towards him, and heard her
sweet voice calling. He told her of his uncle's illness and
approaching death, but instantly all his anxiety was dispelled,
for she assured him his uncle was "quite well again."

Once more he knelt before her amazed, and she bade
him cut her some flowers. Till that moment flowers had

CELEBRATION OF THE GREAT SAINT. 103

never o-rown on the barren hill, but, to the Indian's astonish-
ment, he instantly saw them blooming all around. He picked
a quantity, which she requested him to take to the Bishop
at once as her sign. Till he had done so, no other eyes
were to look upon her offering ; therefore, to ensure this, he
wrapped his fragrant treasures in the blanket, or " tilma,"
which every Indian wears, and set off once more for the
Bishop's palace. When Juan unfolded his tilma before the
ecclesiastic, upon the cloth was imprinted the face of the
Viro-in !

That picture exists to-day, carefully guarded in the
Cathedral at Guadalupe. The Patron Saint is depicted in a
blue robe, with a skirt of a soft pink shade ; the colours
are subdued yet warm. She has a halo all round her.

By February, 1532, a temple had, as directed, been built
upon the spot, and Juan Diego and his uncle Bernadino
became the servants of the Virgin.

This is the story so loved by Indian pilgrims when they
gather together in thousands every year to do honour to
their Patron Saint.

The Church of Rome gave permission for these festivals,
and in 1754 a Papal Bull officially instituted and sanctioned
the 1 2th of December as the feast day of the " Patron
Saint of Mexico, the famous Lady of Guadalupe."

And now to turn to the celebration itself. For days
before the festival Indians arrive by train, though most ot
the pilgrims come on foot. Many of them have to cover
hundreds of miles, and often carry all their worldly
belongings with them.

It is a strange and weird sight. Here, a beggar maid,
accompanied by a little girl, both fragile and delicate-looking,
who have tramped on day by day to pray at the famous shrine.
There an old Indian, with wrinkled brows, leads a child
by the hand, while he himself is bent nearly double by
the weight upon his back. He carries blankets, the tiny

I04 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

basin in which to light his fire, a few pots and pans, some
sugar-cane to chew, and a roll of matting or canvas
which will be supported later on sticks, to make a sort of
umbrella-like covering for his family. His squaw in rags
and tatters follows behind, a baby of nine or ten months
old hanging in a shawl upon her back. Its little blue-black
head reaches her shoulders, and its small feet appear below
the blue rebozo (shawl), in which it seems to be sitting.
They all look awfully, hopelessly poor ; the wind is cold —
as it so often is during December in Mexico City — never-
theless, these people only wear calico, and even that thin
covering is torn and tattered. Watch them, however !
They go up to a little booth before the church door and
buy a couple of candles, one for the man and one for the
woman. They do not even pause to rest or deposit their
bundles in their haste to reach the shrine. They enter the
lower church — for there are two as at Lourdes — and after
dipping their fingers in the holy water and crossing them-
selves — particularly on the face, which seems to be an Indian
characteristic — they proceed to crawl on their knees up the
aisle to the altar rails. They are only doing what hundreds
and thousands of their fellows are doing, what, in fact,
is expected of them at the Fete of Guadalupe.

What a curious spectacle it was ! We went out to the
shrine a couple of days previously to see the bulk of the
Indians arriving. Such scenes as the above were being
enacted every moment. Hundreds were already on the
spot, some sleeping curled up in gutters ; others dressing
their hair, or otherwise employed with the zoology of
their raven locks. More were gambling.

The whole scene was a strange anomaly. Outside the
church were a dozen booths, containing gambling tables,
where youth and age were betting their halfpence or their
dollars. Gambling seems born in the Mexican, whether he
be of Indian or of Spanish descent. It appears as essential

CELEBRATION OF THE GREAT SAINT. 105

to him as his dinner, more so in fact. But what a fearful
thing it is — what a curse to mankind ! Look at those people's
faces ; see that boy gathering up his silver coins to go and
get drunk on pulque. He has won more dollars in a few
minutes than he ever saw in all his life before, and his
newly-acquired wealth will be his ruin. See that old
woman's shaky hand as she takes her cigar from her mouth
and watches the roulette ball spin round and round ; her
last cents staked on the chance. Look at those two small
children, who, instead of spending the few centavos given
them for sugar-cane, are risking them on this game of hazard.
The same anxiety, the same nervousness, is noticeable
among these poor Indians that one sees in the bejewelled
gamblers at Monte Carlo ; but of the two, this seemed the
more horrible, for these folk had come on a pilgrimage to
Heaven, yet turned aside enticed by Hell !

There were booths everywhere ; queer pottery, coloured
handkerchiefs, fruits or dried meat, baskets, candles for the
shrines, even bottles of sacred water, just as at Lourdes, and
pilgrims purchase pictures of the Virgin to decorate their huts,
or to hang above the sacred altar in their humble dwellings.

They have wonderful faith. The only thing they love
and dread is their religion. They are powerless in the
hands of the priests, who rule them completely by fear.

The most interesting part of the festival was undoubtedly
the night before the chief ceremony. Wh^n we reached
the Zocalo or Plaza Mayor in Mexico City about half-past
six, it was to find every tram to Guadulupe crammed to
overflowing. Some of the pilgrims, who had arrived late,
were expending their few cents in an electric tram-ride
out to the famous shrine. After walkino- hundreds of
miles with shoeless feet, the Indian availed himself of the
advantages of modernity, and completed his journey in an
electric carriage. Yet another of the vagaries of Mexico.

Not being able \o procure seats in a tram, we hired a

io6 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

"special car," which was fastened on behind those already
made up in train form. It was really a wonderful sight
to see hundreds of people trudging along the road on
foot to the Guadalupe festival ; rows and rows of carts of
every shape and form, all heavily laden, crawled along in
solemn procession. A number of burros (donkeys) were
ridden, in many cases pillion fashion, by the more wealthy
folk. On the left-hand side was a series of shrines where
the pilgrims stopped to pray. In many respects that pro-
cession of humanity reminded me of the crowd arriving at
Oberammergau to see the Passion Play.

After half-an-hour's run we reached Guadalupe, to find
the streets positively alive with humanity. It was a perfectly
dark night, and the lights from Indian tires shed strange
shadows and illuminations on the scene. Many groups were
seated round small earthenware pots, about the size of a
soup-plate, in which a few knobs of charcoal were burning.
One of the party was wont to kindle the tiny flame with a
fan made of plaited grass. When it was properly ignited,
she would put her flat tin on the top, and warm tortillas for
the evening meal. By way of extra luxury a little honey
was spread over the tortilla, or a few scraps of goat meat
rolled inside with a chilli. The Indians had the quaintest
way of illuminating the scene ; three sticks, a couple of feet
long, were made into a standing tripod, on the top of which
a stone, brick, or piece of tin was placed, on which lay
loosely a few shreds of wood which, when ignited, made
a brilliant blaze.

The Indians were sitting around on their heels, some-
times cross-legged like the Arabs, but always in what
appeared uncomfortable positions. The weird flames ot
light, the colouring of the serapes, the white cotton shirts,
and the dark skins of the people, made a strange and
wonderful picture.

In front ot the basilica was a blaze of light, all the

CELEBRATION OF THE GREAT SAINT. 107

more strange in the general gloom. The towers of the
church were illuminated from inside with Bengal lights,
coloured red, white, and green, to represent the flag of
Mexico. It all added effect to a remarkable scene, for the
towers of flame rose high in the air, with the darkness of night
for a background, and below was that queer medley of hu-
manity with its small bonfires, and funny little trestled lights.

At 7 30 the service in the church was to commence ; the
fires were extinguished a few minutes before that hour, bags
and bundles collected, and into the sacred edifice the greater
portion of the assembly proceeded.

Mexican Indians are most terrible thieves ; such thieves,
in fact, that they actually steal amongst themselves, and
thus it is that every man, woman and child had to convey
into the church all their worldly belongings. These
generally consisted of a blanket, sombrero, little wooden
tripod for the fire, perhaps a couple of pots, and possibly a
handkerchief in which tortillas were tied in a bundle. Not
only did they take all their worldly goods and chattels to
the service, but their dogs, or an occasional parrot accom-
panied them, and that matins was certainly one of the
strangest and most weird services that could be imagined.

The Cathedral is a handsome edifice. It represents wealth
and splendour. The massive balustrades are of solid silver ;
the candelabra hanging from the ceiling are beautiful, and
on this occasion some thousands of candles shed a lurid
glow on all around. The priests in gorgeous robes, the
decorations of flowers and palms, the quantities of incense
giving cloud-like mysticism to the scene, told of wealth
unbounded, while kneeling upon the stone flags in various
stages of poverty and abject rags were the Indians. Oh,
how poor they were !

We noticed that these people invariably laid their hats
upon the stones, and the brim being eight or ten inches
wide, they knelt upon that, evidently preferring the soft .

io8 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

plaited straw or felt to the hard flags. Many of them
took their bundles off their backs, and calmly placed them
in front, settled their dog beside them, and having prepared
for their comfort during the service, proceeded to cross
themselves, and begin their devotions.

It was certainly a wonderful sight ; the enthusiasm of
these people was extraordinary. Rags and religion were
on every side. Some folk said their prayers with their
arms outstretched, evidently an extra penance. Others
crept up to the chief altar upon their hands and knees.
But the absorption and reverence of all was marvellous.
Amongst them were some wonderful types of Indians —
exactly the class one sees in picture books — dark of skin,
fine of profile, and yet with a sort of wicked devilment about
them that denoted ill. Many of the women wore the old
Indian dress consisting of two articles, a sort of scarf used
for a petticoat wrapt round the body, and tied in a knot
at the side, leaving an opening through which the limbs
could be seen, and a square kind of cloth with a hole in the
middle (called gaban or jorongo) through which they pass
the head. This body covering, closely resembling a towel,
simply hangs down betore and behind, leaving the arms
bare, and as it is not fastened in at the waist, the body
can usually be seen. It was hardly a sufficient covering
for a cold night ! Yet these poor tatters are all the people
possess.

Tied in a bundle on her back, every woman present had
a baby. The number of babies at Guadalupe seemed
extraordinary. Every female, whatever her age, appeared
to havQ one slung on before or hung on behind her, and,
as if that were not enough to carry for numbers of miles, she
generally had bundles two or three times the size of the
child added to her burden. Of course, the infants cried ; as
an accompaniment to the music there arose a constant
wail from babyhood in Church.

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tyj

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CELEBRATION OF THE GREAT SAINT. 109

The death rate among these children is exceedingly-
high, as was mentioned in the previous chapter, but that is
not a thing the Mexican Indian much regrets, for he
believes that if a child die in its infancy it goes straight
to Heaven, and therefore he (the father) is free from
all responsibility ; whereas, if it live to grow up, and then
do anything wrong, he, as the parent, is to blame.
Therefore, apparently, they have a way of looking upon
infant mortality as a sort of blessing, and more than half
of these wretched children die in their youth to become
angels. When a child expires the friends are invited to
come and see the baby angel, and great are the rejoicings.
So little do they value child life that it is no uncommon
thing to see a woman go marketing with a few bundles
in one arm, and a baby's coffin in the other. It is dead !
God rest its soul ! and there the matter ends.

In the Church, however, the members of the congrega-
tion were moved to the depths of their souls by the music,
light, grandeur and comfort of their religion. Never have
we seen such devotion, such utter abandonment of self,
such awe-inspired adoration. One looked and marvelled.

After the service was over, the Church soon emptied.
With solemn pomp a little blind was dropped over the
famous picture of the Virgin of Guadalupe, on which
miraculous painting, but a moment previously, the glow of
innumerable candles had fallen. The crown of jewels
ceased to shine and sparkle ; the solemn chants of the
priests were hushed ; the faithful knelt no longer on the
bare stone flags. Night had spread her ebon wings.

In former days, paintings representing this Virgin depicted
her wearing a diadem, but the later reproductions denote
the famous impression on the " tilma " as crownless. And
thus it came about, when the Church was restored a few years
ago, that the ladies of Mexico subscribed large sums in
money and jewels to have a real crown made to hang above

no MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

the picture in the Church, and on such famous days as the
Feast of Guadalupe, the jewelled diadem hangs above
the sacred tilma itself The picture thereon has been the
subject of much discussion. Artists have examined it, but
no one apparently knows whether the miraculous Virgin is
painted, if so what pigments were used, or how applied. It
remains a mystery.

The service over, boys with high double steps went from
candelabra to candelabra to put out the lights, while
another individual rattled a huge bunch of keys as he
walked behind the outgoing multitude to hurry them from
the edifice. We stayed behind until the place was clear,
so that probably ten minutes elapsed between the exit of
the first individual and our own departure. What a scene
presented itself as we left the Church door !

Thousands and thousands of Indians had already sought
their rest, but not on spring mattresses or feather beds !
They were simply lying about in a heterogeneous mass.
Men, women, children, dogs, bundles, hats — all mixed and
huddled together. They spread over the stone Hags all
round the church, in the great open square, in the market
hall, up the steps leading to the higher Church, and around
the sacred wall. Many of them had not even a blanket,
but just lay huddled upon the ground like round balls,
and were apparently asleep in a few moments. Others,
possessed of " sarapes " or blankets, rolled their head com-
pletely up in the same, and then settled down for the
night, leaving their bodies from the waist downwards — their
legs, ankles and feet bare — entirely exposed, evidently
thinking that if their heads were covered they would be
quite comfortable. The Indian, like the ostrich, buries his
head and is content ; there was not an inch to spare
between these people, and yet we saw a man, who had
obviously been forgotten when the rest of the family settled
down to sleep, coming with a dim light in his hand to look

CELEBRATION OF THE GREAT SAINT. in

for his friends. Suddenly he recognised them by a shawl
or bundle, and stepping over fifty slumbering mortals,
managed to get his foot squeezed into a little space near
his party ; gradually he pushed them aside, finally settled
down, and to our amazement wriggled himself in, until when
we left him, he was comfortably asleep on a spot where we
thought there was no room for even a fly to gain admittance.
No doubt this mode of procedure keeps them warm, and
hence its origin ; but it was a curious spectacle. It seemed
as if an ordinary Indian about five feet high could sleep in
a space two feet square. He doubles his knees under his
nose, rolls himself into a bundle something like a sleeping
dog, and as he is in close proximity to his neighbour, we
presume he does not kick, or some one would inevitably
be hurt.

Men lingered long around the gambling booths. They
had just come out of the Church, their rosaries were hardly
back in their pockets, the holy water was barely dry upon
their temples, but vice awaited them. The lights attracted,
the clink of the dice enticed, and straight from their knees
and their prayers they went off to gamble and play at
games ot chance. It seemed horrible. Those who won
departed to buy strong drink, and when intoxicated re-
turned to play again. Those who lost went to the pawn
shop to pledge their hat or blanket, returning to again
resume their flirt with fortune.

Gradually the lights were extinguished one by one, the
murmur of voices ceased, the darkness of night enveloped
the scene, a chilliness filled the air, and utter silence
reigned.

The next morning we struggled back to Guadalupe by
nine o'clock, at which hour the chief mass began, but cts
more pilgrims had been coming in all through the night, the
thousands already assembled were augmented by many
thousands more, and the struggle we had to get into the

112 ^ - MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

church was terrible ; yet women with babies tied to their
backs managed to squeeze through that dense crowd ; the
babies screamed, the dogs yelped, but still the Mexican-
Indian pushed his way in, until an enormous concourse filled
every available inch of the building. It seemed as if we
might all be burnt to death, for every single person carried a
lighted candle. No matter how poor, the Indian feels it
his duty to buy a candle as an offering to the Sacred Lady
of Guadalupe. The grease was dropping in every direc-
tion. Some of the pilgrims were kneeling, others were
standing, but whichever position they squeezed into, thus
they had to remain, as there was neither room to get down
on to their knees, or to rise from them until the mass
was ended. This was the first of a series of services
which lasted all through the day. By these repeated
masses the Indians — said to number fifteen br twenty
thousand — were all able to attend worship within the sacred
edifice, and pay their homage to the patron saint of Mexico.

Although profoundly religious in the church itself, the
outside element inclined to be rowdy ; among other things
some hundred boys, no doubt of Indian extraction but
chiefly from the town, dressed up in queer paint and ancient
feathers, were dancing for centavos. They sang a curious
diroe which harmonised well with the religious element :
but otherwise a somewhat theatrical effect was produced
which, like the round-abouts, spoiled the sacred nature of
the proceedings. ^

At the back of the principal church- is a strange stair-
way, leading to the Chapel on the Hill (Capilla del
Cerrito). This ascent is composed of very wide stone
steps, of which there are some hundreds, that conduct
from the Chapel of the Well containing the sacred water,
at the bottom of the hill, to the small church on the
top. It is up these steps devout pilgrims crawl on
their hands and knees. There are several little shrines in

Guadalupe pilgrims returning from the Upper Church. Walls crooked from earthquakes.

Modern Indians in old Indian dress.

To face page 112.

CELEBRATION OF THE GREAT SAINT. 113

the walls ; but the most curious object of all is the monu-
ment known as the Stone Sails. That sails should be
composed of stone is indeed a paradox ; but such is the
case. They stand about 30 or 40 feet high, and are really
three sails — one on the top of the other — carved in solid
stone. They are not particularly picturesque, but the
position in which they are placed is so prominent that they
can be seen for miles around. The story of these sails,
which were a votive offering, is as follows : —

Some sailors, who were overtaken by a terrible storm,
and, on the verge of shipwreck, offered up a prayer to the
Lady of Guadalupe for preservation. They vowed that if
this miracle was vouchsafed, they would take the mast of
their ship and set it up as a votive offering on the hill
which is sacred to her memory. The ship and her crew
were saved, and the men carried out their promise ; but so
miraculous was their escape that money was subscribed to
erect something of a more lasting nature than a wooden
mast, and accordingly these strange-looking Stone Sails
were put up in token of gratitude, and as evidence of the
wonderful power of the Sacred Lady,

From a little distance the sails appear so real that it seems
as if whitish-grey canvas were actually spread out upon
the mast of a ship, and one wonders how anything so high
and so thin in stone — a foot beinsf about the thickness —
can stand alone. One finds, however, on nearer inspection
that the sails have a stronof eranite buttress as a brace.

At the bottom of the stair is the spring, over which
a handsome buildino- has been erected. This is besieQ-ed
during the Pilgrims' week. The Indians all want to
drink the sacred water, and everyone is anxious to procure
some to take home. They therefore buy old bottles
from people sitting at the edge of the gutter, with odds
and ends of glass upon the roadway before them, and
believe the bottle adds to the efficacy of the water. The

114 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

contents cost nothing but the trouble of fetching, the bottle
probably is worth two to three centavos. When filled,
they are kept safe by means of the strangest devices.
The men generally put them inside their shirt ; but, as
the cotton bodice of a woman is merely a square with a
hole in it, and the ends hang down, she has no means ot
securing her treasure in that way. She therefore unpacks
her baby, and ties up the precious bottle in the blue rag in
company with her offspring.

There is no doubt about it that the feast day of the Lady
of Guadalupe means to the Mexican even more than the
Lourdes pilgrimage to the European. It is all wonderful ;
inspiring in some respects, religious in others, dramatic,
and extremely sad. It shows the enormous strength of the
Roman Catholic religion, and yet at the same time its want
of power in not putting a stop to the claptrap, cheap-jack
element surrounding the sacred proceedings.

By midnight on the 12th December everything was over,
and that vast multitude had started on its homeward
journey, even to the borders of Texas, a thousand miles
and more distant. It once happened that a husband and
his wife and son were travelling by an excursion train to
Guadalupe. The man died on the way, but the woman
and youth declining to be deterred from attending the
festival, left him behind at a station for burial. Such a
small thing as the death of a husband could not be permitted
to interfere with the celebration of their Sacred Lady !

As at Lourdes, there are strange and wonderful pictures
upon the walls at Guadalupe, more strange because they are
the work of Indians, and more wonderful because in many
instances they are painted by people without any education
whatever, some of them being two and three centuries old.
Here is a man depicted carried through the desert by a lion ;
he died this way, and this extraordinary hieroglyphic is an
offering for his soul. There is a youth thrown out of a

CELEBRATION OF THE GREAT SAINT. 115

window, murder no doubt, and beside it is the picture
of an engine running over a woman's body, suicide perhaps.
A few of these illustrations represent people dying in bed,
but a bed is so little known that it rarely appears, and when
it does is somewhat remarkable in drawing ! A child
being devoured by some wild beast, a fire with legs sticking
out of the flames, anything and everything serves for a
subject, and each picture is more marvellous than the last.

Then again, in the church are several black cloth panels
about 8 feet by 3, framed, on which hang rows, as tightly
packed as possible, of silver arms, legs, hands or feet, thank-
offerings for mercies vouchsafed. They are only about
two inches long, and many hundreds cover each panel.

Votive offerings are to be found in all the churches. A
cow, horse, donkey, pig, lizard, scorpion, or a saddle. The
cow has been offered in gratitude for the advent of a fine
calf, the pig for having produced a good litter, the horse
because some favourite steed has been saved from death ;
the scorpion for restored health after a terrible bite. In
short, these emblems are without end, and their meanings
are not difficult to understand.

The Shrine of the Lady of Guadalupe is the Holiest in
all Mexico. Pilgrims are to be found there at their devo-
tions from year's end to year's end ; but the most interest-
ing and strange pilgrimage to our mind occurred the night
before December 12th, when all was wrapt in mystery.
That scene was something to be remembered ; nothing in
Rome or Venice at Eastertide, at Lourdes or Oberam-
mergau, or any other European spot, ever appeared so
picturesque, so wild and so romantic, as the evening service
at Guadalupe and the sleeping worshippers outside the
sacred building.

ii6

CHAPTER VIII.

GENERAL TORFIRIO DIAZ, PRESIDENT OF MEXICO.

I WENT to Mexico inspired with profound respect and
admiration for General Porfirio Diaz, a man who
ascended a throne — so to speak — when revolution was in
the air, murder of daily occurrence, property unsafe,
and universal riot reigned supreme. It was not, how-
ever, until I had met him and spent some time in his com-
pany, not until I had lived several months in Mexico,
that I fully realised the extraordinary ability of its
President.

That Porfirio Diaz was the greatest man of the
nineteeth century may seem a strong assertion, but a glance,
even one so cursory as this must be, will prove the fact.
His life has been a long romance ; an early struggle for
existence, war and strife, wounds so severe that many
times death seemed imminent ; imprisonment, dangerous
escapes, military success, and then a Presidentship — all
these events have followed in quick succession in the
career of this extraordinary individual.

Diaz was born September 15th, 1830, so that when I first
saw him he was seventy, but looked years younger.

His position is absolutely unique in the world's
history, for although President of a Republic, he has
reigned for over twenty years. His will is all powerful, as
great, in fact, as that of a Tsar and Pope combined. He

General Porfirio Diaz, President of Mexico.

To face page ii6.

GENERAL PORE I RIO DIAZ. 117

is a monarchical yet democratic ruler. He controls millions
of people with a hand of iron, still they love him. He is
a despot, but at the same time leads the unassuming life of
a private gentleman. He walks alone in the streets, cares
nothing for pomp in his daily existence, and plays the role
of a simple home-loving citizen to perfection.

Althouofh of Indian descent — and to this fact he
probably owes that sympathy with his people which
makes him understand their character so well, and has
given him so much power — he is also descended from
the Spaniards who left their mother country in the
early years of the conquest of Mexico by Cortes.

On his father's side he has p-ood ancestrv, and his
grandmother was an Indian woman of Miztecas tribe,
one of the finest peoples of Mexico.

The General's father kept a little inn at Oaxaca
(pronounced O-ah-hack-ah) in Southern Mexico, and here
the President and six other children were born ; three years
after the birth of Porfirio his father died of cholera, and the
mother left with her young family and limited means
to battle with the world. The daily struggle to provide
food and clothing for her children was great ; but, being
a brave, clever woman, she succeeded admirably.

Until he was seven years old, Porfirio went to the
village primary school, and at fourteen joined the free
school belonging to the Roman Catholic priests, with
the intention of entering the Church later on. His
education was provided free, but as he grew older, being of
an independent spirit, he earned a small income by teaching,
with a portion of which money he was able to pay
for more advanced learning for himself That the boy
is father to the man, was indeed proved in his early
career. Young Diaz from the first showed his ability
of imparting knowledge, and at the same time gaining it.
This power has stood him in good stead through life.

ii8 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

The priests found that in Porfirio Diaz they had to
do with no ordinary lad. They realised he might prove
of service to the Church, and feeling that their influence,
which up to then had been practically unbounded,
seemed a little less secure, they offered him a scholarship
when he was nineteen years of age, and proposed also
to confer a minor ecclesiastical order upon him. He
thanked them, but refused. All idea of entering the
Church was over. Circumstances and learning had
weaned him from his first intention of taking Holy
orders, and he decided rather to be a soldier and fight
for his country.

He felt Mexico wanted strong men ; he knew revo-
lution must be stamped out if a land was ever to be
successful.

Almost side by side with Porfirio Diaz, Benito Juarez
(pronounced Huarez) had grown up. These two men,
so nearly of an age, eventually became deadly enemies.
Both were Presidents of Mexico, and to these two
wonderful personalities Mexico owes her strength to-day.

As a bare-footed Indian lad Juarez had originally been
a servant in a monastery ; but on finding that he possessed
a brilliant intellect, the priests educated him to be a
"pillar of the Church." He loved learning, studied
theology, and read ecclesiastical history. A keen scholar
and deep thinker, he worked on and on until, like Diaz,
he saw that a civil power and not a clerical body must
govern a country.

Thus it came about that this same Juarez, brought
up among priests to be their prop, turned against them,
and with a Herculean stroke overthrew the Roman
Catholic sway in Mexico. 'Tis a strange history which
is unfolded in the lives of these two men. Their up-
bringing was somewhat identical, their religious inclinations
similar, yet they finally became rivals, and while Juarez

GENERAL P ORE I RIO DIAZ. 119

began the evolution of Mexico, when he overthrew the
Catholic Church, Diaz completed it by military discipline.

Juarez' action was a remarkable feat, for it meant far
more than at first appears. Two-thirds of the wealth of
the country was in the hands of the priests ; the entire
destiny of the land was under their control. They could
make, or mar, a revolution, and they frequently did so
for the benefit of their monasteries and churches.
Every hacienda or farm in the country had to render
a tenth of its produce in tithes. The Church, full of
corruption, reigned supreme ; the people feared the priests,
but submitted. Mexico was completely under their sw^ay ;
her very life-blood was sucked by them. She was paralyzed
mentally and morally. The strength of the Catholic faith
was immense ; but the foundation was rotten ; Juarez knew
that, and believed in his own power, and the cause for which
he was fighting.

He was a great man. What did he do ?

He simply overturned the Catholic Church ; he destroyed
its vast influence by confiscating its wealth, for by bribes
had revolutions hitherto been controlled and men's mouths
closed. The beginning of Mexico's prosperity undoubtedly
commenced with Juarez' masterful overthrow of the Catholic
supremacy.

Since his day, no priest or nun has been allowed to walk
in the streets clothed in the o-arb of the Church, and all
monasteries and similar ecclesiastical bodies have been
swept away.

Up to that time the country was riddled with monasteries
and convents. One of the largest of the former, belonging
to the Franciscan brotherhood in Mexico City, was over-
thrown in the memory of many persons still living. At
twelve o'clock one night Juarez and his soldiers entered the
building and took possession ; the monks — hundreds of
them — were made prisoners. Great was the consternation

I20 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

next morning when the news became known. The ladies
of the town, arrayed in black, marched round the monastery,
solemnly cursing men who could do such deeds, or prayed
at street corners for the good fathers of the Church. This
old monastery is now a hotel ; most of the convents nowa
days are hotels, schools, or public buildings.

Juarez was elected President in 1862, and a year later
the religious orders were suppressed. The French invaded
the country in 1863, and in June, 1864, Maximilian was
crowned Emperor. The following year the latter published
a decree declaring all persons in arms against the Imperial
Government to be bandits, who would be shot. Several
people accordingly suffered death. It was at this juncture
the United States protested against a French army in
Mexico, and sent a despatch to that effect to Napoleon III.
Troubles ensued, till in 1866 Napoleon withdrew his
support from Maximilian, and a few months later ordered
the evacuation by French troops, who were all recalled by
February, 1867. About this period Porfirio Diaz began
to rise, but for a moment we must go back.

As we have seen, Juarez, who preceded Diaz by only a
few years, was an able man. Had it not been for Juarez,
Diaz would probably never have succeeded as he has done.
That overthrow of the Church was a masterly act, which
paved the way for future developments. Juarez died in 1872.

Young Diaz, after refusing all priestly aid, as has been
said, studied law for a time. In the year 1853 Santa Anna
was Dictator, and Diaz, not approving of his methods of
proceeding, voted against him ; for this an order for arrest
was issued arainst Diaz, who had to flee. It was then, at
the age of twenty-three, he entered on his military career.

Santa Anna was defeated, and the Liberal Government
under Juarez came into power.

Those were exciting days for young Diaz. He was
wounded many times ; on one occasion he carried a ball in

GENERAL PORFIRIO DIAZ. 121

his body for several months before it could be extracted ;
but surely, though slowly, he acquired military rank, gained
vast experience in practical soldiering, grew strong and
healthy, learnt how to submit to a commander, and finally
how to command.

It is needless to enumerate the small battles that filled
those years ; suffice it ' to say Diaz rose steadily and
honourably to the position of General.

Mexico, with her fifteen millions of people, was in a
terrible condition. One hundred and fifty different languages
and dialects were spoken by the various Indian tribes.
There had been fifty-two Presidents, Dictators, and Em-
perors in fifty-nine years, and disorder and revolution
prevailed from end to end of the land.

The United States, France and Maximilian, Juarez against
the Church, all were at war with one another. The country
was heavily in debt, and probably no land has ever been less
safe for human life, or more unsettled than Mexico about the
middle of the nineteenth century. After the French troops
left, the power of Diaz began to assert itself A month or
two later he captured the cities of Puebla and San Lorenzo.

Now came the crucial moment in the career of General
Diaz. He had been fighting for many years, he knew
every mile of the country ; he had ridden through the
mountains for weeks at a time, and felt the temper of the
people. Chaos reigned ; excitement was in the air. Every
hand was raised against his fellow. Law and order were
unknown, the country was devastated by battle and murder.
Many had tried to control the populace and failed. Fifty-
two men in fifty-nine years had not succeeded in their
attempts to put down disorder, a fact that spoke for itself
Was any man strong enough to combat such a state of affairs ?

Two days after the execution of Maximilian (June, 1867),
General Diaz triumphantly entered the City of Mexico.
This was the turning point in his career ; he was not

122 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

elected President for several years, but he was daily gaining
ground everywhere.

In 1876 — nine years after the death of Maximilian, and
just one hundred years after the Declaration of Independence
in the United States — General Porfirio Diaz rode again
into the City, this time at the head of the Revolutionary
army, and shortly afterwards was proclaimed President.

Thus he started a new rule and a new life for old Mexico,
the birth — so to speak — of modern Mexico, of which he
may well be proud.

At the time of his entry, Lerdo was acting as a sort of
Vice-President to Juarez. Diaz had always failed in his
endeavours to overthrow his rival Juarez, but Lerdo was a
very different man, for, although highly educated, he was
lazy ; he was neither a soldier nor a diplomatist, and thus
it was that Diaz, at last successful, realised what had been
his dream for years.

The General stationed his army outside the town by
Guadalupe, of pilgrimage fame, and when all was ready
marched boldly into Mexico City. Many persons have
described that scene to me. General Diaz, well-mounted,
sitting erect, his head raised high, with a look of determina-
tion on his face, a sort of "do or die " expression. He was
dressed in his General's uniform, and was followed by a
large part of his Revolutionary army. The crowd cheered ;
the crowd hissed ; the multitude fought amongst them-
selves, but on he rode, only pressing his lips closer
together. His entry was so powerful, so masterful, that
many who had previously been against him were hyp-
notised by the manner of the man, and from that moment
became his devoted adherents. Thus on November 23,
1876, General Diaz rode up to the Palace where he
established himself, practically for life !

He ordered Congress to be dissolved. A new
election took place. He was elected President ; that was

GENERAL PORE I RIO DIAZ. 123

a red-letter day for Mexico, and the first step towards
her present ascendancy.

The new President soon swept out General Lerdo's troops ;
he shot outlaws, deserters and rioters wholesale, and began
his military sway with an iron hand, the only possible mode
of governing such a country. He knew his people, was
he not one of them ? He felt the way to rule was to clear
the land of bandits and revolutionists, to sweep away the
ringleaders, and then control the remaining populace. The
people feared him, they knew his strength, they felt his
power, and now, only a quarter of a century later, they have
learnt to love him, and are led by a silken cord !

As a President he was cautious ; he had no diplomatic
experience to help him, and he knew but little of govern-
ment and law. Accordingly he chose two of the greatest
lawyers of the day to join his Ministry, and sought their
advice. At the end of a few months, however, he dis-
covered that they were working against him, and trying
to make parties for their own ends. With that belief in
his own strength, which has always stood him through life,
he dismissed them, to the amazement of everyone. They
with others had hoped — while apparently working with him
— to raise a revolution against Diaz ; but he was too
strong for them. He had come to stay.

A large part of the country scoffed at him as President,
declared he was only a soldier, and for months, aye
even a couple of years. General Diaz' position was un-
certain. There were several minor revolutions, he was
surrounded by enemies, jealousy and hatred were rife on
every side ; people expected to overthrow him, as all his
predecessors had been in turn unseated. But he was
strong, and proved the conqueror. Time showed him to
be the greatest man in Mexico. He has slowly and
steadily risen to power and respect, risen from a country
lad to be one of the greatest Dictators the world has

124 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

known. As a soldier he has quelled war and established
peace. As a ruler he has made a country — formerly
insecure even to its own inhabitants — safe for all. As a
diplomat he is at peace with the world. He has paid,
enormous debts, and created solvency — now even develop-
ing into wealth — in Mexico.

Has any other man in the nineteenth century done as
much ? We have had a Napoleon, no doubt a greater
despot ; a Moltke, a greater soldier ; a Beaconsfield, a
finer politician ; a Talleyrand, a greater diplomatist ; but
has any man of humble origin, practically self-educated,
raised himself to such a position, and brought his country
from battle and murder to peace and prosperity }

When Diaz became President he was forty-six years
of age, just in the prime of life, health and strength ; but
even his powers were taxed to the uttermost. Plot and
intrigue met him on every side ; he lived for years on
a political volcano, surrounded by prejudices both religious
and civil ; his life was attempted over and over again ;
poison and powder were aimed at him, his friends were
often enemies in disguise ; yet in spite of all Porfirio Diaz
has conquered triumphantly.

In 1900 he was elected President for the sixth time,
for a further term of four years, in fact, with one break
— namely in 1880 — he has already ruled his country for
more than twenty years. He came in on the " one term
platform," and at the end of four years had to give way
to General Gonzales ; but after that he returned to power,
and being thus continuously re-elected, seems likely to die
in harness.

My first meeting with the President was somewhat
strange. A few months previously, when dining with
Mr. Charles Maclaren, M.P., in Belgrave Square, I met a
friend. Sir Weetman Pearson. M.P., and told him I was
leaving the following week for Canada and the States, and

GENERAL PORFIRIO DIAZ. 125

intended to winter in Mexico. He at once suggested giving
me an introduction to the President and other people of
note, as he has many business relations with Mexico,

" I will ask the Governor of the Federal District,
Senor Guillermo de Landa y Escandon, to try and
arrange a meeting for you," he replied ; " but the General
speaks nothing but Spanish."

This was rather a blow, for what is the use of
knowing three languages, when the one most wanted
was not available. Unfortunately I knew no Spanish, but
necessity is a wonderful teacher, and I picked up sufficient
knowledge of that language for all practical purposes. I
trust General Diaz will forgive me if I say that, even with-
out any fluency in that tongue, we became good friends.

It was a glorious day in December, 1900, cold but
sunny, when Seiior and Seiiora de Landa called for me
in their carriage with its smart English coachman. All
the great folk in Mexico have English coachmen, and
as many of the ladies speak nothing but Spanish, the
arrangement at times proves a little droll.

In the late afternoon — about sundown — the aristocracy of
the City take their drive. Most people use closed carriages,
and up and down, up and down that fine Boulevard, to and
from the Castle of Chapultepec, they roll in the dark —
twilight there is none — and imagine they are enjoying them-
selves ! The grand ladies are seldom seen during daylight,
except at early mass ; they come out like bats in the dark,
yet they need not be shy, for many of them are extremely
good-looking, with lovely dark hair and eyes, and wonderful
teeth.

We started early, before the fashionable world was out,
so that I might see the view from Chapultepec, the former
home of Montezuma, who was Emperor of Mexico when
the Spaniard Cortes arrived in 15 19,

The present Palace, now the summer residence of

126 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

President Diaz, stands on a hiq-h rock in the middle
of a great plain. The public drive is below, between
wondrous cypress trees, where the band plays, and at
the Restaurant many entertainments are given ; but no
one dares go up the hill without an order, except the
students of the military college, who share with the
President the privilege of living at the top.

Mexico is full of romance, and in a spring-fed pool at
the bottom of the hill, nestling among those glorious trees,
dwells the water sprite Malinche. This being spends her
days at the foot of Chapultepec ; she woos the passer-by
with music, is gentle and sweet, a goddess of love and
goodness, but the legend says that at nightfall she flies miles
and miles away, her voice grows mournful, and sometimes
she becomes very wicked.

'Tis a pretty little legend, and one of, oh, so many !

Don Guillermo de Landa was not only Governor of
the Federal District, he was also Mayor of the town,
and we drove up to the Palace amid salutes on all
sides.

On arriving at the summit, what a view lay spread before
us ! Probably the finest view in the whole world is to
be seen from Chapultepec. Below lies the City of Mexico,
originally founded, in-q^, by the Aztecs, under the name
of Tenochtitlan, while beyond are the lakes which, doubt-
less, millions, aye, billions of years ago, filled the entire
valley with water. Ten miles away, rising almost perpen-
dicularly from the basin, begins a grand chain of mountains.
There, on the right, almost tapering to a point, is the
volcano Popocatepetl, some 17,782 feet in height, while
next to him is the snow lady Ixtaccihuatl, 16,062 feet
high. They are more imposing than the Alps, because
their snow-crowned summits tower singly into the heavens
above, and the extent of valley below adds strength and
grandeur to their rugged peaks. There is a feeling of

Duoi-way in Mexico City.

To fare ptij^c 127. J

GENERAL PORFIRIO DIAZ. 127

immensity, nothing confined or shut in. The panorama is
sublime.

It chanced to be a glorious sunset. The snow was
coral pink, tinged by the hand of the Almighty, and the
clouds swiftly chasing one another across the sky, and
over the mountains themselves were pink, and blue, and
grey in turn. Mexico is famous for her skyscapes, and
certainly that night she surpassed herself.

Yes, the view from Chapultepec was the grandest, the
most imposing and, in those soft evening lights, the most
sublime, I have ever gazed upon in the course of many
wanderings. Well may the Mexicans be proud of their
land. One moment the picture seemed all ablaze with red
and yellow, and the next, as though a curtain fell suddenly
from heaven, all was dark.

We saw the Palace — the Pompeian court arranged by
poor Maximilian, the roof-garden with roses, geraniums,
and gorgeous-leaved plants growing in the open air at
Christmas time ; but inside the building was disap-
pointing, for the rooms were all furnished with modern
French upholstery, not even Spanish ! Large verandahs,
palms and banana plants, gave an Eastern effect, and yet
a chilliness filled the air.

On returning from our drive we went to call on the
President and Madame Diaz ; their winter home is in the
town — the doors were flung wide, and we drove into the
patio.

Now a Mexican house has a style all its own. Large
doors lead to a courtyard open to the roof The bottom floor
is assigned to the servants and ofifices — the coach-house,
stables, etc., are all on the ground floor — and the President's
home was no exception. We ascended a handsome flight
of marble stairs, and reached the first floor, off which all
the chief rooms opened. The gallery with its flowers and
plants was exposed to the elements, which is a strange

128 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

thing about Mexican homes. Often in winter it is really-
cold, and the summer is tremendously hot — the sun even
on a winter's day gives great heat — -but when it is cold,
the cold is penetrating. Mexicans, however, though
accustomed to warmth out of doors, live with open patios,
rarely have a fireplace, and never hot water pipes ; conse-
quently, their houses with polished hoors, light furniture,
thin curtains, and utterly devoid of artificial heat, are in
winter cold, while the bedrooms at night send a chill
throuQfh one on enterinsf. The natural result of all this is
that pneumonia, which often ends in death, is common.

On our arrival, the porter below having rung up, we
found a door of the gallery open, and a couple of footmen
wearing English livery waiting to bow us in.

Madame Diaz was expecting us. She is perfectly
delightful. Tall and dark, extremely good-looking, with
pretty manners and gracious ways, she wins all hearts, added
to which, " Carmelita," as she is universally called, having
been educated in the United States, speaks English and
French fluently. She is the President's second wife, and by
her gentle birth, tact and kindly thought has done much to
soften the harder and rougher side of his character. Her
womanly influence came to him at a time when it was no
longer necessary to rule with such an iron hand, and she
guided him to softer measures and more diplomatic ways.

Her drawing-room, upholstered in French style, was
pretty and dainty, and her welcome most cordial and
graceful. When I got to know her better I found her a
charming woman, with the manners of a diplomatist, the
most gracious way of saying pleasant things ; well-read,
keenly interested in many subjects, Carmelita is indeed a
wonderful woman.

A few minutes after our arrival the President himself
walked in. He is a man of medium height, probably
ab^ut five feet eight or nine inches, broadly built, and

Machuiic 1 )ia

To face page 128.

GENERAL PORFIRIO DIAZ. 129

wearing his grey hair closely cut. Diaz, who looks under
sixty — though in reality ten years older — has all the bearing
of a soldier, the manners of a courtier, and the graciousness
of a friend. He is quick and alert in movement, has a
delightful and kindly smile ; but his head and jaw denote
strength and a profound depth of character. His clear dark
eyes are deep-set and thoughtful, his nose large, with
dilating nostrils ; the forehead high, the face long, and one
is instantly struck by the clearness of the dark skin and the
look of youth and vitality.

I had expected much from so remarkable a man, the
maker and ruler of an Empire — but he more than came up
to my expectations. There is something in his manner
which at once wins confidence and commands respect, a
certain quiet repose, and yet that healthy complexion and
deep chest denote the man of action and exercise. He
might be a smart English colonel, so well-preserved is he.
He speaks clearly and incisively, likes conversation to be to
the point, but rather enjoys being chaffed occasionally, when
a merry twinkle comes in his eyes, proof that a vast store of
humour lies behind that rugged mask.

With a courtly bow, he said he had never regretted his
inability to speak English more than on the present
occasion, but that I must forgive him, for he had never had
time to learn, though he thought English so essential that
. it was now being taught in all public schools. He was a
great believer in education, he said, but it must come to a
nation gradually. Let people read first, and then they want
to know more, and learn for themselves. He has organised
an excellent system, under which every Indian must learn to
read, write and cipher ; higher grades are open for those
who wish to profit by them.

"I believe this education will awaken the country, and
prove an inestimable boon," he said.

Is he right ? Is the Indian ripe for such education }

I30 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

The nation is still full of superstition, it believes in witch-
craft and fears the devil. Man is by nature a hunter, an
Agriculturalist, or a rearer of stock, according to his environ-
ment. The Mexican native sleeps upon the bare ground,
liyes on very little, has few wants and no knowlege. In
itiany' cases he is lazy, owing to the climate, and is often
nothing more than an animal, sometimes with instincts
less noble and brave. He is happy, for he knows no
better. He is artistic at heart — see his dress, the colours
he chooses, his pottery, and — wonderful for a rude people —
he admires fine scenery ! But educate him, and what will
happen .'^ Therein lies a great problem. People who
employ Indians prefer those w^ho can neither read nor
write ; they have their own ideas, and have not, as yet,
acquired the conflicting influence of others.

President Diaz spoke of the Transvaal War, and was
glad to know that General Roberts was then on his way
home,

"He has done splendid work. How old is he?" he
inquired.

" Seventy, I think," was my reply.

"Ah, my own age. I thought so. Wonderful man. Old
men in England are your greatest men " (a remark Ibsen
also made to me). " That is because you live healthily,
take exercise, and keep the body active."

Speaking of Kitchener's preference for unmarried soldiers,
of which he had read somewhere, he said : —

" He is quite right. A married man may be just as
good a soldier ; but if he be a good husband, he fights with
a sad heart. I am quite as much a soldier at heart as ever
I was," he added ; " I have followed every move in this
war, and all the chief articles in foreign papers are translated
for me every day."

This remark was typical of the man. He has everything
of import translated for him. He knows all that is going

GENERAL PORE I RIO DIAZ. 131

on ; no one could possibly be more up-to-date, and with his
splendid memory he forgets nothing.

Somehow, the conversation drifted to the superstitions of
the Indians. Strange to say, Diaz, in spite of his birth, is
not in the least superstitious. He started forth a feW
years ago, for the United States, one of a party of thirteen.
They had a lovely time, and "all lived happily for years
afterwards," as he merrily put it.

I told him, Nansen had been one of thirteen on his
Polar Expedition, the most successful of all the North Pole
Explorations ; the only one, in fact, without any loss of life
whatever. He chuckled with pleasure, and pointing to a
rug made from the skin of a Polar bear, which lay at our
feet, said : —

"That is the nearest I shall ever go to the Pole."
And so we chatted on and on for a couple of hours.
Madame Diaz or Seiior de Landa doing the translating.
So accustomed is the President to this triangular style of
conversation that it does not seem to worry him in the
least, and as I could understand most of the Spanish, even
at that early stage of my stay in Mexico, the difficulties
were considerably lessened. Whatever the subject touched
upon, the President seemed to know all about it, and when
he did not know, he just asked ; at least he asked me
several questions about England, which showed he was
anxious to learn all that was possible. Only fools are too
shy to seek information and acquire knowledge.

Before we left he promised his photograph and that of
his wife, and kindly offered me a seat in his box at a grand
concert to be given in honour of his re-election as Presi-
dent, therefore, although a stranger, and he a charming
despot, I left his house feeling I had gained a friend. With
the most courtly air he offered me his arm, and in spite of all
arguments insisted on escorting me down the wide marble
staircase to the patio and waiting until we were seated in

132 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

the carriage, when with many kindly words of farewell he
bowed low as we drove away. It is by such little acts he
wins all hearts, for he is a grand gentleman in bearing, his
manners in his own house being regal yet friendly. He was
bravery personified as a soldier, he is a politician and a
ruler, and he has made himself all these despite his Indian
blood and struggle for education. Diaz has climbed
from the lowest rung of life's ladder to one of its topmost
pinnacles. No one ever impressed me more than the
President of Mexico. There is a reserved strength, a
quiet force about him which commands respect, a kindly
gentleness that wins affection. Each time I saw him I
learnt some new trait in his character, and felt how im-
measurably above ordinary mankind this self-made ruler
undoubtedly was.

Many people spoke to me of Diaz. One of the great
railway officials of Mexico once said :

"His memory never fails, and his grasp of a subject is
extraordinary. If I have to go back to him concerning
some subject a month later, and waver one iota in fact or
figure from what I said before, the President at once pulls
me up, and reminds me that I stated so and so.''

On another occasion I was talking to a scientific man,
who remarked :

"Yes, Diaz often astonishes me. If he does not under-
stand a thing, he asks for an explanation. He never has
to be told twice ; he seems to be able to grasp a subject
immediately, and if at a later period I refer to it, he says
'Oh yes, I remember you explained that last time.'"

These are only casual testimonies ; but they show the
capacity of the man for mastering detail, and retaining
the knowledge he assimilates.

When re-elected President from 1900 to 1904, General
Diaz received the deputation on the terrace at the Castle of
Chapultepec, and was informed of the wish of his people

GENERAL PORE I RIO DIAZ. 133

in the following terms by Congressman Alfredo Chavero
who acted as spokesman and said : —

" In the name of the electors I come to announce to you the result of
the voting which terminated but a few moments ago. The majority of
those who are present remember, and all of us know, that on June 21,
1867, a memorable date for the country, you raised aloft in the capital of
the Republic the national flag, which in its folds contained the seed of the
fortunate era of peace w^e now enjoy. The electors have charged me to
inform you that they consider it altogether necessary that you continue to
guide the destinies of the nation, whose will it is that you remain at your
post to perfect your work. All of us know that the attractions of home
life are great ; but all of us realise that the power of making a nation
happy is a boon still greater. This is the task which the people entrust to
you, and which they hope you will accept for the good of all. Cicero said
that to be happy a man needed four things ; to have travelled, to have a son,
to have built a house, and to have planted a tree. Your travels. General, have
extended all over the Republic, holding aloft and defending the banner of
liberty, the glorious and triumphant standard of the nation. As a moral per-
sonality you are the father of the Mexican people. The edifice w^hich you
have built is the Nation, and in its soil you have planted the olive tree of
peace. The entire country acclaims you at the present moment and extols
your name as that of its most conspicuous citizen, and the most suitable
person to guide its destinies. It deposits its whole trust in you, and does
not doubt that you will sacrifice yourself to the duty which it lays upon you."

The President made the following reply :

" Gentlemen : It is a great honour for a citizen to be called to the
position of President of the Republic. But the honour is still greater when
it is conferred by the unanimous will of the nation, when the elections
prove that the Mexican people have, with the full sincerity of their hearts,
centred their desires on a single person. I must add that I am most
grateful to the electors of the six electoral districts of the capital of the
Republic who have come to inform me of the result of the elections. It is
my duty to say that in seeking the cause of the nation's prosperity in the
personal qualifications of its ruler there is danger of committing an error.
It is my firm belief that the mere confidence which a nation feels in its
ruler forestalls the latter's task ; that confidence is the basis of all govern-
ment, the foundation of the administrative edifice, and is the cause and
earnest of prosperity. Possessing that factor the success of any government
is assured. As to the result of the elections which are now taking place, I

134 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

must repeat what I said some months ago when the period of electoral
gestation was just beginning, viz., that neither my age nor my capabilities
qualify me to continue ruling the country. I am seventy years of age, of
which forty-three have been devoted to the active service of the fatherland.
As to my abilities, I re-affirm my previous opinion, and I can only add
that I will not withhold from my country my closing years, if she
requires them of me, any more than I have begrudged to her the unstinted
services of my whole life."

The conclusion of the President's words was the signal
for a tremendous ovation. Above all, the modesty with
which General Diaz spoke of his incomparable services
deeply touched all hearers. Personal congratulations were
then offered to the President, while the artillery band
played some of its most stirring national selections.

Probably by contrast to the turmoil of the greater part
of his life, General Diaz now prefers retirement. He rises
early, and after his coffee works with his secretaries, reads
the Mexican papers and translations of others, and then
goes off quietly to the Municipal Palace, as often as not
alone and on foot. Then the audiences for the day com-
mence — a day full of diverse work, for he superintends
everything, goes into all details whether railways, mines,
schools, church matters, military, diplomatic or commercial
affairs. He dines about two o'clock, after which he enjoys
a siesta, and by four is ready for coffee and more work.
He takes his evening meal between eight and nine, and
occasionally plays a game of billiards.

President Diaz does not go much into society ; his whole
life is given to the government of his country, and his home.
It is a perfect home life, and no wonder, with such a wife.
She helps the President in many ways, and though she has
no children of her own, is nevertheless charming to his
children by a former marriage, and was very enthusiastic
over the advent of the first grandchild while I was there.

Madame Diaz, besides being handsome, is always

GENERAL P ORE I RIO DLAZ. 135

beautifully dressed. In some ways she reminds me of
Queen Alexandra in type and bearing.

I once asked Madame Diaz if she ever wore a high comb
and mantilla.

" No," she replied, " a comb never, a mantilla only
sometimes at church."

" But why not '^ They are both so charming ! "

She laughed.

" We think them old-fashioned, and have quite given
them up, but the President often suggests my using a comb
again. He likes the style."

" And does General Diaz wear the riding dress still ? "

" Yes, sometimes, but that is going out too."

What a pity ! We are all sinking to one dead level.
Soon there will be no special manners, customs or dress
left. We shall all be exactly alike. Each country is be-
coming famous for some particular style, which the others
copy. For instance, the French cuisine reigns supreme.
England leads the fashion for men's clothes. Paris ordains
what women shall wear. America gives us our latest
inventions. Germany monopolises cheap manufacture.
National individuality is rapidly disappearing.

Whenever there is any reform in the Constitution of
Mexico, or a Presidential election takes place, the fact has
to be publicly notified by means of a " bando," just as is
the case at the Mansion House in London.

In Mexico, all the members of the ]\Iunicipality drive
in open carriages through the streets, headed by the Public
Notary, whose duty it is to see that the Proclamation is
duly affixed at twelve important public places. A body of
troops of five or six regiments accompanies the municipal
officers, and crowds o-ather in the streets to cheer them
on their way. As each copy is posted the bells of
the churches are set ringing, and the soldiers present
arms.

136

MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

Below is the notice of the sixth election of General Diaz
to the Presidency, posted on Decejiiber ist, 1900.

SmEL mOLUR

Cobernador de9 OistHto Fedorai, & %u% haJlsK'-

ia^ites, eabeda

({lie (lor 111 Si'iTctiirlii ili- KnUuIo > del Donpacbu de Qob«rniic'i6n, hc me ha dirigido
piini *ii pruuitili:u<'iiiii. rl NJKuipiitc decreto:

Kl Prcsidento de U R«pilb!ica se ha seniiio diriifiniu- el decreto que NiKue:

-PORFIRIO OfAZ, Presidents Constitucionai de los
nos, a sus habitantes, sabed:

Unidos

"Que la Cdnmra de DipuladoH del Cougreso de la Caiiin ha tenido i bien decretar
Id i|iie siuue:

•IjiCiliiiunuli' Dipiitiidio delCoiiKresodelriN HsludoH I'nidos MexieanoH.enejerciciode
la Till III lull i|Ui' le rniiliiTr 111 rriie. I li'Irii Adel ur(. >^ de lu C'oiiNtitiicii'iii Federal, deflaru:

■•.Vrtli iilii iliiini, Ks I'retideiite CmiHtitiieiiiiial dc lus l>tado« Lnidan Mexicunos, el
CiiiJuiLiiui (iriierul

para el roatrienio que romeczarii cl proximo 1" de Diciembre j terminori el 3U de No-

riemhre del afto de 1904.

•'Triiiisitorio. MAa de(lurucii5n hv publicart por Bando Nacional."

"Siiliinde S<'Mioiii> de luCiliuara de DiputjidoH del Coiigreso de la L'ni6n.-M#xico, 24 de

S ptleiiilire de VMM.-Jiixiinii h'riiiiniilrz. Uiputtdii l*residente.--.i. ilr la h'iia y Hryr*, Di-

putudo Secrelariii.- rV///<M I/. Stiinvdiii, DipuUdo Swrelario."

•I'lir (iiiitn. in.iiiilii M' iiiipriinii. ciniili' \ pulilique por Uaudo !\'acionaI.-M*xJ«), 29 de

Septii'iiilire de I'JOO.-Porlirio Diaz.-Ai t. tJeniTiil Mnnuel fioii/.iJlfz Cuslo, S<Tretiirio de

EBtado y del Despucho dc OobernaciOn.-Prasente."

"Y lo comunico & Vd. para nu intelicencia j fines consignienteie."

"Libertad j ConstitociAn. Mexico, Septiembre 29 de lIXW.-.U. COSIO.-Al C. Oober-

nador del DiHtrito Federal.-- Presentc.'"

Y para que lleguo & nolicia de todcm, maiido se imprima, publiqae y cLrcuIc por

Bando National. -Mexico, Octubre I" dc iiXW.

RAFAEL REBOLLAR

•->

ANGEL 2IMBRON.

GENERAL PORE I RIO DLAZ. 137

Before I left Mexico, General Diaz fell ill. Rumours
increased in circulation as they spread, and apparently
other countries imagined he was dying, if not already dead.
Revolutions were predicted, shares dropped appreciably,
and everyone prepared for the worst.

All this was quite unnecessary. The President was very
ill — he is three-score years and ten — but he is in reality a
strong healthy man, many years younger than his actual
age. Diaz has been the architect and builder of modern
Mexico, and so well has he done his work, it is extremely
unlikely that anyone will undo it. The country has been at
peace for a quarter of a century, everything has improved,
and the men who have helped the President to bring this
about, are round him to day. Even if he were to die,
they would remain.

There are many able men in Mexico besides the President.
It is invidious to draw comparisons, but General Bernardo
R.eyes, Hon. Jose Ives Limantour, and Hon. Ignacio
Mariscal are the persons to whom I would specially refer.

General Reyes is a strong man. He is a soldier ; his
interests are wide, and after living many years at
Monterey in Northern Mexico, he speaks English like an
American ! He is still in the prime of life, and has proved
an excellent Minister of War and Marine. He can organise
and command, and some day may be called upon to do
both on a much laro-er scale. Beinof a soldier, he holds the
heart of the people, who are accustomed to military rule.

There is one party in Mexico which speaks of Limantour
as Diaz' probable successor, but this is hardly likely. He
is a splendid man, however, most able in finance, and
older than Reyes ; but even were he to succeed temporarily,
it is improbable that Mexico would be content for long
with one who was neither a soldier, nor yet of Mexican
blood, excellent though he might otherwise be.

I am not a politician, but I heard and saw much while

138 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

in the Republic. Unless anything unforeseen should
happen, General Diaz may be spared for many years to
come ; but surely he might ease his own burdens somewhat
by appointing a successor whom he could guide and help.
Reyes, Limantour or Mariscal will probably be the man ;
each is thoroughly capable, and Mexico is far too settled
for any revolution to be likely. It must be remembered,
Mexico is accustomed to a military dictator, that is the
government the people understand.

Diaz was a soldier, living an arduous military life, at a
time when Mexico had sixteenth centurv ideas, and was
ruled by Church despotism, reminiscent of the middle
ages ; but Diaz was a wonderful man. He shook himself
free from the trammels of the past, and carved out a
development for himself, and a future for his country. It
was as a general of the army he declared himself President
of the Republic, although of late years it is not, perhaps, so
much as a military despot, but rather as a diplomatic ruler
that he has reigned. His power is absolute. His vote gives
a man office ; there are no constitutional limits to his
authority. Diaz has proved capable in every issue. The
wheels of state are well oiled, and no man is likely to
be foolish enough to try and upset a regime that is
acknowledged by the entire world to be a success.

A man who has increased railroads from four hundred
miles to eight thousand in his short reign, who has en-
couraged manufacturers and agriculturalists everywhere, and
helped forward home industries is a great man, and in all
probability no one will endeavour to change his organisations
or systems of government. While he was ill, Senor Mariscal
was appointed Deputy President, but to guard against trouble
in the future, it would surely be well for President Diaz to
elect his own successor now. His word is law ; the man he
chooses and guides, and believes capable, will be eagerly
accepted by the people.

GENERAL PORFIRIO DIAZ. 139

No one, of course, can dictate to Diaz, for no man
is more competent to control his fellow men ; but perhaps
the idea of providing for the future may occur to him.
Suppose he should appoint General Reyes ? He is a
soldier, and military rule is necessary. He is a Mexican,
and a native President is imperative ; he is a politician,
and a man with such knowledge is indispensable. He
knows and approves the " Diaz " policy. He has
travelled, has lived among English-speaking people, and
is a man of culture as well as strength. He is
Minister of War, and already controls thirty thousand
men armed with Mauser rifles. He is likewise the
idol of the Mexican army.

Bernardo Reyes was born in Guadalajara in 1850, so he
is still in the prime of life. Not only is he a soldier, he is
also a statesman of unblemished character. He has always
displayed extraordinary bravery ; has been a prisoner,
taken part in warfare and strife before Porfirio Diaz became
President, at which time the rebels deserted him, whereupon
he surrendered to Diaz. So excellent was his record for
bravery, patriotism and loyalty that the new President
appointed young Reyes commander of the Sixth Regiment
of Cavalry. Years of active work were passed in quieting
outbreaks in various parts of Mexico ; but it was not till
1880, when Reyes took part in a great action at Villa
Union, receiving three dangerous wounds, that the power
of the man was fully recognised, and he was subsequently
made a General.

He is a delightful man, everyone speaks of him in
terms of highest praise ; he is an educated soldier, with
charming manners and considerable political and diplomatic
knowledge. A strong Liberal in politics, he is a staunch
friend and admirer of President Diaz, in whose footsteps
he loyally treads.

Senor Jose Limantour, whom I value much as a friend,

140 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

is more French than Mexican, although he Is Minister of
Finance. A man whose opinion the world holds in high
esteem exclaimed of him : —

"He is one of the cleverest men in any government
of the present day." This was high praise, and un-
doubtedly Limantour is one who impresses the stranger
with his clear vision, broad views, and general conception
of facts. A tall, thin man with grey hair, he looks more
like a great Church dignitary than a Minister of State.
His suave French manners and gentlemanly bearing cover
strength of character and determined will. He is rich, lives
in a lovely house, and has a most affable and charming wife.
Like so many Mexicans he is a believer in the value of an
intimate acquaintance with foreign languages, and his
daughter — a sweet girl — speaks French and English fault-
lessly. She has always had resident foreign governesses,
and although she has never been in England, one might
in conversation almost take her for an EnMish woman.

It is said that Mexico's Minister of Finance and Mr.
Gladstone were the only two men able to put a Budget in an
attractive form. Be that as it may, in his annual review of
the financial situation and Budget estimates for 1901, he
gives interesting details regarding the income and expendi-
ture of the Government that afford conclusive evidence of
the steady progress and development of Mexico during
the last few years. The yield from import duties marks
the growing foreign trade of the country, the revenue
from this source having almost doubled in seven years,
as shown by the following table :

Fiscal Years.

Import Duties.

Difference.

1893-94

$15,313,926 59

1894-95

17,738,129 66

$2,424,203 07

1895-96

21,492,211 91

3,754,082 25

1896-97

21,481,225 93

10,985 98

1897-98

20,963,442 63

517.783 30

1898-99

26,443,847 66

5,480,405 03

1 899- 1 900

27,696,979 06

1,253,131 40

GENERAL PORFIRIO DIAZ.

141

The stamp revenue is a faithful index of the growing
business of Mexico. The figures given below for six
years show an increase of more than sixty per cent.,
notwithstanding the fact that last year many important
reductions were made in the stamp taxes : —

Fiscal Years.

Stamp Revenue.

1894-95

$15,553,989

1895-96

18,066,480

1896-97

19,948,271

1897-98

21,621,246

1898-99

23,215,698

I 899- I 900

24,849,618

Cost of Fees.

Ratio.

1,233,119 74

7.93 per c

1,317,375 13

7-29

1,316,230 79

6.60 „

1,403,336 49

6.49 „

1,470,656 75

6.33 „

1,302,867 26

5-24 „

The receipts from the Federal telegraph lines and post
office department show equally good gains in five years : —

Post Office.

Telegraph Li

\ES.

1895-96

1896-97
1897-98
1898-99
1 899- 1 900

$1,062,415 99
1,195,771 62
1,345,062 43
1,513,902 19
1,860,105 87

I 133,355 63
I 149,290 81
I 168,839 76
I 346,203 67

1895-96
1886-97
1S97-98
189S-99
I 899- I 900

$622,340 69
698,103 08

810,547 53
980,715 44
087,520 34

I
I
I

75,762 39

112,444 45
170,167 91
106,804 90

The following table gives an interesting comparison
of the amounts collected from the various branches and
the total Government income for a period of five years,
the annual revenue for that period having Increased to
the extent of fourteen million dollars : —

1895-96 1896-97 1897-98 i?98-99 1899-1900

Taxes on Foreign

Commerce §23,658,69261 §23,639,08091 g23, 284,989 17 §28.738,48040 $29,945,79304

Interior Taxes Pay-
able in all the
Federation 20,418,848 54 21,589,407 27 22,920,702 3i 24,590,404 64 26,201, 40':i 14

Interior Taxes Pay-
able iu the Federal
District and Terri-
tories 3,357,611 81 2,705,761 11 2,794,45841 2,958,55501 3,280,63091

Public Services and
Minor Sources.... 3,o86,3i7 46 3,565,879 46 3,692,804 66 3,846,742 74 4,833,246 3o

Total Receipts.. §50,521,470 42 $51,500,62875 $52,697,98455 $60,139,21284 §64,261,07639

142 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

Last Budget Exp^ndUurt for Increase of

Appropriations. ' Expenditure.

' ^ ' 1901-1902. ^

Legislature §1,020,742 65 §1,020,742 65

Executive 149,305 52 174,116 09 §24,810 57

Judiciary 518,286 40 537,488 20 19,201 80

Department of Foreign Relations 594>633 85 671,963 85 77,330 00

Department of the Interior 4,438,433 95 4,648,049 00 209,615 05

Department of Justice and? „ aq^ ^^^ ^„ „»<:>, -,^^ ..„ „.. „„^

Public Education { 2,686,030 00 2,781,232 50 95,202 50

Department of Fomento 953,484 36 958,686 16 5, 201 So

Department of Communications > »/;_.. o,: - £_

and Public Works \ 7,467,591 33 8,633,040 45 1,165,419 12

Department of Finance ; Ad- 7 7,047,021 21 7,156,886 85 109,865 64

ministrative Services \ /> -t/^ /, j , j v, j t

Public Debt 20,432,992 45 21,007,902 45 574,910 00

Department of War and Marine 13,632,374 09 13,987,882 04 355, 507 95

Totals §58,940,895 81 §61,577,990 24 §2,637,094 43

The total estimated receipts of the Government for 1901
amount to $61,694,000, but owing to the conservative
estimates of the secretary, they will doubtless exceed this
amount by at least five or six million dollars, as has been
the case in former years. The increased receipts of the
past few years account for the present Treasury surplus of
more than thirty million dollars.

Hon. Ignacio Mariscal is Minister of Foreign Relations.
I was introduced to him by Madame Braniff, and although,
unfortunately, I did not see as much of him as I could have
wished, his personality was striking. He is a man with a
remarkably high forehead, deep penetrating eyes, a good
lin2:uist, and married to an American.

The other Ministers are : —

Hon. Manuel Fernandez Leal, Minister of Fomento or
Encouragement ; Manuel Gonsalez Cosio, Minister of In-
terior ; Hon. Joaquin Barranda, Minister of Justice and
Education ; and General Francisco Mena, Minister of
Communications.

General Diaz has certainly been wise in the choice of
his Ministers. He is surrounded by able men, who though
strong enough to command whole parties, nevertheless work
in harmony with the President that built up modern Mexico.

GENERAL P ORE I RIO DIAZ.

143

The Government of the Republic is arranged as follows.
There are twenty-seven States, ten Territories, and a
Federal District : —

Name of States.

Aguas Calientes . . ,

Campeche

Coahuila

Colima

Chiapas

Chihuahua

Durango

Guanajuato

Guerrero

Hidalgo

Jalisco

Mexico

Michoacau

Morelos

Nuevo Leou

Oaxaca

Puebla

Queretaro

San Luis Potosi . . .

Sinaloa

Souora

Tabasco

Tamaulipas

Tlaxcala

Vera Cruz

Yucatan

Zacatecas

Territory of Tepic.
Lower California..
Federal District . . .

Capital.

Aguas Calientes . . ,

Campeche

Saltillo ,

Colima

Tuxtla Guitierrez .

Chihuahua

Durango

Guanajuato

Cliilpancingo

Paclaica

Guadalajara

Toluca

Alorelia

Cuernavaca

Monterey

Oaxaca

Puebla

Queretaro

San Luis Potosi

Culiacaii

Hermosillo ,

San Juan Bautista ,

Victoria

Tlaxcala

Jalapa

Meriila

Zacatecas

Topic

La Paz

Citv of Mexico

Area

Assessed

Population

Square

Population.

Miles.

Capital.

3,oSo

$6,272,375

124,615

31,619

20,760

1,728,435

92,180

i6,63i

Sq.OOO

7,152,345

241,026

19,654

2,700

3,925,724

62,000

19,305

29,600

4,722,823

319,599

7,882

89,200

5,926,728

288,073

40,000

42,300

7,727,327

286,906

42,169

i2,3oo

31,005,785

1,062,554

90,000

22,700

2,120,000

417,621

6,204

7,600

16,078,924

558,769

52,186

38,400

24,023,825

1,1 09,3a 1

125,000

8,080

22,127,344

841,018

28,648

23,000

22,728,416

891,253

32,287

i,85o

17,125,572

159,555

8,504

25,000

11,684,323

309,252

56,855

28,400

13,127,425

884.909

32,641

12,600

37,127,591

948,413

91,917

3,800

12,062,345

235,678

5o,ooo

26,100

15,123,727

568,499

80,000

36, 100

5.072,424

258,865

14.205

77.000

7,623,121

191,687

8,367

10,000

4,232,163

134,839

27,006

29,000

7,828,822

206, 502

14,574

i,5oo

7,842,924

i66,So3

2,874

23,840

26,232,716

866,355

18.873

28,400

4,892,516

299,000

06,720

25,oOO

16,989,728

469.000

70,000

53o

788,042

148,776

7,450

60.000

4,894,733

43,245

16,226

460

61,124,573

476,413

400.000

748,590

§409,318,296

13,325,047

1,447,827

To support the Governments of the various States, there
is a system of taxation on all foreign and domestic mer-
chandise, as well as a direct tax on real and personal
property. Each State is represented in Congress by two
Senators, elected alternately every two years, and by one
Member of the Chamber of Deputies for each forty
thousand inhabitants.

Over all this rules the great Dictator, General Diaz,
whose justice is the guarantee of the nation's stability and
peacefulness. He has always used his immense power for
his country's good. Long may he live !

144

CHAPTER IX.

MEXICAN SOCIETY

The City of Mexico has been likened to Paris, and in many
ways the comparison is good. It is not so bustling as New
York, nor yet so sleepy as London. There is the gayest
society, the smartest frocks, the prettiest women, but the
restaurants are indifferent, and the hotels worse. High
civilisation, great refinement, beauty and talent can be
found in the Capital itself, yet barbarism exists outside.

There is great wealth in the City, palatial homes where
the occupants do not even enjoy the luxury of a want !

Mexican society is very exclusive. The families are
wonderfully united, and spend most of their time together,,
that is to say the women folk, for men have a way of
slipping off to the Jockey Club, where they play baccarat,
which begins at five o'clock every afternoon, and does not
always stop by five next morning.

The day begins with coffee, taken early, in the bedrooms
— a custom that enables people to go about in neglige attire
for the greater part of the forenoon, as in France. This
light repast is followed by an enormous mid-day meal,
usually served about one o'clock, when soup, fish, entrees,
meats, puddings, and numerous sweets always appear at
table in the better houses. This banquet is the event of
the day ; visitors are invited, and sociability ensues. For-
merly everyone indulged in a siesta after dinner, indeed, all
houses of business are still closed from one to three ; but

Senor Guillermo de Landa y Escandon.

[ To face page 144.

MEXICAN SOCIETY. 145

nowadays the siesta itself is going out of fashion, except
among servants and the poorer classes.

When the important business of lunching is over, each
gentleman offers his arm to a lady, and conducts her back
to the drawing-room. Cigarettes follow. Society dames
in Mexico scarcely ever smoke ; but among Indian women
the habit is universal. Cigarettes in the north, and cigars
in the more southern tobacco-growing districts are
constantly to be seen.

Many families possess beautiful silver, glass and china,
brought from Spain by their ancestors. The dinner-tables,
however, are seldom pretty or artistic. The lady of the
house usually allows her servants, or someone from the
market, to fill her bowls with flowers, which are packed as
full as they will hold with blooms of every colour. The
result is stiff and inharmonious. They have not yet
acquired the art of using one kind of flower, or at most
two, interspersed with green trails of foliage.

As regards house decoration, one seldom finds flowers
about in this land of beautiful blossoms. Perhaps the
Mexicans do not care to have them in their rooms because
they die so quickly ; but whatever be the cause, one just
as often sees artificial flowers in the drawing-room, as real
ones. The prettiest bloom has not always the sweetest
scent, just as the softest speech often hides a cruel heart.

After coffee, which is always strong, but generally good,
for Mexico is producing excellent coffee nowadays, the
visitors depart. It is the custom for the host and hostess to
walk to the top of the staircase, where the chatelaine says
" good-bye," and the gentleman offers his arm to his lady
guest, takes her down to the patio, and puts her into her
carriage. I had no carriage, and it was no uncommon thing
for the host to send me home in his.

They have a funny arrangement in Mexico for cabs.
There are three classes : those bearing yellow flags are the

146 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

cheapest ; those decorated with red are of medium price,
and consequently most largely patronized ; while others
with dark blue bands painted on the body are more like
carriages than an ordinary hack for hire in the street.

Society is delightful. The sons of most of the best
families have been educated in England — they have been
to Stoneyhurst or Belmont between the ages of twelve and
eighteen ; some have even been to our Universities. Con-
sequently the sympathy is strong ; indeed, several men
looked, dressed, and spoke so much in accordance with
English ideas, that it seemed impossible to believe they
were Spanish Mexicans.

The love acquired by the men in their youth for
England appears constantly ; for instance, the children
are often under the care of an English governess,
while the small boys are dressed in Jack Tar suits.
Then again many of the men get their clothes from
London, as their wives do from Paris. The former are
beginning to ride on English saddles, to adopt corduroy
breeches and high boots, and apparently the death-knell
of the native saddle and dress is already tolling.

Not only is English talked by all educated men, but
there is scarcely a shop of any importance in this cosmo-
politan city where that language is not spoken, and,
as has previously been remarked, the railway officials,
managers, clerks, and engine-drivers are all English-
speaking people. Who will deny that English is fast
becoming the language of the world ?

Mexican ladies are often beautiful — the dark Spanish
type predominating ; but they are not always good
linguists. French is their favourite language, probably
from its resemblance to their own, and niany of them
have been educated at convents in France, as their
brothers have at public schools in England. They dearly
love chocolate parties. Smart folk dress up in their best,

MEXICAN SOCIETY. 147

about five o'clock, and before starting on their twilight
drive, enjoy their coffee or chocolate, generally the latter,
which is made so thick that the spoon stands upright in
the cup if placed in the middle of the brown beverage. It
really is delicious, but a little of it goes a long way, and for
a nation inclined to embonpoint, is hardly homoeopathic in
its results. The women have pretty manners, and dress
charmingly — everything they wear is the latest fashion —
and their politeness and amiability surprise a stranger.

The courtesy of Mexico is wonderful ; for instance,
at a dinner party a man will hand a glass of wine to a
woman, and with a bow, say : —

" Endulcemela," meaning " Sweeten it for me." She
raises the glass to her lips, and then passes it back
for the gentleman to enjoy.

Again, when paying a first call on a friend, I was amazed
at the following remark : —

" Ya tomo v posesion de su casa." "You have now
taken possession oi your home."

Did he mean he was giving me his house ? If so,
the situation was a little embarrassing. I smiled a sickly
smile, and he repeated " This house is yours." He did
not mean it, he merely implied that for the moment I
was to treat his house as my own. If a stranger were
to accept such an invitation in its literal meaning, however,
and arrive bag and baggage, great would be the dismay
of the hostess.

One admires a watch or a cabinet. "It is yours,"
is the prompt reply, which means nothing, it is only a
figure of speech like " I hope you are quite well."

In reply to the question "Where do you live .-*" a Mexican
will say : —

" Su Casa de Usted No. 10," etc., meaning " Your
house, the house at which you are welcome, is No. 10," etc.

When writing a letter, instead of putting the address,

10*

148 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

they often write C. de V. (Casa de V.) meaning " Your'^
house, or " my " house at your disposal.

The Mexican must learn to be parsimonious in pro-
mises. He is so generous in thought, he gives away
all he has, to draw back in deed !

In spite of great wealth, there is none of that
vulgar, ostentatious display of riches which betrays humble
origin. Of course there are miserably poor folk in the city
as everywhere else ; and doubtless there are miserably rich,
for although money shuts the door on want, gold alone
can never bring happiness.

When anyone sneezes, the company usually call out
"Jesus," meaning "Good health to you.'' This expres-
sion is also used to imply that a man is friendless and
knows no one.

It is always said high Mexican families are exclusive, and
there is no doubt but that this is the case — even to those
bearing good introductions — for they are so taken up with
their own affairs that beyond a stately dinner they seldom
extend hospitality. They rarely invite foreigners to their
homes ; but personally I was most fortunate, perhapsJiecause
they knew my appreciation of their kindness. ■ I found
them charming, well-read, well-educated, pleasant-mannered ;
in every way cultivated gentlefolk, extremely hospitable
and courteous.

It is a pity they do not show this side more often
to strangers ;| but if they will shut themselves up so
completely within their own family circle, they must not
be surprised if they are misjudged by the outer world
so much as they are.

Mexican families are most amiable and united. The
better classes own houses which are perfect palaces. In
one of them dwells Seiior So-and-so with his wife and
children ; but Madame's mother and sister joined the
establishment on the death of Madame's father, and in

MEXICAN SOCIETY. 149

addition Senor So-and-So has a mother and brother who
make their home with him. This is not the exception,
but the rule, I honestly believe that in Mexico City
there is no large house which shelters " Papa, Mamma
and Baby " alone. There are always some relations on
one side, if not on both, included in the family menage.
It says a great deal for their amiability. One portion
of the patio may be devoted to the " outside " family,
or perhaps a whole floor if the house is large enough ;
but they all meet at meals, and in no way live apart.
Once a bachelor marries and starts a home of his own,
it is quickly filled by his relations.

They all seem to agree splendidly ; the family life appears
to be of the happiest nature. They have their parties and
festivities among themselves, their birthday, name-day, and
feast-day celebrations ; perhaps twenty or thirty members
of the family will muster and the following week this will
be repeated, and the next, and the next. They are quite
contented amongst themselves.

It struck me that little entertaining of a " friendly "
kind was enjoyed. Big luncheons and dinners, or nothing,
were the fashion. No one apparently ever " drops in."
No attempt is made to keep open house.

When invitations are given, the entertainments are costly
and well done ; but then the usual formality accrues.
A couple of friends invited to an ordinary meal seems
an unheard-of occurrence among the Spanish aristocracy.
In fact I was twice asked quietly to luncheon, "just our-
selves," and arrived to find a regular banquet and a
large party ! I was not dressed for a function of the
kind, and laughingly remarked : —

" You have asked me under false pretences. You
said you would be en famille."

" Yes, but we thought you might find it dull."

The Mexicans so far have not realised that the poorest

I50 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

morsel offered with love and sympathy is far more welcome
than the grandest feast without them ; they only entertain
on a great scale.

If a host have two friends he wishes to make known to
one another, he says with a wave and a bow :

" May I introduce a friend ? "

The friend in question immediately steps forward, and
gives his full name to the other stranger, adding, " Your
servant." The second man does the same, so they really
introduce themselves, by which means they can pronounce
their names as they like, no small matter in Spanish, where
the mother's name is tacked on with a " Y " to the end of
every man's title.

Mexicans are very Latin by temperament. They become
wildly enthusiastic over some person or thing which excites
their interest for the time ; but they soon weary of the new
hobby, and the passion dies out almost as quickly as it was
kindled. They are excitable in conversation, gesticulate
freely to emphasise their words, and one feels the warm
blood of a southern race is tingling in their veins.

They say all manner of delightful things, but of course
they never mean them. Pretty compliments fall from their
tongues and unspeakable admiration beams from their
lovely dark eyes. It is only their way. They promise
many things they would never think of performing, all in
that beautiful flowery language which is very pleasing,
but oh, so misleading ! Of course, I am now speaking of
mere acquaintances, people one meets at a ball or a dinner ;
once that film of compliment and insincerity is passed, they
are true-hearted, kindly friends, as it has been my fortunate
lot to find, many, many times. Indeed, I have never met
truer hospitality and friendship than among the Spanish
Mexicans.

Many of these beautiful homes contain rare old Spanish
furniture, bric-a-brac, pictures, things that have been in

MEXICAN SOCIETY. 151

the family for generations. Most of them, alas ! are
stowed away in the nurseries or servants' quarters, while
modern French furniture appears in the best rooms.
Just the same thing happened lately in England. An old
squire died, and when the men were sent to take the
probate, they found that one of the Chippendale chairs in
the servants' hall was worth all the modern furniture in
the dining-room, while the value of the one cupboard,
with its queer brass handles, in the children's room,
was ten times as much as that of all the modern wardrobes
put together. The same thing would apply to Mexico.
All the houses are modern French in appearance ; but
hidden away are countless treasures, the value of which is
only just beginning to dawn on the present generation.

The winter is the season for entertaining ; then balls and
parties are given, and everyone is prepared to enjoy
himself. The invitations are generally short, because as
everyone is more or less related to everyone else, it is
pretty well known when So-and-So's birthday will take place,
or when the celebration of some couple's silver wedding
will occur.

When Mexicans do open their doors, they are lavish in
their hospitality, and their entertainments are regal. On
leaving a friend's house after a meal it is, as I said before,
by no means unusual for a stranger to be sent home in his
carriage, and not only that, but to be positively laden with
flowers, hand-painted menu-cards, or boxes of bon-bons.

On one occasion I stepped into a smart little brougham,
and turning to my host, said :

" Please tell the gentleman on the box where to drive,
and what you wish him to do afterwards."

" John," said my host in English, to my intense amaze-
ment, "drive Mrs. Tweedie to the Hotel del Jardin, and
when you have done so, come home."

Collapse of Mrs. T. !

152 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

There are several interestino- little customs in Mexico
that strike the stranoer.

A man In the United States does not remove his hat on
entering an office, while a Mexican invariably does.

When lighting a cigar or cigarette from a friend's,
Mexicans always touch little fingers ; not to do so would be
as rude as to refuse a proffered hand-shake.

The habit for a man to kiss a woman's hand, which exists
almost universally in Europe — a courtesy which, however,
we omit, alas ! in England — does not exist in Mexico.
Latin race though they are, the Mexicans never kiss the
hands of their women. Sons invariably address their fathers
as Sir (Sefior), and no son or inferior would ever dream of
smoking or drinking in the presence of an elder without
beino- invited to do so.

One night after dinner my host asked me if I cared to go
to the theatre.

" It is past nine o'clock, we should be too late," I
answered.

" Not at all, we can go in for a tanda."

" And what may a tanda be } " I enquired.

" It is an act, or more properly speaking a single little
play lasting about three-quarters of an hour."

We went, and it was quite entertaining.

Outside in the hall rows of people were sitting. They
were waiting for that act to end, and the next to begin.
The stalls hold three or four completely different audiences
in one evening. Twenty-five cents (about sixpence) is the
price for the tanda, and if a man stay for a second act he
must pay again. It was really rather funny. The audi-
ence came in shoals, sat down with their hats on, and
waited. The moment the curtain went up off came all the
hats, only to be put on again at the end of the tanda, when
the entire assembly filed out.

The cheapest places in the theatre cost twopence-half-

MEXICAN SOCIETY.

153

penny, and were well filled with Indians, while the drop
scene was as full of advertisements as a newspaper page.

.6X TEATRO ARBEU K^

Compania de Zarzuela, Empresa Arcaraz Hermanos.

MIERCOLES 2

de Euero de 1901.
Ultimas funciones de la compania de Zarzuela.

A las ocho y media
CUATRO FUNCIONES.

— PROGRAMA

Primera fiiuciou La preciosa zarzuela en

an acto tituhula

EL SANTO DE LA ISIDRA

Tomando parte las Sras. Soler Rodriguez y
priucipales artistas de la Compania.

Segunda fuucidu La zarzuela en un acto
titulada

OLE SEVILLA

Tomando parte las Sritas. Suler Iris, Sra. Rodri-
guez, y principales artistas de la Compania.

Tercera fuucio'u

COLOMBINO

I El Duetto do Soprauo y Baritoiio

DO=RE=MI=FA

II La producei6n original de Colombino,''
titulada

UNA ESCENA

PARISIENSE

PERSONAGES
Mimi, artista
Carlo, sirviente

Fremolin, maestro de musica vULUlilDlJNU
Genoveva su muger
Uu Vigilante

Prdlogo y Epflogo
V Caricatura de los celebres maestros de musica
Wagner — Bellini — Rossini — Bicet — Gounod —
Mascagni — Meyerbeer — Strauss — Gomez, etc.

Cuarta funcidn La zarzuela en un acto de
Enrique Garcia Alvarez y Antonio Pa so,
musica de F. Chueca, titulada

La Alegria de la Huerta

Tomando parte la Sra. Goyzueta, Srita. Irsi y
priucipales artistas de la Compania.

Precios de entrada para les 4 Ines

Plateas y palcos los con 6 entradas g6 0(1

Palcos segundos con 6 entradas „ 3 00

Palcos de galen'a con 6 entradas „ 2 00

Luneta con entrada $1 00

Eventual de palcos 2os „ 50

Galeria „ 2-5

Niiiimeros de palcos 2os. y galeria „ 10

POR FUNCION

Acto lo 2o y 4o 2-5 cts.

Acto de Colombino .")0 cts.

Para Maiiana Jueves El Dorado

Mexican society is delightful and the Diplomatic corps
entertaining and hospitable ; for instance, Baron Moncheur,
the Belgian Minister, gave charming dinner-parties. His
house was full of old cabinets, Spanish fans, bits of em-
broidery, and curios of all kinds. He was an excellent
host, and, amono;st others, I met at his table Prince and
Princess Charles Poniatowski, Comte de Julvecourt, M.
Napoleon Magne, Don Pablo Amor, Senor Nicolas Mar-
tinez del Rio, Mr. Lucien Jerome, etc. Prince Poniatowski
as a boy used to spend much of his time at Chislehurst with
the French Emperor and Empress, and was one of those

154 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

who identified the body of Napoleon III. after death.
Although he is a Frenchman by birth, his father was the
famous Polish composer.

Monsieur Hansen, the Russian Charge d' Affaires, lives
in a delightful flat, and gave some of the most interesting
dinners I went to in Mexico. He is a brilliant pianist, and
possesses a valuable musical library, one so unique indeed
that it ought to repose in a museum some day, instead of
being scattered as priceless collections too often are.

Monsieur Hansen is one of the most popular men in
Mexico, and, although unmarried, is fond of entertaining
ladies at his hospitable board.

Unfortunately before I reached Mexico City, our Minister,
Sir Henry Deering, and his wife had left for the former's
new post at Rio Janeiro. This was sad, as Sir Henry was
keenly interested in Mexico, and had kindly planned trips
for me, and done much to persuade me to write a book on
the Republic, when we were staying at a large country-
house in England during the previous year. He, however,
gave me some useful introductions, for which I was most
grateful.

The new English Minister, Mr. Greville, only arrived
some months later, not in fact until the very day I left for
home. At the time of my visit England was therefore re-
presented by a Charge d'Affaires, Mr. Fairfax Cartwright,
but as he was of a retiring nature, English people
were entertained by the Consul, Lucien Jerome, the son
of General Jerome, V.C., a distinguished officer who
fought in the Indian Mutiny. Mr. Jerome and his beau-
tiful wife did much for the amusement and pleasure of the
English residents, ably helped by Mrs. Colley, a smart,
Australian cousin, who spent the winter with them.

There is no doubt about it — for the sake of a country
its representatives ought always to entertain. Then again
they must be the pick of the nation. Socially and morally

MEXICAN SOCIETY. ■ 155

the diplomatic corps which represents its country should
be above suspicion, and able to maintain a dignified position
in foreign lands. Nothing^ is worse for a nation than a
bad representative — a man (or his wife), whom people do
not want to know, or who do not trouble to entertain those
among whom they have come to stay. Such instances
are bad for society, bad for diplomacy, and bad for
commercial interests.

The American Ambassador, General Clayton, kept open
house on Friday afternoons, and a regular reception was
the result.

There are several charming people in the diplomatic
circle in Mexico, the chief leaders of society there being
represented by Germany, America, Russia and Belgium.

The German Minister and Baroness von Heyking enter-
tain considerably. He was consul and diplomatic agent at
Calcutta, India, and Cairo before going as minister to
China, and during Baroness von Heyking's residence
in those countries, she used her opportunities and taste
in making a collection of characteristic objects of art.
Thus her Mexican home is embellished with the rugs of
Persia and India, tapestries from the mosques of Egypt,
bronze lamps elaborately wrought, from the pagodas of
China, and gilded statues of Buddha from the temples of
Japan. The walls of the staircase are hung with water
colours painted by the Baroness in China, which are of special
interest now, for some of the buildings which they represent
were destroyed during the siege of the legations. For
example one piece depicts a corner of the building occupied
by the German Legation at Pekin, which during the siege
was wrecked by a shell. There is another view from the
famous walls of the city which represents the imperial
palaces with their yellow roofs and the sacred gate through
which the Emperor alone is allowed to pass. All these
water colours were exhibited in Berlin.

156 , MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

, . I

-- Germany, ever to the fore, has sent a charming military
representative. Lieutenant Bartols, to study miHtary organi-
sation and methods. One would hardly think Germany
cDuld learn much from Mexico, but therein lies the clever-
ness. The Fatherland wants to know everything, and this
is merely a part of the great system, behind which so much
lies. England, whose interests in Mexico are considerably
greater, does nothing of the kind. We do not send people
anywhere — not even to the Transvaal in olden days — to
make maps, survey the land and study possible warfare.
Oh dear no, we do not trouble ourselves until it is too
late, and then we wonder that the maps are not there !

Among the many Mexican families who kindly offered
me hospitality, none were more gracious or more interesting
than Senor Guillermo de Landa y Escandon. He is the
leader of Society, and holding as he does several public
posts as well as being descended from the Escandon family,
in addition to being a wealthy man, his entertainments are
always well attended, and much appreciated. No one in
Mexico has the interests of the country more at heart, and
there is no finer, more courtly gentleman or stauncher friend
throughout the land.

He has a charming country house a little outside the
City, where I remember being present at one particularly
interesting luncheon. He and his lovely wife were waiting
for us outside the Cathedral in a special electric tramcar,
which bore us in less than an hour to one of his many rural
homes. Unfortunately, the President was not well, and at
the last moment he and Madame Diaz excused themselves,
but we were nevertheless a party of twenty-two. Many
members of the diplomatic circle were there, including —

General and Mrs. Clayton, representing the United
States.

Baron and Baroness von Heyking, representing Ger-
manv.

MEXICAN SOCIETY. 157

Baron Moncheur, representing Belgium.

Monsieur Hansen, representing Russia.

Seiior Jose Limantour, Minister of Finance, with his wife
and daughter. v .

General Mena, Minister of Communications. ^

General Reves, Minister of War,

Senor Ignacio Mariscal, Minister of Foreign Relations.

Mr. Lucien Jerome, the English Consul, and his de-
lightful wife.

In fact. Captain Barrow, the leader of the English
Society, Mr. Stanhope (Lord Chesterfield's brother), and I
were the only people who represented nothing !

Seiior Camacho, the Banker, is another great entertainer,
and one of my most pleasant recollections is a charming
luncheon at his lovely house. We were a party of twenty,
and in truly Mexican fashion sat down to table shortly
after one o'clock, and did not rise till nearly four ! He had
courteously ordered a number of Mexican dishes, knowing
I liked to try them, and really some were excellent, notably
Mole, which is called the " national dish '" of the country.
It is hardly that, however, since turkey is too expensive for
the ordinary peon. The turkey is served with a rich
chilli sauce, which is hot — too hot for most mortals, though,
when partaken of sparingly, delicious.

Seiior Camacho is one of the most successful men
of Mexico ; he has acquired an influential and wealthy
position, and, although he talks English, he has never been
outside Mexico in his life. Among his guests on this
occasion were the Hon. John W. Foster, of Washington,
and his wife. Mr. Foster was, for many years, the United
States Minister to Mexico ; it was he — owing to his ability
as a lawyer — who concluded the Peace Treaty between
China and Japan. He is one of the most popular and best
known men in the United States,

Mr. Foster was able to give me good news of Colonel

iS8 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

John Hay, whom I had seen a few months previously in
Washington, thus renewing a pleasant acquaintance begun
when Colonel Hay represented his country so ably in
London. What tremendous strides in the position of
nations the United States have made while he has been
Secretary of State.

Seiior Pablo Martinez del Rio, the greatest lawyer and
legal representative of most of the railway lines in Mexico,
entertained me most kindly. Sefior del Rio speaks English
as perfectly as any Englishman. Like so many of his
friends, he was educated at one of our Catholic Colleges, and
certainly acquired the language without the slightest accent.
It seems impossible to believe our tongue was once a foreign
language to him ; but he is almost equally at home with
French or German. Don Pablo is a refined and courteous
gentleman, a successful lawyer, a rich man, and he and his
charming wife reign over one of the most popular houses in
Mexico.

Every traveller must have noticed, when he has been in
a foreign land, that if the day chances to be fine and he
remarks on the fact, the native instantly replies : —

"We always have weather like this."

If, on the other hand, it is wet, cold or foggy, and he
ventures to express a mild surprise, some native is sure to
remark :

" Most unusual, we never had such weather before. I
don't remember anything like it."

Such was my experience in Mexico City. All through
the first half of December it rained, rained hard, and the
wind blew, but no one ever recollected such a deluge
previously. Nevertheless, I can solemnly affirm we had
nine wet days in the month. Not a little wet, oh ! dear no ;
but regular downpours, rain that dripped in through the
roof, and flooded the streets, until it necessitated paying a
man to carry one across the principal thoroughfares.

MEXICAN SOCIETY. 159

Then on February 17th, 1901, it snowed — think of it,
snowed ! and again no one could call to mind having ex-
perienced such weather. On this occasion their remarks
were true enough, for it had not snowed for forty-hve
years. The paper gave the following : —

A RARE PHENOMENON.

SNOW IN THE CITY FOR THE FIRST TIME FOR HALF A CENTURY.

Snow fell in this city yesterday morning, between five and six o'clock, melting as it
came down. Only early risers saw this strange northern visitor. But out in the south-
western suburbs of Mixcoac, San Angel, Coyoacan, and Tlalpam, there was a genuine
snow-storm, and the tropical plants and trees were mantled in purest white, the display
lasting about two hours. The sight of the snow-laden trees and plants in the south-
western suburbs yesterday morning will not be forgotten. Children went out and gathered
snow in all kinds of receptacles, and were puzzled at its prompt disappearance.

The great and historic snow-storm in this city occurred on the evening of the i6th
December, 1856, when it snowed all night. People coming out of the theatres found the
streets white with quite deep snow, and in some cases the roofs of the houses, unable to
bear the weight, fell in ! The people were early abroad, and thousands went to the
Alameda to see the effect of the snow on the trees. During the forenoon there was
snowballing, and much amusement was found in this meteorological novelty by the
people. Thus until yesterday there had been no snow seen here for forty-five years.

The snow must be forgiven, for it lay on all the high
mountains and surrounding hills quite deep into the valleys
for days, and made the panorama even more beautiful than
usual.

Among the many interesting people I met in Society
were Mr. and Mrs, Alfred Maudslay. It so chanced they
were passing through Mexico during my stay there. He
lent me his wonderful book, " A Glimpse of Guatemala,"
wonderful because, besides containing interesting informa-
tion concerning the Ancient Monuments of Central America,
it has some really beautiful illustrations. They are pictures,
not photographs, and add considerably to the value and
charm of the volume. Mr. Maudslay is a bright, clever,
enthusiastic traveller, and notwithstanding his love of
antiquarian research, has some interest in mining. But
who in Mexico has not some interest in mining ?

The City of Mexico possesses a Women's Club for

i6o MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

English-speaking members. They did me the honour of
giving a reception on my behalf. It was not so grand as
the masfnificent luncheon of Sorosis at the Waldorf Astoria
in New York, at which I had been a guest a few
months previously, nor on so large a scale as the Fort-
nightly or Women's Club in Chicago, but it was none the
less hearty and genial. It says much for the women,
mostly Americans, that they should have organised this
little Club. It is in no wise political, merely social, and
holds monthly meetings on literature, plilanthropy, science,
and art.

They had excellent music ; native instruments and selec-
tions being chosen for my special gratification. The
" bandolon " is the chief instrument of the country, and is
a sort of guitar. The " Jarabe," one of the prettiest of the
Mexican dances, sounded delightful. Of course, one of the
musicians was blind ; they always are in that country !

One word about cakes. The most delicious confectionery
of every sort and kind appeared at that tea-party, and I
wondered where on earth they all came from, as there are
no real cake shops in Mexico.

" The ladies made them themselves," I was informed.

This was a delightful piece of news, and the American
women are to be congratulated upon the result. How
pleasant it is to find clubwomen ever ready and able to
turn their hand to any and every thing.

Type ol" AJcxicau.

Tojace page i6i. J

i6i

CHAPTER X.

A GLANCE AT MEXICAN HISTORY.

The more one reads, the less one seems to understand the
history of ancient Mexico. It is all shrouded in mystery.
Every historian has his own particular theory, but no two
agree ; wherein, perhaps, lies its charm. Only one fact
appears certain, namely, that Mexico and her people are
very, very old. How old? Ah! who can say?

Even I, unlearned though I am in such matters, could
not fail to be struck, again and again, with the similarity in
things Mexican with those of Egypt and China.

Many of the pyramids, idols, statues and often the in-
habitants themselves, are distinctly Egyptian in character.
Again, the jade beads dug up amid Aztec remains probably
had their origin in China, the nearest point where such jade
is found. The bronze fio^ure exhumed in the old tomb
at Oaxaca, is undoubtedly Chinese, and many of the ancient
coins and some of the types of modern Indians clearly
reproduce Mongolian types.

The more one reads, the more bewildered one becomes.
Where did those Toltecs, Aztecs and Zapotecs originally
come from ? Is it three, four, or five thousand years
since they first arrived on Mexican soil ?

Some writers have assumed a continuous chain of islands
between the east and the west ? Others suggest lines of
communication by way of Egypt across Northern Africa,

l62

MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

the Canary Islands, and the lost Atlantis. In that case
the distances would not have been very great, and
open boats might easily have accomplished the different
voyages. Open boats did wondrous things in days
of old.

Or ao;ain, mioht not Mexico have been in communica-
tion with China ? There are the Sandwich Islands, the
Philippines, and Japan, may there not have been other
groups, that have disappeared owing to volcanic eruption,
formerly so rife in Mexico and Japan ?

In any case ancient Mexican architecture closely re-
sembles that of Japan, which seems one proof the more
that there may formerly have been some connection
between the two countries.

All writers appear agreed that the Toltecs were the
earliest people of Mexico ; how far back they go no one
knows, though some authorities affirm about five thousand
years, Prescott, however, says :

The Toltecs arrived in Anahuac

They abandoned the country .

The Chichemecs arrived

The Alcolhuans arrived about

The Mexicans reached Tula .

They founded Mexico City

Cortes conquered Mexico, which was annexed by Charles V

of Spain ....
Declaration of Independence of Mexico

A.D.
648
IO5I
1 170
1200
1 196
1325

1519
1813

The Toltecs were a highly cultured people. The names

they gave to districts and towns remain to-day in

Mexico. They had two written languages, one used

when addressing superiors, the other for the vulgar, as in

Java and Cambodia. Castes are purely Asiatic, but they

existed amongf the Toltecs, which ao-ain shows their con-
es ' o

nection with some outside influence. These Toltecs had
their priests, warriors, merchants and tillers of the soil,

A GLANCE AT MEXICAN HISTORY. 163

whilst land was held in common, and a feudal system is
apparent with both the Toltecs and the Malays.

" Finally the worship of serpents as gods of wisdom, like Quetzalcoatl, is found in
India, Greece, China, Japan, and particularly in Cambodia and Java. To us these
points of resemblance are more than mere coincidences, something better than fortuitous
analogies ; they seem to point to a vast and novel field for the investigation of
archaeologists."*

I was particularly struck by a fact which has hitherto
escaped the notice of writers.

The Toltecs gave wonderful advice to their brides,
detailed at some length in Charnay's book, and strangely
enough that advice, and the form in which it is given,
resemble the ancient Finnish warnings in that wonderful
epic poem, the Kalevala, which until 1835, was handed
down only by word of mouth, although the greater part of
it is pre-Christian. f

The Findlanders are Tartar Mongolians. It may be a
far-fetched idea, but is it not possible that those Tartar
Mongolians of Finland sprang from the same Chinese
branch a resemblance to which is so often found in Mexico .'*
The warning to the bride is certainly similar.

Little is really known of Toltec civilisation, which dates
probably from the sixth to the fourteenth century, except
that as regards religion they were mild and temperate.
No human blood ever stained their altars. Little is known
probably because the Aztecs who followed them, and
retained much of their learning and art, became so
powerful that they have left traces of their influence
everywhere, in which the Toltec civilisation is merged.
These Aztecs or Mexicans, although more civilised,
were, unlike the orio-inal milder race of Toltecs, a cruel
people.

The Aztecs succeeded after many hardships in finding a

* " Ancient Cities of the New World " (Preface), by Desire de Charnay.
t " Through Finland in Carts," by Mrs. Alec Tweedie.

I I*

1 64 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

resting place on the muddy islands of one of the lakes,
established themselves, and founded Tenochtitlan (now
Mexico City) in 1325. Here they raised a temple
to their god Huitzilopochtli, to whom they frequently
offered human sacrifices, on one occasion, it is said, a
Royal Princess being the victim !

Human sacrifice was a matter of daily occurrence among
the Aztecs. Historians have described at length terrifying
scenes of brutal murder. It is difficult to reconcile such
revolting usages with a people that had made great strides
in civilisation.

The Aztecs were cannibals — not in the coarsest sense.
They did not feed on human flesh to gratify their appetites,
but under the influence of the priest at religious
ceremonials. The body of a victim was delivered to the
warrior who had slain it in battle, and after being
dressed for table, served up at a great entertainment to the
conqueror's friends. Members of both sexes attended these
banquets, which were often regal and otherwise civilised
in character. The best of viands and delicious beverages
were served. Refinement and barbarism seem to have
walked hand in hand in Mexico during the days of the
Aztecs, as indeed they do to-day. The skulls of human
victims were preserved and in one of their edifices
Cortes, when he conquered Mexico, counted one hundred
and thirty-six thousand !

Yet these people recognised the existence of a supreme
Creator and Lord of the Universe. They addressed Him
in their prayers as " The God by whom we live," "omni-
present, that knoweth all thoughts and giveth all gifts,"
" without whom man is as nothing, invisible, incorporeal, one
God oi perfect pc J' fection and purity, under whose wings we
find repose and sure defence."

Prescott says : —

A GLANCE AT MEXICAN HISTORY. 165

" They imagined three separate states of existence in the future life. The wicked,
comprehending the greater part of mankind, were to expiate their sins in a place of
everlasting darkness. Another class with no merit than having died of certain diseases
capriciously selected, were to enjoy a negative existence of indolent contentment. The
highest place was reserved, as in most warlike nations, for the heroes who fell in
battle, or in sacrifice. They passed at once into the presence of the Sun, whom they
accompanied, with songs and choral dances, in his bright progress through the heavens,
and after some years, their spirits went to animate the clouds and singing birds of beauti-
ful plumage, and to revel among the rich blossoms and odours of the gardens of Paradise.
Such was the heaven of the Aztecs ; more refined in its character than that of the more
polished pagan, whose Elysium reflected only the martial sports, or sensual gratifications,
of his life."

Their law of succession was curious ; a king was sup-
posed to rule for fifty-two years (their cycle), and then resign
in favour of his son ; in fact a regency became necessary.

They worshipped an unknown God, but their principal
deities were the Sun and the Moon, to which they raised
wonderful pyramids, and " Tonacatecuhtli," in whose
honour various temples were erected.

Prescott's " History of Mexico" reads like a romance, and
we only regret it goes no farther than the death of Cortes,
for no such charming writer has arisen to chronicle the
history of the country during the last three hundred and
fifty years.

When the Aztecs established themselves on the borders
of the Lake, they noticed a large eagle, its wings open
to the rising sun, perched on the stem of a prickly pear
holding a serpent in its talons. This they thought a favour-
able omen, and determined to build their city on the spot,
calling it Teiiochtitlan, which city is now known by the
name of Mexico, derived from the war-god Mexitli. The
devices of the eao-le and the cactus form the arms of Mexico
to-day, and a similar device is reproduced on the cover of
this volume, whereon are also depicted the subsequent arms
granted by Charles V. of Spain when he annexed the
country in 1523, and the still later badge adopted by the
Mexican Republic in 182 1.

1 66 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

The history of the Aztecs suggests some strong points
of resemblance to that of the ancient Romans, not only in
their military successes, but in the policy which led to them.
As with the ancient Romans, military success was their
greatest triumph, their Ruler being chosen on account of
his victories. He was crowned in great pomp ; his regal
headgear was in the shape of a mitre decorated with gold,
gems and feathers, and was placed on his head by one of
his royal allies. In the earliest times the ruler was styled
King, later he was called Emperor, and lived with great
splendour in magnificent palaces, where the monarch was
aided by nobles in his various councils, the chief of which
was a sort of privy council.

One prominent characteristic of the Aztec code related
to slavery, which was a very intricate affair, and led to many
complications.

Various indeed are the eccentric theories about the
ancient Mexican people ; for instance, Lord Kingsborough's
great book, with its wonderful illustrations, is written to
prove that the ancient Mexicans were descended from the
ten tribes of Israel.

With more fatuity Dr. Augustus Le Plongeon declares
he has proofs that Yucatan in Southern Mexico was the
Garden of Eden, and original home of Adam. He dis-
covered the grave of Abel, the charred heart of the victim,
and the knife used by Cain in that deadly conflict !

All this is but an Atigenblick, as our German friends
would say, of the country and its people when Cortes
landed in 15 19. Spain, when Charles V. ascended the
throne three years before, occupied the first position in
Europe, to which it had attained under Ferdinand and
Isabella ; but Charles was almost a foreigner to Spain,
and the great colonisation, begun in America at Cuba,
waned under his rule. Hernando Cortes, born 1485, was
the man to set all to rights, and after visitino- Cuba and

A GLANCE AT MEXICAN HIS TORY. 167

Havanna, he landed in Mexico. He knew no Aztec,
however, and consequently could only communicate with
the natives by signs. He came across a wonderful girl, a
young slave given to him by a Tabascan chief. She was a
Mexican, and the Spaniards called her Marina. There
was a certain romance in her early life, for when, after
her father, a rich and powerful cacique, died, her mother
married again and had a son, the mother determined to
secure her daughter's inheritance for him, by saying Marina
was dead. She therefore sold her for a slave, and
represented the dead body of one of her bondmaidens as
being the corpse of her daughter !

The girl's native language was Mexican, but having
learnt various dialects during her residence in Tabasco,
she was able indirectly to communicate with Cortes.
Ultimately he became so infatuated by her beauty, that he
made her his mistress. Her knowledge of the language
and customs of Mexico often extricated the Spaniards from
great difficulties and perilous situations.

From her, Cortes heard of the powerful Mexican ruler
called Mocthe2izoma, or by the Europeans Mo7itezuina, who
lived in what is now Mexico City in great state. Cortes
informed the Indians that his purpose in visiting the
country was friendly, and expressed a desire to see the
Aztec governor, but although the latter received him kindly,
his followers continued hostile, and riots were numerous
among the soldiers.

It is difficult to understand Cortes' reason for the step
he finally decided to take, namely, destroying his fleet and
thus cutting off all communication with his friends and
allies at home. Probably, however, it was a wise move,
for in the end, partly owing to Marina, who enlarged upon
the greatness and splendour of the Spaniards to Montezuma,
Cortes conquered and marched triumphantly on to success,
and, with only a handful of followers, annexed the country

1 68 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

Spain retained as one of her richest possessions for three
centuries.

Much of this success was undoubtedly due to the horses.
A cavalry charge seems imposing even when only made by
sixteen animals, provided anything so strange as a horse
has never been seen before ! The Spanish quadrupeds
frightened the Mexicans, and no doubt secured victory.

The description given by various writers of the recep-
tion of Cortes by Montezuma is most graphic, and it
seems almost incredible to realise its magnificence. One
reads that seven thousand Aztecs in gorgeous apparel,
feather-bedecked, marched to meet the Spaniards ; in their
midst Montezuma was carried in his robes of state glitter-
ing with jewels, especially prominent being the chalchivitl,
a green stone held in higher estimation by the Aztecs than
any other.

When Cortes and his followers entered the city, they
were amazed at its grandeur, palaces abounded, and long
rows of magnificent streets met their gaze on every side.
What astonished them most, perhaps, was the vast con-
course of people ; crowds seemed to swarm everywhere,
lined the side-walks, and assembled even in numbers on
the housetops.

There was long continued hostility, but little by little
Cortes vanquished his enemies, till Montezuma acknowledged
himself a feudatory of Spain. His career had hitherto been
a glorious one, but at the early age of forty-one he died
dethroned. His life was a marvellous example of how even
the greatest may fall.

There is a curious old parchment in the Mexican archives
describing the first Council held in the City of Mexico on
Monday, March 6th, 1524, after the conquest by Spain.

Cortes is described therein as the " Governor and Captain
of this New Spain." His signature, or rather initials, are
several times affixed. The document so signed chiefly

A GLANCE AT MEXICAN HISTORY. 169

relates to the disposal of land, or petitions for its purchase.
Then come schedules of prices to be fixed for further
reference on such articles as nails, forks, spoons, saws,
hammers, chains, scissors, tables, etc. ; followed by stated
wages for carpenters and other labourers. The ink is
faded, and the writing reminded me strangely of Shake-
speare's will at Somerset House, which was written much
about the same time. The lettering is similar, although
the one is penned in English, and the other in Spanish !

There are also several interestino- curiosities in the
archives, kindly shown me by the Federal Governor and
Mayor of the town, Seiior Guillermo de Landa y Escan-
don, who is such an enthusiast concerning the history of
his country. The public buildings of Mexico are hand-
some, especially the National Palace, but descriptions of
such pertain to guide books, and therefore are outside the
scope of this story of travel.

More or less peaceable times followed Cortes' triumph.
During the centuries of Spanish sway, things went pretty
well, but the country did not develop. Wars with
America, troubles with France, all followed in their turn.

Revolutions marked the i8th and 19th centuries, and
might still be rife, but for that wonderful man General
Diaz, who rose from the people apparently to quell in-
surrection, to stop bloodshed, and institute law and order.

With his advent ancient Mexico died, and modern
Mexico was born !

Professor Frederick Starr of Chicago, whom I had the
pleasure of meeting, has been working for years among
the Indian tribes of Mexico, but even he has formed no
definite conclusion as to their orioin. Our meeting was
followed by a strange coincidence. Seeing from the paper
he was in the city, I sent my card and temporary address,
saying I should be glad if he would call upon me. He
came ; I was much impressed by his enthusiasm — it is

I/O MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

enthusiasm that accompHshes everything — and while we
were chatting, some letters were laid upon the table.

When he had taken his departure, the first envelope I
opened was one written twenty days previously, by our
mutual friend, Edward Clodd, the well-known author of
" The Childhood of the World," It ran as follows :

Savile Club, London,

7th December, 1900.
My dear Mrs. Tweedie,

When dining at a certain hospitable house a few evenings ago, memory, which
advancing years has sadly impaired, looked back, or was jolted back, to some promise
made to you as to a note of introduction to Professor Starr of Chicago, and, very often,
of Mexico. If the beneficent spirits bring you into touch with that eminent authority
on all matters of Mexican origin, will you please express to him the pleasure which
his far too brief visit to London gave myself and other members of the Folk Lore
Society, and tell him that the debt which I then incurred, can, in large degree, be
liquidated by the pleasure he will derive from knowing you, and doing all that is in
his power — and that is a good deal — to enlarge your knowledge of the old faith and
folk lore of Mexico. I know that he spends, or has spent, a large portion of each year
in that country, and that you will have little trouble in learning if he is in Mexico, or at
his home in Chicago.

I found Mrs. Harley and Olga quite well. The latter, I grieve to say, referred in
tones which were nothing else than jeering to your study of Spanish ; indeed, she had a
large stock of Ollendorfian phrases with the irrelevant use of which she credited you when
you make your bow to the President. It would greatly rejoice her sisterly heart to hear
that instead of saluting him "Buenos dios," you turned over the wrong page and said
" Tiene usted suelto ? " But /turn from a painful theme which candour alone compels
me to name, to say that I had the privilege of having some passages from your letters read
to me. They were very bright, good talk, as letters should be, and put before one, in a
few rapid touches, your surroundings and impressions. I like your phrases. Central
America you'll no doubt find full of charm, for there stand the mysterious Ruins out of
which Le Plongeon extracted perhaps the most fatuous theories that antiquarian ever
formulated.

We are having hideous weather here. Your beloved London is in the hands of the
telephone men, who are cutting huge channels along the big streets, and flinging the
soil on the roadway so that the rain may convert it into chronic deliquescence. I am
revelling in Huxley's Life, which is very well done by his eldest son. Punch gave you
a most flattering notice last week in reviewing the new edition of the Finland Book.

If I dreamed that this scrawl might cause you to think that I expected a line in return,
I should hesitate to send it. Writing is a bore when one is away, so I shall hope in due
time to hear viva voce that you have seen the Starr in the West.

Yours sincerely,

Edward Ci.odd.

Profe.ssor Starr's book, entitled "Indians of Southern
Mexico," contains beautiful illustrations of tribal traits. He

A GLANCE AT MEXICAN HISTORY. 171

takes photographs, measurements and clay models, and is
making a marvellous collection of the characteristics of the
different tribes. He says there are one hundred and fifty
different languages — seventy-five are actually written down
— to say nothing of the numerous dialects.

He adds the Aztecs, of whom there are half a million
to-day, are a great people. It was their ancestors who
erected the Xochicalco fortress, which I visited later.

The Mixtecs have numerous dialects, and are most
artistic, particularly in pottery ware. A woman of this tribe
was the grandmother of General Diaz, the President of
Mexico.

The Zapotecs are a wonderful tribe ; their women are
exceptionally handsome. They have a curious way of
building their houses on poles in mud. Formerly the
Zapotecs and Aztecs were constantly at war. These
Zapotecs built the famous fortress of Mitla. They inhabit
the whole State of Oaxaca as far down as Tehuantepec.

The Otomi, almost the oldest people in Mexico, are said
to be dull and stupid.

The Tlaxcalans are a superior type, and were famous in
history. The success of Cortes was largely due to their
assistance.

The Juaves who are supposed to have come from Peru,
still go about naked, as do several other tribes, although the
law forbids their entering towns unless clothed.

By the Government Statistics we learn that five-
twelfths of the entire population is Indian, that is, almost
half!

Although there are so many tribes, and so many
languages, yet the tortilla (Aztec tlaxcal — bread ground
from Indian corn) is the universal food amongst them all.
Tamales, a sort of dumpling made from corn and wrapped
in a corn husk, is almost as popular and universal.

Returning to history, few persons realise that several

172 , MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

EiiQ-lishmen were burned to death In Mexico durino- the
Inquisition introduced there by Cortes.
- There have been so many stories about the Inquisition
one hesitates to add to their number. The subject, however,
has always excited interest and been the cause of passion and
exaggeration, therefore it is an important factor in history
which must be alluded to. It is without any bias against the
Roman Catholic Church that this short sketch is written.

" Offences" against the Church were not at that time the
only matters of which the Holy Office took cognizance.
-Bigamy and laxity of morals both among the clergy and
4aity, were punished, or to be more correct, "condemned"
by zealous ecclesiastics ; the sentences being carried out by
the civil or lay authorities represented by an official rejoicing
in the. name of a Coi^regidor.

The extraordinary want of logic which throughout
characterised the proceedings of this Tribunal — often using
brutal and barbarous methods to inculcate the doctrines of
the gentle Nazarene — is well exemplified in the case of
an Aztec Indian victim, who in 1539 was burnt alive as a
punishment for having made huvian sacrifices to his God !
This man, as well as many other natives, must have found
it difficult to distinguish the difference between a human
sacrifice to Tezicat, and an Auto-da-Fe of which he himself
was a victim. The pomp and circumstances surrounding
the latter, accompanied as they were by all kinds of religious
ceremonies — the victims dressed out in their Sambenitos — a
garb of infamy — the presence of Civil, Military and Ecclesi-
astical authorities, the chanting of Litanies and Psalms,
procession of Nuns and Monks' — must have conveyed the
impression to the Indians that they were assisting at a
sacrifice to the God of their Conquerors.

Indeed, in this respect, but for the actual number of the
victims, Mexico seems to have gained little by the con-
quest of Cortes during the years that the Spanish Domina-

A GLANCE AT MEXICAN HISTORY. 171

tion lasted. For in the great Cathedral square the sacrifices
of the Aztecs were continued in the form of Auto-da-Fes
by the Illustrissimo Senoi'es Inquisidores.

Don Luis Obregon, in the second volume of his interest-
ing " Sketches of Old Mexico," compiled from carefully ob-
tained data, makes the following computation : From the
institution of the Inquisition to the final overthrow of Span-
ish power in Mexico, " 790 persons were reconciled to the
Church by means of the Holy Ofifice " ; that is to say, were
not strangled or burnt. It does not mean they escaped tor-
ture, imprisonment in the mines, being sold into slavery, or
other punishment according to the extent of their heresy or
the degree of the crime of which they were accused. Fifty-
one persons were actually put to death by strangulation or
burned at the stake, and 109 were burnt in effigy. Regard-
ing these last, it is more than probable that they themselves
succumbed to the treatment received in their secret prisons
at the hands of the Inquisitors.

Adventurous beings who, even so early as the middle of
the sixteenth century, searched for fortune in Mexico, did
not always escape from the clutches of the Santo Officio as
established in the Valley of Anahuac.

In looking through the list of names, copied by Father
Joseph Picardo, of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri, from the
Sambenitos on which they were inscribed, we find that in
1560, in the Cathedral of Mexico, by order of His Grace
Alonzo de Montufar, second Archbishop of Mexico, in a
private Auto-da-Fe, the first of the Englishmen, named
John, was " reconciled'" to the Cliurch.

On February 28th, 1574, what is known as the first
Auto-da-Fe in Mexico — probably because it was the first to
take place under the auspices of a duly organised Inquisi-
tion — was held with great pomp and ceremony^ in what is
now the Zocalo, or great Plaza to the south of the
Cathedral. Special arrangements were macfe for the pro-

174 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

cession of the victims, who were dressed in yellow
Sambenitos, on the back and front of which red crosses
were painted. An eye-witness relates "the poor heretics
were not allowed to sleep owing to the preparations.
Twenty-one pestilent Lutherans met their death by
fire (brazero) on a pile of stones (quemadaro) " in what
is now a public square, near which, at the back of the
Cathedral, so many Aztec treasures have lately been
dug up.

The tribunal of the Holy Office was then lodged in what
is now the School of Medicine ; the heretics proceeded
from thence through the Plaza de Santo Domingo — in the
Church of which is the strano-e life-sized wooden Christ in
bed — to the Cathedral Square. So great was the con-
course of spectators that the mounted minions of the
Inquisitors had much difficulty in forcing their way through
the crowd.

Large sums were spent in preparing the Zocalo for the
event. All the authorities were invited. The Viceroy,
Don Martin Enriquez de Almanza, and his Council were on
the platform with the Inquisitors Don Pedro Moya de
Contreras and Don Alonzo Fernandez de Bonilla, all in
gala costume. A sermon was addressed to the audience
and principal actors in the drama by the Bishop of Tlaxala.
Five Protestants were put to death and 'j'iy sentenced for
various offences, polygamy, necromancy, the performance
of Jewish rites — Jews being particular objects of persecution.
The banishment of the Jews and Moors by royal order in
1527 really began the Inquisition.

On the day above mentioned, among those burnt at the
stake for their fortitude in their religious opinions, we find
John Ribley, a native of " Desambra " (Dewsbury .-*), Peter
Momfrie, and William Cornelius, the latter a native of
Cork. The following English names appear among the
" reco7iciled'" : —

A GLANCE AT MEXICAN HISTORY

175

Williams, a native o£ Bristol.
Philip Miles, a native of London.
John Wrenington, of Windsor.
Morgan Tillert, a Welshman.
William Gollan, of Axnart (?).
John Lee of Sebria (?).
John Cree, of London.
William Grifon, of Gloucester.

John Gullens, of Bristol.
John of Mun, of Hutton-Loo.
John Breton, a carpenter, of Derby.
John Brown, of Thurles, in Ireland.
John Evans, of the city of Griego (?).
John Evren, of Bristol, and
Robert Pliton, of Plymouth.

These names were kindly supplied by Mr. Lucien Jerome,
England's able Consul. The Inquisition was only sup-
pressed in 18 1 3, when the tablets bearing the names of the
victims were removed from the Cathedrals.

All this seems very terrible, and yet we must remember
that in those days much the same thing was going on in
Europe in the name of religion !

176

CHAPTER XL

IS A BULL-FIGHT CRUEL ?

The ordinary Sunday afternoon entertainment in Mexico
is either a cock or bull-fight. Ladies seldom attend either,
but the people dearly love both, and children — boys and
girls of five and seven years old — are taken to applaud or
hiss, as their baby minds incline. Of course they grow up
to think such sport — or barbarity — the acme of bliss. It is
in their blood, and it will be many a long day before the
'populace learns otherwise.

" Would you go to a bull-fight ? " I was asked one day.

" Certainly. I wish to see the national sport of the
country, the ring, the crowd, everything ; but whether I
shall like, tt or not remains to be seen."

In accordance with which statement, after lunching with
Captain Barron, a well-known Englishman living in Mexico
City, our party drove off behind a splendid pair of horses,
and a smart English coachman, to a box at the Plaza
de Toros.

It would be difficult to say what my feelings were as we
neared the famous ring ; I wanted to see a bull-fight, and
yet I almost feared to do so, since dreadful scenes are
sometimes enacted thereat.

Vendors of oranges, nuts, tortillas, and other forms of
food, lined the roadway ; boys and men rushed at every
passer-by, trying to sell tickets, " sol," or " sombra," i.e.,
the sunny or shady side of the ring, and a general air of

It «

Matadors in front — mounted Picadores behind.

Entrance of procession for the i)ull fight.

S^To face page 176.

IS A BULL-FIGHT CRUEL? 177

festivity pervaded the scene, on which frowned two grand
sedate old volcanoes, from the summits of which snow had
descended far down into the valley, owing to the extra-
ordinary coldness of the weather.

Crowds thronged the thoroughfare ; electric trams, and
others drawn by mules, kept constantly arriving, with pas-
sengers standing down the centre of the cars, or hanging like
flies to the outside platforms. Carriages, carts, vans, every-
thing was there, all the occupants eager for the fray.

As we alighted in front of a primitive sort of entrance,
without a turnstile, and so narrow that there was barely
room for an ordinary person to squeeze through the barrier,
my host exclaimed, " Here we are." At the same time he
showed his flaming yellow ticket, for Box 22, containing
eight seats, each one being marked and perforated separately,
so that it could be torn off, and the occupants come in and
out as they pleased.

The ring resembled an enormous circus, probably some
hundred feet in diameter. In the centre was a sanded
space for the bull-fight, encircled by a wooden barrier six
feet high, over which the men jumped — to escape Mr.
Bull in wild pursuit — with the greatest agility and grace.
There was a second barrier beyond, behind which the spec-
tators took their seats, that rose tier after tier, culminating
in the boxes at the top of the arena.

"Could any bull really jump out of the ring .-^ " I asked,
amazed at the place.

" Certainly," was the reply, and sure enough bull No. 2,
later in the afternoon, jumped the barrier, not only once,
but three times. Up started the sightseers just above
the beast, each thinking he would be gored, but the bull
was quickly back in the ring again. At intervals round
this passage-way — really made for the safety of the bull-
fighters — were swinging-doors, and the moment the
animal jumped over the barrier, the doors before and

i;8 ' MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

behind him were closed, and another was opened on to
the ring, through which he was driven back to fight the
p'ame to the bitter end.

We arrived early, that I might see the arena properly.
On our left was the President's box — not the President of
Mexico, but the President of bull-fights, one of the muni-
cipal authorities sent to represent law and order, and settle
public disturbances, which are by no means uncommon on
those exciting occasions. His entrance was the signal for
the band to strike up, and it continued to play at intervals
during the performance.

Below the President was a chair on another da'is, for the
" Torero " — an old and experienced bull-fighter who acts as
umpire, decides when a bugle shall be sounded for the
horse to be taken out, or when the matador shall come
forward to kill the bull. The Torero, therefore, is a very
important personage. Below him was a doorway for the use
of men and horses taking part in the entertainment.

Opposite to the President was another large doorway,
through which the procession entered. It may be well to
remark here, that soldiers were stationed everywhere ; an
entire regiment seemed to be present, for between the
spectators, at frequent intervals, one caught the glint of a
a gun, and not infrequently their services are called into
requisition, for nothing excites a Mexican more than his
national game, and disturbances often occur.

There are several performers in a bull-ring.

The Capeadores wave their cloaks in front of the bull
to excite him, or to distract his attention as he rushes wildly
after some one. They are dressed in beautiful costumes of
varied colours, with gold or silver embroideries, and wear
those queer black hats and pig-tails we know from pictures.
Their cloaks of silk are seldom red, but rather of other
colours, with brighter linings, and their dexterity is de-
lightful to witness. Everything the capeador does is

'icadiir and I iliiidldldcil hi

A Inillianl fcal !))• llic IJandcrillcro.

To face Inline 179.]

IS A BULL-FIGHT CRUEL? 179

graceful, exciting and sportsmanlike, and it is worth going-
miles to see the valour and readiness he displays.

The Picadores are the horsemen. Theirs is a loathsome
occupation. They collect miserable crocks, only fit for the
knacker's yard, but instead of mercifully ending their de-
crepit old age with a pole-axe, the picadores blindfold the
poor animals and take them into the ring to be gored to
death by an infuriated bull.

Imagine any civilized people allowing a poor dumb,
blindfolded horse to be slashed and spurred forward to
certain death, on the pointed horns of a maddened bull.
Fourteen horses were killed that day according to the
newspaper report, and probably out of the five or six
thousand spectators, I was almost the only person present
who even mentally denounced such butchery as vile.
I love sport, but I hate and detest cruelty, which this
undoubtedly is.

The Banderilleros are wonderful. They are the men
who stick darts in the bull's shoulder ; it is not kind, yet
hardly cruel, for the points are only like large fish-hooks,
which, while irritating, do not actually torture the animal.
I admired these banderilleros enormously ; they hold a stick
a couple of feet long, and gaily decorated with paper, in each
hand, the spikes being at the opposite end. After waiting
for the bull to charge, they rush right up to him, and plant
the two darts in his shoulders, deftly jumping aside when
he would fain toss them. This is more like sport, and their
agility and daring are splendid.

The Matador is the grandest gentleman of all. To his
lot falls the feat of killing the bull.

The music ceased, a blare of trumpets, yells of joy from
the assembly, a door opposite the President was flung wide,
and the proceedings began.

The Cuadrilla or procession of performers is really
picturesque, and quite unique ; it belongs to the bull-ring

12*

i8o MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

and is seen nowhere else. Those taking part in the bull-
fight dress and form in procession just as they did in the
days of ancient Spain, when Tauromachy was at its height.

First of all the Alguacil entered the ring alone. Being
a sort of chamberlain, he was mounted on a most beautiful
bay horse, adorned with a red velvet saddle-cloth em-
broidered in gold, and scarlet reins, while he himself wore
a black velvet suit, and a large black velvet hat ornamented
with scarlet plumes. As he pranced round the ring, he
reminded me of Vandyck's famous picture of Charles I.,
only the horse should have been white instead of bay. The
more the audience clapped, shouted and whistled, the more
he danced. Finally he stopped beneath the President's box,
and taking off his hat, which he held at arm's length, begged
to know if the performance might begin.

Assent being given, the golden key of the door behind
which the six bulls were hidden was thrown down, and
gracefully caught by him in his hat.

He bowed, the band struck up, and off he pranced to
fetch his "cuadrilla," the procession literally shining golden
in the rays of the sun.

First rode our friend the Chamberlain, followed by the
three gorgeously equipped matadores, each of whom was
destined to kill two bulls that afternoon. Then came the
picadores on their awful, broken-kneed, raw-boned old
horses — such a contrast to the splendid steed which
headed the procession — followed by the capeadores with
their capes, and the banderilleros with their darts, A
team of six white mules with red trappings came next ;
they were intended subsequently to drag out the dead
bulls or horses. Some men with whips, and a butcher
with his merciful knife, completed the cavalcade.

As they marched round the ring, they really looked most
picturesque ; the sun shone brilliantly on the gorgeous
hues of their clothing and capes, and magnificently rich

IS A BULL-FIGHT CRUEL? i8i

golden embroideries. Certainly, the procession alone was
worth going far to see. There was something beautiful
and romantic about it all ; the men were young and hand-
some, well-made and brave, and courage in equal combat
between man and beast is to be admired, at least, I am
" sportsman " enough to think so.

After being well scrutinised, and enthusiastically ap-
plauded by the audience, they all left the ring, with the
exception of the capeadores, who were to play with the
bull, and the banderilleros, whose role came later.

A man in Mexican dress, who wore the tight trousers of
the country, so tight the stranger wondered if he had been
poured into them, stepped forward. His suit was made
entirely of black — as if he had already donned mourning for
the death of the bull. He took the key from the Chamber-
lain, and having watched the procession safely out of the ring,
went to the door exactly opposite to us, which was midway
between the two entrances, and unlocked it, carefully
concealing himself behind the wooden door when he
opened it, to let the hero of the hour emerge.

In a former chapter I described the capture on the
open prairie of wild bulls for the fights ; that was the
prologue, this the final scene. Mr. Toro, after being
lassoed, and driven into a small box just big enough to
hold him, travelled by train to Mexico City, where he
had been kept in some dark place behind the bull-ring,
until forced into a still darker chamber, just before the
commencement of the fioht.

At the last moment a huge rosette had been fixed in his
shoulder by a man from above, by means of a little hole
such as coals are shot through to cellars in England, the
spike of the pin no doubt irritating him before his sudden
transition from darkness to brilliant sunlioht. This rosette

of colour represents the " hacienda " from which he comes,
and everyone in the ring knows who was his former owner,

1 82 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

just as a man on the race-course can tell the proprietor of
each horse, by the colours worn by the jockey.

The door swung back, and out rushed bull No. i. He
galloped into the middle of the ring, and then stood still
as though bewildered with the noise and light. A burst
of applause followed ; he lifted his grand head, snorted,
and seeing an inviting capeador near by, rushed at him
full tilt. The cape was flourished before his eyes — which
a bull always closes at the moment of charging — and the
capeador jumped aside.

Another, and yet another assault. It was most exciting
to see that grand bull, notwithstanding his strength and
vivacity, deftly evaded by those slim youths. Occasionally
the animal would run them right up to the barrier, over
which they nimbly jumped, when we heard the horns of
Toro strike the wooden boards, as he wildly tossed the
cape thrown at his head, while the white legs of the
capeador disappeared over the paling.

It almost seemed as if the bull would win, so close was
the contest, but man triumphed all through on that
occasion, though he does not always come off so well, for
many persons lose their lives in the bull-ring. After five
minutes' excellent sport, the bugle sounded, and a couple of
miserable horses were ridden to the front of the ring. The
picadores were dressed in leather suits with their legs all
stiffly padded, to save them from the horns of the bull, and
in their hands they carried lances ten feet long, with which
to ward off the monster. I suppose it needs some courage
to be a picador, for if his horse be really killed beneath him,
he has no cape with which to divert the bull, and is,
moreover, too heavily dressed to move with ease, and if
he fall, can hardly rise without assistance ; nevertheless,
he rides fearlessly up to the infuriated animal which madly
lashes his tail, and waits the picador's charge. It may need
courage, but oh ! what a fearful employment — to sit calmly

IS A BULL-FIGHT CRUEL? 183

on a wretched old horse, with a cloth tied over his eyes, to
spur and goad it on to death, from which it has not the
smallest chance of escape.

Is a bull-fight cruel ? Yes, a thousand times yes, so
long as such horse torture is allowed ; were that omitted,
it would be an equal contest between man and beast, until
the final stroke of the matador's sword, which is surely
as merciful as the butcher's pole-axe.

I do not know what happened to the horses after the
first charo-e, for I went to the back of the box ; I could
not look, it made me sick even to think of such cruelty ; so
I waited until I heard that the poor brutes had been led
away, bleeding unto death, to have their days ended
outside.

Some pretty play followed. The bugle sounded again,
and one of the banderilleros stepped forward into the middle
of the ring. He stood still, facing Mr. Toro, until that gen-
tleman chose to charge, looking the very impersonation of
manly grace, his arms lifted high in the air, his banderillas,
one in each hand, held at the extremest end from the dart.
It was quite a long time before the bull would charge ; he
dashed at everyone else, but carefully avoided the owner
of the darts, as if he knew their purpose ; sudd-enly, as
if forgetting, he rushed full tilt at his waiting enemy.
The man had no cape, no means of warding off those
deadly horns, yet he never flinched, and only stepped aside
to let the bull's head graze his legs, while he calmly and
gracefully lifted his arms on high, and planted his banderillas
in the beast's shoulder. It was a most artistic performance,
perhaps the most skilful of all, though the death-stroke of
a matador is considered the finest effect in a bull-rino-.

Six, or sometimes eight, banderillas are stuck into a bull
before the siq-nal is o-iven for the arrival of the matador,
w^ho, when he enters, arrayed in some pale satin and gold
embroidery, stands and bows to the President. The first

1 84 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

matador's pink jacket and knee-breeches must have cost
a large sum, while his elaborately-embroidered shirt, and
handsome scarlet silk sash, completed a truly gorgeous
costume. White stockings and small black slippers were,
it seemed, de rigueur, and, apparently, no head covering,
for after bowing to the President, receiving his commands,
and dedicating the bull to some fair lady's name, he threw
his hat to the audience to be kept until his return.

He held a scarlet muleta or " red rag," kept open by
a piece of stick inside, while hidden in the folds was
the fatal sword. Mr, Bull must not see its glint until the
last moment. The matador cannot play his cape as the
capeadors do, for it hides the long thin sword, and
therefore, so to speak, he really takes his life in his hand.

The bull, who hitherto had seemed thoroughly to enjoy
the performance, became more uneasy, after the darts had
been placed in his shoulder, and appeared determined, if
there must be a fight, it should be a fight to death ; his
strength and instinct pitted against man's skill.

Alone — for all others stood back — that matador advanced
into the middle of the ring towards the bull ; his play was
very clever.

A matador is no butcher, and his capacity is gauged by
the skill and despatch with which he kills his victim.
There is one spot in the back of the bull's neck where a
" pinchazos " or sword-thrust means sudden death, either
by cutting the spinal cord, or piercing the heart. Now
in order to strike that point, it is necessary for the animal
to rush absolutely straight at his adversary, and with his
head down. Frequently the bull rushes in every conceiv-
able direction but the right one ; often, if he sees the
gleam of steel he will not charge at all, and therefore it is
that the niatador is obliged to conceal his weapon until
the last moment.

It was most thrillinfj to see the bull and the man

The Alsjuacil, or ChaniliL-rlain ni the Imll-riiu

Dcalli of tlic Imll.

To /aw page 185.]

IS A BULL-FIGHT CRUEL? 185

parrying each other as a pair of good fencers might do.
There was nothing cruel about it, for the matador never
struck until he was sure his blow would be fatal.

Look at them ! The bull stands motionless, his head
down, ready for his final rush ; the matador, only seven or
eight feet away from him, remains perfectly motionless. The
stillness was oppressive. This was the moment of wildest
excitement ; both man and beast stood as though turned
to stone ; then slowly, and almost imperceptibly, his eyes
fixed steadily on the bull, the matador quietly brought his
sword from under his cloak, and holding it straight out
before him, with elbow bent to ensure correct aim, the
point within four or five feet of the bull's head, he waited.
Neither moved, the brute seemed paralyzed under the man's
gaze, the man as still as a marble statue.

A dead silence ensued, during which we wondered which
would win.

The man at first did not move. Then he seemed
electrified. Determination shot from his eyes. He raised
himself on his toes. A rush, and on came the bull.
One thrust, and deep down into his neck went that well-
aimed sword, nothing but the golden handle remaining
visible. It was a master-stroke. The silence of that vast
multitude was so oreat it could almost be heard. The bull
Stood for an instant as though petrified, then he tottered a
few steps towards the side of the ring ; he was senseless now.
Twisting round as though trying to walk, he fell on his
knees, bowed his head in the dust, rolled over and died.

It was all over in a few seconds ; the matador's stroke
had done its work, and done it courageously and humanely.
The bull lay dead at the victor's feet. There was nothing
cruel in that.

Yells of applause suddenly filled the air ; hats were
thrown into the arena, cigars and flowers quickly followed,
and a perfect ovation greeted the matador's success. He

1 86 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

deserved it all. Although quite a young man, he had
shown pluck and courage, and a complete mastery of his
art.

More bugles, and in galloped a team of mules. The
dead bull was tied by the hind legs, and dragged out. His
life had ended in noble combat, a fine example of the
courage of his race.

I admired it all. For the time I forgot the unfortunate
horses, and felt that a bull-fight was neither cruel nor brutal,
though, alas ! with those wretched horses left in the pro-
gramme it was unworthy of mankind.

Hardly was the ring cleared before the second bull
rushed in, and the programme was repeated. In the
excitement of the moment, and in spite of the distance, I
struggled to take some photographs of the scenes taking
place below. This bull, as mentioned earlier in the
chapter, jumped the barrier on three different occasions,
and although not such a fine-looking animal as the first,
he was wild and excitable.

Alas ! That matador was a fool. Some say the bull
charged badly and danced around, but there can be no
doubt that the matador missed his first thrust, and injured
the animal without killing him. Again he missed, and
even a third time. It was a sickening sight, and I left the
box, only to hear the groans and hisses of the populace,
which continued until the matador eventually landed his
quarry. This performance seemed positively vile — I would
not risk the chance of repetition, and left the building
feeling sick at heart at the sight of such butchery, for
butchery it undoubtedly was, and is, whenever the animal
is not killed at the first thrust. Fair combat and speedy
death alone are sport.

Butchery — I use the term advisedly — is appalling, and
surely public opinion ought to hound a bad matador from
the ring after such an exhibition of incompetency. A bull-

IS A BULL-FIGHT CRUEL? 187

fight is a fine trial of skill and courage ; I had seen enough
to feel enthusiastic with regard to the dexterity and valour
of man, and the strength and courage of the bull ; therefore,
to my mind, a bull-fight is not cruel so long as the
opponents meet in equal combat. The poor, decrepit,
murdered horses must, however, be omitted, and it is
indispensable that the matadors know and understand their
business, else the spectacle becomes disgusting.

The President and Madame Diaz do not approve of bull-
fights ; the highest people in the land seldom go to them ;
but so popular are they with the lower classes that every
attempt to stop them has proved futile, and judging by
the enthusiasm I witnessed in the Plaza de Toros, they
are likely to continue.

When a charity bull-fight is given, as sometimes happens,
for of course it is an enormously profitable entertainment,
certain young ladies in high society are chosen as " Queens
of the Rino-." The committee ask three or four of the
prettiest and most charming maidens of the town to grace
the fight with their presence. They are given a box next
to that of the President, which is gaily decorated with
flowers for the occasion ; bouquets are placed in it for the
fair occupants, each of whom is given a badge of honour
denoting that she is Queen of the Ring.

After the death of each bull, the matador and chief
performers go up to the box to receive the ladies' con-
gratulations, and generally some decoration or badge is
pinned upon their breasts by one of the Queens.

Bull and cock-fights are the sport of Mexico, just as horse-
racing and cricket are pastimes in Britain, or trotting in
America ; but sport is one thing, cruelty to animals another.

The following, which appeared in a local paper one day
during my visit to Mexico, gives a very good idea of the
spirit of the age, and how youth is encouraged.

iSS MEXICO AS I SA IV IT.

"The exhibition given by the juvenile bull-fighters in Juarez last Sunday (Jan. 1901),
was by far the best seen there for a long time. The bulls were excellent. The
fifteen-year-old boy who officiated as matador, killed two bulls, winning the highest
applause by his clever work. When the fourth bull was turned in, the youngest of the
troupe, who is but thirteen, besought permission of the judges to kill him, and was
allowed to do so. The bull was no mean fighter, but the boy did some fine work, and
when he drove the sword in up to the hilt, the applause was deafening, and the older bull-
fighter, who acts as trainer, picked him up in his arms, and hugged him in his enthusiasm."

These boys are now heroes ! The lad of thirteen was
publicly embraced by an old and experienced bull-fighter !
He was the envy of his companions, the admired of
thousands. When babies are allowed to witness bull-
fights, and mere children take part in them, it is no wonder
that the entertainment becomes part and parcel of their
lives, therefore how is the cruel element ever to be stamped
out ?

1 89

CHAPTER XII.

CHRISTiMAS CUSTOMS AND MADAME DIAz' POSADA.

Christmas festivities in Mexico begin nine days before the
twenty-fifth of December, and end on New Year's Day.
The customs of posadas and piiiatas are peculiar to the
country, and consequently of great interest,

A few days before Christmas the Governor of the
Federal district called and said :

" Madame Diaz wishes me to invite you to her posada,
that is if you think you will not feel lonely among so many
Mexicans. She will be glad to welcome you."

I almost jumped for joy. A posada was just the thing
I wanted to see, and above all a posada given by the Presi-
dent of Mexico. I felt highly delighted at the honour,
for these posadas are family parties, and as a rule no out-
siders — not even Foreign Ministers — are invited.

The word in Spanish means "abiding-place," or " inn " ;
and while the ceremony is semi-religious, the subsequent
developments are extremely jovial. These posadas last
from December i6th to the 24th, on which latter date
Christmas proper is kept.

The wealthiest folk of Mexico, as well as the poorest
invariably hold a posada. Each year one house of a family
circle is chosen for the celebrations, and at that house for
nine consecutive nights high festival is held. The first
day one lady invites her friends, gives the presents, and

190 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

plays the role of hostess, and the next evening another takes
her place. Sometimes two or three combine forces, but
in any case, for nine consecutive nights festivities continue.

As regards the origin of the custom. We all know
"because there was no room for them in the inn," Mary
and Joseph who journeyed for nine days, were obliged to
take shelter in a stable, where the infant Christ was born.
Therefore it is that the nine days' posada characteristically
begins with the commencement of the journey from
Nazareth to Bethlehem, whither they went in obedience
to an order from the Roman Emperor that "all the world
should be taxed." Needless to say, every night they had to
find shelter at some inn, and it is in remembrance of that
nightly halt that these strange customs are kept up.

On the evening chosen for the religious service, servants
and friends attend, more soberly attired than on other
occasions. In one of the rooms an altar, decorated with
blue and white draperies, intermingled with the feathery
grey Chapultepec moss, is erected. Below in the centre is
a model of a stable, showing the child Christ, with various
small statues grouped around.

Pictures of the Virgin hang over the temporary altar, on
which candles are burning, while a dense cloud of incense
pervades the chamber.

In the better houses the Holy Family is often exquisitely
fashioned in ivory or plaster, is in fact a work of art which
can be used for years ; but as every house has some form
of Holy Family, even the very poorest investing their few
centavos to acquire the figures, they are often made after
the rudest design.

Once the party is assembled, and prayer ended, the
guests cross themselves before these images, and kneel
about the room in couples, holding lighted candles in their
hands. Children and servants always take part in these
ceremonials, and after the Mass has been read by the

CHRISTMAS CUSTOMS. 191

family priest a procession is formed. Every man, woman
and child in the establishment, candle in hand, walks two
and two through the house from basement to attic. The
figures of Mary and Joseph are borne solemnly in front,
while the worshippers intone the Litany of Loretto.

The dresses of the Holy Couple are sometimes strange.
I have seen many made of bright yellow, blue or red satin,
trimmed with tinselled borderinofs and common lace, the aneel
who hovers overhead being represented in wax of florid
colouring. In spite of this, however, the service is distinctly
religious and enthusiastic. On wanders the procession,
through the corridors and up and down the stairs, revisiting
the same rooms, and pausing now and again to knock at
some door and beg admittance. When the Litany is
finished, two or three of the party enter a room and shut
the door. Outside remain the figures of the Virgin and
Joseph, while the rest of the procession sing the following
chant, supposed to, represent the plea of Joseph for admis-
sion for his wife :

"In Heaven's Name I beg for shelter,
My wife to-night can go no further."

To which comes the reply :

" No Inn is this, begone from hence,
Ve may be thieves, I trust ye not."

The tune is one of immemorial antiquity.

After this the party is guided by the hostess to some spot
chosen for the conclusion of the ceremony. Sometimes the
roof, in which case the worshippers stumble up the stairs,
where, opening a door, they have to carefully guard their
candles from being extinguished by the night air. On the
flat roof a kind of stable has already been arranged, in which,
with the utmost reverence, the figures of Mary and Joseph
are placed. At that moment the church bells ring out the
hour of midnight, and the posada is ended, the stars

192 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

shining as brightly in the heavens as did that famous
orb, over nineteen hundred years ago, on Bethlehem.

Until quite lately, this performance at Christmas-time
was of nightly occurrence ; it then took place early in the
evening, and was followed by a dance and romp for the
children. The Church, thinking it inadvisable to join a
religious ceremony with frivolities, ordered the processional
posada should take place only on one evening of the nine.

Christmas is a great event in Mexico. These Jiesta-
loving people thoroughly enjoy their posadas and piiiatas,
quaint, picturesque customs entirely peculiar to the land.
By the middle of December the markets and squares were
crowded with booths, for the sale of Christmas dainties.
That is a universal custom throughout the length and
breadth of Mexico. The plazas and zocalos are filled with
stands groaning beneath the weight of presents, decorations
for altars, or groups for creches. In Mexico City alone
there were hundreds of these stalls containing every con-
ceivable kind of candy and sugared fruit, together with
pottery, while more particularly in connection with Christmas
appeared little figures representing sacred persons, the Three
Kings — whose fete day is the sixth of January, or Twelfth-
night — being a favourite group. These queer figures, usually
four or five inches high, are supposed to represent three
races, a Negro, a Caucasian, and a Mongolian.

Of course, the everlasting peanuts were there, Chinese
lanterns, wooden toys, hideous masks, woolly monkeys and
lambs. Among other things were a few Naguales. These
weird things are used to frighten children and make them
good. A Nagual is a horribly ugly production ; a woolly
body on four primitive little legs is given a human but
grotesque face. They are supposed to have magic power
like the devil. Of course all those sold at the fairs are toys
for children, but there are many grown-up persons who
believe that real Naguales, the size of men, exist, and that

CHRISTMAS CUSTOMS. 193

they can transform themselves and become invisible. Pro-
bably this idea of magicians is a remnant of sorcery not yet
extinct in Mexico.

Then there were reed baskets woven by the Indians,
brown glazed ware — representing man, fish, beast or fowl
— such as is made at Guadalupe ; charming dark-green
glazed pottery from Oaxaca, lustres from San Felipe, curious
toys woven from horse-hair, drawn-thread work from Aguas
Calientes, beautiful feather picture-work for which the
Indians are noted, even to-day, crypts for the posadas, of
wondrous make and ingenuity, confetti, tropical fruits, flags,
draperies, paper decorations, all these groaned on the shelves
of the booths.

It is a veritable paradise for children, and so interesting
did I find the commodities on sale at that Christmas fair,
and the strange motley of aristocratic Spaniards and
Mexican Indians, that I spent several evenings wandering
among the stalls. At one of the counters I bought several
bits of pottery, including the Three Kings — all told they
only cost about a dollar — but not exactly knowing how to
carry them home, for paper was not procurable, I spread
out a handkerchief, intending to convey them away in that
manner. The saleswoman, however, would not hear of it.
She thought I should break the precious things, and insisted
on giving me a beautiful reed basket, into which she packed
the various bits of pottery, and for which she absolutely
refused any remuneration.

In the crowd one was continually running up against
piiiatas. Now these are something particularly weird and
peculiar. In many European countries we have a
Christmas tree, but in Mexico the pinata takes its place.
One passes an Indian with a five or six feet pole swung
across his shoulder, or a bamboo reed, from which are
hanging paper dolls. These strange figures are usually
about four feet high ; they represent a clown with different

194 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

coloured arms and leQ-s, a ballet-o'irl, nio-o-er, fashionable man
or woman, a ship in full sail, or sometimes a grotesque
animal. They are all decidedly corpulent about the centre
of the body ; this is because they are full of sweets and
treasures. To keep the figure together, the form is roughly
cut out in cardboard, or lio-ht sticks are bound so as to
make the body, arms and legs. The centre is composed of
an olla or casueia, literally meaning bowl or vase. The olla
is crammed full of sweets, rattles, whistles and crackers, and
forms the centre of the grotesque figure. It is hung by
strings which come out at the head. Of course the piiiatas
can be made by the Indians for a few pence, and one at that
price is to be found in every hut. Among the rich, however,
hundreds of dollars may be contained in the pinatas, which
are broken during the Christmas festivities. There must
have been thousands of pinatas, with their gaudy colours
and streams of paper or tinsel, sold during those
days before Christmas in the public squares of Mexico ;
men and women were hawking them through the streets
continually. People were bargaining for their purchase at
every corner, and it was rather amusing to see some sedate
old papa hastening home with a tissue paper ballet-girl
of gorgeous hues and tinselled decorations under his
arm. Indeed, even a grand victoria drew up on one
occasion, and the lady inside, having taken a particular
fancy to a Mephistophelian doll, bought the same, placed
it beside her on the seat, and proceeded to drive it
solemnly home.

For a fortnio^ht excitement was in the air, Christmas on
every tongue, the entire population buying presents and
hiding them away for the great day, for the present-giving
craze exceeds anything I have ever known. It extends
outside the family to friends, and even acquaintances.

The day of Madame Diaz' posada duly arrived, and, all
excitement for such a novel party, I waited like a little

CHRISTMAS CUSTOMS. 195

girl "to be fetched." Below is a list of some of the enter-
tainers on the nine consecutive nio-hts :

Seiior Presidente Don Poifirio Diaz, Capitan Don Porfirio Diaz, Senor Jose Ives
Lini^antour (Financial Secretary), General Reyes (War Secretary), Senor Gonzalez
Cosie (Home Secretary), Senor Jose Maria Gamboa (Under Secretary, Foreign Office),
Senor Guillermo de Landa y Escandon (Governor of Federal District and Mayor),
Senor Cervantes de Riba, Senor de Teresa Miranda (Minister in \'ienna), Seiior Ignacio
Mariscal (Foreign Secretary), Senor Julio Limantour (Deputy), Seiior Tomas Moran
(Deputy), Senor Alonso Mariscal (Deputy), Seiior Genaro Raigosa (Senator), Seiior Jose
W. de Landa y Escandon (Deputy), Senor Don Sebastian Camacho (Senator), Senor
Benito Gomez Farias (Senator), Seiior Carlos Rivas (Senator), Seiior Pablo Martinez del
Rio (Deputy), Senor Cervantes, Seiior Riva y Echeverria (Deputy), Seiior Joaquin
Casasus, Seiior Pablo Macedo, Seiior Joaquin Redo (Senator), Seiior Algara (Deputy),
Seiiora T. de Rincon Gallardo, Seiior Escheverria, and their wives.

A little before eight o'clock we drove up to the stately
mansion of Senor and Senora Cervantes de Riba of
Buenavista. It was a typical Mexican home. Inside was
a large patio, probably the largest in Mexico, full of flowers
and palms, the particular joy of Senora Riba. The stone
floor had been carpeted, and small tables, arranged for
supper, stood among the palms, overhung by Chinese lan-
terns and fairy lights. The sky was shut out by an artificial
ceiling of canvas, a necessary precaution during that wintry
December, when the temperature for a whole month was
about 47 degs. F., or exactly the same as in London, where
huo^e fires were burnino- in the o-rates. In Mexico, however,
there are no fires or heating contrivances whatever, yet the
rooms are enormous, and there are great open patios every-
where. I have been in Arctic reo-ions, travelled throupfh
Norway with the thermometer at 47 degrees below freezing
point, yet I never felt so cold as in the raw dampness of
Mexico City, situated on the verge of the Tropics.

This was only in December however ; after that ex-
perience glorious bright sunny clays were universal.

Fortunately the night was fine, and all went merry as a
marriage bell. As it was the posada of the President of
the Mexican Republic and his charming wife, several extra

T 1 *

196 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

features had been added to the evening's entertainment
An order had been issued that every dancing maiden
should come in fancy dress made of paper !

It sounds impossible ; yet so deft are Mexican fingers
that the result was one of the prettiest balls I have ever
seen. Empire and Kate Greenaway styles were favourites,
and the ingenuity with which costumes and poke bonnets
were executed was remarkable. There were vivandieres and
follies ; babies, Red Riding Hoods and Charlotte Cordays ;
but one and all were garbed in paper, just simple crinkled
lamp-shade paper, sometimes of plain colours, sometimes
ornamented with floral designs ; yes, impossible as it may
sound, these dainty and artistic frocks were fashioned merely
of paper. Most of the girls had made their own dresses,
which did the greatest credit to the young ladies, whose
pretty faces were by no means marred by their curious-
textured gowns.

Most of the dancing men were attired in red dress-
coats, just like an English hunt evening dress, only the
Mexicans wore black knee breeches and silk stockings, and
had powdered their hair white.

Madame Diaz received graciously. Although the Presi-
dent and his wife hold such an honoured position, they are
not treated like royalty. No one curtseys to them, all shake
hands, yet everyone rises when they enter or leave a room,
though Madame Diaz invariably bids them remain seated.

Valses and quadrilles were in the programme ; besides
these a delightful Spanish dance was given by a couple of
handsome young people dressed as a matador and cigarette-
maker, with tambourine and mantilla.

Another very favourite movement is the Danza, which
is known from Spain to South America, from Manila to
Mexico City. It is a kind of slow Washington Post, only
that four dance together, taking hands as in the ladies' chain
in the Quadrille, and every now and then take a few turns

CHRISTMAS CUSTOMS. i97

with their own partners. It is slow, but extremely graceful,
and more than half the dances on a programme are these
stately examples of the terpsichorean art.

During the course of the evening the distribution of
presents began — a sad tax on the hostess who gives the
posada, for everyone attending bears away a memento !

Madame Diaz' presents were beautiful. Everything was
of silver — match-boxes, or cigar-cutters, for the men, flower-
vases, bonbonnieres, letter-weights, gum-bottles, or stamp-
boxes for the women. A couple of men-servants in Presi-
dential livery carried trays laden with gifts, which Madame
Diaz distributed to each of her hundred and fifty guests as a
souvenir of her ball. To me she gave a silver bonbonniere,
saying, in faultless English :

"With all kindly wishes, and hopes that you will not
forget us in England." It took the greatest lady in the
land, who has acquired the manners of a queen, quite a
long time to walk round the spacious rooms, and she did so
while dancing was going on, not to interfere with the
pleasure of the younger folk. I say "younger" advisedly,
for a married woman in Mexico, be she only seventeen, as
is often the case, rarely dances. In fact, the life of a
Mexican woman is not a jovial one ; she marries straight
from the convent or school, and her home is her horizon.
Very ideal no doubt, but rather dull.

About ten o'clock we were called to view the fireworks.
At the back of the house is a balcony from which, muffled
in cloaks, we witnessed the display. Fire balloons, rockets,
Catherine wheels, all went off in grand fashion, and soared
away into those starry deep black heavens.

Now arrived the moment for breaking the pifiata. Hang-
ing in the garden below were three — a ballet-dancer, a ship,
and a clown — each full of sweets, whistles, jumping frogs,
confetti, wonderful puzzles, crackers, or such-like toys. The
youngest little girl present was blindfolded, given a stick.

198 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

and told to go and strike a piiiata ; after several fruitless
attempts, amid much laughter, she succeeded in hitting the
hanging treasure, when down came the shower, and everyone
scrambled on hands and knees for the contents. Three were
broken in succession amid shrieks of joy and laughter, in
which old and young joined heartily.

At about 11.30 supper was served. All the younger
folk tripped off to the little tables in the hall downstairs,
where the bright dresses and scarlet coats looked lovely
among the green palms and red shaded candles. Never have
I seen a prettier effect than that splendid patio, with its red
carpet and marble stairs, the fancy dresses, and the dainty
tables arranged so cunningly among sheltering foliage.

About thirty guests were invited to the private dining-
room of the President and Madame Diaz on the first floor,
where the drawino-rooms and best bedrooms all led out of
one another. I was fortunate enough to be among the
honoured few, and found a most delightful companion in
the famous Minister of Finance, Senor Jose Limantour
who, being of French extraction, had been educated in that
country, and conversation was consequently an easy matter.
The Marquis de Corvera (Spanish Minister), also proved
interesting, and I thoroughly enjoyed my Christmas supper-
party ! Roses decorated the table, grown out of doors,
despite the cold weather ; a problem I never succeeded in
solving, for though in Britain roses cannot grow out of doors
in a temperature of 47 deg. F., yet in Mexico they flourish
and are beautiful.

Hot soup was followed by cold meats, chicken, salad,
creams and strawberries — also grown out of doors, but not
at such an elevation as the City, for they came from the
lower lands, where they grow all the year round.

After supper the Presidential party left. All rose, and
with a pretty "good-bye," and thanks for drinking her
health, Madame Diaz disappeared, followed by the owner

CHRISTMAS CUSTOMS. i99

of the house and the Ministers, who escorted the President
and herself to their carriage. We proceeded to eat ices, at
least those of us who did not find them too cold.

It was half-past one before we left, feeling we had
enjoyed a most delightful evening, thoroughly appreciating
this peep into the Christmas party of the highest in the
land. It was truly a family party ! Everyone was related
to everyone else, for these good old Spanish families have
numerous children who marry and intermarry until every-
body is a sister or brother-in-law, a cousin, a nephew or a
niece ! As if this endless relationship were not enough,
others are added. For instance, God-parents are very im-
portant people, almost as important as relations ; the god-
father is styled Padrino, the god-mother JMadrina, and they
are Compadres to the child's parents. Now these compadres
become spiritually related to the child's parents, wedded, sc
to speak, by the bonds of the Church, and supposing that
Mrs. A.'s husband dies, and Mr. S. — who is the dearest
friend of the family, and the Padrino of her child — falls in
love with Mrs. A. ; why, he must not marry her, for the
Church forbids compadres to marry. But in the same way
that the Roman Catholic Church forbids divorce, dispensa-
tions are not entirely unknown !

God-parents look upon their office as a sacred one ; they
take the spiritual life of the child in their hands, and if the
parents die, often fill their place towards the god-child.

An infant is christened a few days after its birth, and
among the common people the father and his compadres
give a dance in honour of the event. The mother is barely
out of danger, but unless she is seriously ill, her husband
gives his ball and makes merry. Then a printed notice
called Bollo, is sent to friends, to notify that A. B.C. was

baptised on such a day, and the god-parents were .

At the top of the card is a coin, a real coin ; to near relations
a small gold dollar is affixed, to mere friends a tiny silver

200 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

piece, emblematic of comfort and good fare for the new-born
babe. Even to-day a twenty-dollar gold coin is given by the
compadres to the doctor, midwife, father, mother and priest.

It must be terribly expensive to be a compadre, for the
god-parents give a child, besides the ordinary cup and bowl,
all its smart clothes for the christening ! Robe, cloak, etc. —
made of the most expensive lace and embroidery among rich
folk ; and a small charm or mascot is given to the baby,
and hung round its neck for luck.

Then, again, as soon as the populace become aware a
wealthy christening is in progress, they all flock to the
church door, because the compadres are expected to
distribute " bolla," or money to the indigent. Handfuls of
coins are thrown and scrambled for by the crowd. Poor
compadres ! Their purses must be considerably lighter at
the end of the day's festivities !

When that child is confirmed, new compadres are often
chosen, or again, when the Christmas altar is packed up
and put away, the youth and maid chosen to fill the sacred
and solemn office, become compadres for the occasion.
Again, at a party lots may be drawn, and the man to whose
care a girl chances, finds himself her compadre for the even-
ing, and is bound to look after her every want. There is no
end to the compadre business, and to a stranger it appears as
though everyone must be a relation or compadre of somebody
else, so small and select is the society of Mexico City.

Up to the time of Cortes it was quite common for
parents to sacrifice their newly-born babes ; but these days
have long gone by, and the compadres look after them
if the parents in any way fail ; and to-day, especially
among the poor Indians, the parents try to beg, borrow or
steal a piece of coral to put on the infant to protect it
from harm. They are most superstitious !

As we drove home in the still hours of the night, after
that wonderful posada, we passed a solitary beggar, a poor

CHRISTMAS CUSTOMS. 201

wretch lying huddled up on one of those wide doorsteps.
Beggars are to a certain extent licensed in Mexico, that is
to say, if a person be an invalid or cripple, and have no
way of earning money, he is given permission to beg. This
is not, however, allowed in the chief streets, and generally
the outside of some church door is allotted to the candidate.

Should the applicants be merely destitute, they are sent
to an asylum and obliged to perform a small amount of
work. Children under fifteen are provided with permission
for the sale of papers, otherwise if they attempt to dispose of
such they are run in and sent off to schools of correction.

I was happy and tired that night when I drove home,
and among other new experiences, this " elderly scribe " had
been guilty of her first valse on Mexican soil. Oh dear !
what a breathless entertainment it proved !

Mexico City is nearly 8,000 feet above sea-level. It
is not everyone who can stand the altitude, and only those
who settle there while young ever get accustomed to it.
The first time I ran upstairs it was a horrible shock. Old
age seemed suddenly to have overtaken me. Was the
editor of M.A.P. right ?

One is apt to forget that at such a tremendous altitude —
for there is no large town in Europe situated so high —
the heart has to do 30% more work than is required of it
lower down, because the blood takes up less oxygen as it
passes through the lungs, and causes breathlessness. The
heart, which in every-day circumstances jogs along quietly
and does its best, rebels when required to run or dance, and
the result is palpitation ! Another thing I noticed in connec-
tion with these altitudes, namely, that both in ascending and
descending 10,000 feet in the train, I experienced a curious
feeling of nausea and buzzing in the head. It was only
temporary, but such different altitudes, covered in a few
hours, affect even the strongest.

202

CHAPTER XIII

ODDS AND ENDS.

" Will you take me to a real Mexican Restaurant?" I
asked Mr. O' Brian, the stepson of Mr. Justice Wurtele, of
Montreal. " Nothing grand, just the common sort of eating-
house, where the real native takes his meal ? "

"Certainly ; you won't like it, but you shall go, of
course," he replied. Accordingly, off we started about
seven o'clock one evening to the representative meal. I
wore an old black dress, left my watch and brooches at
home, and felt ready for a peep into native life.

Arrived at the Meson de las Ratas (House of the Rats, a
well-known haunt of pickpockets), my companion opened
the door.

" If it is ^00 primitive just tell me," he said, " and we will
go elsewhere."

My heart failed me for a moment. The room, and a
couple of rooms beyond, were full of men. They wore
large felt or straw hats ; many were attired in cotton shirts,
others had red blankets thrown around them. They were
of the people — there was no doubt about that — and the
only two women present had shawls over their heads.

" This will do, it is just the thing, and now we must
have real Mexican dishes," I replied.

Accordingly we sat down at a small table. Suddenly, I
remembered I had not taken off my rings, and feeling the

Drnaincnlalions from Aztec Wall of .Ser]5ents.

Stone scrpciu'.s lic;ul lioni Wall of ScrpenL^

[ To face page 202.

ODDS AND ENDS. 203

diamonds might attract attention which would end in trouble,
I slipped them from my fingers under the table, and asked
my host to put them in his waistcoat pocket.

Before the menu arrived, a bundle of knives and forks
were thrust on the marble table before us, and sticking on to
the ends of the forks were rolls of bread. Dish No. i was
Huevos Rancheros, which means eggs served ranche fashion.
A couple of eggs are fried for a portion, put on to a plate
and covered over with chilli sauce. Everything Mexican has
chilli in it, and, not infrequently, garlic ! How the folk eat
all the peppers, chillis, and survive, is marvellous, but they do !

This experiment was hot, well-served, and delicious, despite
the sanded floor and primitive surroundings. i\fter it came
Enchiladas. This dish was composed of four tortillas over-
lapping one another on the plate, sprinkled with cheese
and onion, and ornamented with a lettuce leaf and radishes,
the whole well soaked in chilli sauce. That sauce almost
killed me ; it was so hot that I was obliged to open my
mouth and gasp !

"Now you must have some pulque,'' said my friend, and
accordingly I drank some of that milk and watery-looking
liquid which comes into Mexico City by train loads every
morning, after being extracted from the cactus. It smelt
like bad cheese, but, though tasting horrid, it was just
possible to drink it. Before we left the table several of
our companions were the worse for pulque, one of the
curses of Mexico. A man will go out and pawn his coat
for this drink, return and pawn his hat or knife, anything
and everything, in order to obtain the soddening liquid.
It does not excite, it appears to deaden and dull the senses.

Seeing what looked like olives upon the table, as my
tongue was still burning, I popped one into my mouth.
Lo ! it was a chililos, or small green chilli, and my plight was
worse than ever. I did not find it "chilly," or even cooling,
but rather like a live volcano ! Tears began to flow, my

204 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

lips to swell, and I felt wretched ; yet Mexicans eat whole
dishes of these between the courses, as we nibble nuts.
What sort of palates have they, I wonder ?

Our third course consisted of Chiles rellefws, i.e., green
peppers stuffed with cream cheese. These peppers look
almost like green figs, and although terribly hot, have a
nice flavour, but as they are not spicy enough to suit the
Mexican palate, the inevitable chilli sauce was dashed over
them likewise. Last came another national dish, namely,
frijoles, or beans. Served with thick brown sauce, parmesan
cheese, and crisply-toasted tortilla, they were excellent.

It interested me much to see the way these people ate.
Few of them used forks, they merely doubled bits of tortilla
in such a way that they could use them as knife, fork or
spoon, shovelled up what they wanted, and popped their
server and food into their mouth together. They placed
their elbows on the table with each new dish, and bending
well over it, gobbled everything up without lifting their
arms from the table. Every man tipped up his plate and
drank the gravy with a good deal of noise.

During this wonderful repast, which cost one shilling and
tenpence for two, we had various entertainments, though
we ourselves appeared to form the chief amusement of the
evening, judging by the way our companions stared. A
musical performer came in, and doffing his hat — all the
guests sat in theirs, for there was no room to put down
anything so enormous — whistled an imitation of various
instruments. The guitar and banjo were particularly good.
Several of the guests perused the newspaper Government
subsidises to encourage reading, which is sold at about one
farthing a copy. Two or three years ago the sight of a
Mexican reading would have been impossible.

It was all very entertaining ; when suddenly a tre-
mendous row took place. Some of the dogs, lying at the
feet of their masters, began to fight. An impromptu dog

ODDS AND ENDS. 205

war began. Up jumped the guests, some on to the chairs
and tables, others took their hats off and flung them at the
animals, but a real scuffle and terrible noise ensued, and
it was some minutes before one of the combatants was
forcibly ejected with kicks and thumps into the street, and
order reigned again.

I thoroughly enjoyed my evening in that " tavern in the
town," though the neighbourhood was risky, and probably
every man at the tables wore his knife, while many carried
a revolver. An Indian is ready to use either weapon at a
moment's notice. Travellers, however, are safe in Mexico
unless they annoy or insult the people ; if they do, then
woe betide them !

Speaking of the populace reminds me of the extraordinary
cruelty to animals seen in the streets of Mexico, aye, and
to children also. Small girls of four and five stagger along,
carrying heavy babies, boys of six and seven bear weights
upon their heads a mile and more from the markets that
simply horrify a stranger. Poor little people, they seem
all shrunken up under their dreadful loads ; but that is
nothing compared with what the animals suffer. There are
a few electric tram lines, and about a dozen drawn by
mules, all skin and bone ; cabhorses are in like case, and
when drawing carts, or carrying packs, the mules will
actually lie down and die in the street, while men try to
kick and beat them back to life. It is a disgrace to
humanity ! Where is the Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals ?

The origin of much of this is the pulque shop.
The public-house is the club of the poor Britisher ; the
saloon is the American's lounge, and the pulque shop of
Mexico City is the Indian's Haven of Rest, although he
really finds no rest there.

Our public-houses prove attractive at night chiefly owing
to the warmth and glow reflected by their windows ; so

2o6 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

attractive, indeed, are the coloured lights and the atmosphere
of comforting heat, that one can hardly wonder if poor,
shivering, half-starved humanity enters. Perhaps it is their
misfortune, not their fault, that they have no comfortable
home, no club, probably no fire. Here they find all, and
for the paltry sum of twopence, poor wretches !

'Tis otherwise with the pulque shops, where there are no
seats. They are all closed by law at five o'clock, therefore a
man must do his drinking during the day, and it is wonderful
what a large amount he manages to consume ere shutting-
up time.

Passing along a Mexican street one notices a sour smell ;
it is caused by the half-fermented pulque. The shop has
no windows, merelv laroe doors, over which are huno-
fringes of coloured paper to attract attention, or perhaps
flies ! The walls are painted everywhere with strange
mermaids or dolphins, volcanoes or boats, according to the
fanciful name of the shop. Inside it might pass for a
china warehouse, owing to the rows of plates, jugs and
mugs ranged upon the wall. These have nothing to do
with pulque, they are merely for ornament, but there they
are in hundreds. The milk-like liquid is sold in tumblers.
^Men, women, children, aye, and babies who can barely
toddle, all drink their pulque standing at the counter until —
well, until they can stand no longer, when they just fall
down, and I have never seen such "dead-drunk" people as
those suffering from an excess of pulque ; they lie as if dead,
in the true sense of the word, until they have slept off its
effects. \

A remnant of old picture writing still remains in Mexico,
as in Holland. Before they knew how to write the name
of the owner of a shop, they painted a sign by which the
place could be recognised. Even to-day these extra-
ordinary pictures are to be seen in all the lower parts of
the town, the walls are like grotesque picture books, and

Man and gourd, with which he extracts pulque (the drink of the
country) from the mague plant.

[ To face page 206.

ODDS AND ENDS.

207

even in the better quarters titles are given to the shops
instead of the owners' names. Some of them are funny
and extremely inappropriate. The drink shops perhaps
choose the strangest, a few of which we give haphazard.

In Remembrance of the P\ilure . Pulque

The Avenger ,,

The Last Days of Pompeii ... ,,

Star of Bethlehem , ,

The Peace of Cuba ,,

The Sorrow ,,

The Arts

The Mad King ,,

The Little Hill

Diana's Saloon ,,

Temple of Love ...'.. ,,

The White Rose

Toad in the Hole Butcher

(hangs out a red flag to denote

he has freshly-killed meat).

Daughter of Snow Butcher

The Gladiator . . . Fruit and Vegetables
The Three Graces ■ ,,

Golden Star Grocer}-

Adam and Eve ,,

The Senator Barber's Shop

The Blue Horse .... ,,

The Fountain of Gold . . ,,

The Wolf in a Cage ... ,,

Sacred Heart of Jesus .... Baker
The Pearl of Saint Catherine Pawnbroker
The Ideal of Art .... ,,

The Rose of the Sea ... , ,

Shower of Gold .... ,,

To show the primitive methods which still obtain in this
great capital, I may mention that the streets are watered
by men with pails ! And this in Mexico, which at certain
seasons of the year (just before the rains of summer) is
quite the dustiest city in the world. Out they come by
dozens, these Indians with their cans, and inch by inch en-
deavour to water the town. It is but an endeavour, for
the sun is hot, and in a quarter of an hour the place
becomes as dry as ever !

There are no bath-chairs ; but there are invalids — how
can it be otherwise at such an altitude ? In this respect
again the arrangements are truly wonderful.

Mexicans carry everything on their head or back, and no
weight seems too heavy for them. The result is they have a
sort of box-like chair with a foot-board, strapped to their
shoulders on which the invalid takes his airing, back to back
with his bearer. It looks most uncomfortable for both
parties. The feet come somewhere about the porter's waist
and the body a little higher. Of course, the sick man

2o8 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

has to ride backwards, and so high up one would imagine
he must feel insecure ; but apparently this is not the
case, for I once walked for a long distance behind a fat
old gentleman who, while being carried, complacently read
his newspaper.

Furniture removing is another strange performance ; there
are no vans, so everything has to be carried to its destination.
Four men, each holding the end of a pole, trot along with a
heavy wardrobe suspended therefrom, and as the streets are
not over wide, and the traffic considerably congested by
tram-cars, the width of a wardrobe passing along does not
tend to make matters less difficult.

The town is built on a swamp, consequently water does
not easily run away. When I was there all the drains were
up — they had been up for a year, and seemed likely to be
up for several more. But for the odours emitted, it would
have been quite interesting to watch the men working in the
depths of inky black mud. It was hot work, and a pair
of cotton trousers constituted their sole apparel, as they
burrowed in liquid mud, converted into a veritable flood by
recent rains.

Mexico is built more or less on piles, no longer sticking
up above the surface as in old Aztec days ; thus it happens
many of the houses and churches are crooked. The
foundations being swampy and insecure, earthquakes upset
the perpendicular. 'Tis a city of crooked perpendiculars.

Dreadful smells issue from the open drains, and it is
little wonder that the death-rate averages sixty per thousand.
Looking down the new sewers one could see water four feet
below the surface — black, filthv-smellino; water. How
strange, when one remembers the City was completely flooded
a couple of hundred years ago, and again in a lesser degree
since, the authorities have never moved it to higher ground.
The natives do not seem to mind odours and want of sanita-
tion, or the extraordinary sights one sees at every street corner

ODDS AND ENDS. 209

would not be permitted. Honi soil qui mal y pense, but in
these days of advanced civilisation, their indifference strikes
a strano'er as extraordinarv.

On one occasion I actually saw a military band giving an
afternoon concert round an open sewer ! It was their habit
to play every Thursday afternoon in that thoroughfare, and
although the entire street was up, and black mud and drain
pipes littered the pathway, yet the band found standing
room among the debris, and, unhindered by awful odours,
gave their usual concert, the Mexican Indians thoroughly
enjoying the combined music and smells !

When digging at the back of the Cathedral, where the
great Aztec Temple once stood, some wonderful remains
were unearthed. I saw the great altar just as it was found
in the black mud. It weighed some tons, and was almost
perfect ; indeed, it will be one of the most interesting relics
in the Museum hard by. Skulls, cross bones, and other
devices are carved upon it, forming a frieze a yard wide.
It is one metre ninety-two centimetres wide in front, and the
sides are one metre sixty-hve centimetres in length. There
are four rows of skulls, each row composed of seven skulls
and six pairs of cross bones. The skulls are in profile, and
the cross bones are short and thick. They alternate,
instead of the cross bones being placed under the skulls as
we are accustomed to see them.

The top of the stone slab was covered originally with
skulls and cross bones of the same character, painted in blue
and white, parts of which are worn off. At one corner is a
niche in which were found several pieces of charred bone.
Three steps led up to the monument from the front. It
was evidently used as an altar, and in the opinion of
archaeologists who have seen it, was for purposes sacrificial.
From its position it must have been near the great sacri-
ficial altar of the main temple, was probably built some time
betore, and no doubt was one of the chain of chapels which

2IO MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

surrounded the main temple originally and were used for
worship before the latter was completed.

Father Hunt Cortes, a delightful priest of Irish extrac-
tion, and one of the greatest Aztec scholars in Mexico,
declares that this altar was built by the conquered people of
Cuitlahuac.

A hundred feet away was discovered another enormous
stone, which looked like an engraved baptismal font ; but
Senor Leopoldo Batres, the Government Inspector, said it
had been used for sacrificial bones, and he believed the
things he had found in that sewer were all prior to Monte-
zuma, probably belonging to the 12th century. He gave
me a couple of whistles, cut out of shells, found close to
the altar.

A hundred years before the main Aztec Temple was built,
side chapels, seventy-eight in number, were erected round
the main site. Two of these side chapels — described by
Sahagun, as existing in the time of Cortes' invasion, were
found in December, 1900, during the excavations in Esca-
lilleras Street. They are the chapels of Fenecatl, the God
of Air, and Teoymique, the Goddess of Death.

These have been by far the most important discoveries
made for many years in Mexico. They included idols of all
sizes, gold ornaments, a thousand jade beads — such jade
had never before been found in Mexico, China being the
nearest point — censers of pottery, in which incense was
burnt. These look like frying-pans, in the bottom of which
a,re holes to allow a draught, and the handles are carved with
serpents' heads. Copal is still burnt for incense in some
parts of Mexico in vessels somewhat similar. Fragments of
copal, which still retain the scent, look like bits of limestone.
Sacrificial knives were also found, calendar stones, coloured
pottery, carved shells, and ornamented stones of all kinds.

It is supposed that the Aztec Temple and its chapels
covered twenty acres of ground, and there is now an idea of

Drainage excavations, Escalcrillas Street, in which over ten tons of Aztec treasures

were found.

Aztec altar exactly as found in the drains.

[ To face page 210.

'^ n

M 5

O ■"
r: ^

ODDS AND ENDS, 211

excavating in front of the present Cathedral and under the
chief square of the town, in order to unearth the entire
Aztec teocalli, and perhaps find Montezuma's lost treasure.

As soon as the first objects were discovered, Seiior Batres
was appointed to look after the work, and General Diaz
wisely recommended a grant for the excavations to be pur-
sued with care ; results have more than repaid the expense.

Two idols were first discovered, about thirty feet below
the surface of the road. They represent Xehecatl, the God
of the air, and his friend Quetzalcoatl. The former is not
well carved, and is rather weird about the lower regions.
Beside him were found gold jewels, earrings, a head orna-
ment and breast-plate. These figures are fifty-six centi-
metres high, and stand on bases twenty centimetres square.
Wonderful to relate, in spite of having lain for seven centuries
in the wet mud on which Mexico is built, the colours upon
these curious figures are quite distinct.

A number of skulls were found, the tops generally per-
forated with small holes ; probably they were some of the
136,000 human skulls, victims of war, which Cortes saw
suspended upon a wooden frame-work. They are almost
identical with the modern Aztecs, the frontal bones are nearly
fiat, and do not in the least resemble any Anglo-Saxon race.

The knives discovered, probably sacrificial, are of
obsidian ; the spearheads of fiint.

Twenty metres of the famous " Wall of Serpents " were
exhumed, eight feet in height and very thick. It was
unfortunately crumbling. Records relate that this wall
(Coatepantli) entirely surrounded the Temple, and that at
measured distances enormous serpents' heads were carved.
Many of them have now been found. They are rudely
carved, but none the less interesting for that. One of
them was a metre long, by half a metre thick.

W. W. Blake, in his work on Toltec and Aztec antiquities,
surmises that there were at least two hundred and eight of

14*

212 MEXICO AS 1 SAW IT.

these heads. " A serpent," he says, "in pagan monuments,
is a sure sign of Phallic worship." So the ancients may
have been as fond of pulque or its equivalent as the
moderns.

When men were digging in the drains, amongst the
various things dug up was a large earthenware olla,
standing about a metre high, which had formerly been used
for burning a perpetual fire in the temple. Originally
painted blue and white, some of the colouring still remains.

One of the stone slabs is supposed to be a replica of the
Book of Famine. The people were without seed, and
when at last the rain mercifully fell, crops sprang from the
ground ; this slab was hewn as a token of gratitude. It
represented the sun with streams of water issuing from the
centre. The rock of famine itself has not been found,
although described in ancient history.

The eagle, still representative of Mexico, dates from the
old Aztec days. Indeed, among the treasures discovered in
the underground workings was a stone with a carved eagle
upon it. This was the date stone or almanac, and each
animal represented a day or a month. Strangely enough,
all but five of the days of the month were the same as
in China, which again shows a connection between the
ancients of Mexico and the Chinese people.

One of the gods was particularly fascinating. In his
sitting position he seemed about three feet high. He was
christened the Indio Triste, or sad Indian, a name derived
from his pensive expression, and his countenance is certainly
characteristic of the title.

- A couple of stone cylinders, representing the Aztec cycle
of fifty-two years (not fifty-two weeks), by which arrange-
ment time was measured, as we mete out a century, were
dug out. The first is one and a quarter metres high, the
other about three quarters of a metre ; both were perfect,
and handsomely carved.

Replica of Book of Famine.

Aztec eagle.

}tludcrn Indian in dug-out canoe, \'iga Canal.

[ To face page 212

ODDS AND ENDS. 213

Another stone slab found near the statue of <Tlaloc, god
of rains, is a good specimen of Aztec carving.

It would take pages to give a list of all these wonderful
discoveries, which represent as much again as previously
existed in the Mexican Museum ; suffice it to say there
were models of musical instruments, flageolets, drums, turtle
shells made into drums, with stag-horns to beat them, and
rattles. Strangely enough, the same kind- of rattle is used
to-day by the modern Aztec in the Sierra Madre for
frightening birds.

These Aztec antiquities are to end their days in the
Museum, which already contains the finest collection in the
world. I was kindly shown over this Museum by Sefior
Jesus Galindo y Villa and Dr. Manuel Urbina, both officials
who have written interestino^ books on the various treasures.
So much for the past, now for the present.

Life has little value, and death many quaint interests, in
Mexico. All corpses must be buried within twenty-four
hours, as in other tropical countries. This necessitates
considerable expedition, and owing to the enormous death-
rate, everything is done to help forward speedy funerals.

Coffins are kept ready-made. In the case of poor people
— and it is among the poorer classes one finds distinct
manners and customs — one of the family goes off the
moment his friend is dead, buys a coffin, or if too poor
merely hires it for the day, after which, shouldering the
ghastly burden on high, he walks home. One can see
people any day carrying coffins.

The corpse is attired in all its best. A gentleman is
garbed in his dress-suit, a lady in her newest silk gown,
adorned with jewels, sometimes all the family treasures,
although these are wisely taken off before the corpse is
buried, to prevent theft from the dead body which would
otherwise be speedily dug up and pilfered. Candles are
placed near the departed, and the plate of salt so common

214 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

to all countries is well in evidence, reminding one more
particularly of the Highlands of Scotland.

Until quite recently it was the fashion to bury all the dead
clothed as nuns and friars, so reverenced was the Church,
and at that time whole families were constantly employed
in making suqh grave clothes for sale. Even to-day,
among some of the more conservative families, the corpse
is dressed in this manner. These grave-clothes are called
mortaja, but the fashion is dying out, and " best clothes "
are more universal,

Mexico boasts no ordinary hearse, with horses and black
trappings. Every coffin, whether it belong to the rich or
the poor, must go to its appointed cemetery on a tram-line
in a properly-arranged car. These may be seen any day, at
any hour, following the general tram-cars.

In the case of rich people a handsome black car is used,
and flowers are put upon the coffin, which lies under a
canopy, and behind this hearse on rollers comes the car
conveying men friends ; women do not as a rule attend
funerals. The cemeteries are miles out of the town, and the
mules gallop at a great pace ; the second half of the burial
service is read at the grave side, as no corpse is allowed
to be carried into a place of worship.

Now occurs a strange ceremony ; the coffin is never
screwed down, it is fastened by a lock, secured with due
pomp, the key being held by the chief mourner. At the
grave side, before the coffin is lowered into the earth, the
nearest relative unfastens it, so that the Manager of the
^Cemetery may look inside and satisfy himself it contains
a corpse, which other friends identify, after which he relocks
it. Opening the coffin at the last moment is enforced by
law, to prevent murder or fraud. When the coffin is lowered,
the key is given back to the chief mourner.

In the case of children a white car is used, and a doctor
told me that in one instance which came under his personal

ODDS AND ENDS. 215

notice, a bejewelled child of ten was laid on a white satin
pillow with a wreath of flowers upon its head, its lips and
cheeks rouged, and its eyebrows marked in black.

What strano;e funeral customs this world can show !
Mexico has another weird and remarkable side. Those
public funeral cars are most gruesome ; " sardine boxes "
some wag called them. They are black wooden vehicles
with three small doors in a row ; each door hides three
shelves, one above the other, like a wine bin, and into
these the hired coffins are run. At the top of each set
is a chimney. I myself have seen a coffin placed on chairs
in the street, waiting for the public hearse to come and fetch
it. Behind this dreadful-lookinQ; hearse comes the tram-car
marked " Funebre," into which the relatives and friends
jump, and ride off to the cemetery.

/ Poor people never leave a corpse till closed up ; they are
afraid lest evil spirits should run away with it, or do it any
harm, so they lay it out, place candles around, get in a large
supply of pulque and settle down to a sort of Irish wake.
They drink hard, sing, even dance and make merry. How
strange that this should be the custom in so many countries
far apart ! Indian corn on the cob is generally placed in
coffins throughout Mexico, so that the dead may not be
hungry on their way to another land, just as the Aztecs
did thousands of years ago !

All Souls' Day is the great fete of the dead. From the
first streaks of dawn whole families may be seen plodding to
the cemeteries. They take candles and food, and spend the
day among the graves. Masses are said, and a form of
ancestral worship is practised, such as still obtains in China,
and somewhat similar to what is prevalent every Friday
(their Sunday) in Morocco, when the women enjoy their
weekly outing by wailing over the graves of their Moham-
medan forefathers.

In Mexico candles are planted round the grave, lighted

2i6 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

and left to burn themselves out. Flowers are placed upon
the tomJD, and the family picnic close by, tell and re-tell
stories of the dear departed whose death they have come
to mourn, and whose virtues they wish to perpetuate. They
leave the remnants of the feast behind, and dogs are muzzled
that they may not steal food intended for the dead.

This feast of All Souls is one of the events of the year.
In such places as Aguas Calientes, if there have been a death
during the preceding year, an open coffin is placed in the
room, and the bereaved family sit round it in commemora-
tion, mourn and relate the good qualities of their lost relative.
In other parts " dead tables" are arranged. Quite a line of
■these tables may be seen in a cemetery. A skull, bowl of
holy water, and candles are essential, and whatever food,
drink or smoke the survivors can afford. Sweets made to
represent skulls, cross-bones, corpses and other weird things,
find a ready sale during All Souls' Festival. These are called
Mtie7^tos, and many of them are only made to commemorate
the dead. Toys, too, are fashioned in the form of miniature
coffins, funeral cars, skeletons and devils, as reminders to
children that death is ever present. Professor Starr
made a splendid collection of these strange things, and gave
them to the Folk Lore Society of London.

The Cemetery of Dolores, one of many, is most pic-
turesque, but it also has its weird side. For instance,
visitors, mourners and coffins all arrive by tram ! At the
gates are lodges, outside which are seats for friends and
trestles for coffins. Amongst the various notices posted up
may be read :

First class grave, digging and tilin

I . .10 do

lars Mexican (about £\).

,, ,, for children

• 5

Earth grave. Digging .

. I

First class grave in perpetuity

. 200

,, ,, for seven years

. 60

Second ,, ,,

. 2

Sixth

. Free.

I. Urns for cremated hones. 2. Spoons for burning incense.

4. Tlaloc, god of rains.

3. Arrow lieads.

To face pa i;e 217.]

ODDS AND ENDS. 217

This is the o-ist of the announcement ; we saw its
practical side later.

In the poorer part of the cemetery we came upon an
acre of ground with hundreds of empty graves, so full,
indeed, that there was barely a foot of earth between one
set and the next. They were literally as close as possible.
This ground had been cleared, that is to say the allotted
seven years having expired, the tombs had been emptied —
the bones removed, but bits of old broken coffins, which
had escaped burning, still lay about. We saw piles of
human bones later, thrust into caves or stowed away in great
chambers made for the purpose. Skulls^arms, legs, every
part, in fact, of what had once been living people, were all
huddled together like mere rubbish.
^ The Aztecs cremated their dead — but Catholic Mexicans
keep the bones and burn the coffins.

In the better part of the cemetery flowers abound, red and.
pink wild geraniums, iris and arum lilies clustered every-
where. It seemed to be the fashion to mount a photograph
of the dear departed into the headstone ; some of these
pictures were weird ; they were generally photographs, much
discoloured by age, but mounted right into the marble slab,
and covered with glass.

Leaving the cemetery, we noticed masses of colour on
one of the handsomest graves ; going nearer to investigate,
we found that it was decorated with paper flowers, wreaths
of bright pink, yellow, green or white artificial blooms.
They were quite common things, made probably by the
family at home, but oh ! so gorgeous. I was preparing
to take a photograph of such strange trophies so incon-
gruously coupled with the most solemn ending of life,
when I heard voices, and going round to the other side
of the grave, was surprised to find a picnic party ! Five
people dressed in sad habiliments of woe, sitting near the
head-stone with lighted candles beside them, were heartily

2i8 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

enjoying their luncheon. My photograph was never taken,
ahhough they all seemed so jovial they would probably
have enjoyed the performance, but I passed on.

This queer picnic party had come out to the cemetery
to honour a dead relative on his saint's name day ; but some-
how their clothes of deepest black, and the grave, seemed
out of keeping with a picnic, and the decorations would
have been more suitable for a Christmas tree.

On another occasion I saw a baby's strange funeral.
It was proceeding along a country road. The mother
carried an empty coffin, while the father bore his "angel"
on his head. The child had been laid out on a board,
dressed up to resemble some saint, such as San Antonio
de Padua, El Santo Nifio de la Dolorosa, or San Luis
Gonzaga — a favourite method of procedure — and flowers
and festoons hung all around the child, while above
the little body was an arch of flowers. When they
reached the cemetery, the "angel" would be put into
the coffin and buried.

'Twas a touching scene I once came upon. A child
had died ; it was only a baby — eight or ten months old,
perhaps — still, its little life was ended. It had opened
its eyes on the beauties of this world merely to close them
again-. Its ears had heard the note of the mocking bird,
smiles had played upon its features ; but that note would
never cause another flicker of pleasure. The child was
dead, and the mocking bird's song was its funeral dirge.

Poor mother ! She was only a child herself, little more
than fourteen, and yet the chord of maternity had been
struck, deeply, oh so deeply, down in her woman's heart.
I looked at her mourning over her baby. Was ever
more pathetic scene enacted in this world than the child-
mother bewailing the loss of her baby doll ? The little
thing was stretched out on a grass mat, and sitting on
her heels beside it was the poor mother who had given

ODDS AND ENDS. 219

it life. She was not crying. Some grief is too deep for
tears ; she was barely moaning as she swayed herself to
and fro and clenched her hands till the blood almo&t
gushed from her slim brown fingers.

Poor, pretty little soul, how sad she was! Her baby,
her angel, was dead. There seemed nothing left now.
It was all she had ; what were the few reeds composing
the hut, or the bits of pottery ; what was even the little
picture of the Virgin of Guadalupe above her altar,
when her babe was dead ? The men would be in from
the fields presently, and then the singing and noise and
death rites would begin. Rockets and fireworks would be
sent off to tell Heaven another child's soul was soaring to
the angels. Now, however, she was alone, these precious
moments were hers, all hers ; she was growing from a child
to a woman over the corpse of her own baby !
\/ To turn to things more cheerful, the street cries of
Mexico are varied and numerous. All day, from 4 a.m. to
10 p.m. the cries may be heard.

" Gorditasde Horno,"^ — " Corncakes hot from the oven," is a favourite cry.

" Toman nues," — " Will you have nuts ? " which said nuts are sold by the sack load,
from the street gutter.

" Carbosin," — " Charcoal, sir ? " A few lumps, enough to fill one hand, are sold at
a time, and serve to cook the family food for a whole day. They are placed in a soup-
plate and coaxed into flame by a reed-plaited fan.

They have the strangest methods of brushing a room. To
begin with, the housemaids are men ! They do everything.

To sweep a floor a wet duster is tied to a piece of stick
about a yard long. This is merely flicked over the floor, and
being wet licks up the dust. In a house, church, or museum,
one often sees a man at work with his drapeador, which
he rinses out in a pail whenever he thinks fit. Needless to
remark, the corners of the rooms never get cleaned out ! In
grand houses the floors are entirely carpeted (no parquet or
rugs), and then a broom has to be brought into requisition.

When employers want to summon a servant, they do not

220 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

ring a bell, for the simple reason that there seldom are any,
they just clap their hands. It sounded funny at first. A
man would go out on to the balcony of the patio, and clap
his hands, when at once a servant appeared.

Domestics do not live luxuriously ; they exist on tortillas,
and hot sauces, and generally sleep rolled up in a blanket on
the floor. In one hotel at which I stayed, the lady and
gentleman occupying the room next to mine had a man-
servant. He wore Mexican dress, viz., very tight trousers,
a gaily braided coat, and a silver-embroidered hat, the
value of which latter was probably from £2 to ^3 sterling.
For days and days I watched that man. The rooms opened
on a wide balcony with a garden below, and every day, for
hours, he hung over that balcony, doing nothing but smoke,
merely waiting to be clapped for. Sometimes he would put
on his tilma, stick his head through the middle and curl him-
self up against his master's door, listening for orders which
rarely came. I do not know whether he slept there, but I
often saw him, even on a cold night, on my way home from
a dinner party.

Mexico possesses every sort of climate, for it is nearly
two thousand miles from north to south, or as lone: as
from Iceland to Gibraltar. Almost every flower, fruit and
vegetable known to man may be found within its
boundaries, and every mineral this world produces has
been discovered in the Republic.

Oddly enough, among the mammoth pre-historic animals
in the Museum in Mexico City, are skeletons of horses and
cattle, yet Cortes found neither. It is strange they should
have been so completely exterminated, for we read that at
the time of the Spanish invasion the Aztecs looked upon the
horses imported by their conquerors with superstition and
dread. Without that fear they would probably never have
been vanquished. ' '"~"x

Constantly in Mexico, one is reminded of the East. The

ODDS AND ENDS. 221

outside market in Mexico City might be the Soko in Tangier.
The same enormous straw hats are worn, and a rebozo instead
of a bernouse. The Indian women, with their babies on
their backs, recall their Arab sisters ; both carry enormous
weights upon their heads, and are either barefooted or
sandalled. They have the same olive skin and dark hair,
but the Arab is a finer specimen of mankind than the
average Indian.

In both countries one sees public letter-writers at the
street corners ; but in Mexico they sit, instead of squatting
cross-legged as does a Moor ; there are the same medicine
men, the same deformed beggars ; many of the superstitions
are identical, but while the Arab becomes intoxicated by
srnoking hashis or kiff, the Mexican gets drunk on pulque.
./The religions differ ; but both races are equally devout
and superstitious ; although one is Roman Catholic and the
other Mohammedan, both go regularly to their respective
places of worship and tell their beads.

One need not go outside the market of Mexico City
to see the real native, in all his glory, surrounded by
such flowers, such fruit, and such vegetables ! All have
arrived by boat from the floating gardens a few hours pre-
viously, and here women, babies and dogs squat together,
howl, shriek and bargain in truly Oriental fashion. It is all
interesting, this strangely barbaric market, right in the centre
of the modern civilisation of cosmopolitan Mexico City.

The doctors' stores are truly wonderful. Every conceiv-
able herb and root is on sale, and each has its specific use.
Rows of skinned moles and bats were hanging up, and we
ventured to ask what they were for.

" To purify the blood," was the astonishing reply, " they
cost one halfpenny (two cents) each, and are stewed and
eaten."

" And what is that long, brown, bean-like-looking thing
used for ? "

222 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

" Headache. You take out the seeds, soak them in wine,
and lay them on the aching part."
^Among the many and marvellous cures for disease is one
for neuralgia ; this consists of putting something on the
,'nei've just above where the jaw-bone joins the skull, and
one constantly sees people walking about with a patch of
orange or lemon peel the size of a shilling on the affected
temple. Nicotine from a cigar is sometimes put on a bit of
paper and plastered on, or any aromatic leaf, and a piece of
snake-skin is also much prized for headache.

An alligator's tooth is dropped into boiling water, well
stirred round, and the mixture drunk to cure heart disease
or the bite of a rattlesnake. Oak galls are ground up fine
and put on sore places ; ants' nests are not used for baths as
in Finland, but are boiled and drunk to prevent hiccough or
sickness. In fact the list of queer remedies is endless, and
a medicine man or woman sells them in every market place.

Strangers in Mexico are surprised at night to see a small
lantern standing in the middle of the road or at a street
corner. It belongs to the policeman, who should be near ;
but if anyone can steal one of these lanterns and return
it to the police station, he is well rewarded and the police-
man reprimanded for negligence. They are signals for the
mounted officer when he goes his rounds. That is all right ;
but the thief can equally evade this signal of the law !

Every policeman seems to have a dog. Generally some
mongrel hound is curled up near the lantern. It is surprising
to hear the policeman whistle. Every hour every man on
duty calls in this way to his neighbour, and so the signal is
passed on and on. By the same ingenious means a thief or a
drunken person is handed from policeman to policeman, each
constable only having to go to the end of his beat, where
he gives the delinquent in charge to the next link of the
law's chain till he eventually reach the lock-up.

Then there are night watchmen ; these, however, no

ODDS AND ENDS. 223

longer call out the hours. Big houses always have a watch-
man, who generally sits huddled up in a blanket on the
front door-step, looking very sleepy, with his lantern beside
him. Of course, they may be a protection ; but they
appear old, decrepit and drowsy.

tThe first thing to teach a Mexican Indian is to be

honest ; by nature he is a most awful thief. Warning :

take nothing to Mexico of value, only what is absolutely
necessary, and never leave anything unlocked) In the
street the Mexicans will seize a purse or a brooch during
broad daylight ; or take a man's pin out of his scarf !
Fraudulent notes and silver are in constant circulation ;
short change is invariably given to strangers. All this is
sad but true, and although I fear my Mexican friends will
disapprove of what I have said, I hope they will realise
the justice of my remarks, and do their best to teach
Indians common honesty.

Look at the door-mats ; they are chained to the floor.
Look at the seats in the chief shops of the City ; they
are secured to the counter. Look at the ink-bottles in the
General Post Office ; they are sunk down into the tables
so that they cannot possibly be moved. Even the combs
and tooth-brushes (yes, public tooth-brushes ! ) may be seen
chained to the walls in hotels. Everything is done to try
and prevent theft; yet innumerable pawn-shops groan
beneath the weight of ill-gotten property, kodaks, opera
glasses, and endless articles stolen from houses as well as
travellers' trunks.

I heard of one English coachman, who on going to
Mexico found it terribly difficult to keep his sponges
and curry-combs. At last one day he said in desplir
to his master :

" Lor', sir, these people would pawn their own
mother, and steal the teeth out of their sweetheart's
head."

224 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

It is easy to steal and obtain money on the theft. Every
street has pawnbrokers ready to receive goods — even the
State has its pawn shops, the Monte de PzedadhGing the chief.
When founded in 1776, it was endowed with 300,000 dollars.
The idea was to protect people from the general pawn-
brokers' usurious over-charge. No interest was exacted on
a loan ; but when redeemed the owner was expected to give
some suitable sum for public charity. Need we say the
owner did nothing of the kind ? Consequently a nominal
charge is now made. When the borrower fails to pay
interest, the pledge is put up for sale ; if at the end of a
month it has not been sold, the price is reduced, and so on
till it is disposed of for the amount of the original loan.
But now comes the wonderful part of the transaction.
Supposing the article be sold for more than was advanced to
its owner — that extra sum is actually handed over to that
owner ! Thus the pawn shop does not gain anything
beyond its small interest.

Surely this must be the only pawn shop in the world
worked on such terms ; but as it is invariably crowded,
the business appears to be a thriving one.

Minor pawnbrokers prove a veritable curse ; they are
generally situated next to a pulque shop with its china,
decorations and sour smells, and men pawn their rags for that
extra glass which sends them reeling to their miserable homes.
To prevent theft of letters post-office boxes are
provided. The postal system is still a little vague in
Mexico. Letters o-oino- from one end of the town to
the other sometimes take two days en route instead
of a couple of hours, as in London. Besides, they
occasionally get mislaid altogether. Consequently all
business houses have their correspondence addressed to
" Box So-and-so," at a certain post office. It is quite funny
to see the rows of pigeon holes, with plate glass between
them and the public, the number painted on each in gold.

Discovered in drains of Mexico cily. |anuar\'. 1901.

[ To face page 224.

ODDS AND ENDS. ,,,

The glass enables the owner to see at once if there are
any letters for hin, ; if not, he need not unlock his little bo

In the olden days .t was quite customary for the burolar
of the cty to go to a certain Church on the outslcirts o
Mex,co, called V,rgin de Soledad, and before starting on
some great robbery, offer up a prayer for success! This
prayer known as Oracion del Jnsto Jue., and according

to the va ue of the spoil, the Church benefited in candles- ^

selves with'th"" ." ''°P'"'' '"^ '^^ ^^urches them-
selves with the r crowds are still the happy hunting-ground
of th.eves. At Amecameca, when the pilgrims were
chng up on t eir hands and knees to that'sa^red shrine
an Amencan fr.end was robbed of a valuable watch
spue of h,s coat being buttoned up I '

Christ"ofT h". °". ^f . Wednesday, when the famous
i-hnst of the Holy Sepulchre, which, although life-size only

i^ansh Church with pomp and ceremony. On the bushes

T- . , ""? '''-^ °' P"g"'"^' d--es, even hairs fom
the,r heads, left as offerings of devotion, and for ^Z
/rluna (good fortune). Such is their religious faith yet
wh.le worsh,pp.ng with their heart,,, the devout cannot 'help
stealmg with their hands P

.nfroV ^ ' ""^^ ^ ™"Vromise when Christianity v^as

than a white figure. In one of the finest churches in the
C ri;t " H t' ^'^' ""f"""' ^"PP°"^ ^ dark-coloured
wh.ch m all my travels I had never seen before, namelv
an ordmary-s,zed wooden bedstead, with sheet blanke ^
and pdows edged with lace, standing in the Churih Or

marlsl'f b,'", ^"" °' P"^'' ""'''' '""^ Crucifixion, fo
marks of blood were on the forehead. Several worshipners
were n, the Church, and four of them devoutly kSed'the

226 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

feet of this remarkable figure, which peeped out beneath the
bed-clothing, and, strange to say, although the face of Christ
was white, the feet were black, perhaps to conciliate the
two races.

At Easter this gruesome-looking doll plays an important
part in the Church ceremonial. It was terrible. Had
the figure been artistic, the drapery beautiful, had it ap-
pealed to the best in one's nature, then kissing a block of
wood might have seemed less dreadful ; but such a model,
life-size, yet so unlifelike, those common sheets and cheap
laces, and, above all, the hideous print coverlet, appalled
me. The idea of the modern bed was ridiculous, but the
homage paid to such an idol — for it was nothing more nor less
— carried me away from Christianity to Eastern heathenism.

Hard by the examination room of the Preparatory Schools
and University, where hundreds of boys are educated free of
charge, are some exquisitely-carved stalls in cedar wood (it
was formerly an old Jesuit Monastery) ; they are wonderful.

Education in Mexico is practically free ; including
classes for instruction in the arts and trades, there are in
the Republic 10,746 Government schools, with an aver-
age attendance of 545,000. Primary education is compul-
sory. There are also many private schools and colleges.
In the City the Federal Government maintains the follow-
ing institutions : — Academy of Fine Arts, School of Civil
Engineering, School of Medicine, Law School, Academy
of Commerce, Academy of Arts and Trades, Conservatory
of Music, Military College, School of Mines, two Normal
Schools for teachers of both sexes, also schools for the
deaf, dumb, and blind. In the various States are similar
institutions supported by the States' governments. Mexico
annually expends five million dollars for the education of
her people.

There are seventy-two public libraries in the country.
The National Library at the Capital contains 265,000

ODDS AND ENDS. 227

volumes. At the present time Mexico issues more than 360
periodical publications, including the daily and weekly news-
papers, besides magazines, literary reviews and organs of
various industries and interests.

Side by side with advanced civilisation is barbarism. At
the breakfast table every morning one finds the " Mexican
Herald," printed in the English language. It is an excel-
lent paper, with all the Associated Press telegrams, which
have to travel over a thousand miles by special wire for the
benefit of the readers of this enterprising " Daily." Here is
the latest news, published almost as soon as it is in London
or New York, and yet, though the editors are English and
American, the compositors are all Mexican Indians, not one
of whom knows a single word of the language he is setting
up ! He does it word by word from type-written MS.,
and really the "readers" are so careful that there is seldom
a wrongly-spelt word in this hurriedly-put-together daily
paper. President Diaz told me he had the telegrams
translated for him every day ! So the President is ever in
touch with the world's news.

Mr, Paul Hudson, the manager, is a most enthusiastic
scholar of Mexican manners and customs, who has edited an
excellent guide. Mr, L. C. Simonds, an Englishman by
birth, writes the English and political articles, and Mr.
E, M. Conley, formerly on the staff of the " New York
Sun," undertakes the archseoloo-v. It is a wonderful little
paper, and to its contributors I am indebted for much
useful information and help

15*

228

CHAPTER XIV.

THE NEW CENTURY.

On the last day of the nineteenth century, as I sat writing
far, far from home, and right up in the clouds, so to speak,
such is the altitude of Mexico City, my thoughts naturally
turned to the new era so soon to dawn.

The position of nations in this world's history changes
with the centuries. Each in turn seems to mount the
rungs of the ladder, to reach the summit of power, and
then gradually topples over. That great Eastern civilisa-
tion of thousands of years ago in China, where is it now ?
Multiplied in numbers, deteriorated in force, dwindled in
power.

Germany and the United States have marched boldly
forward during this rapidly-expiring nineteen hundred.
France has slowly and surely stepped back, England
is being jostled by America, and if she do not wake
from her lethargy will speedily find the younger country
outstripping her in every race, as she has already done in
so many. Let our manufacturers go over to the States
and see how machinery is made by machinery, and when
completed how that machinery is again worked almost
entirely by machinery. They will then learn how to
vastly increase the output of work and decrease the
labour enormously. This means multiplied business,
cheapness and success. Trade Unions paralyze England,
and, in spite of her present success, "trusts" bid fair to
ruin America, but in the meantime she flourishes.

Jockey Club Patio, Mexico City.

[ To face page 228.

THE NEW CENTURY. 229

What will the new century vouchsafe ? Will Mexico
take her place among the prominent nations of the world ?
Should another Juarez or a second Diaz arise she will
undoubtedly do so, and why should not such men grow
from the children now playing at marbles on her vast
territories ?

Mexico has wondrous possibilities. In her mineral
wealth, and agricultural produce, she possesses much to
make her great. She is vast in size, and thinly populated ;
her past is romantic, and the future lies before her like the
blank pages of a book on which she may take up her pencil
and write what she pleases. Who can foretell the future .''
Perhaps in a hundred years Mexico's may be one of the
voices that rule the world.

That wonderful new harbour at Vera Cruz, the Tampico
port, this railway across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the
various routes projected to the Pacific Coast, all, all are
combining to help forward the development of the land of
Montezuma.

The more one sees of Mexico, the more one realises
what a marvellous country it is. Its climate varies from
tropical heat to almost Arctic cold ; every fruit, vegetable
and flower appears to grow upon its soil ; its mineral wealth
is still unknown ; nevertheless, after nearly six months
spent in the land, under the most favourable circumstances
that could possibly fall to the lot of woman, I feel con-
vinced of two things. First, that it is not yet the place to
which an ordinarv Enojish labourer should emio^rate with
his family ; wages are too low, in spite of there never being
a sufficient supply of men for the demand.

Secondly, that it is a good field for the accomplished
artisan, provided he will first work in some minor position
in which he can learn the language and customs of the
country, before taking thither his wife and children.
French chefs, English coachmen and butlers, Eno-Hsh

230 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

nursery-maids, find employment readily at good wages ;
while from end to end of the Republic drivers, guards
and brakemen are nearly always English-speaking men.

Turning^ to the better-class folk, I ouQ-ht to mention
Mexico is not the place for a weak boy inclined to drink
or play cards. The country and climate would simply spell
damnation for him ; but for any lad with a good business
head and some training there are endless openings.

At the same time I have met sad instances of inexperienced
youths landing with a few hundred pounds, who, hoping to
achieve immediate fortune, had been duped and their money
lost. Hn fact, for any one to invest anything in Mexico until
he really knows something of the country and its manners
and customs, can but be considered sheer madness^

There are endless sources of development, and the
Government is doing all it can to help. Shops kept by
foreigners seem to answer well, in spite of the enormous duties
exacted. Practically everything is imported — china, glass,
clothes, wine, tinned foods, drugs, etc., for the reason that until
lately there have been no home manufactories. At the present
time cotton, however, is being spun and made into shirting;
bricks are burnt, and here and there each trade is finding
a pioneer representative; although agriculture and mining will
naturally remain the chief industries of Mexico. There
is, however, yet another possibility, for the fuel oil fields
known to exist have not yet been exploited.

Fuel is one of the greatest wants of Mexico ; only
latterly has a small quantity of coal been found. The
forests are chiefly cabinet wood, and by their rapid destruc-
tion much harm has been done. The exports of cabinet
wood in 1898 amounted to ^176,993 ; in 1899, ^201,886.
This is all right, but to burn these precious woods is a
shame. For example, in the time of Cortes, the valley of
Mexico was warm and fertile, and the conqueror acquired
a sugar plantation of great value, which he bequeathed

THE NEW CENTURY. 231

in his will. The climate has changed since the destruction
of the forests ; it has become colder and dryer. The hills
now are bleak and bare, sugar will not grow for miles
further south, and the cold of Mexico Valley is extending
over the Republic wherever trees are being indiscriminately
cut down.

Mexico possesses everything but cheap fuel ; once pro-
vided with that, which she may be ere long if the oil
fields are worked, she will become a manufacturing country.

There are many rich people, millionaires in fact, who live
in veritable palaces. The homes of the two Escandon
families, situated on each side of the Jockey Club, are
simply splendid ; patio after patio, stabling for twenty or
thirty horses downstairs, suites and suites of apartments !
The numbers of servants kept by these old Mexican families
is surprising, forty or fifty for one household ! Many of these
servants have been in the family all their lives, and their
parents before them ;p^ut the Mexican servant, though
faithful, is lazy, and two only get through the same amount
of work as one ordinary European. ^

The country houses also are^ wonderful — often old
monasteries changed into sumptuous mansions. They
contain corridors, patios and cloisters in abundance, and
such flowers ! Hardly in gardens, for the lovely blooms
practically grow wild, only the grass borders, lawns and
roadways requiring attention. Southern Mexico is indeed
the land of flowers, but, alas ! they perish in a night.

" You pluck the flower, the bloom has fled."

Armfuls of gorgeous roses, huge bouquets of wonderful
flowers are an everyday sight ; but they have little scent,
and die in their vases ere morning. Exquisite masses of
colour, wondrously brilliant blossoms, but almost all without
perfume and strangely perishable.

The people loved and tended their flowers in their

232

MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

floating gardens in the days of Cortes, and now, five hun-
dred years later, they are doing precisely the same thing.

The New Year is a special festival in Mexico, and a
day for the exchange of cards and flowers. I was
particularly fortunate, and among other kind presents
received a bouquet of the most exquisite " American
Beauty " roses from the President and Madame Diaz.
Below are the cards which accompanied it.

Porfirio Diaz, that was all, no "President," no
" General," nothing but those words, Porfirio Diaz. Could
anything be more simple, more unassuming, more cha-
racteristic of the man himself ?

During the last hours of its life, the bells of the
City tolled a sort of melancholy wail for the old year and
departing century. At midnight I attended Grand Mass
in the Cathedral. It was an imposing ceremony from its

THE NEW CENTURY. 233

strange contrasts. The Cathedral is a fine structure,
standing where the old Aztec Temple stood hundreds
of years ago, and that night it was crowded. Some
of the richest and grandest folk in the land were there,
ready to receive Holy Communion after the elevation of
the Host, together with some of the very poorest, and, oh
dear ! they can be poor in Mexico City ! As we entered
dust and incense caused the place to look as though filled
with fog ; a sort of weird mystery pervaded the whole
scene. In front on a red velvet cloth lay a massive wooden
cross, probably twelve feet long ; at its foot was a silver
tray to receive alms, and all round were ranged enormous
lighted candles. Thousands of persons passed before that
cross on the last night of the nineteenth century, and
kissed the wood of which it was made. It reminded me
of that long line of worshippers on Easter Sunday who
filed past to kiss St. Peter's toe in the Church of that
name in Rome. We were thousands of miles away from
Rome, yet here was a similar ceremony enacted by others
of the Catholic faith.

In the middle of the Cathedral only were there any seats,
and the people therefore knelt on the floor, while many
prayed with outstretched arms, or huddled into corners
against the great stone pillars. Dozens of dogs and hun-
dreds of babies were in evidence.

Two scenes impressed me greatly. One was a group of
very poor Indian women, dressed in their two simple gar-
ments, arms and neck bare, yet among them they had
bought a candle ! At the rear of the Church, where it was
darkest, this little group of five was kneeling. One held
the candle, which lighted their features ; another a book from
which she read her prayers, repeated by the others, who in
all probability could not read themselves. Two of this
party had babies tied to their backs, one of whom was asleep
with its little head hano-inQ- down at the side till it almost

234 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

touched its small feet. The other baby cried at intervals,
but its mother had come to pray, and had no time to soothe
the infant, so by way of stopping its wail she gave the tiny
creature a sort of hitch-up every now and then, accom-
panying the jerk with some remark. The last of that
devout little group had a collie dog, which sniffed around
from one to another, and as it did not seem inclined to settle
down, the women patted and let it through into the middle
of their little circle. There for an hour they prayed — that
ring of five women, two babies and a clog, illumined by a
solitary candle. What a group ! What a picture ! How
delightful to witness their honest faith. Yet there was
another side to it all, for my friend had a beautiful pearl pin
stolen from his scarf while we stood watching that group !

The other worshipper who particularly interested me
was an old man. He looked rich and prosperous, and
selected a quiet spot for prayer near the choir stalls. He
had invested in quite a number of candles, which burned
in a row before him, while to my certain knowledge he
prayed with both hands extended for over half an hour.
He was old, and his arms must have ached, yet he prayed
on, happy in the belief that the purchase of candles and the
penance he was performing would bring him nearer to his
God. Happy old man !

He was only one of hundreds of devout worshippers, for
had not the Pope bidden every Catholic open the new
century with prayer ?

Official instructions had been received from Rome de-
tailing how Roman Catholics were to observe the cere-
monial of the closing of the year and the century on the
night of December 31st. The decree from the Pope was
addressed to all the world.

"Now that the present age is drawing to a close," it ];egan, " and a new one is about
to begin, it is highly proper that all who have been redeemed by Him in every part of
the world should be solemnly consecrated to the King of Ages, Jesus Christ, in order

THE NEW CENTURY. 235

that thus gratitude may be shown for the special favours from Him in the past. What
our holy father granted a year ago by anticipation he also permits by the same decrees of
the sacred congregation of rites, viz. : That at midnight, which ushers in the first of
January of the year 1901, the most august sacrament of the Eucharist may be exposed
for adoration in churches and chapels, and that in its presence one mass for the feast of
the circumcision of our Lord and the octave of the nativity may be read or sung, and
that, moreover, the faithful by special privilege may receive holy communion either
during or outside of the mass. While thinking of some new means of increasing the
piety of the faithful in connection with an event so solemn, the holy father learned that
many prelates and pious sodalities anxiously desire that the faithful of Christ, moved by
an eagerness to participate in the rich treasury of spiritual indulgences, should every-
where be invited to come and adore the most blessed Eucharist. As this was in most
perfect accord with his own wishes the holy father has benignly granted that a plenary
indulgence may be gained to all the faithful of Christ who, having properly approached
the sacraments of penance and received holy communion in a church or chapel where the
most holy Eucharist is reserved, shall spend any full hour they please between midnight
of December 31 and the noon of January i, before the most august sacrament exposed
to public adoration, and shall, moreover, oft'er pious prayers to God for the intentions of
his holiness."

It was a most impressive service, yet very sad. The
black dresses of the ladies, the mantillas, the weird mystery
of haze caused by the incense of copal gum, the wail of chil-
dren, the mournful music, everything tended towards depres-
sion, despite the gorgeous robes of the priests and the glitter
of candles. For me the new century dawned amid the most
picturesque surroundings, with a friend of my childhood
beside me ; but everything seemed strangely sad.

As the clock struck twelve the bells rang out ; but
somehow they were not joyous bells that ushered in the
new century. There was something most depressing in
their tone. The organ did not peal forth in glorious
exultancy, but a piano and a dozen acolytes' voices per-
formed a strano-e diroe or chant. It was sad, but not
imposing ; dull, but not inspiring. Holy Communion
followed, and we emerged about 1.30 a.m. into the
bright, crisp wintry air, to walk home beneath an almost
blue-black sky, in which the moon was shining clearly,
and, oh, so far away that same moon had been shining on
dear ones at home but five hours previously, and passed on
with England's dawn from them to us.

236 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

What a century the nineteenth had been ; the " science"
century surely. During those hundred years what wonders
had been discovered ! Railways, telegraphs, telephones,
electric light, traction and motor cars, phonographs, wireless
telegraphy and Rontgen rays ! Why these things alone
have revolutionised the world.

We had seen the twentieth century dawn ; we should
not see it die. What wonderful thino-s, what marvellous
inventions and discoveries may not this century give birth
to } What will happen in Mexico ? Ah, if we could only
lift the veil of the future and peep behind !

My last night of the old century was passed amid
Indians and incense, in the strange gloom of an old Spanish
Cathedral. The first evening of the new era was spent
amongst wealth and jewels, aristocracy and laughter.

Probably the most ^beautiful building in Mexico City,
with the exception of the churches, is the " Jockey Club."
It is an old palace dating from the sixteenth century, built of
those wonderful Puebla tiles, which evoke such admiration,
and which modern machinery cannot copy. They are slightly
irregular and bulge in the centre, the yellows and blues are
beautiful shades, and fill the artistic mind with enthusiasm.
The Jockey Club has a lovely patio, with palms and plants,
containing a charming old fountain, typical of the ancient
Moorish style of Spain. It is the Club of the town, the
home of light and learning, and undeniably the haunt of
vice. I use the word " vice " deliberately, for the nightly
play is very high, especially in the baccarat room. Till five
and six o'clock every morning men are losing or winning
large sums of money. Gambling is the curse of Mexico,
alike among rich and poor. I have actually seen children
of five and six years of age bringing their farthings to
gamble in the market place. Yes, I emphatically repeat
gambling is the curse of Mexico.

Look at the grand Jockey Club and its baccarat table,

THE NEW CENTURY. 237

where play continues every night till the small hours of
the morning. Look at the religious feast of Guadalupe with
its pilgrims, who pray on one side and gamble away their
last cents on the other, and then pawn their blankets or
hats in order to obtain more to fling away in like manner.
Look at the licensed gambling hells in every town, controlled
by a ring of rich men, fast growing still more wealthy. Go
into one or two in Mexico Citv, and see the tables o-roaninQ-
under the weight of silver dollars. One thousand pounds in
silver is upon each of those tables, and more in the bank
if needed. Men and, alas, sometimes women, with their
books and their systems, will sit there all night, only rising
after a turn of ill-luck to partake of the supper which is pro-
vided free. Champagne and French cooking gratis, add
another inducement to play, and yet the visitors do not see
how heavily the tables must win to make such gifts possible.

Yes, in those dens anyone may have his champagne of
the best without charge ; indeed, he is encouraged to take
it, because after a few glasses the world looks different.
Luck must and will chano-e the o-ambler thinks, and feelinof
refreshed and more hopeful, a regular dare-devil in fact, he
returns to the tables to risk his all in another flirtation
with Dame Fortune.

He loses. No matter, he must not pawn his things in
the rooms, the law forbids that ; but if he have played in one
of the gambling halls outside the City he is given a free
ticket home aQ-ain ! These tickets are claimed nio-htlv.

The gambling tables are the property of, or licensed by,
the State, and large revenues are annually received from
them.

At any street corner an old man or woman, a lame man
or a child, will offer you lottery tickets for sale. They
form one of the institutions of Mexico ; indeed, on every
side the cry of the lottery ticket seller is heard.

The great Government Lottery, held twice a year, is

238

MEXICO AS I SAW IT

drawn on May 5th and December 31st. The value is
50,000 dollars, and a whole ticket costs ten dollars.

Then there is the Public Benefit Lottery. A whole
ticket costs four dollars, and is drawn once a month for
60,000 dollars. A two-dollar ticket for 10,000 dollars is
drawn twice a month, or a twenty-five cent Mex, -= (six-
pence) for 600 dollars is drawn every week, and this ticket
can be divided into halfpenny parts, and with these the
poorest try their luck. The white tickets are five cents
each.

THE NEW CENTURY.

239

LOTERIA DE LA BENEFICENCIA PlBLiCA^

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Sorteo

1064 \Oq

verificara en el Pabelldn Morlsco de la Alameda \
de esta Cludad, el dia

DIEZ y 8IETE de ElJifi^O de 1001

nt*rv»fi«or yf " /•/

— '/A'''

These tickets are drawn in a kiosk in the chief garden of
Mexico City, namely, the Alameda, So wherever one
goes, lotteries and gambling meet the eye and ear.

The Jockey Club Ball proved an enormous success. It
was given by the members of the Club to Carmen Romero
Rubio de Diaz, known to all Mexico as Carinelita, in
commemoration of her husband's re-election for the sixth
time to the Presidency of Mexico.

The invitations were for ten o'clock, and when we
reached the blue-tiled mansion, a few minutes after that
hour, everyone was already there. The house with its
quaint Puebla tiles looked lovely. In the patio a military
band was playing among the palms. The staircase was
decorated and everything was done to pay honour to the
wife of the President.

The Mayor gave me his arm, conducted me into one
of the long suites of rooms, and solemnly placed me next
to Madame Rincon, Madame Limantour, Madame Braniff,
and others whom I knew. Then he departed. I looked
round. Both sides of that drawing-room, and the two
succeeding drawing-rooms, were lined with women ! Not

240 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

one single man was to be seen. Each male person brought
a lady, deposited her on a seat, and fled ! Two hundred
and fifty men waited in the gallery outside, whilst two hun-
dred and fifty women sat gravely lining the rooms inside !

What good-looking women they were, too ! Such faces,
figures, jewels and dresses would have done credit to Buck-
ingham Palace ! The ladies of the older Spanish families
wore most wonderful pearls and diamonds, precious stones
that had been in their families for hundreds of years, but
the girls had no jewels of any kind. Both men and women
appeared small. They are descendants of the old Spanish
settlers ; the women average about five feet two inches, and
the men five feet seven inches (my own height), so that I
always felt gigantic at such gatherings.

Punctually at 10.30 the band struck up the National
Anthem, Himno Nacional — which resembles the Mar-
seillaise, and is only played for the President himself,
except on national feast days — and then General and
Madame Diaz ascended the stairs. Madame Diaz entered
the room first, on the arm of Senor Limantour, Minister of
Finance, and the President followed with Madame Braniff
Everyone rose and bowed, no one curtsied, however,
as with gracious smiles the Presidential party, followed
by the Mexican Ministers and the Club Committee, filed in.
Madame Diaz took up her position before the sofa, and
various ladies approached in turn to say " How do you
do V to her. When my turn came, I laughingly said :

" I am very fortunate, Madame, in that you are having
this ball while I am here, for it is a lovely sight."

"We are fortunate in having you at our ball, and I hope
it will fill your mind with pleasant recollections." This in
English, and said with the most perfect grace and charm.
Madame Diaz looked lovely that night in pale green silk
with exquisite lace, and ropes of pearls hanging about her
neck. To Mexico she is what the Empress Eugenie was to

THE NEW CENTURY. 241

France, a beautiful and clever woman, dignified in manner,
and stylish in appearance. She is many years younger
than her husband, and supplies all the graciousness which
so fittingly accompanies his rugged strength.

General Diaz is not a Society man, but he did his duties
that night as if he liked them. All the Ambassadors wore
their Orders, the General none ! After standing a few
minutes beside his consort, the order for dancing was
given, and away whirled the giddy throng. The President
then went round to have a chat with his friends, and
for a couple of hours, until supper was announced, he
walked about talking affably to everyone. He was most
gracious, hoped I was having a good time, and regretted
he had not sent the promised photographs. He had not
forgotten them, and had written to various Governors
whose States I intended visiting later on, to ask them to
look after me. This thoughtfulness from the unap-
proachable Diaz !

The ball was on New Year's Day, and hearing it was
proper to visit Madame Diaz that same afternoon to wish
her a happy twelvemonth, and on this occasion a happy
century, I had ventured to call, and at the same time took the
opportunity of thanking her for the exquisite bouquet of
roses which she and President Diaz had sent me the
previous night. Several of the Diplomatic Corps were
there ; but when I left she herself accompanied me to the
top of the staircase.

" I want to tell you," she said, " that I have read your
Father's Memoirs. The President liked the stories I told
him at dinner, especially the Crimean incident." After more
charming references, and a kindly handshake, I left.

The Diaz house in Cadena is by no means the finest in
Mexico, far from it, the beautiful homes of the Escandons
and a dozen others are finer, but then Diaz is not a rich
man, and his town house is his private residence.

242 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

On entering the patio the same performance was repeated
as on my first visit. One is ushered up the marble stair-
case ; at the top a footman wearing white gloves and
English livery is waiting to send one on to the next man,
standing; at the hall door. He bows one into the drawino-
room, but does not ask the name, and visitors simply walk
in unannounced. Of course the hall-porter below knows
whom to admit, and once his sacred barrier is passed all
is clear sailing, and the most cordial welcome vouchsafed.
Madame Diaz has no receiving day ; but New Year's Day
was a special occasion. The General had held his public
receptions at the Municipal Palace in the morning. Hers
were merely friendly visits.

What a happy home life that must be, when the door is
shut on official business !

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243

CHAPTER XV.

GUADALAJARA.

The new century had dawned. My travels into the
further unknown were to begin. What experiences some
of those travels proved !

Guadalajara is perhaps one of the quaintest old towns

in Mexico. It has its history, what town has not ? Battles

fnave been fought and blood has been shed in its valley,

but to-day modern civilisation is struggling with ancient

barbarism in this interesting land of grand contrasts.!

What a pretty name — Gua-da-la-ha-ra — rich and musical,
as are so many native names. As the nomenclature of
Mexico is poetical and melodious, so the people are artistic
and romantic. All the charm of a southern clime is to be
found; at one moment the scene might almost be in Italy, at
the next the Spanish Pyrenees recur to mind, and then again
dear dirty Tangier appears before us. The mules, the
burros (donkeys) with their pack-loads, the blue cloudless
sky, the dark skins of the Mexican Indians, the white cotton
clothes and bright-coloured blankets — all these we have seen
in other lands. Mexico recalls a hundred different scenes ;
even the domes of many of the churches with their gold tops
and coloured tiles are reminiscent of far-away Russia, It is
all very interesting, and strange combinations abound ;
barbed wire, electric light, telegraphs, sewing-machines, and a
telephone may be found in a little village where the term
'^ savage barbarism" would hardly sound out of place.

1 6*

244 MEXICO AS I SA IV IT.

As diversified as the country are the friends one
encounters whom one has known in other lands.

In the spring of 1900, in England, I was spending a few
days with the Robert Flemings at Chislehurst, when a nice,
grey-haired American arrived upon the scene. We chatted
over dinner, and I mentioned Mexico, and my intention of
travelling thither during the following autumn.

" How strange," he remarked ; "because I have a good
deal to do with that country, in fact, I am the Chairman of
the Mexican Central Railway." Thus by a strange accident
I met Mr. A. A. Robinson, who subsequently proved a
friend in that far-away continent. Little did I then guess
what a splendid line he controlled. It was in his private car
that I visited Guadalajara and Tampico, the trip being
kindly arranged by Mr. Nickerson, the Vice-Chairman of
the Line, in the absence of Mr. Robinson, whom I met
again later.

In Guadalajara one quickly notices that the inner patios
possess exquisitely-wrought iron gates. What a field for
the artist ! The massive carved-oak doors thrown back, the
dark arched entrances, the lace-like work of the iron gates
beyond, through which the sun glints after kissing the
scarlet, purple and lilac bourganvillia, or playing hide-and-
seek among the petals of the roses. There in the patio are
- wild arums, tuberoses, tangles of pink and red geraniums,
N orange-trees laden with flowers and fruit, the banana with its
grand leaves, while clustering near grows that handsome
plant, with its dark crimson flower, resembling the old
English " Love-lies-bleeding," but which is a castor-oil tree.
Butterflies of gorgeous colouring flit over the blossoms
which entwine themselves in that wrought iron work.

Guadalajara is famous for its pottery, and yet we saw
better Guadalajara ware everywhere else in Mexico rather
than in the town where it is made ! They had there,
however, some delightful figures modelled by the Indians,

GUADALAJARA. 245

representative of every kind of native life, which were
excellent, and reasonable in price.

In this town we saw a man who had lived in three
centuries. He was an old Indian, born — according to the
parish register — in 1798, and therefore (this being the year
of grace 1901) this funny old gentleman had entered his
third century of life! His broad cheekbones, toothless
gums, tanned, wrinkled skin and white hair — somewhat
unusual colouring for an Indian — made him a remarkable
picture. He was hale and hearty, bubbling over with
fun, yet Schopenhauer would have us believe happiness is
only a delusion of youth and childhood. Perhaps it was his
second childhood ; at any rate, he was ending his ancient
days merrily in the orpJian asylum !

It is such a clean town, so free from smells and im-
purities, and the valley so fertile, that Guadalajara appears
to have a great future before it.

In the Cathedral is a fine painting of the Ascension
of the Virgin, by Murillo. It seemed strange to come
across one of this o-reat master's works in such an out-of-
the-way little place. The French knew its value, and
tried to take it away in the time of unhappy Maximilian,
but the priests removed it from the frame and hid it
safely, so the picture hangs to-day in the little sacristy.

In England, if we divide a house so as to make two out
of it, we number the one 16, and the other i6a. In
Mexico they say 16 and 16^. Another custom which
strikes a stranger as peculiar is, if a house chance to be
" for rent " — as our Yankee friends would say — to hang
any old scrap of paper in the window ; it is not necessary
to write on it, the fact of a bit of paper being there means
that the house is to let.

The masons have a singular plan when building ; they
always work "below the cross." that is to say, they stick
a wooden cross — often three or four feet hio-h — above the

246 MEXICO AS I SAW IT,

place where they are working, and every mornhig cross
themselves, and say an Ave Maria before starting their
labours. If they die after that — and it is easy to fall from a
scaffold in Mexico — they die happily, all the more so as they
probably catch a glimpse of the cross while breathing their
last. Scaffolding is never nailed nor screwed, it is merely
tied together with rope made from the fibres of the cactus, or
occasionally from the hair of a horse's tail. Scaffoldings of
this loose and weird nature are sometimes four storeys high.

A workman may often be seen carrying his cross while
proceeding to some new building. He erects it over his
head, and as the floors rise, the cross has to be moved higher
also, for he must always work " below the cross " for
protection.

In a mine, before the men burrow any distance into the
earth they dig out space for a little shrine, set up the cross,
and when the shift (set of men) go to work, they stop opposite
to this shrine and say their Ave Maria, which acts as a sort
of moral bath, and brings them strength and consolation.
Then again a cross usually stands on a bridge to prevent
the devil from passing over it, and a cross may likewise be
found at the entrance of every village to keep out that
dreaded gentleman. The cross is an old institution ; the
Aztecs built crosses thousands of years ago in Mexico, long,
long before the time of Christ.

One may encounter a crucifix anywhere on the road-side
put up to commemorate a death, as in most Roman
Catholic countries ; but here that symbol also denotes the
resting-place of a coffin. Churches are often far apart,
and the friends of the dead bear the coffin on their
shoulders, and at each spot where they pause to rest a cross
is erected, as was the case at Charing Cross and thirteen
other places between Lincoln and London, when the body
of Queen Eleanor was brought for burial to Westminstcu-
Abbey, in 1291.

GUAD^ALAJARA. 247

Turkeys wander about the streets of Guadalajara — not
wild birds, but flocks — for sale. A house-wife, hearing the
well-known cry, rushes out, chooses her turkey, buys it, and
perhaps orders the salesman to wring its neck and pluck off
its feathers. The more wary housekeeper takes her turkey
into the patio, feeds it for a week, and only puts it into
" mole," stew with chilli, when plump and fat. It is in-
teresting to note that the turkey is indigenous to Mexico.

The life of the street varies like a kaleidoscope.

The water in Guadalajara does not run through the
streets in open drains as in Durango, it has to be fetched
from the public pumps, as in Spain. The queerest wheel-
barrows and delightful jugs of brown ware convey it to the
different houses, where it is sold by measure.

The " milk-cart " is a man on horseback ; he wears the
national dress, his coloured sarape hangs across his legs,
and on either side dangle a couple of big tin cans, from
which he sells milk as required.

Wood is sold by the bundle, logs, such as we burn in
grates in England, and three such logs cost one farthing.
Wood round Guadalajara is plentiful, and cheap enough to
burn in the engines, a rare event in Mexico, where till
quite lately most of the coal consumed came from England.
Now, however, when various new coal fields are being-
developed in Northern Mexico, it is not likely Newcastle
will in future export any large quantity of fuel to that country.

Mexicans love seclusion ; all the grand homes are literally
walled in. Suppose a man possess a beautiful house stand-
ing in a lovely garden ; an Englishman would probably put
up an iron fence, through which the passers-by might have
the chance of enjoying a glimpse of that garden ; but
this is not the case in Mexico ; one might be in a land of
prisons, so high are the walls, and a single gate is the only
entrance, as the great carved doors form the only entrance
to a town house. Back door there is none.

248 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

" My garden is for my own use," said a Mexican friend,
" not for the entertainment of everyone I do not know."

There was a modern market in Guadalajara, too clean
and sanitary for beauty, and also a delightful old open-air
one, where every salesman sat under an umbrella or shade
of matting, each more primitive than its neighbour. Here
a number of tropical fruits were on sale.

There were several wonderful restaurants in this market,
not remindful of London, Paris, or New York, but
infinitely more picturesque. They consisted of a brick or
solid stone stove, behind which a woman cooked ; on the
stove were brown earthenware pots of stewed turkey, chilli
sauces, and tortillas. She had also frijoles (beans) in stew, and
before her on the stone bench squatted men and women who,
at a cost of from one to three farthings, enjoyed a splendid
meal, which they shovelled into their mouths with the help
of their tortillas. Curiously enough the black bread of so
many climes is quite unknown in Mexico ; even the poorest
people eat white rolls if they have bread at all.

Then there were butchers' shops, before which hung red
flags to denote their trade, together with what resembled
innunierable large rosaries, which turned out to be small
sausages ! Every shop or stall had a sacred picture some-
where, and many of them a little shrine among the wares.

Honey seemed a great feature ; it was cheap, but a com-
mon hock bottle into which it had been run for us to bear
away to the car cost 1 2 cents, or threepence, that is, half
as much as the honey itself ; someone had better start a
bottle factory in Mexico. He would make a fortune !

Guadalajara was interesting and quaint, its flowers lovely,
but after a couple of days' visit we ran an hour back along
the line so far as Atecjuiza, which is only a coach drive from
the famous Chapala Lake. Our car was shunted on to a
siding to await our return on the following day, and off we
started to spend a night beside those famous waters.

( )ur coach, LakclChapuIa.

(nianajuata.

To face page 249. J

GUADALAJARA. 249

Stay, let me describe that diligence! It was not exactly
a Lord Mayor's coach, although adorned with scarlet and
gold. It was not a furniture removal van, although almost
large enough for one. It was not drawn by white mice, as
some lady's fairy coach is reported to have been, but its
eight mules, though almost small enough for mice, possessed
the strength of those lions who still wander at large in Mexico.

Mr. C. R. Hudson, an official of the railway, likewise Mr.
Augustin Temple, a walking encyclopaedia on Mexico, and I
scrambled, yes scrambled with difficulty on to the box seat,
for there were no steps, the wheels were high, and the seat
as inaccessible as the top of a Fifth Avenue omnibus in New
York, on which I had a glorious ride a few months pre-
viously, although when half-way up (by the Dewey Arch at
Broadway Corner) I wished I had never begun the ascent,
and wondered whether to go on or come down. I decided
to persevere, and ruined a pair of white gloves in the
attempt. No one knows what climbing to the top of
a Fifth Avenue 'bus means who has not tried it, and our
diligence was the same sort of adventure ; but in wilder
Mexico best clothes were no more, and fashionable New
York Society was not looking on, so it was all fun and not
embarrassment. Mrs. Hudson and her sister preferred to
ride with eight others inside that weird coach.

We mounted to our seats eventually, and before us sat the
driver holding six reins and a whip, his feet resting upon
the brake; next to him was his "help" with two whips.
The first was short, to tickle up the last two mules, the
wheelers in fact ; the driver's whip was long, to chastise
the four mules abreast, and the help's second whip was
some twenty-four feet long with a short handle. He amazed
me by slashing so dexterously with it that he hit the two
leaders quite easily, for our team consisted of eight mules.
Many an expert four-in-hand driver would give a good deal
to use his whip as cleverly as the Mexican Indian drivers ;

250 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

but then it is said no white man can ever ride, drive, or pack
a mule properly !

It was a glorious drive through the mountains to Chapala
Lake. We galloped most of the way, bumped over
bad roads and swung round corners in a manner which
would surprise many folk. The sun shone brilliantly, the
" help " suggested the " parasol " — our good old English
word of Latin origin — and accordingly pulled up a cover,
such as a baby's perambulator possesses, and tied it down to
the foot-board with a piece of stout rope. Every now and
then something went wrong with the brake ; down jumped
the help, hatchet in hand, and with a block of wood about a
foot square, of which we carried about a dozen ; he hacked
the old one off, and then proceeded to tie the new one on.
No coach in Mexico ever proceeds far on a journey ere
requiring some repairs of this sort, and the "helps" are
wonderfully clever in arranging such trifles. " Done,"
he called, and off the driver started, leaving the poor help
hanging like a fly to the step, just to watch that all was
right with the new brake, and then he scrambled back on to
the box without our drawing rein.

The driver was really a genius ; he managed his eight
mules controlled by six heavy reins, continually whipped up
the four middle animals and worked that heavy brake, even
while we were going clown hill at a gallop, with his foot.
His leg was all twisted round outside his foot-board, and to
get more purchase on the brake, his "helper" pressed
against his near side to add to the weight. The heavy old
coach hanging on thick leather straps swung from side to
side ; boulders on the road, rivers across the path and such-
like trifles nearly sent us flying from our seats ever and
again ; but nothing really happened, it was all in the day's
work, and nerves are not permitted in Mexico. Eagles and
hawks flew overhead, and in the distance we saw Colima,
one of the few active volcanoes in Mexico, some ninety miles

GUADALAJARA. 251

away, and only about sixty miles distant from the Pacific
Coast.

We stayed at Chapala, where there are sulphur baths on
the lake of that name. Whether those natural springs in-
duced the folk to wash, or whether they did so on account of
its being Sunday, I know not ; but everywhere was cleanli-
ness. Spotless linen was worn on all sides ; women, stripped
to the waist, were washino; their clothes in the stream ; wash-
ing was on every side. After six months' sojourn in Mexico
I can honestly say I consider the natives are most cleanly.
In the country, by a lake or stream, they are always washing
and bathing, and only in the squalid portions of the towns
does dirt exist.

On one day of the year at least every man, woman and
child in Mexico bathes, namely, the 24th of June, which, it
will be remembered, is St. John the Baptist's day. This
yearly bath is taken in honour of St. John, who chose bap-
tism by total immersion as his symbol of penitence and
purification. In Edward VI.'s first Prayer-book we read
that " the prieste " had " to dyppe the child in the water
thryse."

There is one part of their bodies they neglect, however,
viz., their heads ; they have not learnt the value of paraffin,
as applied in hospitals, and five, six or even seven people
will sit in a row like ninepins, searching for the animals
which seem indio-enous to neQ-lected locks. It is not a
pretty sketch, but so true a picture of Mexican daily life that
it cannot be omitted.

Several times we passed folk riding pillion ; generally the
woman sat sideways, the man astride behind, and they
jogged on as contentedly as did our forefathers in the
Highlands of Scotland, who rode pillion to kirk to be married.

During our exciting drive to Chapala, several strange
trees arrested my attention. To prevent the cattle
from stealing the fodder, Indian corn is put up into the

252 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

forked arms of the trees. One sees a nice large tree,
which looks as though it were in extraordinarily full leaf,
and on drawing nearer discovers that there is a hay or
rather a corn-stack, among its boughs !

The waggons on the road were all drawn by ox teams,
such funny waggons, too ; just ribs of bamboo, the sides
being kept together with matting, or hairy cow-hide, yet
the wheels were massive blocks of wood. The poor people
cannot afford to buy wheels, spokes are difficult to make,
and a good solid trunk of a tree can be sliced into a
number of convenient wheels. They look heavy and
cumbersome, but they work and wear, and after all that is
what is wanted. " Time was made for man " suits very
well in Mexico, as does the Finnish proverb, " God did
not create hurry."

A family removal, and what a family ! There appeared
to be about fifty of them, and perhaps there were, for
Mexican families — even of the highest rank — live together in
a manner that is perfectly incomprehensible to English ideas.
Dozens of members of this family were stowed away
behind the mattino- walls of the cart, and as the team of
oxen drew up for us to pass, every fold of matting was
raised, and out popped two or three heads. It was very
hot, and what the temperature must have been inside that
cart we shudder to think. The few worldly goods possessed
by these folk were on another waggon ; men sat on the top
with fowls tied by the leg, pigs or cats in their laps, and
bird-cages hanging over the edge of the cart.

We passed ; the waggon drivers took their long sticks
with spear points at the end, prodded those handsome old
oxen, and on they plodded.

Some boys were larking by the roadside over their mid-
day meal, their horses being tethered near by. Something-
displeased one of them. In an instant there was a flash of
steel, and each youth had drawn the sword or machete which

•-.- c «

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3 u
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I'i

GUADALAJARA.

253

he carried. The quarrel ended in nothing ; but the
rapidity with which swords were drawn, and the fact that
each youth carried one, showed the temper of the country.

Chapala enjoys a glorious climate, tropical vegetation
abounds, and birds and beasts from every clime shelter
along the shores of the lake when they are driven south-
wards by the cold. Innumerable orchids clustered on the
trees. There are great tall plants, twenty or thirty feet
high, of bourganvillia — flaming red, lilac and purple — also
geraniums, palms and cocoanuts.

Delicious fish abound in the Lake, which is about eighty
miles long ; they are caught in nets. These pescado
bianco (white fish) are literally transparent when they come
out of the water. They are spoken of as lake herring,
though I cannot say I thought they resembled a Loch Fyne
herring in taste so much as a river trout.

Below is a rough table of the commoner birds, beasts,
and plants of Mexico, given me by a sporting friend : —

Birds.

Egret (native home).

In winter, all migratory
Duck and Pelican and
Swan of North America.

Wood Duck.

Aluscovy Dtick.

Turkeys (three varieties).

Pheasants (five kinds).

Quails (three kinds).

Humming - birds (sixty
kinds). These are bril-
liantly coloured in
plumage, are fly-catch-
ers, but do not sing.

Parrot (six common varie-
ties).

Beasts.

Lion (panther).

Tiger (jaguar). Very dan-
gerous.

Timber-wolf (dangerous).

Boyote (small like a fox).

Bears (three kinds).

Badgers.

Raccoons.

Opossum.

Dabali (wild boar).

Deer (three kinds).

Antelopes.

Squirrels (five kinds).
They are wonderfully
good eating.

Tapirs.

Alligators.

Crocodiles.

Manatee (a small kind of
hippopotamus which
lives in swamps).

Big-horn Mountain Sheep.

Ibc.x.

Plants.

Guamuchil. A large tree
which resembles the apple.
The fruit is a long green
pod containing white pulp
over seed ; it is delicious.

Pitahay. A giant cactus
which bears fruit aljout
the size of a peach, re-
sembles a pocket with
thorns outside. The in-
side tastes like strawberry.

Nopal. Prickly pear.

Mango.

Lima Dulce. Sweet lime.

ALelon Zapote, which grow
on trees in clusters.
Hundreds of small black
pips like hard currants.

Acjuacate. A vivid green
lemon used in salad.

Granadita, the fruit of the
Passion Flower.

Chico Zapote, a sort of
mango, really the fruit of
the gum tree from which
chewing gum is made.
A brown fruit, the colour
of a potato and shaped
like an orantie.

254 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

The black, white and red plumage of the giant wood-
pecker is a wonderful contrast to his ivory-like beak. It
is an Indian superstition that the short red feathers from the
head will cure all diseases if worn in the ears, consequently
these birds fetch high prices. They are rare, and difficult
to shoot, that being probably the reason why the supersti-
tion has arisen, and they are so highly prized.

In the evening we went out to look at the moon, on
Chapala Lake — one of those lovely moons all lakes know
so well how to reflect. In front of the hotel door we saw
a weird figure with a flaming torch in his hand, apparently
looking for something on the ground. What had he lost }

" I am burning ants," was his reply ; under a wild fig
tree — as big as an ordinary horse-chestnut — these ants,
big as bees, had made their home. They came out at
night, whole families of them, each one carrying a little
leaf he had purloined from the tree, and this dark gentle-
man with his torch of resin was burning them wholesale.
He swept his death weapon remorselessly along the ground,
and up the sides of any wall where he saw a family of ants
promenading, and we heard them cremated. They looked
almost as large and brown as those delicious oyster crabs
which frizzle on to one's plate at Delmonico's. But these
Mexican ants are really a plague, for they will strip a tree of
its entire foliagfe in one nio-ht.

What a lovely evening that was at Chapala. How
gloriously bright the moon, but I felt homesick, and
Moore's beautiful lines came back to me : —

" The best charms of nature improve

When we see them reflected from- looks that we love.''

What truth lies in those two lines. Of course, the
"strong-minded woman," the "elderly scribe," ought never
to feel lonely or homesick ; but I did, and in such peace-
ful hours as these, or in the gay throng of some large

GUADALAJARA. 255

reception, trouble came upon me. The greater the crowd,
the more public the moment, the more I longed for my own
kith and kin to share its pleasures with me. Stupid but true !
How much happiness or misery lies in a mattress. In
Normandy, Brittany or Holland one gazes up at the
feathery mound reaching almost to the ceiling, and looks
anxiously for the ladder by which to mount so high, but
oh, what lovely beds they are when one gets there, if the
weather be not too hot for feathers !

In Norway one bumps one's feet or one's head against the
wooden bedstead, made as small to-day as it was when the
old Viking ship (now in Christiania) was built, and a trav-
eller has to acquire a habit of curling round before he can
rest at all comfortably on a bed in that country, where the
feathers are on top, as they are in Germany, instead of
below as in France.

A Mexican bed also has its little peculiarity ; it )nay be
of brass, of iron, or wood, but the mattress — judging by
its hardness — is of the same substance as the frame.
Weary limbs ache, but a hard bed, some wiseacre remarks,
" is so healthy ! "

That healthy hardness is not all the trouble, however,
the sheet and the blanket are cut exactly the same size as
the bed, consequently when the weary traveller gets in, his
toes get out ; he pulls the covering clown only to find that
he is uncovered to the waist. He turns over, his back is
bare ; he rolls over, the other side is exposed. It is
exactly like sleeping under a pocket-handkerchief !
The sufferer complains — I did, at all events.
" Oh," said a Mexican friend. " You did not roll yourself
up properly. You must wind yourself round with the bed-
clothes ; they are not meant to hang over. Of course not."
The stranger endeavours to follow this advice ; but
lifelong experience is necessary to enable the possessor of
an ordinary frame to roll himself round snugly into a towel.

2 56 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

Then the pillows — ah, those pillows are something to be
remembered. They are not down, not even feathers, or
horse-hair or pine-needles — they are solid wool. Just nice,
fat, hard knobs of wool. You can stand on them, and they
do not give ; you can play football with them — no pumping
up is necessary ; they remain as hard and firm at the end of
the season as they were at the beginning.

A stiff neck. Oh, what a stiff neck ! And not only
a stiff neck, but a stiff back and aching limbs await the
foreigner pretty often in dear old Mexico. But folk who
travel have to put up with small discomforts,and those who
cannot accept them with good-natured grace had better
stay away, not only for their own sakes, but because they
will mar the pleasure of everyone else. We travel to
enjoy ourselves, to look for the best in all things, not to
grizzle over our experiences, still we pray leave to be allowed
a little joke concerning them occasionally !

Trifling pleasures give most enjoyment, just as small ills
are the least endurable.

Of all the towns in Mexico, Guanajuato (pronounced
Wan-a-wah-to), interested me the most. Rome was built
on seven hills — Guanajuato was built in seven valleys or
barrancas, and the result is most strange. The valleys are
long and narrow, therefore the town is sometimes only one
street wide, and yet it straggles along for nearly five miles in
length.

Every form of ancient and modern architecture is to
be found there, from the old adobe dwellings with their
flat roofs and Biblical appearance, to the magnificent modern
theatre. Flights of steps, hewn out of solid rock, lead from
the main street in every direction, and a donkey (burro)
thinks nothing of walking up or down those stairways.
The shops have no fronts, only a large opening in the wall,
and a horseman rides under the arch, buys what he requires,
and backs his steed out again. It is a town full of surprises

s'(-

•* ^%t

' 'h-^(^*'0i.

GUADALAJARA. 257

— a Spanish town with a strain of barbarity and a tinge of
modernity. For hundreds of years it has been a great
mining centre, which it is to the present day. Look at that
cavalcade of a hundred burros laden with sacks of ore slowly
trudo-inof down the mountain to the smeltino^ works.

The tram-car, drawn by four sturdy mules, plies up-hill for
five miles from the station at a gallop, and as we ascend we
leave the old world behind us — the water-carrier with his
enormous earthenware jar on its wooden base, the women
sitting fanning their sweets with many-coloured strips of
paper for hours together to keep away the flies, the queer
open farriers' shops where strange little horses are being shod,
the coffins borne throuQ-h the streets to fetch the dead,
the enormous oak beams men — nearly bent double by the
weight — are carrying on their shoulders, the open house
doors throuo^h which one can see the Christmas altar still
standing in one corner of the dark little room — or a picture
of the Guadalupe Virgin plastered on the door to bring
good luck — all this we leave behind, and at the summit of
the hill find handsome villas and lovely gardens, the homes
of luxury and wealth.

Many of the houses are built right into the rock, the basalt
forms their back. The bottom floor is only one room deep,
but as the hill slants the second storey may be two rooms
wide, and so on. The houses literally cling to the mountain
side as limpets to rocks.

By way of cheerful entertainment we walked to the ceme-
tery. It was a climb, and oh, we were hot, for the midday
sun in January knows how to burn. Our visit was to the
mummies.

In the cemetery the soil quickly mummifies the corpse, as
in certain parts of Finland and Norway.

In Guanajuato the earth shrinks the body and turns it
dark brown, until it resembles a mummy. Wlien the corpses
are dug up to make room for others, the best are kept for

258 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

the corridor of mummies. A man standing beside us was
asked if he knew any of them.

" Si, Seiiora, the third on the right is my grandfather," he
-answered quite cheerfully.

During the last year or two white cotton garments have
been hung upon the corpses because it is considered " nicer,"
so there they stand, the men on one side and the women on
the other, just as do the old monks in the Church at Rome.

There is yet another similarity to Rome in this old Mexi-
can town, the entire cemetery is surrounded by a high wall,
and this wall contains square apertures for the reception of
the dead. One can be bought or hired, and the corpse with
or without a coffin is slipped in and bricked up. It re-
minded me of the Columbarium at Rome, only the latter is
far the more sanitary and poetical, containing ashes of the
cremated dead instead of decomposing bodies as at Guana-
juato.

Guanajuato is certainly the most artistically picturesque
town in Mexico.

Our next journey brought us to Oueretaro of sad
memories.

The Emperor Maximilian was shot at Oueretaro (pro-
nounced Kay-ret-a-ro), but apart from that fact the town is
certainly well worth a visit. It is a queer old place, composed
almost entirely of one-storey buildings ; all the houses are
built alike, but differ in colour, and with the various bird-
cages hanging at the doors and the people sitting in the gut-
ters or lolling on the door-steps, they appear quite different.
Every odd man in the street seemed to have opals to sell ;
they are found in large quantities and are sold by handfuls
in the streets by stray vendors. Of course, a pur-
chaser must take the risk of the stones being good, bad or
indifferent. An Indian steps forward, produces a little black
rag or bit of velvet from his pocket, undoes it in the palm of
his hand, and offers the lot of opals for a few shillings.

GUADALAJARA. 259

It was the same at the station, and again at Aguas
Calientes. The platform was thronged with sellers of opals
or drawn thread embroidery worked by the Indians round
about, and sold at wonderfully reasonable rates, some of
the specimens being exquisite.

A vast amount of buying and selling is done at railway
stations, probably half the shopping of every Mexican town
is effected there or in the streets. The large open spaces
opposite the Cathedrals, Sundays included, are full of
gorgeous handkerchiefs, laces, ribbons, sweets, fruits, or
earthenware, all of which articles may be seen exposed for
sale on the open road. Apparently tradesmen pay no rent !

Another amusing arrangement is the delivery of bread or
washing ; both articles are put in baskets six feet across,
and ten inches deep. The white rolls and crescents are
piled up until the stranger wonders how they ever keep
in place, and these baskets, balanced on men's heads,
are carried through the streets every morning. The same
method is followed with the washing, but starched dresses,
petticoats and other such garments, are pinned on so that
they may hang down to avoid being creased. Inside is the
man ; but often so completely covered with starched goods
that he looks like a " Jack in the Green " or a John in the
blue!

It is worth going to Oueretaro to see one church, namely,
Santa Rosa. The exterior is handsome with well-carved,
beautiful doors, as is the case with so many Mexican
churches, while inside is probably some of the finest gold
lacquered wood to be found in the world. It is not a large
church, but the workmanship is exquisite — splendidly deep
carvings are thickly covered in gold leaf, here and there
lovely shades of green, like the sheen on the wings of a
parrot, mingle with the shades of gold and brown, and
tortoiseshell is thinly laid over other parts to add richness to
the effect. Even the confessional boxes are lacquered and

17*

26o MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

carved in the same way. Time and money were not spared
on this masterpiece of art by the Spaniards three centuries
ago, but, alas ! the great altar is gone. The French
/destroyed it, stole the gold said to have been worth a million
and a half dollars, and burned the carvings ; yet enough
remains to well repay a visit. Of course, there are cheap
paper flowers and ugly little wax figures, the usual strange
blending of tawdry finery with solid majesty ! The carving,
however, cannot be spoiled.

What wonderful things the Roman Catholic Church
achieved in the past ; what encouragement it gave to art,
literature, science and learning! How much the world has
to thank those old priests for ; but the younger generations
do not seem to follow in their footsteps.

The term "a city of domes" might well be applied to
Queretaro. It is a minor Moscow. The domes are round
and tiled, and the effect in the evening light is beautiful,
seen from the spot where Maximilian was shot.

As we were walking along the street at noon on Sunday,
a band accompanied by a number of persons attracted our
attention. It was a bull-fight procession.

There were the picadores, matadores, capeadores, butcher
and chamberlain, all marching through the streets to the
strains of music, followed by half the population of the town.
This was the advertisement for the afternoon's fray.

It was in Queretaro that I first saw much of the Rurales,
a remarkable corps of soldiers or police, but whose more
intimate acquaintance I was to make a few weeks later when
escorted through the State of Morelos by its Governor and
a guard of forty mounted soldiers.

These Rurales are the pride and pick of the army.
They are a perfectly unique institution which exists only in
Mexico. Their origin was strange. When General Diaz
came into power, it was to rule a country occupied by tribes
of bandits, whose fathers and grandfathers had been bandits

Rurales, the only body of soldiers of the kind in the world.

Water, carrier, ( iiuiiiajuala.

GUADALAJARA. 261

before them. They plundered, caused revolutions, and
were a strong force for good or ill, generally the latter.
General Diaz recognised their power, admired their great
moral and physical strength, and decided to make use of
their knowledge of every hill and dale in the land. He
offered amnesty, suggested that he would organise them into
an army corps with regular pay at a higher rate than any
other cavalrymen in the world. They were to keep order
and subdue revolution, theft and riot. The bandits accepted
his proposal, and became Rurales.

No finer body of men could be met with ; they are now the
backbone of the country. They have no fixed abode ; each
State has its band of Rurales, and they go where required,
or when disturbances and troubles break out, for even to-day
such things are not unknown in Mexico. Each State has
its mark on the grey silver embroidered hat, for example, E*^
(Estado), i\P (de Morelos) ; the uniform is always grey with
red ties and wide belts ; brown leather saddles and bridles
from which red tassels dangle, embroidered trousers
(chaparreras) ; and the Rurales are armed with pistols,
machete (sword) and rifle.

Instead of going to the bull-fight, we watched the
Rurales ride past, and then took a drive.

A mule-car ride— or rather gallop — of an hour through a
well-grown orchard district — planted not with apple, pear or
cherry trees, which we expect an orchard to contain, but
oranges, lemons, limes, mangoes, bananas, and other semi-
tropical fruit — brought us to a queer little village. On dis-
mounting from the tram, and turning a corner of a street,
we suddenly found ourselves looking over a wall, attracted
thereto by the laughter behind. It was a public bath !

A large square swimming-bath where men, women and
children were enjoying themselves — very lightly clad —
beneath the blue vault of heaven. It was really a pretty
sight ; fathers were teaching their little olive-brown oft"-

262 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

spring to swim, youths were having races, diving and dis-
porting themselves as to the manner born ; old women were
sitting on the steps while their daughters washed their heads
or feet. Everyone had his own soap, and used a bountiful
supply before beginning his aquatic capers. Although it
was a warm spring bath, it was full of little fish, who were
swimming around gaily, much to the amusement of the chil-
dren who tried to catch them.

A wide flight of steps — the whole width of the bath —
descended directly into the water, from a wider platform,
behind which was a kind of covered-in shed. Here under a
roof the P'ood folk undressed, but as there was no wall in
front they were quite in the public gaze, nevertheless they
all did it so modestly, and with such an absence of assumed
nonsense, that it seemed quite natural. At the same time if
a few wooden boards were put up, the men could be divided
from the women while performing their toilets. Such a
simple arrangement would not cost much, and might make
matters more comfortable for both sexes.

That they should bathe together seems only natural to
them, and anyone who could see those happy family parties
enjoying their Sunday dip would think so too.

Burros (donkeys). Cross to keep away llie devil is depicted on the wall.

To face page 263. ]

26-

CHAPTER XVI.

THE EMPEROR MAXIMILIAN AND EMPRESS CARLOTTA.

The modern history of Mexico is so, very modern that many
of the persons who helped to build it up are still alive, and
some of them have kindly told me a few of their personal
reminiscences of the Emperor Maximilian and Empress
Carlotta.

In the history of Mexico there is nothing more inter-
esting or pathetic than this episode of Maximilian and his
Consort. It was indeed an evil moment when he was
tempted to listen to the proposition of Napoleon III. !

Reared in Imperial pomp, a refined and cultivated man,
with a devoted wife, he was living in peace at Miramar,
when first approached on this subject. With a woman's
instinct the Archduchess at first turned a deaf ear to the
proposal, but as her husband became enthusiastic at the
prospect of a glorious future, she grew reconciled, and they
started on their ill-fated journey to Mexico full of hope,
after bidding farewell to their lovely home, and the happy
surroundings of their native land.

In Mexico they were warmly received, even the Indian
population greeting their new Emperor with manifestations
of joy, for, believing in the legend of Ouetzalcotl, they
looked upon him as the fair white man who was to come
from the East to rescue them from their oppressed con-
dition.

264 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

The religious question was still the trouble in 1863.
Although Juarez's government had endeavoured to settle this
difficult question, it partly failed. At first it seemed as if
Maximilian would be able to cope with the matter, but it
soon became evident he was weak and incompetent. Under
his rule evil passions were permitted to get the upper hand.
Consequently the situation soon became more difficult, for it
needed a stronger individuality than his to steer the storm-
tossed barque of Church and State into tranquil waters.

Colonel George M. Green, a Canadian by birth, played
no unimportant part in these troubled days and the final
overthrow of Maximilian. When I met him he was a smart-
looking, well-preserved man about sixty years of age. It
appears strange that he, being a British subject, should
become a Colonel in the Mexican army, but the whole thing
occurred quite naturally.

Educated for an artist, the venturesome lad when about
seventeen conceived a desire to journey with his daguerro-
type camera — a new invention in 1854 — to Mexico, and
take views of the fighting army. After his arrival he joined
the Liberal side, headed by Juarez. Young Green left
Guadalajara with the army in 1858. At first all went well ;
he had his carriage and his implements, and secured many
excellent pictures, some of which were published in Harper s
Magazine.

At the battle of Salamanca the young artist was taken
prisoner.

" I had a bad time of it," said Colonel Green; "they
tied me arm to arm with a low-born Indian, and for two
days and a night we were marched, almost without rest,
with a string of other prisoners, to Leon. Of course I lost
my kit and apparatus. They treated us horribly ; we had
scanty food, great fatigue, and no consideration of any kind.
When we reached Leon I was called before General
Miramon (executed later with Maximilian), who asked why

THE EMPEROR MAXIMILIAN. 265

I was fiehtinof aeainst the Holy Catholic Church. I told him
in the little Spanish I knew that I had not been fighting at
all, but was only a Canadian artist.

" ' Then the sooner you get out of this country the
better.'

" ' But I cannot,' I replied, ' I have lost everything and
have no money.'

" To which he sternly answered, though he had heard I
had been talking against the Church, yet in consideration of
my youth he would not have me shot if I left Mexico within
fifteen days. Later he relented a little more, and ordered
a horse and saddle to be given me.

"With a heavy heart, but glad to be still alive, I started
for Aguas Calientes, where the American Consul, William
Banks, offered me protection, and promised to try and get
back my worldly possessions."

A few days later young Green was again taken prisoner
by Miramon. This proved the turning point in his career.
He escaped, presented himself to Vidaury, the Liberal
General fighting on the side of Juarez, and was immediately
offered a post in the Cavalry. Naturally the adventurous
boy became fired with enthusiasm, and turned aside from the
artistic career for which he had been trained to the exciting
life of a soldier, and not only a soldier, but one who was
destined to see years of bloody warfare, and play his part in
history.

Colonel Green was the only English officer in the
Mexican army, and although a Briton in appearance, is
thoroughly Mexican in sentiment.

At the time young Green joined, the management of an
army was a very different affair from what it is now. There
were no railways, and enormous distances had to be
traversed on foot or on horseback. The army lived upon
what they could pick up, and the soldiers' women folk, acting
as a Commissariat body, scoured the country on the line of

266 MEXICO AS 1 SAW IT.

march, raided the ranches and villages, taking what they
needed in the way of food. At the end of the day's march,
the soldiers' wives would have tortillas and stews ready,
which were much appreciated both by tired officers and men.

The war of Reform lasted over three years, and many
sacrificed their lives for the liberty of their country.

In 1865, a year after Maximilian was crowned Emperor,
Colonel Green went to San Francisco on a Government
commission, to procure a band of volunteers to aid Juarez,
who had overthrown the religious orders two years pre-
viously. He was absent for eight months, during which
time he enrolled and incorporated eighty-seven fine stalwart
American officers, who were banded together under the
name of the Legion of Honour, with him as their Colonel.
They accomplished a marvellous -ride. It is nearly three
thousand miles from San Francisco to the City of Mexico
through El Passo, and yet these men covered this distance
in seventy days, without changing horses !

They fought against the French in four or five minor
skirmishes on the road, and after joining General Juarez'
force, succeeded in putting the French to flight.

It was just at this time that the army heard of the
assassination of President Lincoln at Washington, which
formed the subject of conversation for many nights round
camp fires. The programme then changed. The United
States Government suddenly ordered the French to evacuate
Mexico.

Petty wars were devastating the land, neither life nor
property was safe ; tumult reigned. Poor Maximilian,
though charming in himself, had shown his weakness all
too plainly. Napoleon III. was no longer willing to
support the man he had chosen.

Thus it came about that under the pressure of W. H.
Seward of the United States, and Benito Juarez of Mexico,
the French in 1867 agreed to evacuate, provided the

THE EMPEROR MAXIMILIAN. 267

United States Government would protect them during
the evacuation. This being agreed to, the French
departed, leaving Maximilian behind them.

An Austrian frigate had been sent to convey the
Emperor home, but Maximilian, who at first decided to
leave, was met at Orizaba by Bazaine, who persuaded him
he could not quit the country without abdicating.

While waiting at Orizaba for their ships, seven Mexican
generals, namely, Mirmon, Mejia, Marques, Mendez,
Castillio, Cortez and Moran, approached Maximilian.
They assured him that if he would remain behind with
his eleven thousand Austrian soldiers and three thou-
sand Belgians, they would each of them agree to furnish
five thousand followers fully armed and equipped, and
establish an empire without the aid of any government.
Unfortunately Maximilian listened to them.

Carlotta was opposed to the plan, and did her utmost to
dissuade him from it, but in vain. He had given up his
birthright before leaving Austria, and if he returned it
would be as an Emperor without an Empire. He
hesitated, and ultimately consented to remain in his adopted
country. He retraced his way westward, thus taking the
first step to his tragic end at Oueretaro, while Bazaine
returned to France, and there met the sad destiny which
awaited him at Metz.

Carlotta proceeded alone to Europe, with the view ot
obtaining assistance for her husband. First she went to
Paris, where, to her surprise, she was not met at the
station by her old friend Napoleon III. Next day she
drove out to St. Cloud with one Mexican lady attendant,
and sought an audience with the Emperor of France.
He received her coldly. She told her story, he listened,
regretted he had done all he could for Maximilian, and
declared he could do no more. Finally, with tears in her
eyes, she begged his aid. He refused peremptorily.

268 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

Indignantly she turned upon him, exclaiming :

" Fool, fool that I was to lower my royal house by
begging to a plebeian upstart," or words to that effect.

It was her parting shot. "She left his presence a
crushed woman," said my informant, and with her
companion drove back to Paris. From that time the
Empress became a changed person, mentally and bodily a
wreck, by turns silent and hysterical. The strain had been
too great. She appealed to the Pope ; he could not help
her. Finally she had recourse to her father, the King of
the Belgians, who ordered out three battalions of troops
which were, however, stopped by the United States vessels,
and thus the unfortunate Maximilian was cut off from all
outside assistance. This worried the poor dethroned lady
to such an extent that she completely broke down. Utter
mental collapse ensued, from which she has never recovered.
Even now she often thinks herself Empress of Mexico, and
plays in comedy the role she sustained in tragedy. Carlotta
waited for her husband's return ; day after day she looked
for him, but she never saw him ao-ain, and it is said that in
her European home she still believes he is alive. A brave
life wrecked, a true woman sacrificed, and all for what }

Although Maximilian was responsible for much bloodshed
and misery, yet the ruin of his cause was practically begun
before he ever set foot In Mexico, for the exchequer was in
a lamentable state, and money — which forms the sinews of
war — was sadly deficient. The Emperor bravely adhered
to the vows he had taken at Miramar ere accepting the
crown of Mexico, but when forsaken by the French his
position was hopeless.

After Carlotta left Mexico, Maximilian and his seven
generals led their army to the City. Colonel Green,
then in the northern part of the present Republic, was, at
the battle of San Jacinto, where the Imperial troops were
defeated, able to save General Juarez from capture.

THE EMPEROR MAXIMILIAN. 269

Maximilian, learning the sad defeat of the Imperial army,
hurried to its assistance with all the forces he could com-
mand, and fortified himself at the town of Oueretaro, where
the Liberal army from the west under General Corona,
General Huerta, and the Legion of Honour succeeded in
surrounding him.

Reinforced by the army from Northern Mexico, under
General Escobedo, the united forces of Juarez met
Maximilian and his Imperial forces at Oueretaro, where
a great battle was fought, and after a siege of eighty-seven
days Maximilian and his generals surrendered.

In May, 1867, the Imperialists were defeated at all
points. Then it was that Maximilian's spirit began to fail.
The succour he had expected from Europe did not come.
On the 14th of the month he sent Lopez to General
Escobedo to say he wished to leave with fifty picked
horsemen for Tampico, and thence embark for Europe.
He would let the town surrender at once if his own safety
were guaranteed.

Escobedo indignantly refused, and immediately ordered a
general assault.

After much bloodshed Maximilian realised the utter
hopelessness of his position, and apparently lost his head,
for he rushed about alone, begging everyone for horses
and help. He was many times fired upon, but never really
wounded.

Seizing a handkerchief he tied it to his riding-whip as a
flag of truce, and started dow^n the slope of the Cerro de las
Campanas, where he met Colonel Green, the officer com-
manding the Legion of Honour.

"He was disheartened," said the Colonel, " and nervous.
His lips were trembling, he looked ill and wan, but withal
showed himself a noble and gallant soldier."

" I surrender," he murmured.

" You must surrender to General Escobedo."

2/0 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

" No, no, not to him — to you or to General Corona ! "

" Calm yourself," replied the Canadian colonel. " I have
a letter from my brother at Washington in my pocket, and
he tells me the American Government has interceded for
your life."

These words came as a great relief to the unfortunate
Emperor, and a flash of joy illumined his face, but it was
only momentary.

By this time General Corona had arrived, and standing
aside, Colonel Green beckoned to Maximilian to surrender
formally to his superior officer.

" I am Maximilian, Emperor of Mexico," he pulled him-
self together sufficiently to say, as he presented his sword
to Corona.

"You are a Mexican citizen and my prisoner," was the
stern reply of his captor.

The Emperor was tried and condemned to be shot,
together with his two faithful generals Mejia and Miramon.
He was judged a traitor for having acted with Napoleon IIL
to rob Mexico of her independence.

One month later (June 19, 1867) these three were led
forth for execution to a small hill, about a mile and a half
distant from the city known as the Cerro de las Campanas.
The two generals fell at the first volley, but Maximilian
required a second round. Three little crosses were put up
to mark the spot which ended French rule in Mexico.
Thirty-three years later an insignificant chapel was erected
by the Emperor Francis Joseph to commemorate the
tragedy, and in April, 1901, an envoy was sent from Austria
represented by Prince Khevenhueller and Prince Fuersten-
berg, to formally open the chapel.

When General Diaz heard this he determined to do them
all honour, and sent his own special train to meet the party at
Vera Cruz. It was a pretty act of courtesy. Maximilian's
successor honouring the memory of his Imperial adversary !

THE EMPEROR MAXIMILIAN. 271

Diaz can be hard, but Diaz can also be kind. Out of his
chivalrous courtesy, received in an equally friendly spirit by
the Austrians, developments have ensued, and negotiations
been entered into between Mexico and Austria, which only
thirty years ago were deadly foes. This is yet another
instance of the successful diplomacy of the President of
Mexico.

With the death of Maximilian ended one of the most
tragic episodes in modern history. At the time, many
people blamed him for listening to the overtures of
Napoleon III. Be this as it may, the whole record is
fraught with pathetic sadness, and one cannot but feel
regret that a happy life, which had hitherto been a useful
one, should have been sacrificed to the ambition of a man
who in the hour of need forsook his friend, and literally
betrayed him into the hands of his enemies.

Another of the people I had the pleasure of meeting in
Mexico, who has lived in the history of the country, was
Madame Degollado, at one time Lady-in-Waiting to the
Empress Carlotta.

A Virginia girl, she was brought up to the saddle, and
while still in her teens married a Spanish Mexican, who
shortly afterwards was appointed Chamberlain to the
Emperor Maximilian.

Madame Degollado is now a handsome woman with
white hair and fine carriage. It is easy to imagine she was
a beautiful girl, and quickly found favour with the Empress
Carlotta, to whom she became a constant attendant. As
she was the only horsewoman among the Court — for the
ladies in Mexico rode even less then than now — while the
Empress was devoted to the saddle, the two naturally spent
much of their time together. " Carlotta," who was then
about twenty-four, never drove when she could ride, and
as there were no railways, all her expeditions were
accomplished on horseback.

2/2 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

" Such a handsome woman," said Madame Degollado,
" very tall, exceptionally tall and thin, with great grace of
movement. Haughty and proud in manner, some people
feared her ; but she had the kindest of hearts, never
neglected a duty, was faithful in her friendships, and
always thoughtful for others."

" What did she do all day ? " I enquired.
" We rode generally every morning, and then she spent
hours and hours over the State papers. I never saw such
an industrious woman in my life. She read a great deal,
besides conducting all the correspondence with the crowned
heads of Europe. For her amusement she sketched and
painted. Both she and the Emperor were excellent
Spanish scholars, and she spoke wonderful English. In
fact, they were both extraordinarily fluent linguists, and I
remember once hearing the Emperor say he thought he
knew eleven German dialects !

" ' The Empress ought to have been the man and I the
woman,' he once laughingly remarked. ' She prefers the
drum, I prefer the baton.'

" Had he lived, Mexico would have benefited by his
taste and talent. He was a born architect, and loved
drawing out plans ; there is no doubt about it, he would
have done much to beautify the City. The Sokolo was
his work, while the Empress founded a hospital and did
many things of the same kind."

" Was she happy ? " I asked.

" No, I think not ; in the first place the grief of her life
was not having a child, and then she always felt the
insecurity of the Emperor's position."

Speaking of Cuernavaca and the lovely garden where
the Imperial pair spent so much of their time, Madame
Degollado said :

"The Empress loved that beautiful spot. We used
constantly to ride there. By the mountain passes it was

THE EMPEROR MAXIMILIAN. - 273

only a distance of some thirty miles. We used to get up
very early, and start about four o'clock. She and I rode,
accompanied by her gentlemen in waiting, and the Guardo
de Palatin (Empress' guard of about one hundred and fifty
men). Some of her escort always went on ahead, and -
pitched the tents at the spot where we were to stop for
luncheon and rest during the heat of the day.

"It was quite a caravan, and a very necessary one, for in
those days, robbery was an everyday occurrence, and not
only did the bandits stop the diligences, but they often
stripped passengers of their very clothes.'

When I asked Madame Degollado if she had ever
experienced such an adventure, she answered :

" Oh, yes, nine times I have been in large or small
robberies by the roadside."

A halt was called for the royal cortege for luncheon, and
the carriages with the ladies-in-waiting, devoutly telling
their beads in gratitude for having proceeded so far on their
perilous journey in safety, would arrive, likewise the servants
and luggage.

Madame Degollado has a beautiful house, which con-
tains many interesting relics of those unhappy Imperial
days. Perhaps the most interesting of all is the least
connected with Maximilian, which sounds somewhat like
an Irishism. It is Cortes' own desk. Father Fisher,
a German, and Confessor to the Ernperor, gave it to
her ; it is truly wonderful. Outside it resembles a
miniature bureau, or large desk of inlaid wood, and round
the key on a silver plate are the arms of Cortes. For-
merly it was studded with silver nails, but these have been
picked out. Inside it is Chinese, and not only Chinese,
but a Chinese puzzle ! It is lacquered scarlet, and painted,
and every corner contains a secret drawer. There are
literally dozens of them, so many that it seems impossible
anyone could ever have made such an ingenious affair.

274 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

False bottoms are endless. It is certainly a curiosity.
Beside it stands a beautiful bust of Humboldt, by an
Italian, which always occupied a place in Maximilian's
study, for he was an earnest admirer of the great German
traveller. There is also a gem of a crucifix in ivory,
given by the Pope to Maximilian to hold in his hand when
he went to Rome, in 1864, while being blessed before going
out to Mexico. It bears the papal arms in gold, as well as
the royal crest, and the Pope presented it to the Emperor
as a souvenir of the occasioa

Perhaps the saddest little relic of all is a pillow-case
used by the Emperor on the last night he slept in
Mexico City. It is made of finest lawn with lace insertion,
and the Royal Crown embroidered on it. The centre is
mounted on pale blue silk. What pathetic trifles they
are, reminding one of a sadly misunderstood and troubled
life!

A ride on an engine.

Native huts on Canon to Tampico.

To face pat^c 275.]

CHAPTER XVII.

TAMPICO CANON ON AN ENGINE.

Mexico is full of new experiences ; a ride on an engine
proved certainly one to a London dame.

I have never been nearer to the Rocky Mountains than
when at Niagara in the North, and Durango — which is
really on the Southern spur of that gigantic range — in the
South ; but people who know both districts declare that the
railway track from Cardenas to Tampico in Mexico passes
through as fine canons as any in the Rockies.

This is the tierra caliente, or tropical climate of Mexico.
Roughly speaking, that climate must be divided into two
sections ; the northern district being about as warm as
Italy, and the southern half quite tropical. The high
altitudes lying between these two districts are colder in pro-
portion to their height.

Zacatecas is 8,967 feet above the sea, therefore chilly ;
but our train ran down that enormous descent to Tampico
on the coast, where the temperature is tropical. Nine
thousand feet is no mean drop for a railway track, and
the last four hours of that rapid journey were most exciting.

The beginning of the Canon de Guerero is sometimes
called the Canon of Tamasopo. Our car was specially run
down by engine No. 13, in which number, according to
superstition, there ought to be bad luck. However,
nothing dreadful happened.

The scenery at first might almost have been in Scotland ;

18*

276 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

bare rugged hills and stone walls were to be seen. Then
began a series of cuttings, round and round which the line
twisted, till the descent was actually discernible from the
car. The country as we proceeded became more fertile ;
and the land afforded good pasture for cattle.

After a rapid descent we saw below us a large opening
encircled by wooded hills, which was the entrance to the
caiion. It appeared incredible, for the sides went sheer
down as if into a basin, yet into this gorge we were to
descend. By a circuitous route we finally dived into the
pass, and then for fifteen miles or so we passed through
most beautiful scenes, each more lovely and wonderful than
the last.

Here and there the grey stone of the rocky boulders
looked almost like castellated towers ; the precipices, going
sheer down for several hundred feet to the bubbling little
river beneath, made one hold one's breath. There in the
distance a round black hole in the side of the cliff, denoted
a tunnel, and almost before we had grasped the fact, we
took a dive into Mother Earth. There are hardly any
tunnels in Mexico, so it seemed all the more strange to pass
through a regular chain of them.

At one moment the engine and the last car formed a
complete horse-shoe, turned and looked at one another
in fact, as, with reversed steam and wonderful Westinghouse
brakes, we held on our downward course at what to the
uninitiated mind seemed a terrific speed ! At another time
we saw six of our own tracks zigzag below us, so cleverly
did the road wind in and out of that canon. It is a magni-
ficent journey, not perhaps so gorgeous as that on the Vera
Cruz line, but in respect of vegetation and tropical beauty
far more lovely,

A curious cut in the rock, which drops sheer into the
river below, is known as the Devil's Backbone ; but the
Devil's Chasm would surely be a more appropriate title.

TAMP ICO CANON ON AN ENGINE. 277

All along the sides of the hills, right high up into the
thickly-wooded mountains, were patches of brightest green.
These were sugar-cane, which grows particularly luxuriantly
in this damp tropical region.

" How is it possible to get the cane down to the mills
in the valley .-* " I enquired, there being no road, and the
sides of the hill almost perpendicular.

" Men carry it on their backs," was the astounding
reply.

Imagine the whole produce of a field being carried down
a precipice, but it is ! The sugar-plants were in bloom as
we passed, and for the first time I saw their soft feathery
purple flowers, which somewhat resemble pampas grass.
Bananas were growing in patches everywhere, and the
banana is one of those accommodating plants which bear
fruit all the year round. Melon trees flourished on all
sides ; indeed, the tangled jungle seemed to conceal almost
every kind of tropical plant and shrub.

The engine-driver told us, only the day before, a fine
buck had crossed within thirty feet of his engine, and
antelopes, or a flight of turkeys across the line are events of
every-day occurrence. We were in the land of monkeys
— Micos, meaning monkey, was the name of the next
station ; they do not often come right on the rails, although
they chatter incessantly a few hundred yards distance from
the track.

Tall feathery-looking plants grew all about ; they looked
like giant asparagus fern — giant indeed, when they were
often sixty feet in length ! These were bamboos, which
abound in the jungle of primeval forest — their native heath,
so to speak.

The work-people's huts were made of bamboo, but not
bamboo fastened quite close together, oh, dear no ! A bam-
boo rod here, and another at least an inch away, so that from
outside we could see right through these tumble-down

278 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

dwellings, with their palm-leaved thatched roofs. This
meant plenty of ventilation, no doubt, and consequent health.
But hardly privacy or comfort. Still, we were in the tropics,
and one must not measure the half-clad ladies and gentlemen
of those regions, the naked children scampering about or riding
on pigs, with the cold-blooded inhabitants of northern climes.

Women were washing in the stream, and one good
house-wife had gathered up her cotton skirt to the waist,
and was dancing on her clothes in a tub to clean them,
just in the same way that we have often seen a Highland
lassie do in Scotland. Another was stripped to the waist
as she knelt beside a stream to wash, having removed her
bodice, that it might not get splashed. It was all very
picturesque, charming, and quaint ; the dark olive skin of
the people, the bright colouring of their clothes, the naked-
ness of the children, and the gorgeous tropical vegetation,
were all so different to anything ever seen in Britain.

A fine Ceiva tree reared its stately head amongst the
tall palms, so straight and majestic that it seemed to say
sadly :

"Here I am, cut me down and make your 'dug-out'
canoe from me ; I'm ready."

The tall palms were in groves, the blackness of their
charred stems — for part of the jungle had been cleared by
fire — being noticeable ; below were millions of those smaller
palms for which we pay at the rate of a guinea each, to orna-
ment our English drawing-rooms. In Mexico they grow in
wild profusion, only waiting to be dug up. How badly some
things appear to be distributed ; those palms, just wasted
where they are, would be so much appreciated elsewhere !

Mimosa in flower, red pepper plants, castor-oil vines,
were twining round everything and climbing everywhere.
Endless creepers and mosses were hanging from the trees,
while below lay patches of thick jungle such as one reads of
in books on Africa. We had left the cactus and maguey

TAMP ICO CANON ON AN ENGINE. 279

plants behind in the drier, higher, and therefore colder,
altitudes which surround Mexico City ; and now we were
enjoying tropical vegetation and tropical temperature, which
increased with every thousand feet we descended. The
heat was so great no one had an appetite for luncheon ;
pickles and stewed peaches were the only articles in demand,
in spite of the delicacies provided on the car.

Hawks were flying over-head — to us they seemed out of
place in the tropics. Muscovy ducks paddled in the water,
and crocodiles were not far off.

Several times a flight of egrets crossed our track, green
parrots chattered in the woods, and we occasionally saw a
dozen bound together by a string attached to the foot, in
front of the peasants' huts. The children were all un-
clothed — such funny little black things they were, and as
they squatted on their hind-quarters they looked just like
frogs, big, fat, round frogs ! The only time they wear
anything is when they go to church, and then they adorn
themselves with a hat !

Here and there patches of heliotrope carpeted the ground,
and we felt transported to fairy regions, to some strange land
where dwarf races might dwell, or baboons walk forth. The
lion and the panther live in that neighbourhood, and are
often seen by people working on the line.

There was no dust ; imagine any place in Mexico
without dust — the joy of it — but here, there being actually
no visible earth, vegetation is so thick dust cannot rise. \

The track is wonderful from an engineering point of
view ; the descent of the canon makes many people sick
and dizzy. We passed several gangs of track menders,
for the enormous engines necessary to pull those heavy
freight trains up from the port of Tampico knock the
road about, and in the rainy season floods and avalanches
damage it still more. The road is splendidly laid ; the steel
rails, of English make, embedded in rocky flints, are set

28o MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

high in order to avoid wash-outs. There was a lovely series
of cataracts along our route ; for about half a mile the river
descended by bounds and leaps.

It was an ideal time of year for travelling, namely,
January ; summer is the season when rain falls as if
the sluices of heaven were opened. These floods are
good for the country in many ways, as the climate of
Tampico does not vary much, but not for travelling. It is
always tropical, and the summer rains keep the temperature
almost at the usual winter heat, although when two or three
really dry days come in summer, it must be terrible.

One day we mounted a couple of hand cars at a small
wayside station ; it was a lovely morning, the dew was still
on the trees, everything felt bright and invigorating, and
clouds were still hiding the higher hills.

Away we sped, the pace was rapid, and as there was
nothing to hold by, and only a small foot-board, we felt
we must go over as we swung round corners and looked
down precipices into rocky river beds below. Indeed, we
passed over one bridge where, peering down between the
sleepers, we saw an enormous chasm lying five hundred
feet beneath ! What a view we had as we turned a bend
of the snake-like track ! A valley at least a hundred miles
in diameter lay before us ; the sun was up in all his glory,
the tropical heat was on us, and the colours lovely !

At the Cathedral cave — La Ventana — we stopped, and
scrambled up some primitive rocky staircases into the cavern
itself. As we entered a flock of green parrots flew out
with a shriek ; we had disturbed them in their home.

The natives make great pets of their parrots, especially
the smaller green ones. They clip one wing, and then let
the bird perch anywhere upon them ; we often saw men and
women with a parrot sitting on their head or shoulder.
They walked about and did their work, but the parrot still
clung to them, a faithful friend and companion. Even in

A couple of hand-cars.

A native vine bridtje.

[ To face page 280.

TAMP ICO CANON ON AN ENGINE. 281

the towns we have seen parrots sitting on men's hats in
tram-cars. A strange weird chant issued from a corner of
the cavern the parrots had just left.

"What on earth is that?" I enquired, still bewildered
with their shrieks.

" Felipe learning his catechism for the priest," was the
reply, and so it was, for we afterwards saw one of our hand
car men of some thirty summers, sitting, his head bent over
his tiny volume, struggling to learn by heart the catechism
he could only read with difficulty.

The caves form a series of fine chambers, and several
curious stalactites and stalagmites are there, one of which
exactly resembles a crouching monkey, another an old man.
A green-coloured stalagmite in the middle must have
measured some fifteen or sixteen feet high, and as much in
circumference. But the most interesting part to me was
the trees. The cavern has lioht holes here and there at

the top, and through these apertures vines and tendrils have
come down. Some are there now, just light and feathery
tracery. Others, as they strengthened and reached the
earth, thirty or forty feet below, have taken root. Not only
that, but fine trees have grown from these saplings, the roots
being well spread over the cavern below, while the trunks
look black like the masts of a ship in the dim light, and
through the openings foliage struggles from the dark cave into
the light beyond in its endeavour to kiss the passing clouds.

The effect is extraordinary. It is hard to understand how
these big trees live in such dark mystery while the tender
shoots above enjoy the glorious sunshine of the day.

We tumbled down the steps again, and so back to our
hand-car and off we sped to the second cavern ; this was
down the side of the mountain and totally different from the
other. Choy cave has a river of deep dark-blue water at its
base. Friends have bathed therein — but they owned it was
wondrous cold — they swam into that black opening yonder,

282 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

until all grew so dark and mysterious they were fain to turn
back again to the light. Some day, perchance, a boat may
penetrate that gloomy depth ; in the meantime the cave is
far from the haunts of men. Its one entrance towards the
light reminded me of the glimpse of the open sea from
Fingall's Cave, Scotland.

Hard by are some wonderful sulphur springs, where the
natives who suffer from rheumatism and various skin
diseases repair, but they also are comparatively little
known. Perhaps, a few years hence, they may become
a fashionable health resort with a fine hotel — who knows ?
At any rate, no more lovely spot could be found than this
part of the railway line between the great Cafion de
Guerero, and Tampico.

Before returnino; to our trollv-car we walked throuQ-h the
tunnel, as it was considered safer to do so, and only those
who have travelled in a hand-car down such a zigzag road
know how near one is to danoer all the time. The
entrance to that tunnel was wonderful — being partly
shaded with maiden-hair fern almost as thick as bracken
is in Scotland, though, of course, it does not grow so high,
and most of our hot-house plants and flowers were blooming
there just as it seemed for their own pleasure, since passers-
by were few and far between.

Butterflies of every variety hovered in the air, and wild
bees made their honey in the caves or the roots of trees.

At Cafetal, the most dangerous part of that magnificent
descent was over, and the extra man who had manipulated
the back brakes of the train took his departure.

We stopped at the station — a couple of houses would be
a more appropriate term ! — and walked down some three
hundred steps to see the waterfall below. Here were more
melons, with hard black pips, on trees — great tall high trees
— coffee plants, with their ripe red berries, shaded by
plantains, tangled creepers falling from the boughs of the

TAMPICO CANON ON AN ENGINE. 283

trees in veritable fringes and planting themselves again in
Mother Earth ; wonderful grey moss that seemed to grow
by the yard and by the ton ; large fronds of maidenhair
fern were nestling along the rocks, splendid red-leaved
plants here, large green velvety-leaved ones there ; red
trumpet flowers, while various species of orchids clung to
the trunks of the trees. To see all the things we know in
conservatories at home, growing wild and uncared-for,
causes one to realise how tropical the climate in the
lowlands of Mexico must be.

When we stood on Puente de Dios (God's Bridge) a
rocky path between the two falls, with the wonderful blue
water flowing beneath, and the stalactites hanging around
us, we felt as if we were in a vapour bath, and while
ascending those three hundred steps, understood we were
really in the tropics !

As we approached Tampico we were going so directly
east that the sun set straight behind us, actually at the
vanishing point of miles of long straight track.

At the port they kindly ran our car down to the bar,
where we enjoyed a cool sea breeze during the night, and
also were free from the plague of the tropics, mosquitoes.

What will be the future of Tampico ? It stands on a
river up which large ocean steamers can pass ; it has just
completed the erection of one of the most beautiful Custom
Houses imaginable, a building of which the Liverpool Docks
might well be proud. It is constructing a wharf of solid
stone, about half a mile long ; indeed it is preparing the way
for becoming one of the world's greatest sea ports. Ships
drawing twenty-three feet of water can easily anchor in its
harbour.

And there, among the shipping, we actually saw those
enormous fish called tarpon gaily disporting themselves, a
fish to catch which men travel half over the world. Our
thoughts turned immediately to our delightful host during

284 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

many pleasant days in Philadelphia, Horace Howard
Furness, one of the greatest scholars and most courtly
gentlemen in the United States, who turns from his
Shakespearean studies to catch tarpon in Florida. What a
pity he was not with us at Tampico to land some of
those splendid gentlemen frolicking like whales in the water.

Tampico is likely to become an important place. The
river Panuco is half a mile wide, and the new jetties have
made entry possible at all times. There is a low sandy
coast line, where there would be excellent bathing but for the
numerous sharks, and where golf links could easily be made.
Pelicans walk across the sands, and devil-fish fly over-
head.

We had a delightful day out at sea, in a yacht, to
look at the new jetties and make further acquaintance
with the tarpon, and then ran some miles up the river in
a smaller steam launch, kindly entertained by Mr. Bradley,
the superintendent of the Mexican Central Railway.

I have been up into the skies in a balloon, and down into
the earth in a coal-pit and a silver mine, but I had never
been whirled through space on a locomotive.

I had often wanted to ride on an engine, just to try the
effect of the thing, and feeling that no view could possibly
look more beautiful than the Canon de Guerero from
that coign of vantage, I plucked up courage and asked those
in authority if I might enjoy this novel experience on the
return journey.

"It is strictly prohibited," was the reply, "but if you
really mean that you would like to try a ride on the engine
— and mind, it is not comfortable, and on such precipices
as there are about here, often most alarming — well, we
will arrange it."

" Splendid, I'm your man ! " was my somewhat ungram-
matical and incorrect response.

At the foot of the famous caiion Mr. Coffman — the

TAMP ICO CANON ON AN ENGINE. 285

official in charge of that part of the line — and I left our
comfortable private car, and walked the length of the
train where a second engine had been added for the twenty-
eight mile tug. As we were to pass through sundry
tunnels, and as I wanted to see the working of an engine,
we went in the "cab," namely, the little protected part where
the engine-driver — or engineer, as he is always called
in Mexico — works his innumerable levers, handles, bolts,
screws, and heaven knows what besides. It was a stiff climb
up, just one iron bar between the ground and the floor of the
engine ; but who minds wide steps on such an occasion ?

At the rear of the train was our private car, then came
first and third class coaches, and finally a couple of engines
with their coal trucks ; the one nearest the train was the
bigger ; ours, which did all the steering, the smaller.

Behind the body of our engine was the iron and glass
that we all know so well by sight. The engineer — a
Canadian — sat on the right side of it, perched up on a
high seat. He could see straight ahead out of the little
window before him, which was open, and the two side
windows. At his elbows, in front of him, round his legs,
and between them too, everywhere, in fact, were valves and
brakes with brass knobs, all brightly polished.

On the other side of the cab was a similar bench,
minus all these implements of war, and on that I seated
myself, my feet resting against the front window, my skirts
carefully gathered up on to my lap, to prevent their being
injured by the furnace fire. My official friend curled him-
self up on to the remaining portion of the seat behind.

In the middle of the cab there was just room for the
stoker ; his coal truck was at his back, his furnace fire
before him, and after filling his large shovel full of coal he
swung round, opened the door of that blazing furnace — the
heat of which scorched my face until it was the colour of
a tomato — shovelled it in, and banged the massive door

286 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

to again. For the first hour he put on fresh coal every
thirty or forty seconds, in fact, as often as he could con-
veniently refill his shovel and open the furnace door, after
that he only did so every one or two minutes ! Tremen-
dous was the work the two engines had to do. Now and
again the man poked our fire with an iron rod some ten feet
long, which had a horse-shoe at the end to act as a sort of
rake. Poking the fire took longer than merely adding coal,
and during the process I was nearly roasted.

The engine bell rang ; our locomotive whistled and
snorted, puffed hard, tugged at the train, made literally
deafening noises, and ponderously started on its journey.
The route at that point was along a grade of three per
cent, nearly all the way, that is to say a rise of about i6o
feet in every mile !

Two things amazed me — the awful heat in which those
men have to work, especially where such power is required,
and the perfectly deafening noise of an engine puffing and
snorting up a mountain side. It was almost impossible to
hear another person speak. I shrieked questions at the
official behind me and he bellowed back, but even then
it was well nigh impossible to hear. I have always had
considerable respect for men working an engine, knowing
what presence of mind and personal courage are constantly
required in their calling, but after spending a few hours in
the cab of an engine, I began to feel that every engine-
driver is a hero ! Verily an uncrowned hero.

Our speed was only from eight to ten miles an hour, but
we had to take in water every seven miles, so steep was
the ascent. The pace when descending the canon is about
twenty miles an hour, and one shovel of coal every two
or three miles — ^just sufficient to keep the engine warm —
is all that is necessary. Everything then depends upon the
Westinghouse air-brake, one of the greatest and safest of
modern inventions ; everything now depended on steam !

TAMP ICO CANON ON AN ENGINE. 287

It was certainly a wonderful experience, the turns in the
road are so sharp that often fifty yards ahead is all that one
can see, and sometimes twenty yards is the limit, flanked by
some huge rock. Often we could see the back end of the
train turned right round towards the engine, we were in fact
running parallel to each other !

The perspiration simply poured from the poor stoker, as
he worked to keep his engine fed for such a tug, and the
heat was so great in our cab that I felt as though I were
being boiled. Cinders and sparks flew back from the funnel
through my window, and burnt little round holes all over
my dress, and little red patches on my hands and face ! All
engines, probably, are not so hot as this was, but then we
were ascending one of the record canons of the world, and
in the tropics to boot.

Suddenly I got an awful fright ; I looked across to the
engineer's seat, and lo ! it was empty !

This made me quake, and I yelled into the ear of poor
Mr. Coffman :

" Where is the engine-driver ? "

He nodded reassuringly, at the same time replying :

" He has orone to tig-hten a bolt."

At that instant the Canadian stepped back into the cab
through his small open window, hammer in hand, and
settled himself down once more to his brakes and valves.
To me it had been a terrible moment, for I had not seen
the man go, or heard him move in that tremendous noisy
vibration and snort of steam, and to feel that the engine
might walk over a precipice hundreds of feet in depth at
any turn in the road seemed horrible, too horrible even to
contemplate.

But it was all right ; a little later, he did the same again,
but this time I saw him adjust his handles first, before he
disappeared, and so the danger did not seem so appalling.

All along the track were posts marked " SLOW,"

288 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

"STOP," "WHISTLE," in English, yes, actually in
English ! It is quite remarkable to find that practically all
the train-people in Mexico belong to English-speaking
races. For instance, the Mexican Central Railway runs
over some two thousand miles of track, and every engineer
and brakeman on the trains is either American or English.
Even the car-porters and cooks speak English, and this
remark practically applies to all the lines. At the ticket
offices, anywhere, in the stations, and on the trains, Anglo-
Saxon is the language of travelling Mexico.

Formerly the greater part of the lines and rolling stock
was English, but during the last year or two American
goods have been taking their place. Why ?

" Because they are cheaper and better," is the reply.

If this be so, surely it is time we English woke up and re-
gained the trade once ours, which we are rapidly losing.

While we are painting our engines and putting grand
golden lines on them, no practical use whatever, the
American is expending the same amount of money in adding
to the comfort of his railway carriages, and therefore the
ease of the public ; while we are painting the words " Rail-
way Company " upon everything, the American is omitting
even the R.C., and thereby saving again.

"Whv is American enofineerino: so far ahead of
English ? " I asked a well-known engineer in the States.

" Because we employ machinery to make machinery,"
was the reply. " Every component part is made according
to a pattern, and turned out in hundreds."

What is the result ? American engines, bridges, print-
ing machines and automobiles, made at half the price of
ours, are flooding our markets. This great steel trust
is going to close many of our doors, and we intend to
allow its produce to land upon our shores free !

Other countries are growing rich by means of protection,
and England without it is now struggling to keep her head

TAMP ICO CANON ON AN ENGINE. 289

above water. All countries should be free, or all protected,
otherwise our handicap will surely prove more than we can
stand.

" Why is America so rich ? " I asked one of the greatest
statesmen in the States.

" Because of the duties you pay us, and the goods we
send you free ! "

And he knows.

The track up the cafion is indeed a model one. It is
kept so splendidly, the edges of the flints on which the
wooden sleepers lie are as even and well trimmed as the
edges of a drive in an English park. The ascent is so
steep, and the difficulties so ever-present, what with rain,
damp, mist, and, at certain seasons of the year, floods, that
every effort has to be made to keep the track in as perfect
condition as possible.

We went through several tunnels, and when we saw the
black hole in the solid rock just in front of us, we shut the
front window. In a moment all was darkness, save for the
fiery sparks and cinders which fell like a shower from the
funnel. The heat reminded one of Dante's description of
the infernal regions, and it was rendered even worse by the
sulphurous smoke that found its way into our cab from
the back, which was all open.

We gasped for breath, and dived for our handkerchiefs,
till, feeling more like ripe tomatoes than ever, we sud-
denly realised that we were out of the tube ; the white
speck of light had become a real opening, and we could
breathe again. We looked back and saw volumes of smoke
emerging from the tunnel, our smoke following us, drawn
by the suction of the train.

It was a lovely ride, and a most unique experience, but I
dismounted from my perch at Cardenas looking rather like
an engine-driver or a stoker myself !

290 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

At the moment (1901) there seems to be a sudden rush
on the part of Mexican raihvays to reach the Pacific coast.
The International, which goes as far as Santiago, where I
went on the first trial trip, hopes to reach Mazatlan on
the coast next year, thus joining the Mexican Pacific with
the States.

The Mexican Central, which has its fine port at
Tampico, on the Gulf of Mexico, is already as far
across as Zapolan, and will reach the Pacific at Manza-
nillo in 1902.

The Cuernavaca and Pacific, now as far south as the
Balzas river, is planning to reach the port of Acapulco.

The Mexican Southern, which at present stops at Oaxaca,
expects to be at Mitla by 1902, and there is a talk of con-
necting it later with the Tehuantepec line on the Isthmus.

The Isthmus route from Coatzacoalcos to Salina Cruz
is completed.

Thus, in a few months, there will be five lines touching
ports on the Pacific coast, such is the enterprise of the
railways, helped by Government.

Who says Mexico has not a great future .-^

The writer in licr divided riding-skirl tor mounting astride.

Mounted astride, outside tiie Xociiicalco ruins, Soulhern Mexico (A/tee man in wliile)
To J ace page 291.]

>9i

CHAPTER XVIII.

HOW THE GOVERNOR OF A MEXICAN STATE ENTERTAINED AN

ENGLISHWOMAN.

An early morning train was to convey me from Mexico
City to Cuernavaca, such a lovely journey, by El Gran
Pacifico !

Armed with enormous bouquets of violets, gardenias,
and a box of sweets — received as parting gifts — and
carrying my huge sombrero, I entered the railway carriage,
after saying " Good-bye " to several kind friends. My
escort happily chanced to be an old schoolfellow of
kindergarten days in Harley Street, London, who had
been in business in Mexico for some years. Adolfo
Grimwood knew the line well, and could point out all
objects of interest, which were not few.

While we were enjoying breakfast, the mist rose from
the valley, and the train ascended about two thousand feet
to an elevation of ten thousand above sea level. How
grand that panorama was ! There below — ^as on a map — lay
the town of Mexico, the lakes so famous in history, the scat-
tered villages, the deep barrancas and, towering above the
mountain ranges, those two glorious snow-capped volcanic
peaks, Popocatepetl and Ixtaccihuatl.

It is a splendid journey, each view more beautiful than
the last, until — well, the first impression of the town of
Cuernavaca would have been rather disappointing had
not the Governor of Morelos, with a number of friends
and officials, been standing on the platform to receive us !

19*

292 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

While travelling down I read in that wonderful little
paper, the " Mexican Herald," this announcement, which I
soon found, judging from the interest they appeared to
take in me, everyone in the train had read also.

ALONG THE GRAN PACIFICO.

ENGLISH AUTHORESS CONTINUES HER TRAVELS OF OBSERVATION.
Mrs. Alec Tweedie, the charming English authoress, will leave this morning for a trip
to Cuernavaca and other points along the line of the Cuernavaca and Pacific, and perhaps
the caves of Cacahuamilpa. President Diaz has written a personal letter to Governor
Alarcon, of Morelos, introducing Mrs. Tweedie. The Governor will meet her personally
to-day, and a concert will be given in her honour this evening in the plaza at Cuernavaca.
Mrs. Alec Tweedie will also visit the hacienda of Governor Alarcon, and also the Cortes
and Amors hacienda. After her return to this City she will visit Puebla and other
points along the line of the Mexican Railway, and afterwards Oaxaca and Mitla.

Colonel Alarcon was unfortunately no linguist ; but with
my limited Spanish, and the assistance of kind people, we
became great friends during the eight days he so courte-
ously and delightfully pioneered me through his province.
I shall therefore describe this week in detail, as it was
a typical reception by a Governor of a State, one almost
royal in its magnificence.

At the station, with ceremonious courtesy, he offered
me his arm. Outside a beautiful landau was waiting —
closed as usual, for Mexicans love to drive shut up, in
spite of the glorious weather. Raising his hat, he closed
the door. I was surprised ; but next moment he appeared
at the other door, and entering the landau sat down beside
me. The Mexicans are most particular about placing
honoured guests behind the coachman. The carriage and
horses were all that could be desired, but — again Mexican
fashion — the coachman wore no livery, except a big
sombrero ! It is only right that a straw hat should be
used in such a sunny land, and the Mexican sombreros
are much more useful than the sailor hats London coach-
men don during summer weather. The Mexican driver,
especially if he be a darkie, often uses a green-lined white

ENTERTAINMENT OF AN ENGLISHWOMAN. 293

umbrella, for he is afraid of the sun like the good folk
inside the carriage he is driving.

By-the-bye, horses in Mexico do not wear hats !

As we drove through the streets both policemen and
soldiers saluted, and the people stood back and bowed.
The Governor's wife was unfortunately absent, being ill at
their hacienda (country house), which I visited later, and
the Governor had therefore engaged rooms for me in the
hotel, thinking I should be more comfortable there than
in his residence without its chatelaine. Arrived at the
hotel he again offered me his arm, and we walked across
the great verandah, where people were sitting at little
tables, and thence solemnly escorted me upstairs. Waiters
led the way, and unlocking a charming room, opening off
a big salon, the Governor bid me welcome as his guest,
and hoped I should be comfortable.

A splendid luncheon was prepared, to which I was
fetched by my host — who, be it known, is one of General Diaz'
greatest and most esteemed friends — we passed through the
patio, full of flowers and plants, and when we reached the
dining-room, he requested me to sit at the head of the
table, he himself taking a seat on my right. Six gentle-
men were of the party, namely, Seiior Gobernador Manuel
Alarcon, his aides-de-camp — Captain Juan Enriquez, Senors
Ramon Oliveros, Ignacio Sarmina — Mr. William Gaynor
and Mr. Adolfo Grimwood.

Everything was perfect at that luncheon, where I en-
joyed " Aguacate " for the first time. These are the
butter plants of Mexico, which in appearance are like a
small green melon ; when opened they are seen to contain a
stone resembling a large chestnut. Between the stone and
the skin is a delicious soft green buttery fruit, which the
Mexicans scrape out and mix with their soup. We were a
pleasant little party, and when the time came for smoking,
I noticed a curious cigar-cutter that Colonel Alarcon used.

294 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

"I am very proud of that," he said, "it belonged to
our great patriotic song writer, Guillermo Prieto, the Poet
Laureate of Mexico, who died in 1897. He gave it to
me shortly before his death ; at least, he said he would
give it me. He was taken ill, however, before he could
do so, but almost on his death-bed, almost in his last
hour indeed, he remembered the promise, and told his
wife to send me that cigar-cutter. It was very touching
of him, and I prize it as much as anything I possess ! "

Prieto's poems were full of brilliant romance and wild
imagination, and his memory is adored.

After luncheon the Governor's carriage arrived, and we
drove out to see the town, a wonderfully ancient and yet
go-ahead place, with its fine brick factory — the red of the
bricks reminded me of our pretty English homes — its
brewery, public baths, ice, rice, and electric light factories,
its fine cathedral, and, more interesting than all — to my
mind — that wonderful old garden and house where Maxi-
milian lived. It was January, yet the magnolias were in
full flower in the Jardin de la Borda, mangoes in
blossom, roses and geraniums in full flower, semi-tropical
fruits hung from the trees, together with oranges and
bananas ; everything combined to make those fountains,
steps, and water-ways look beautiful. It was an ideal
garden, a garden for lovers to wander through at will,
and whisper those sweet nothings which turn earth to
paradise ; the spot for poet or painter ; a place to sit and
reflect how beautiful is nature, how lovely life, to realise
into what a world of joy we are born. It is places like
this that make people feel better men and women, views
like this — across valleys and over mountain peaks with
the sunlight glinting through the trees — where the com-
monplace dares not trample unscrupulously on the ideal,
that make one realise the blessedness of existence.

In that garden the Emperor Maximilian and poor Car-

ENTERTAINMENT OF AN ENGLISHWOMAN. 295

lotta spent much of their time ; there she sat, sketched
or read, and endeavoured to forget the peril of her hus-
band's position,

Cuernavaca stands on a hill with deep barrancas or chasms
all round and high mountains beyond, and the healthiness
of the town and its beautiful climate do much to make it
popular. It proved more picturesque on a nearer acquaint-
ance than it had appeared from the train.

That night a military band played beneath my window !

Next morning another surprise had been arranged.
At 7-30 the Governor and his friends arrived to take me
to see the waterfall, " Cascada de San Antonio," a charm-
ing drive beyond the town. We were all talking merrily
when suddenly the carriage pulled up ; to my amazement,
under a triumphal arch !

"Welcome to San Antonio" was written above, in English ;
the sides and top were beautifully decorated with palms,
bourganvillias, large trumpet lilies, arums, and begonias. It
really was a lovely bower, for it was composed of the flowers
we only see in hot-houses and guard with such care, in
England, but which grow wild in those parts. The arch
looked quite fairy-like in its floral splendour, owing to the
artistic manner in which the trestles that formed its frame-
work were interlaced.

About a hundred Indians from the village stood, hat
in hand, to receive us, and offerinQ- me his arm, Governor
Alarcon solemnly walked me off, followed by the rest of
the company. It made me feel rather ancient to be thus
ceremoniously given an arm at every turn ; but it is of
course the height of Mexican politeness.

After going a short distance we reached a set of stairs
partly cut in the rock, and partly secured with wood-work,
on what had formerly been a most dangerous path. This
had been specially prepared in my honour, and was in
future to be called "Escaleras Tweedie" (Tweedie staircase).

296 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

We went down to the beautiful cascade below, passing
under smaller arches raised by the Indians, with wreaths
and festoons of flowers, and actually found seats had been
erected from which to enjoy a view of the Falls! It
was all very pretty, and to me particularly touching ; in the
first place it showed the Governor's desire to please President
Diaz, who had written both to him and the Secretary of State
personal letters on my behalf, and secondly it showed the
love of the villagers for their Governor, as they had done
much more than he had suooestecl. He had ordered the
stair-way to be cut, but the floral arches were their own
idea.

When we returned from this lovely spot, where wild
maidenhair fern and arum lilies w^ere growing by the side of
the waterfall, we drove through the village of San Antonio,
and five times were the carriages stopped, while the Indians
presented me with pieces of their pottery, as "a remem-
brance of your visit, Senora." That pottery is made of rich
red-brown clay — the same as is used at the brick factory —
and a sort of mosaic work is traced upon it, with small
triangles and diamonds of white china ; the eagle of Mexico
is naturally the chief decoration, surrounded by borders
of geometrical pattern. The result is charming, and I
eventually had to get a wooden case, and have it properly
packed in order to convey my offerings from the Indians in
Morelos back to England. The people were so clean and
picturesque, and so delightfully respectful in their manners to
their Governor, it seemed impossible to believe that twenty
years ago rebellion was rife, and no one's life safe.

Old women came out and offered roses, and at one place
a man brought the most magnificent bouquet of white mag-
nolias I had ever seen. Twenty or thirty of these glorious
blooms were tied together, the scent from which in the
carriage was almost overpowering.

At the village pf San Antonio is a curiously-carved pre-

ENTERTAINMENT OF AN ENGLISHWOMAN. 297

historic rock, and on a hill close at hand a lizard nine feet
long is sculptured upon a large boulder. Further, again, is
the famous stone eagle — the bird's wings outspread measure
about three feet. Such strange bits of carving may be
seen anywhere and everywhere in Mexico.

It was a day of surprises. At Cuernavaca is the famous
palace of Hernando Cortes. It was built about the year
1525, in grand solid old Spanish style with arches and deep
verandahs, but this is no guide-book, it is only a description
of Mexico as I saw it, and further information of a guide-
book nature must therefore be sought elsewhere.*

The Aztec monarch, Montezuma, was furnished with re-
inforcements from Cuernavaca. Then came Cortes, and
the subsequent Conquest of Mexico. Now the ecclesiastical-
looking old building is the Municipal Palace.

A grand luncheon had been arranged for the occasion of
my visit. What could be more interesting than a banquet
within those historical walls which had witnessed so many
bloody deeds, for men were slain and steel had often clashed
at Cuernavaca ! but amid the sunshine and the flowers, with
a gay company assembled around, these walls spoke only
of happiness and joy. The palace has been fitted to suit
modern requirements, and the rooms are now used for
meetings and assemblies of all kinds.

When we arrived a guard of soldiers was keeping the
door, and a military band stationed in the square below.

The Governor of the State had asked about twenty people
to luncheon which we enjoyed on a verandah commanding a
most glorious view ! The guests included Seiior Eugenio y
Cafias, the Treasurer of the State ; Luis Flores, the Secre-
tary of State, Ignacio Robles y Sosa (manager of the Cortes
hacienda which we visited in great ceremony the following
day), Ignacio Sarmina, Adolfo Grimwood (my old school-

* Campbell's excellent guide, or Janviers' more historical one, give all details needed
by the tourist.

298

MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

fellow), William Gayiior, Harry Hampson, of the Cuernavaca
Railway, Ramon de Oliveros, and their women folk.

Below is the card of invitation to the banquet.

^&-^ PvIENU ^-^

de la co:iiida ofrecida en el corredor del Palacio
de Heriian Cortes a. la

Sra, Jllec Dweedie,

por el

SENOR CORONEL MANUEL ALARCON.

Jeeez

Chablis.

APERITIVOS.

I Ostiones al natural.

Cos D'estournel.

BORGONA.

Tortila con cblcharos.
Huachinango d la princesa.

Pavo trufado.
Ensalada de langosta.
Ponche d. la romana.

Pastel de polio.
Eoast beef.
Espdrragos.
Queso camembert.

Champagne, pasteles, dulces, jaletinas, feutas.
TE. CAFE. COGNAG. LICORES.

Gucri]QvacQ, Uncro 20 dc 1901.

[Translation.— Menu. A luncheon offered in
the hall of the Palace of Hern;in Cortes to Mrs.
A. T., by Governor Colonel Manuel Alarcon.]

ENTERTAINMENT OF AN ENGLISHWOMAN 299

A dozen or more performers, all with mandolines or
guitars, played delightful Mexican music during dinner, and
afterwards we all felt gay and festive enough to dance, and
the danza, typical of the country, is really charming.

But to return to our luncheon.

Every guest was given a bouquet of flowers to wear, with
a pin attached for the gentlemen, and a safety-pin for the
ladies. My bunch was chiefly composed of orange blossom,
over which we had many jokes. The Governor of the State,
on learning I was a widow, thought it would be amusing to
be what he called "a good prophet," or, as I said, "a bad
one," and had specially ordered my bunch to be composed
of orange blossom !

It is funny in Mexico to see how both men and women
produce a pin and fasten their table-napkins high up under
their chins ! The banquets are tremendously long ; I
actually once sat down at one o'clock and rose at 4-30 ;
at least twenty-five dishes passed in succession ! Ices are
invariably served in the middle of the repast ; after the
fruit course — always delicious tropical fruit — the crumbs are
removed, and the puddings and preserves begin. Another
Mexican custom is for everyone to drink a liqueur of brandy
in the drawing-room before dinner ; it is handed round just
before the meal. People swallow it raw, and quaff off iced
water !

At the Governor's luncheon we had red, green and white
jellies cleverly arranged to represent the Mexican flag ! Rib-
bons of the national colours were cunningly entwined among
the flowers.

Colonel Alarcon made me a delightful little speech, and
Spanish Mexicans certainly know how to pay a compliment
prettily — saying that whatever he had arranged to do
at the request of his esteemed friend and master. Presi-
dent Diaz, he now did with a thousand times more pleasure
because he knew me personally ! Adolfo Grim wood replied

300 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

charmingly on my behalf, for my poor Spanish could only
say " Very, very many thanks."

The wines were numerous ; in Mexico people drink a
good deal at table, in which they differ materially from the
folk of the United States ; the men but not the Mexican
ladies smoke during dessert. At the very end of dinner,
practically after everything has been cleared away, cham-
pagne is handed round, and the healths which have been
drunk all through the meal are continued with renewed gusto.
" Salud " is murmured on every side. The gentlemen then
offer their arms to the ladies and escort them to the drawing-
room, standing back on one side to finish their cigars or
cio^arettes.

Of course there is " the sofa of honour " — most countries
seem to have that terrible seat of torture, with chairs
ranging down from it on both sides — and there it was my
fate to sit. Every stranger who entered was introduced by
his full name and title ; he bowed and I bowed, then
we shook hands, for in Mexico the men do not kiss a
woman's hand ; that is a pretty custom they ignore. Every-
one shakes hands on every possible occasion ; in fact a
clerk leaving an office will bow to his superior, and while
asking permission to go to his dinner, shake hands with
his " boss,"

Mexicans are most hospitable and kindly, provided one
has good introductions, but without them no stranger is ever
invited to enter their doors. They were more than good
to me.

The greatest excitement of my stay in Cuernavaca was
arranged for that Sunday evening. The Governor had
organised an official concert in the theatre. He came to
fetch me at 9 o'clock, and when we drove up to the " Teatro
Porfirio Diaz," a crowd was waiting to receive us.

Appended is the invitation, beautifully printed on a coloured
card, on the reverse side of which was the programme : —

ENTERTAINMENT OF AN ENGLISHWOMAN. 301

302 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

The entire place was decorated, inside and out. Festoons
of moss and flowers ; yards and yards, and hundreds of yards
of the lovely grey moss that grows in those tropical regions
hung from box to box. Between each were bouquets of
flowers, even the fronts of the boxes which rise in tiers were
festooned. It was a large hall, as the theatres in Mexico
usually are, and that night looked a bower of beauty.

On the stage about thirty young ladies, dressed in
many shades of colour, were seated with their mando-
lines and guitars ; below was the ordinary orchestra. The
house was full ; the stalls were crowded ; there were two
rows of boxes, filled with smiling humanity — we occupied a
box in the centre, and above, the galleries were packed with
enthusiastic Indians. It really was a delightful experience,
or would have been, if quite so many opera-glasses had not
been turned our way !

There were many pretty costumes at the concert. Some
of the men actually wore evening dress, but all the ladies had
donned high light silks. Low dresses, except for balls, are
unknown outside the City of Mexico. But one and all of
these fair dames had a flower tucked somewhere in their
hair, either behind the ear, or more usually on one side
towards the front, where it nestled amono- raven tresses.
Mantillas were not to be seen, and the high comb was
missing. It was a smart audience, despite high dresses and
frock-coats, and certainly enthusiastic, not only over the
music, but on the entrance of Colonel Alarcon.

The next day's experiences were different, yet equally
interesting. A dozen of us rode to the hacienda where
Cortes made sugar nearly four hundred years ago, and
where, at the time of my visit, it was made in the self-same
way !

The Governor in his charro suit was mounted on a white
horse with a marvellous saddle and bridle. I had the
pleasure of riding that same horse a little later. The charro

ENTERTAINMENT OF AN ENGLISHWOMAN. 303

is the typical Mexican riding-dress. It is often made of
light brown leather — kid or lamb skin — on which are
beautiful devices in silver, or white stitching. The coat is
short, almost a bolero, and the trousers so tight that one
wonders how the wearer ever gets into them. The legs,
gorgeously decorated at the side, are often ornamented
with dozens of silver buttons, especially the riding-dress of
rich rancheros or haciendados. The charro is as heavily
adorned as the saddle, and the value of the two together
sometimes reaches as much as a couple of hundred pounds
sterling.

We had seven Rurales, as a body-guard.

It was a strange cavalcade ; all were men, with the ex-
ception of myself, and as I rode astride, I might perhaps
have passed for a little bit of a man too ! The other ladies
drove ; we were thirty-six by the time all had arrived for
dinner. The sun was hot, but no ladies wore hats ; they
either drove in a closed carriage or used a parasol.

The ride was most interesting, passing as it did the little
house to which Maximilian often rode from Cuernavaca for
an afternoon's rest, but the Cortes hacienda itself was the
chief charm. It stood as it had done in the days of the
great conqueror himself, when he lived there with a fair
lady whom — history records — he ultimately murdered.

As we entered the great archway, and the horses' hoofs
rattled over the stones, we seemed carried back to the old
feudal days of portcullis and knights in armour, outside the
castle keep.

It is the dearest old place ; so strong and massive, so
imposing in its solid strength. Just inside an archway is a
sort of office. It has neither windows nor doors ; but
behind a big table and desk a clerk keeps accounts of all
cart-loads as they pass before him to the factory. A fine
carved staircase leads to the dwelling-rooms above, and
looking on to this stairway from an inner room is a

304 MEXICO AS I SAW IT,

window. It has no glass, not even cow-horn, but the
wooden posts are carved. Above is the signature of
Cortes :

" Jesus. Maria. Josti Hernando CorttfsJ'

as he himself inscribed it there so long ago !

The buildings run all round four sides of an enormous
courtyard. On the left is the house, with its large, airy
chambers, quaint kitchens with their vaulted roofs and red-
brick floors — the sort of kitchen where charcoal is burnt
in large stone stoves, such as are to be seen in Morocco.
In the rooms are some of Cortes' massive wooden chests,
one of which is big enough to have comfortably held the
lady of whom we read in the " Mistletoe Bough." Below
the apartments are great dark cellars, which form a sort of
\ cloister, where the sugar is extracted from the molasses.

Sugar-cane grows for miles around the hacienda ; it is cut,
carted to the factory, and passed through machinery to
extract the juice, whence it emerges a green, slimy sub-
stance. Cooked to evaporate the water and clear the
residue, it goes through many processes of boiling and
skimming, and is subsequently poured into thousands of
brown earthenware jars, such as may be seen in the picture.
These are the same jars as were used by Cortes, and the
shape of the top one is the origin of the sugar loaf, or loaf
sugar. The clear sugar remains in the top pot. These
earthenware jars are going out of vogue. Modern machinery
is coming into use all through Mexico, and at most of the
haciendas the old system is being abandoned, while the jars
are broken into bits and utilised for making garden walls or
road-ways !

The molasses extracted forms a thick brown syrup, which
is rather acid ; it falls through into the jar below, and is
ultimately made into a strong alcoholic cordial called
aguardiente (burning water), 90 per cent, being alcohol,

■«'5D

5 'J r^

CJ.S

bJOd

ENTERTAINMENT OF AN ENGLISHWOMAN 305

which when reduced and mixed with brown sugar makes
rum. The crystals remain in the jars and come out as
81 per cent, of sugar.

The two other sides of this great courtyard are utilised
for factory work, and the fourth consists of stables for
horses, mules and donkeys. The funniest old man, a
regular Mexican Abraham — and after all, why not, if, as
some suppose, the garden of Eden was in Southern
Mexico ? — was mending harness ; near at hand was a
huge box-like sedan-chair, or rather Indian palanquin, in
which ladies were carried to Cuernavaca, or even to Mexico
City, until quite recently, swung between two mules.
Imagine, over those mountain passes— for the road, like
the railway, reaches an elevation of ten thousand feet —
imagine traversing that track, swung between two mules !

I prefer to ride astride, thank you ; the only reasonable

way for a woman to mount, if she wishes to accomplish lono-
1 • • • i &

and tirmg journeys on horseback.

We had a wonderful luncheon at the Cortes hacienda.
Our party of thirty-six arrived in due time, and, according
to an old custom still in vogue, the host (Senor Robles)
sat at the head of the table, then came all his guests, and
at the bottom — "below the salt," as in days of yore — the
book-keepers and heads of departments. It was a delightful
experience ; everyone was so kind. Nearly all talked
French, English or German, and those who could not do
so spoke Spanish slowly and distinctly, and did their best
to understand my attempts in the latter language, which
anyway amused them !

That Cortes hacienda was the strangest, funniest old
building, more like a monastery than anything else ; and
everything connected with it, even the meal itself, was
an episode in one's life to be treasured in remembrance
until death. The whole place was teeming with poetry
and romance ; every corner was a picture, every room

3o6 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

contained enough subject matter to fill a volume. In-
trigue, conspiracy, murder, all, all lay hidden in the silent
stones of those great walls and arched domes.

That night, on our return to Cuernavaca, I had a real
Mexican dinner at Sefior Ramon Olivero's, who, like so
many Mexicans, had been educated at Stonyhurst College.
The Mexican menu, kindly composed by his wife, was
representative of the every-day fare of the country.

" Sopa de Tortilla" (soup, made with the Indian corn
tortilla, and flavoured).

" Fiambre" (pigs' feet, served cold, and delicious, especially
the salad, made from the green melon fruit).

" Carnero " (mutton salted and baked, with vegetables).

" Calabazitas con quese " (pumpkins and cheese cooked
together, most palatable).

"Enchiladas" (tortillas rolled up with red chilli and
cooked in milk).

" Frijoles" (beans, the national dish of the country).

" Merengue " (eggs and milk, a sort of meringue which
the Mexicans love).

Then we had a delightful sweet, a pumpkin boiled in a
sugar vat. Mexicans take half-a-dozen pumpkins, prick
holes at either end, put them into a net, attached by a
string, so as not to lose them in the great cauldron, and
let them boil for a day. The pumpkin becomes brown all
over, and almost resembles a plum-pudding ; it tastes some-
thing like a candied melon, is called " Calabaza en tacha,"
and, -strangely enough, if a girl jilts a man, the Mexicans use
the expression " Dar Calabazas," meaning that she gave
him "sweet pumpkin," i.e., his conge.

Orange tea — " Hojas de naranjo" — was served instead
of coffee, and we found it very refreshing. It is made
from the fresh young leaves of the orange-tree, which are
treated like tea, and have boiling water poured over
them. This is often served instead of black coffee.

ENTERTAINMENT OF AN ENGL/SHWOJ/AN 307

Among the guests was Licenciado Cecilio Robelo, a most
interestino- man, who has written several works on the
languages of the Indians. He remarked how strange it
is that althouQfh the Aztecs drove out the more ancient
Toltec people, yet they retained the Toltec names, which
survive to-day. There are a number of native writers of
this kind, men who have devoted themselves to unearthino-
different tribes and languages, to tracing the similarity of
peoples or contrasting the workmanship of the ancient races
which are to be found all over the country.

The Governor, who was also present, had ordered a band
to play outside during dinner, and when he gave me his
arm to walk home, we found the entire street crowded with
the inhabitants, who had come to hear the strains, which
said music, following us, made harmony beneath my window
long after I was in bed. Soft tones of melody, and the
low notes of the guitar, lulled me to sleep.

The next morning I had to be up at 5.30 to live
through one of the longest and yet most interesting days
of my life, owing to its strange variety. First a party of
us — ten in number — had a special train for an hour along
the line to the south, where we bid good-bye to such
modern luxuries, and travelled over the mountains on
horse-back for a week. Could anything be more delightful ?

Our first visit was to the hacienda of San Vicente,
belonging to the daughter of the famous Juarez, who did
so much for Mexico. In this ancient buildinof suo-ar was
made on all the newest principles, and with the latest
machinery, a strong contrast to the picturesque old system
of Cortes' day, but more than twice as profitable. The
brown pots had given place to modern moulds, and
everything was thoroughly up to date.

The ride from thence was most interesting ; we passed
through hundreds of acres of sugar-cane, weeded and
watered just like flowers in an English garden. As a rule it

20*

3o8 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

bears once in eighteen months, but according to the district
it sometimes yields twice in even six months. The sugars
stood as high as twenty feet, and the ground was all irrigated,
little troughs of water running through between the cane.
Hundreds of people were cutting it — such picturesque-
looking folk ! The cutting was done by means of a sickle,
with which the branches — if one may so designate the leaf-
like shoots — were clipped off. Mules fetched the cane,
stacked in bundles, to the tram-line, where it was quickly
run along to the factory, and subsequently worked into the
purest of pure sugar. When it is ripe, all the lower part of
the sugar-cane is brown and withered, but the top remains
the brightest hue of green, something like an apple-leaf in
spring. The contrast between those strong black-green
organ cactus and the soft green tendrils of the cane is very
beautiful, the effect being heightened by the white shirts and
red blankets of the peons. Mules and carts scattered here
and there added life and picturesqueness to the scene. A
sugar-field is an impressive sight. Hop-picking forms a
pretty and fascinating picture, but add to that tropical ver-
dure, deep-blue skies, dark-skinned Indians, and the scene
becomes absolutely entrancing.

At a still more wonderful old hacienda, called Chiconcuac
— for we were now in the South, which is particularly rich
in these splendid old properties — we halted to drink milk
and admire some magnificent arches and pillars, raised by
the monks of yore, and then again mounted our steeds in
order to ride to some of the most famous ruins in the
world.

What a cavalcade we were ! Our original party consisted
of ten gentlemen, the daughter of the Secretary of State,
Sefiorita Flores, and myself, but later we were met by our
official escort, which had left Cuernavaca at one a.m. with
extra riding horses. We had also a guard of Rurales, so
that we eventually counted fifty-three mounted persons.

Colonel Alarcon, Governor of the Slate of Morelos, with two of his guard.

Reception at Alpuyeca, State of Morelos.

To J ace page 309. ]

ENTERTAINMENT OF AN ENGLISHWOMAN. 309

Besides these, many of the most Important men from the
neighbouring villages had come to pay their respects to
the Governor, and the numbers of such visitors were for
days continually swelling. When we reached the mountains
and were oblio^ed to ride in slnoje file, we looked Indeed
a formidable army.

The first excitement was at the village of Alpuyeca,
where a triumphal arch had been erected, and the word
" Wellcome" (with two " I's ") was hanging above the
flowers. What a strange sight it seemed ! Two or three
hundred Indians, smart and clean-looking In their white
shirts and trousers, standing — hat in hand — to do honour to
the Governor of their State ! The Mayor and chief men all
came forward In turn, and after shaking^ hands with Colonel
Alarcon, shook hands with me also.

The chief street was gaily decorated with flags, floral
banners, hanging festoons, and the municipal buildings bore
the kindly inscription " Wellcome to our English Visitor."
A platform had been put up adorned with pink calico and
a muslin curtain, on which stood three children, forming an
allegorical groiip. The tableau represented the Independ-
ence of Mexico, and the centre child, wearing a red cap,
stood for Liberty. The school-children marched before us
carrying flags, and the band played, yes, a brass band of
seventeen performers, with trumpets, flutes and drums.

Every village in Mexico has its band, for the people
dearly love music — not always particularly tuneful, some-
times, indeed, harmony In uproar — but whatever It may
be, it delights their hearts. Colonel Alarcon had invited
his friend Salvador Gutierrez to join our mountain expedi-
tion, and, being an expert photographer as well as an able
soldier, he took pictures of the same.

We passed through at least a dozen villages altogether
during our trip through the mountains, and in each village
the band played, arches were erected, and every sign of

3IO MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

love and respect was paid to the Governor of the State.
It was wonderfully interesting, this peep into other days,
as it were, the days of chivalry and romance. The Jefe
Politico (head political officer or sheriff of the district),
under whom serves the Alcalde (Mayor), was always ready
to receive us, hat in hand, a smile on his face, and holding
bouquets of tropical flora. These Jefe Politicos were in-
variably gentlemen ; sometimes they spoke French, and
their unfailing courtesy and powers of entertaining were
amazing.

The village mayors were Indians whose fathers, and often
they themselves, had been bandits and robbers, for only a
quarter of a century ago it was impossible to travel safely
anywhere in Mexico. For instance, the State of Guerrero,
through which we passed, has only been quieted within the
last few years. The strongest measures have been adopted
in order to stamp out lawlessness, and even to-day, if a man
be known to have committed robbery or murder, he is caught,
informed of the charge against him, and considered guilty
unless he can prove his innocence. If he cannot do this,
he is taken out of the village by soldiers, and forthwith
shot. This treatment is severe, but it has produced the
most wonderful results. As late as ten years ago the tracts
of country we passed through were unsafe, and even in the
beginning of the twentieth century every member of our
party, with the exception of my lady companion and myself,
was armed with pistols, while all the officials carried a sword
and gun in his elaborately embroidered leather and silver-
mounted saddle.

As we neared the famous Aztec ruins of Xochicalco,
pronounced So-chi-cal-co, which are said to be at least
three thousand years old, we began a steep ascent, so
steep, indeed, that it was almost like walking upstairs,
only the poor horses had a very uneven stairway to
mount, as they stepped from crag to crag. That single-

ENTERTAINMENT OF AN ENGLISHWOMAN 311

file procession, headed by the Governor, I following in his
rear, took memory back to many a happy ride in Iceland,
and many a pleasant day in Morocco, where the mountain
paths are similarly uneven and wild. As we wound round
the mountain — over fifty in number — we often saw three
complete lines of armed horsemen below us, so steep was
the serpentine path of our single-line cavalcade.

The sun was shining in its glory. But we were all
wearing sombreros, and what did sunburnt and scorching
cheeks matter when one could command such a view, and
had gone through such an experience, such a day of pic-
turesque surprises ?

312

CHAPTER XIX.

AZTEC RUINS OF XOCIIICALCO.

Up, up, up we went, round and round, backwards and
forwards, our long line of fifty-three horses and riders wound
its way. At times it became so precipitous we could see
four or five serpentines of horsemen below us on the
mountain side. The lake beneath, where many battles
were fought between the Aztecs and the Spaniards, be-
came smaller and smaller to the south ; the town of Cuer-
navaca, seventy miles to the north, dwindled to a tiny speck,
and still it seemed as if we should never reach the top.

Then in a moment, as if a curtain had been lifted, we
clambered up an extra steep incline, and !

No words can describe the scene. There stood the
famous ancient fortress of Xochicalco, and, more than that,
the whole place was alive with humanity. A couple of
hundred men at least had come from the villao-es for miles
around in order to express their joy at the Governor's visit,
and there they stood, on the patch of green sward high up
on that mountain peak right away in the wilds of Southern
Mexico, where tropical vegetation filled the valley below,
and above only rocks, caverns, carved stones, and history
yet unwritten were to be found.

Our horses all drew up in a bunch ; Indians swarmed
before us, while on our right stood one of the greatest
fortresses of the ancient world. We were officially received

AZTEC RUINS OF XOCHICALCO. 313

by the Jefe Politico de Tetecala, named Enrique Dabaire,
and the Jefe Politico de Cuernavaca, Rutilio Balcazar.

Another Indian band struck up the national air, and
the five chief men of the surrounding villages stepped
forward, each bearing a couple of bouquets of wild
flowers, and, with the grace of kings, presented one to their
Governor, and one to me, before we had even dismounted.
In such fashion the Aztecs of old greeted Cortes, in such
fashion their descendants welcomed us to-day. The same
type of face, the same manner of welcome.

Tears started to my eyes on receiving those floral
offerings, to find rough, bronzed men, the descendants ol
that great Aztec race, brave as lions — one had only to look
at their faces to notice the strenoth and determination —
bid me welcome, together with a hearty handshake. It was
very touching.

There were the ruins of what had once been a fortress,
here were the descendants of the very people who lived
there, two thousand, perhaps five thousand, years ago, and
all around us lay God's work, one of the most beautiful
panoramas surely that this world can disclose. We were on
the top of a sugar-loaf peak ; below lay deep gorges and
valleys, and miles and miles of cultivated plains, where
grew sugar, rice and coffee, to be exported perhaps to feed
folk in that very London, some thousands of miles away,
which held all I loved most, not one of whom was with me
to enjoy those strange and wonderful scenes — and here,
what a curious collection we made ! One Englishwoman —
one of the few women who have climbed to Xochicalco — a
couple of Englishmen, an American, a sprinkling ot
Spaniards, or descendants of Spaniards, and hundreds ot
Indian Aztecs !

We lunched in a summer-house or canopy of flowers the
natives had erected for that purpose, because they knew
"there was no sun in the Senora's land," and they leared

314 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

the heat for their visitor. The top was composed of palm
leaves, and hanging down, as do grapes in a vinery, were
bunches of flowers ; the supports on which the roof rested,
were entirely covered with creepers and blossoms. This
love of flowers, this choice of beautiful colours, the artistic
pottery produced in almost every village, denote the artistic
development of the race. That bower of tropical vegeta-
tion would have done honour to a. Parisian florist, and
could not have been bought by him for thousands and
thousands of francs.

I do not quite know how that luncheon was dragged up to
the ruins — probably on men's backs, or on pack-mules — but
I do know it was ready when we arrived, and that we
thoroughly enjoyed it. Even ice, think of it, ice was there,
thoughtfully included in the " bill of fare " by the Governor.
It was a delicious repast, and I still remember a particular
dish of scalloped ham that came out of one of those sur-
prising tins.

After the meal the Governor in his usual thoughtful way
gave all the food that was left to the Indians. The various
Alcaldes and other officials came into the bower at his invita-
tion to drink healths with him. They had such charming
manners. Off came their hats, they bowed low, and before
emptying their glass always raised it to me with a little incli-
nation of the head. Inborn courtesy, the inborn courtesy of
gentlemen, is more often found among such people than is
generally supposed.

The sides of our summer-house were open, and all those
strange folk squatted on the ground around us, watching the
progress of the meal ; they did not talk, they just sat and
gazed. On our left the constant clapping of hands was
heard where three women made tortillas for the party,
otherwise our followers were all of the masculine sex.

Over the roof, standing amid wreaths of what we should
call hothouse flowers, was an inscription about three yards

Bower of orchids, flowers, and palms, put up Ijy the Aztec Indians at
Xochicalcu ruins.

uf'

A^'wI^'-'Ij'

r*^ JxM::^'

One of the war-plumed Aztecs carved on the Xochicalco ruins.

[To fare />ai:r 314.

AZTEC RUINS OF XOCHICALCO. 315

long which, to my surprise, consisted of the words "Well-
come to Mrs. Alec Fweedie." The two " I's " in "well-
come," and the substitution of F. for T., were charming-
touches. Those Indians had sent a messenger many, many
miles to Cuernavaca to find out how to write their words of
greeting in the English tongue ; they painted them quite
well, in grey, picked out with red, and I finally bore the
inscription home in triumph from its wondrous perch and
unique surroundings.

These people were Aztecs. It is commonly supposed the
race has died out, but this is not the case — half a million
live to-day, and still speak the ancient tongue.

After luncheon, a short swarthy man stepped forward,
bowing low, and addressing the Governor in Aztec, he
asked if he might say something to the English lady ;
his name was Florentino Ramirez, and he came from the
village of Tetlama. Of course, permission was at once
granted. He stood opposite to us, surrounded by all those
Indians, and though only a young man — perhaps, twenty-
two or three years of age — he spoke as to the manner born.
He was neither shy nor awkward ; his voice was loud and
clear, and the determined expression of his dark face
denoted his descent from some great race. His words w^ere
more or less as follows :

" I am spokesman of the neighbouring villages. When we
heard our beloved Governor was coming, accompanied by a
lady from such a far-away land, we felt proud. We are
honoured that anyone should come to see our ruins, and we
thank you, Sefiora, from the bottom of our hearts, for you
must have undertaken a long and tedious journey to come so
far to see our Xochicalco. That you are going to write a
book about Mexico delights our hearts, and we have come
from far and near, and done our best to bid you welcome and
manifest our gratitude. We are only 'the people,' but we
have hearts and sympathies, and both have been aroused to-

3i6 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

clay by the visit of Colonel Alarcon and the English author-
ess. You have come from a land of great civilisation to visit
our wild country ; but, Sefiora, you must remember that
five thousand years ago, when Engi<ind was unknown,
our ancestors raised those ruins," and he waved his hand
with a theatrical air as he spoke, and pointed proudly to
the fortress.

Charming words, given with great simplicity and withal
great determination. The man spoke, as I have said be-
fore, as to the manner born, and yet he lived far away from
a railway, had indeed never seen such a thing, or any form
of modern civilisation. He was just an Indian lad, born and
bred in the country ; but — the descendant of a great race !
One of my English friends kindly replied in Spanish ; when
he stopped the youth again stepped forward, and said :

" You have addressed me in a foreion tono-ue, Sefior, and
I thank you, and will translate your words to my other
friends. I can speak Spanish too, you see, a foreign tongue
to me, and I thank you for what you have said on behalf of
my friends. This is a great day for us and we shall always
remember it. Such a day has never been before at Xochi-
calco. We would fain add that this humble reception,
although poor and inadequate, has been tendered with all
our good- will, and from the bottom of our hearts."

Was not this wonderful t It all seemed extraordinary to
me. The spot whereon we stood had been the scene of
bloodshed and plunder thousands of years ago ; these very
hills even a short time previously were unsafe for travellers,
a fully-armed escort was necessary, and yet there we found
ourselves to-day amidst flowers and beauty, with music and
merriment, peace and good-will !

After luncheon we spent some hours looking over the old
fortress which some say was a temple, but I think not, for
there are no sis^ns of altars, or burial chambers, and for
religious purposes it stands in an awkward position, perched

AZTEC RUINS OF XOCHICALCO. 317

on high with steep paths only for ascent. It seemed to me
from its position far more Hkely to have been a fortress. It
is a square, and being situated right at the very top of a
mountain, it commands a view on all sides over miles and
miles. The base is somewhat plain ; above rest three sets
of massive stones, one above the other, forming a wall which
slants narrower at the top. As a rule fifteen of these large
stones — each about four to six feet in width — compose a side.
They are not all alike. Some are grey, some red, of por-
phyritic granite, and again we ask — as is usual when viewing
such ancient work — " How were such enormous stones
brought all these miles, and dragged up that precipitous
incline ? "

On the top is a magnificently-carved coping, from which
the stones slant outward at the edge, to give grace to the
whole. These wonderful stones are completely covered over
with strange devices and colossal figures ; there are several
Indians with their massive war-feather headgear wearino-
jewels round their necks, and pondrous earrings ; jewels
fasten on their feathers, and jewels and ornaments
form breast - plates and cufTs. The figures are not
crude ; on the contrary they are well modelled. Most of
them sit cross-legged like Chinese gods, but one who is
standing, partly remains. The straight broad nose, and fore-
head sloping backwards, are noticeable, which remain pecu-
liarities of the Aztec race to-day. Several of the warriors
have the first finger bent up as if to call attention. There are
three complete figures, besides bits of others, particularly a
large hand and arm which evidently belonged to the man
supporting the stair-way, part of which is still in good preser-
vation. Of course the wings of the Aztec eagle appear on
each side of the fortress ; that same eagle which forms the
coat of arms of Mexico to-day. Serpents with two heads
are visible, for Aztecs worshipped the Serpent as the God
of Wisdom. Strange and wonderful hieroglyphics and

3i8 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

mythological figures, and a + can be distinctly seen on the
photograph, but alas ! the key to all these writings has
yet to be found I

There was originally a second tower on the top of the
edifice — some imagine a third — but only a few of the stones
remain upright to-day ; the rest have fallen down and are
lying around, either whole or in bits ; others have been
carted away for building purposes ! From the centre of the
fortress there was a means of escape, and it is said seven
subterranean passages, but the place has so far not been
very thoroughly explored. We went through one of these
passages, bumping our heads and stumbling over rocks
and stones, till we found ourselves in an arched chamber
excavated in the rock, the dome being in the form of a
pointed Gothic arch. This was a curious anomaly, as the
arch scarcely ever appeared in Aztec architecture.

One of these subterranean passages extends many hun-
dred feet, and is about nine feet high. The ancient pave-
ment seems to have been over a foot thick, and the walls
are actually of masonry. At the end is a room measuring-
eighty feet.* The platform measures 380 by 285, and the
Temple or fortress 65 feet from East to West, and 58
from North to South.

I was enormously impressed by the Xochicalco ruins.
The position of the fortress was grand, commanding as it
did so extensive a view over what was once a vast lake
lying towards Mexico City ; the solidity of the work, the
precision with which the stones were fitted into one another,
all was marvellous ; and yet a tiny sapling, grown to be a
great tree-root, had literally forced up one of these blocks
of enormous weight, forced it right up out of place !

There was something awe-inspiring about those ruins,
in fact they impressed me more than did those of Mitla
subsequently. The base of the hill, on which they stand,

* " Prehistoric America," hy Nadaillac.

AZTEC RUINS OF XOCHICALCO. 319

is nearly two miles in circumference, and the last ascent
about 400 feet. The carving was so extraordinary, so
artistic and clearly cut, the figures so true to life, not in
the 'least grotesque, as are many of those to be seen in
Egyptian ruins ; but these had been chiselled by master
hands, no one knows how many decades ago. The dresses,
the jewels, all seemed to recall that Aztec race which must
indeed have been a people of great culture and refinement,
and artistic in a high degree.

The position was well nigh impregnable, for what band
of warriors could climb up to attack, while even a handful
of men thrust spears or hurled stones down upon them ?
Two or three hours were not sufficient to explore this inter-
esting spot, but as there is no accommodation anywhere for
miles, we had to get on, before the darkness of night
folded her wino-s around us.

It was January, with a heat like that of August in Eng-
land, for we were no longer nearly eight thousand feet above
the sea, as in Mexico City, and as soon as one descends a
few thousand feet, the temperature changes to an extra-
ordinary degree. All the various village mayors, the Jefe
Politicos of the different districts, had to be shaken hands
with, and then we left.

The Indians all wanted to shake hands too, many spoke
kindly words in the Aztec tongue, others brought further
little floral offerings. One of these latter was particularly
interesting, for it was a flower of wood, a sort of gourd-like
thing, quite pretty in shape, something like a long-leaved
passion flower, only brown, but alas ! it was brittle, and
although one of our party rode with it most carefully for
miles, petal after petal fell with the jolting of his horse.

Several friends in the City had asked me to be photo-
graphed on horseback. They wished to see my habit skirt
when mounted astride, apparently thinking it must be a
most unsightly arrangement, so, I asked Senor Gutierrez to

320 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

kindly take advantage of a shady spot and do the deed.
As I spoke, the little man who had made that strange
speech rushed forward, and placing himself at my mare's
head, asked if he might be photographed with the lady.
Therefore the descendant of the Aztec tribe, who proved
himself such an orator, is luckily in the picture.

Down the hill we rode again in single file ; the horses
are marvellously sure-footed, especially those which are not
shod — naturally, iron shoes do slide over volcanic rock —
and away we went to the famous sugar hacienda of Mia-
catlan. The sun was just setting when we arrived about
six o'clock, and certainly the scene was remarkable. The
wonderful old house with its strange arches, domes,
and cellars, which resembled an ancient monastery, was, of
course, built by the Spaniards a couple of hundred years
ago. Time was then of no value, slaves cost no money,
and walls eio-ht or ten feet thick, with vaulted roofs made
of solid blocks of stone, were customary. These old
haciendas rarely have a bit of wood anywhere ; wood and
iron were not used for girders and beams, and the stone
tioors, walls and roofs will probably stand to all eternity.
Strangely enough, I at once recognised my host and hostess
as old friends — at least, old friends for Mexico. I had
met Seiior and Seilora Romualdo Pasquel at the President's
Christmas party. Their welcome was niost warm, and our
whole caravan passed the night at Miacatlan.

Imagine a party of fifty-three men and beasts pulling up
at an English country house and requesting a night's board
and lodging ! We were a dozen for the dining-room, and
bed-rooms were found for us, while the rest of the escort
souQfht accommodation elsewhere.

One could scarcely have expected to find dinner-table
decorations in a Mexican hacienda, but such was the case.
Covers were laid for twenty — the house party being eight.
The serviettes were charmingly folded, lovely tropical

AZTEC RUINS OF XOCHICALCO. 321

flowers were arranged upon the cloth, blooms were in
the finger-bowls, and everything was as well-ordered and
modern as in a large city. The cooking was perfect,
the wines manifold, electric light everywhere, yet all
the floors, even in the bed-rooms, were of red brick ;
just one more instance of those strange contrasts one finds
so continually in the land of Montezuma. A land indeed
of paradoxes !

Our luggage was limited, but the Governor had arranged
we should each have a bag; carried bv the mules with the
commissariat. In my small case, mostly containing under-
wear, I had one light silk evening gown, which folded
into small space, so that I might occasionally look like a
"lady." That reminds me of a man with whom I had
ridden for some days. Never having seen me in anything
but a divided skirt, linen shirt, top boots, and sombrero
hat, in a faltering voice at last he asked :

" Do you ever wear a real dress, Sefiora ? "

"Oh, yes, always at home," I replied.

He looked hard at me.

"Do you ever wear a low — evening — dress?" he
stammered, as if ashamed to ask such a question.

"Often," I answered; "we wear low dresses more in
London than in any city of the world, because we practically
dress for dinner every evening."

"Oh," he gasped, evidently much relieved that people
did not walk about London in a riding dress !

Someone had given me a box of chocolates on leaving
Cuernavaca, and when I opened my box at Miacatlan to
take out that precious silk dress, my hand encountered
something hot and liquid. It was the chocolates, which
had melted to a syrup ! Luckily my only frock had
escaped.

Everything in that small case was so hot, it felt as
though it had but just been taken out of an oven, and

322 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

yet the force of the baking sun had been partially checked
by grass mattings tied over the packs.

We were up next morning before four a.m., and started
off soon after, in order to avoid riding during the heat of the
day. A strange sight presented itself below my window.
It was quite dark, save for the flicker of the moon and
stars ; but there stood all the horses saddled and ready,
champing at their bits ; there, groping about in the semi-
darkness, were the Rurales with clinking spurs and gleam-
ing swords, while behind stood the servants and pack
mules ; beyond were some three hundred farm mules
. drinkinof in turn at the fountain, before Q-oinQf off to their
work in the fields, which consisted of bringing in the sugar-
cane. The sky was still dark, electric lights illuminated
the heavy stone alcoves, birds were singing, and the great
chapel bell rang forth the hour of five as we bade farewell
to our generous entertainers and started again on our way.
We were glad of our coats in the fresh morning air, and
equally glad to dispense with them an hour and a half later,
when the sun had risen.

We breakfasted at ten o'clock in a wonderful tropical
garden in the village of Coatlan, on our way to the famous
caves of Cacahuimilpa. That village was particularly
interesting, it was so typically Mexican. The people,
knowing we were coming, had cut large branches off trees
and stuck them into the sides of the road for a mile out-
side the village itself, so as to form a kind of avenue.
Every man, woman and child was out to receive us. They
had erected a triumphal arch, their brass band struck up as
we passed beneath it, and everyone stood hat in hand
to welcome our party. A table had been set up in the
orange grove, and there, beneath oranges, bananas, cocoa-
nuts and melon trees, we enjoyed our meal. The endless
hand-clapping of tortilla-makers was with us as usual, for
the women had come to the garden, made their little fires,

AZTEC RUINS OF XOCHICALCO. 323

and were busy making cakes for our party. The horses
stood in the Httle market-place below the church; their
saddles covered with extra sacking to keep them from
getting heated, but in spite of the coverings mine became so
scorched I was hardly able to sit upon it. Hot saddles are
dangerous, and so well do the Rurales know this fact, that
when waiting they put their big grey felt hats over the
leathers to keep them cool, and are content with a
handkerchief upon their own heads.

It is said that no white man can ever pack a mule, and
certainly the dark gentlemen often excited my amazement
by the way in which they secured heavy wine cases to the
backs of the animals, and then covered the whole load
with a grass mat ; it was wonderful. Nothing ever slipped,
nothing ever went wrong. The only sad part about it
was the heat itself, and every night I used to find every-
thing inside my little case absolutely melting, including the
soap, which had nearly turned "soft," though, luckily, it
did not run, like those chocolates. But this great
heat only lasts a few hours daily, say from twelve to
three.

Talking of pack mules reminds me of an awkward
experience. On one occasion, while toiling up an exceed-
ingly steep path, we suddenly met thirty-three mules laden
crossways with planks of sawn wood, coming down. They
only had three drivers, and the path was so narrow it
seemed practically impossible to pass. I do not even now
understand how the difficulty was overcome, but some of our
party dismounted and succeeded in finding the animals a
foothold off our track ; still, as their planks were some ten
feet long, the slightest deviation from the straight line on
the part of the beasts of burden would have meant a nasty
hit for some of us, while a restive mule or horse must have
fallen down the precipice. Neither of the parties could go
back, there was no room to turn, therefore pass we must,

21*

324 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

and pass we did ; but I think everyone felt devoutly thankful
when the manoeuvre was accomplished without accident.

The country policemen are very funny. We often
passed two or three, perhaps a dozen of them. They are
simply Indians, shoeless, and garbed in the ordinary white
cotton ; but they each carry an old-fashioned shot gun, and
of course the big sword (machete) of the country. They are
not particularly gentle in their treatment of prisoners, and
make use of their weapons on the slightest provocation.
Prisoners, who after trial are found to have merited a long
sentence, are imprisoned for a while and then drafted into the
army.

It all seems to answer very well, but then Mexico is, of
course, still in the transition stage. If she go as much
ahead, however, in the next quarter of a century as she
has done in the last, she will ere long take her place
among the nations of the world.

I remember one large hacienda we passed, where a
tragedy had just been enacted. A Mexican father lived
there with his two sons, and experienced considerable
difficulty with the peons, whom his sons in their turn
treated somewhat harshly, knocking them about. The
natives were sullen, and vowed vengeance. For some time
none of the trio ever ventured forth alone, but always went
about armed and guarded. One fine day, however, the
eldest son, tired of his escort, started forth to ride to some
distant village. He never returned, and I was shown the
spot where the murdered body, stabbed from behind in
several places, had been found !

" The younger son will meet the same fate," was remarked,
" unless he mends his ways in dealing with his labourers."

And yet there are other people, such, for example, as the
Amor brothers, who are so much beloved that they ride
anywhere alone fearlessly, and as often as not unarmed.

Indians are slow to rouse ; but they value life little, and

AZTEC RUINS OF XOCHICALCO. 3^5

grow murderous and vindictive on occasion, particularly
when under the influence of drink.

Those days of riding through the mountains amid all
the tropical vegetation — so new to me — were delightful ;
even the scorpions and yellow and green lizards were
interesting, and then everyone was so kind and jovial,
courteous and thoughtful, there never seemed to occur a
hitch of any sort. The Governor's powers of organisation
proved a constant marvel. We were away from trains
and telegraphs, he was moving with a small army, so to
speak, and yet nothing was ever late, and nothing was
ever missing. Our fare was of the best — everything
canned, of course — and even ice never failed, a veritable
blessing in such heat. Colonel Alarcon's soldierly instincts
showed him a born commander of men ; he never seemed
lacking in resources, never got in a fuss ; indeed, he
appeared to have less to do than anyone, though all the
time he was organising the whole affair.

Some men are born to rule and direct others. Colonel
Alarcon is one of these, for was he not the finest of
soldiers ? With all this strength of character nothing was
beneath his notice. If we passed over a dangerous bit of
ground, or crossed a river where the bank was slippery, he,
leading the way, would turn round and ask :

" Is the Sefiora all right .^ "

" Si, si ; muchas gracias ; but you know I am all right,"
I once replied.

" I like to see and hear for myself, Sefiora," he answered.

He would stop to pick some unusual flower to show me
by the way, or pull a wild fruit he wished me to taste ;
in fact, he proved again what is so true in life, that the
strongest men have the softest sides to their characters,
just as the most womanly women can evince manly courage
on occasion.

326

CHAPTER XX.

ONE OF THE WONDERS OF THE WORLD,

It was fearfully hot as after luncheon we rode down
from the little hostelry in the village of Cacahuimilpa —
pronounced Ca-ca-hui-mil-pa — to the grottoes of the same
name.

At mid-day the heat in Southern Mexico is almost over-
powering, and but for our enormous sombreros, we could
not have endured it. The horses rarely stumbled over the
volcanic rocks, often as steep as a staircase, and far more
uneven ; but horses get accustomed to anything, and the
Mexican breed are no exception to this rule ; nevertheless,
on the return journey, one of the poor beasts unfortunately
slipped and tumbled over a nasty ledge, his rider cutting his
head badly. He was not able to leave Cacahuimilpa with
us the next morning, but followed some hours later with
the guard our good Governor left behind to look after him.
We had so many Rurales with us, we could easily spare
three for the purpose. They were all most polite men, ever
eager to perform some kindly act, shade a saddle, tighten
girths, flick away mosquitoes, and in fact do anything they
could think of to add to my comfort. Instinctive courtesy,
perhaps, to such a strange being as a horsewoman !

The Rurales often use flint and steel for kindling fires.
They are most handy men, reminding me of sailors by
their willingness and ability to do almost anything and

ONE OF THE WONDERS OF THE WORLD. 327

everything ; unlike the majority of sailors, however, they
are crack shots as well as skilled horsemen, to which
qualities the peace of Mexico is largely due to-day.

When w^e dismounted at a large cave-like opening in a
wall of rock, the national air of Mexico sounded suddenly
from the dark depths below. The village band had been
sent on before, to Q-reet us. The effect was most strano-e in
its echoing tones, and the national anthem was followed by
the President Diaz march. The aperture was large, but
behind the great opening loomed inky blackness. Gathered
round the mouth of the cave were numberless Indians, and
a sprinkling of richer folk. Candles were distributed to
the company, which by this time must have swelled in
numbers to something like a couple of hundred, as many
people round about had availed themselves of the oppor-
tunity of joining our party, permission to do so having
been graciously given them by the Governor.

"You had better leave your hat," someone remarked,
" It may be warm inside the caves, and besides, in the low
passages there will be no room for it." Accordingly, the
sombrero was left behind, for which I felt heartily thankful
later. My friend also advised me to put on shoes instead
of riding boots, explaining the climb would be difficult in
parts, and my boots would probably get cut. He was right !

Colonel Alarcon, accordino- to custom, offered me his arm,
and escorted me down into one of the greatest wonders of
the world !

The descent was easy, for a road-way had been made ;
but it was really very impressive to see, in twos and twos,
about a couple of hundred people marching solemnly into
impenetrable blackness, to the strains of martial music.
Each person carried a long lighted candle, but before we
returned to our starting point, six and a half hours later,
those candles had nearly burnt out.

" The caves are wonderful," evervone had told me ; but

328 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

no one had attempted to explain how wonderful, simply
because no words could fitly describe them. Those who
have seen the well-known Mammoth Caves of Kentucky,
unanimously agree even they are not so grand or mar-
vellous as these almost unknown wonders buried in
Southern Mexico.

For four hours we walked on, tumbling, stumbling,
clattering, or crawling — no one should try to penetrate, or
attempt to go beyond the first two easy caverns, who is not
physically strong. We had been up at four that morning,
had driven for a couple of hours, and ridden for three, and
I must own that before we left those monstrous caves I was
quite done up, and feel it only right to advise no woman to
attempt the same feat unless she can sleep at the village,
or in the caves themselves, the night before and the night
after ; those grottoes are quite enough for anyone to explore
in a single day, without any other exercise whatever.

Now to attempt to give some little idea of the caves.
They were originally formed by a river, the water-line of
which is distinctly visible, while in places the ground is
marked with wave-ripples like the sand of a beach. Then,
again, many stones are round and polished, the result of
constant rolling by water ; and still more wonderful, two
rivers flow beneath them, probably through caves just as
marvellous, which no man has yet dared penetrate. These
two rivers which come out beneath the caves are called
San Jeromino and San Corralejo. The first has been
measured and found to contain a minimum flow of water
of 5.5 cubic metres per second. The other has not yet
been measured, but is supposed to contain about four
cubic metres per second. They join and enter the moun-
tain one hundred metres below the grottoes, under which
they pass, reappearing after a fall of five hundred feet at
a distance of three kilometres. No boat has ever entered
the enormous caverns throuQ-h which these rivers flow.

ONE OF THE WONDERS OF THE WORLD. 329

because, with waters rushing at such velocity, and a fall of
five hundred feet, it would be madness to attempt to do
so. Plans have been suggested of letting a boat in with
trusty ropes and grappling irons to pull her back ; but
there mieht be within a sudden fall of water, and boat
and occupants be whirled over the edge before the people
outside had time to drag them back. Mysterious and
marvellous are the rivers below the caves.

Above these torrents of water are the caves themselves,
which form undoubtedly one of the greatest natural pheno-
mena of the world ; and they, too, were made by water.
That very same water which in millions of years washed them
out and is now busily engaged in washing out others below !

Very little is yet known of these wonderful caves of
Cacahuamilpa, and some geologist has a great work waiting
for him. In all my wanderings I have never seen anything
like them. Niagara is great ; the rapids of Uleaborg in
Finland are wonderful. The Matterhorn or Mont Blanc
are splendid. These caves, however, are so endless, so
extraordinary, so colossal, that it seems as if they cannot
possibly be real.

One sits down amazed to see a cavern lighted at different
points by half-a-dozen magnesium wires, and at least two
hundred candles, yet which is barely illumined at all. One
keeps on repeating, "Am I awake ? Is this real or is it a
dream ? What power made these things ? What is man
or man's work, what is the greatest cathedral in the world
compared with this '^. "

I believe we went through about seven caverns, and our
party of two hundred Indians all carrying lights, barely made
a flicker in that intense gloom — lights were nothing in the
vast space. Rockets were sent up — rockets which were
known to ascend two hundred and fifty feet, but which
nowhere reached the top ; the height is more probably
somewhere about five or six hundred feet, or twice that of

330 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

St. Paul's Cathedral ; who could tell in that obscurity ?
Think of a stone roof, without any supports, over a stone
chamber, inside which one St. Paul's on the top of another
might be placed !

The size alone appalled, but the stalactites and stalagmites
almost petrified one with amazement. Many of them have
joined, making rude pillars a couple of hundred feet high,
and perhaps a hundred feet in diameter at the base. Others
have formed grotesque shapes. A seal upon the ground is
positively life-like ; a couple of monster Indian idols ; faces
and forms innumerable ; here an old woman bent nearly
double, there a man with a basket on his head, thrones fit
for kings, organs with every pipe visible, which, when
tapped, ring forth deep tones. It was all so great, so
wonderful, so marvellous ; I felt all the time as if I were in
some strange cathedral — greater, grander and more im-
pressive than any I had ever entered. Its aspect of power
and strength paralysed me, not with fear but with intense
admiration.

I am no Qeolosist, but one or two thiuQ-s struck me.
Many of the, stalactites and stalagmites are white, of purest
crystal ; they might be of soda hanging in fringes ; others
again are of black, muddy compound, while yet another
kind look like marble. Even to this day the drip, drip,
continues, small ones are constantly forming ; and in wet
weather the floor of the caverns becomes swampy.
^I' People have penetrated four or five kilometres into the
caves, but have found no way out save the entrance ; and at
one spot not far within, is a cairn of stones erected in
memory of a man whose skeleton, with that of his dog, was
found some few years ago.

No one should ever enter alone, because no one could
ever find his way out again.

The Empress Carlotta made a famous visit there, and on
one of the stalagmites the fact is recorded, but it is beyond

ONE OF THE WONDERS OF THE WORLD. 331

that point climbing becomes most troublesome and danger-
ous, and the effects more wonderful.

Everyone of our party felt as if he were in a Turkish bath,
beads of perspiration stood on every brow, and yet it was
not safe to sit for more than a moment, the stones strike so
cold. There are a couple of streams of clear water, and the
biscuits, brandy and whiskey wisely taken by the thoughtful
Governor, proved a godsend.

At times it was terribly stiff climbing, and several of the
party had nasty falls, our candles giving very inefficient
light ; at others it was a case of sitting down and sliding
in order to get from one boulder to another ; but it was
worth it all, to see such a sight, to feel the Power that
made those caves, to bow before the Almighty Hand which
had accomplished such work even in millions of years.
There hung those great stone roofs without support of any
kind — what architect could have performed such a miracle ?
There stood those majestic pillars embedded in rocks
above and below ; there hung yards and yards of stalactites
weighing tons, and yet no stay or girder kept them in
place. It was a lesson, a chapter in religion, something
solemn and soul-stirring, something never to be forgotten ;
one of the Creator's great mysteries, where every few yards
presented some fresh revelation.

My knees were trembling, every rag of clothing I wore was
as wet as when first taken from the washerwoman's tub,
yet still I struggled on, fascinated, bewildered, awed, by
the sights which met me at every step. Think of it !
Stumbling along for four and a half hours, even then not
reaching the end, and though we returned by the easiest
and quickest way it was two hours more before we found
the exit !

In one of the caves the Governor proposed my health,
and the party gave three cheers, which resounded a^rain
and again in that wonderful subterranean chamber, deep

332 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

down in the bowels of the earth, with a mountain above
and a couple of rivers below. The military band of
Cacahuimilpa accompanied us, and the effect produced by
their music was stupendous. No words can express the
volume of sound ; because the largest band in the world
could not succeed in producing the same effect of reson-
ance in the open air which ten performers caused in those
underground chambers.

I have given no idea of the immense grandeur of Caca-
huimilpa, because it is impossible for me to do so. I have
stood beneath the domes of St. Paul's in London, of St.
Peter's in Rome, of St. Ysaak in St. Petersburg, of the
Capitol in Washington, but all those buildings are small
and insignificant in height and size when compared with
some of those caverns.

We talk of " Before Christ " as very long ago ; we
think of Aztec remains a few thousand years since as an
eternity distant, but what millions and millions of years it
must have taken for drops of water, yes, drops of water,
to accomplish such things as these.

In such scenes one might fancy the death-cry of depart-
ing spirits, expect to find chattering witches presiding over
those weird natural altars, or hideous gnomes squatting on
yonder projecting rock. Those caves contain the majesty
of the Brocken, the weirdness of Peer Gynt !

A silence that can be felt, a silence so profound it may
almost be heard ; nothing ruffles the air, no vibrations are
apparent. All is still, more still, indeed, than the grave
itself.

Who made all this } What power rent those rocks ?
What hand holds that monstrous dome of stone on high ?

Man is silent ; but in this all-pervading silence, surely
the voice of God speaks !

Hot, tired, and overpowered, we were plodding home-
wards in utter silence, when a letter was handed to a

Telegrafos del Gobierno de Morelos.

-.'c-c.

i'.- <.\,.Vft, 'T>0Xvt-< ' ,

^\\o_i2]--

til

^SMk^A^Uao^ —

:mjAf!:^rsL

.^ Sy-,/.^^ ^^vaO^ 5.

i/X VWh-o-i-j. <x»

Telegram announcing the death (jf (^uecn \'ictoria. Received in Caves of
Cacahuimilpa.

To/acc/>ajrc'333.}

ONE OF THE WONDERS OF THE WORLD. 333

member of the party, by a mounted soldier, who, seeing
our lights approaching the entrance, had dared venture
into the grottoes to deliver his missive. We were all sur-
prised at the man's arrival, and more surprised to find he
carried an envelope. It turned out to be a telegram, which
had followed our party from a village a long distance off,
and had been sent on by a special horseman with instruc-
tions to overtake us at all speed. Was ever telegram
received amid stranger surroundings, by a cosmopolitan
collection of humanity assembled in the bowels of the earth
far, far away from civilisation ?

What news that telegram contained ! It had travelled
seven thousand miles across land and sea ; it had
arrived at a moment when we all were over-awed by the
stupendous grandeur of our surroundings, and thoroughly
worn out with fatigue. At the first glance it seemed im-
possible to read. Men accustomed to the vagaries of
foreign telegraph clerks when dealing with the English
language, found, however, no difficulty in deciphering its
meaning :

"QUEEN VICTORIA WAS DEAD."

On the opposite page is a copy of the original document ;
a historic telegram, truly, announcing a national calamity,
and received amid the wildest possible surroundings, in the
strangest possible way.

The Queen was dead ! The English-speaking people
had lost her who had been their figure-head for nearly
sixty-three years. The monarch to whom the whole world
paid homage as a woman, and respect as a Queen, had
died at Osborne on the previous day, while we, wandering
over those Aztec ruins of Xochicalco, had not even heard
of her illness.

Impressed as we were by the mystic grandeur of the
caves, amazed at the wonders of nature, this solemn news

334 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

seemed to fit the serious thoughts of the day, thoughts
which had grown in intensity with each succeeding hour.
Cacahuimilpa appeared a fitting spot in which to hear of
a great public misfortune. Time and place for once were
in no wise "out of tune."

The Queen was dead ! And within twenty-four hours
the news was known in the depths of the earth in one of
Nature's grandest cathedrals, thousands of miles distant
from where Victoria the Good drew her last breath.

It was dark, and the way steep as we rode back to the
village in profound silence.

San Galnicl hacit-nda.

To face page 335.]

335

CHAPTER XXI.

LIFE ON A SOUTHERN HACIENDA.

The experiences of that night at Cacahuimilpa were
amusing. One large room, through which everyone in
the house was obliged to pass, had been divided in two by
means of sheets hung in the middle for curtains, but as these
reached neither the top, bottom, nor even sides of the
room, they did not form a very efficient wall ! Two beds
were placed on each side of the primitive screen, and
behind the curtains Sefiorita Flores and I retired. She
thought the accommodation strange and terrible, but to me
it seemed quite luxurious after nights spent in tents, on
tables, garden seats, or sometimes the bare floor. My com-
panion was very tired. No wonder. Such an expedition
was exhausting for anyone ; to a little Spanish girl not accus-
tomed to exercise it must have been deadly. At last she
sat herself down on the bed exclaiming, in her pretty
accent :

" I am too tired to talk the English, but I am much
content with you." The first was so possible, the second a
literal translation from the Spanish !

A plaster partition separated us from the next apartment
used as a dining-room, but the plaster did not come within
twenty-four inches of the open wood roofing, through which
we could see the stars, and pigeons flying in and out. This
next room was again divided by curtains, one part being

336 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

arranofed for our meals, the other contained six beds
closely packed together in a double row into which eight of
our men had to stow themselves ! We all laughed and
made the best of it ; and the best on this occasion ended
very happily, probably owing to a reaction after the
impressiveness of the caves, and the tidings of the death of
the Queen.

We felt tired that night, every man acknowledged the-
fact ; but sleep works marvels, and when next morning we
sat round the breakfast table enjoying our coffee we were
quite ready for another day " across country."

The horses and our soldier-guard outside the little
dwelling created quite a sensation, and crowds of Indians
sat about staring at the wondrous show.

Here, as in other parts of the country, I noticed a
number of men with strange white or blue patches on their
brown skins, due to pinto, that much-dreaded disease, called
by the natives Saltsayanolitzth. It is supposed mosquitoes
carry it as they are known to do yellow fever, and the Indians
use a particular plant named Ixtenetztik for its cure, though
the remedy does not usually prove very successful. Some
of the people were more or less covered with this horrible
disease, which is a severe form of ringworm. Dr. Patrick
Manson, the great authority on tropical diseases, tells me
he considers pinto is contagious, and doubts the Mexican
theory of mosquito transport.

There are four kinds of pinto — red, blue, indigo and
white, the last being the worst, for that means losing the
pigments of the skin. In its early stages pinto can some-
times be stopped by cauterization, but later mercury is
required. Unfortunately, once it really begins it is almost
impossible to eradicate, and often increases with alarming-
rapidity. The disease is hideous, something like leprosy,
which also exists in Mexico, where it is not "separated,"
unfortunately. Oddly enough, insanity is practically un-

LIFE ON A SOUTHERN HACIENDA. 337

known in that country, although the people intermarry
constantly. The " natural " of every Scotch village appar-
ently has no existence. The people suffer from small-pox,
originally introduced by the Spanish conquerors, leprosy,
pinto, and goitre, but their children are not imbecile.

The morning after our expedition to the caves we rose
early, in order to accomplish as much as possible before
the sun became powerful, and rode some twenty-five miles
to the famous hacienda of St. Gabriel where we were to
spend the night. This is one of the most historic and
quaint haciendas in Southern Mexico, and belongs to the
well-known family of Amor.

In all probability it was built for a monastery ; it looks
like the work of monks. The enormous thickness of the
walls, which keep out heat in summer and cold in winter,
the extraordinary solidity of everything, and the vast space
it covers, bespeak a religious house. At the back is a
fine stone swimming-bath ; indeed, it is well supplied, not
only with necessities, but luxuries.

What a place for romance, what stories might be told of
love, intrigue, murder, in such a house as this. With its
long corridors, numerous chambers, strange balconies, its
church, shop, greSt yards and outbuildings, it forms a
veritable town in itself. That old hacienda has witnessed
many scenes of war and tumult during the nineteenth
century, and who can say how many it had previously
survived ?

The four Amor brothers were educated in England,
and Victor Amor, who looked a typical specimen of an
English sportsman, rode over to the caves the day pre-
viously to meet and escort us to his home. We must have
numbered nearly sixty as we wended our way across those
mountains in the earlv hours of mornine-

An hour's ride from St. Gabriel we espied horsemen on
the horizon. They consisted of Joaquin Amor — the elder

33S MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

brother — and his attendants, such as the doctor and heads
of the different departments of sugar, distillery, or rice, all
dressed in spotless white. Sefior Amor had a black band
on his arm in recognition of England's loss of her Queen.
They were riding four abreast as they advanced — fourteen
in number — to bid us welcome. It was quite impressive ;
all those sombreros coming off at once, the kindly words of
hospitality spoken in truly Mexican style, and then the four-
teen wheeled round, and we all proceeded together, ac-
cording to the custom of the country, towards the hacienda.
Although many of the courteous old customs have died out,
some yet remain, and this act of chivalry was one of them.
The host is supposed to meet his guests at his boundary,
and there welcome them to his possessions.

What an army we made ! All those smart, clean white
uniforms from San Gabriel, our guard of Rurales in grey,
with silver buttons and braid, their red ties and cummer-
bunds. Pistols, swords, guns on every side, the large hats
and wondrous saddles. About seventy mounted people, and
only two women among them !

As this hacienda of St, Gabriel was typical of a high-
class country house, I must give a few details of its work-
ings.

The village, containing nearly three thousand souls,
belongs to the hacienda. The people pay no rent, and the
owners of the hacienda hold the right to turn them out.
The peasants are lent the ground on which they build
their own houses — such as they are — merely bamboo walls
roofed with a palm leaf sort of thatch. They are all obliged
to work for the hacienda, in truly feudal style, whenever
called upon to do so. Each man as a rule has an allotted
number of days on which he is bound to render service.
Generally about one thousand people — or one-third of the
entire population of the village — are constantly employed ;
but the women in Mexico never work away from their

LIFE ON A SOUTHERN HACIENDA. 339

homes, though in busy seasons children, and even old men,
are pressed into service to cut the sugar-cane.

There is no church in the village, that — like everything
else — belongs to the hacienda, and is attached to the house.
These churches are extremely quaint, and have steeples and
domes. Some of such private places of worship are quite
beautiful and contain rare treasures that have been in the
family for generations. There is a private entrance to the
sacred edifice from the house, leading into a gallery used by
the owners. The priest comes from the next village to cele-
brate Mass on Sundays, holidays and "days of obligation,"
when all the villao-ers attend the various masses, for the
church could not hold 3,000 at once, although it certainly
accommodates 700 or 800, there being no seats.

The proprietors of the hacienda pay the priest and the
doctor, but the latter receives a little extra for attendance
■from outside. Practically, however, the landowner . has to
look after the spiritual and bodily needs of his people.
He is, in fact, a small king with many responsibilities, which
he usually manages to fulfil to everyone's satisfaction.
Each hacienda is obliged to keep its shop, and there all
the purchases of the villagers are made, the owner of the
hacienda taking the profit or risk of loss. Everything is
supplied to the workers from this one shop, bread, candles,
hats, clothes, sandals, matches, blankets, lamp-oil, etc., etc.
As a rule all the employes on the hacienda are paid
in cash each Saturday night, and a little on account every
Wednesday ; no bills are allowed at the store, which is
conducted on ready-money principles. In the olden
days, and unfortunately still at some haciendas, the peons
are not paid in money at all, but have to take out their
wages in goods from the store, a bad principle, which renders
the people little more than slaves. A man and his family
live on six or eight cents a day (a cent is about a
farthing), and men earn fifty cents per week on an average

22*

340 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

at a hacienda ; this is quite sufficient ; they sit rent free,
they have no fires to pay for, little clothing is required, and
if so minded they can get pulque or aguardiente for a couple
of cents. But, alas ! it allows no margin to save ; not
that they would save if they had it, they would only drink
away the extra money, for they have not yet learnt thrift.

If a man become too excited from stimulants he is put in
gaol until somewhat sobered. If he have fought, stolen or
committed nmrder, all matters which sometimes occur, the
owner of the hacienda has to advise the authorities. He
cannot keep a peon in confinement for more than forty-eight
hours, by the end of which time the culprit must be handed
over to higher authority. Prisoners are removed by the
ranchero's own police — Ventena — of whom there are several
on every hacienda. Their hands are just tied with ropes
behind their backs, and off they are marched between
men who look exactly like themselves, excepting that they
are heavily armed.

It was very picturesque, that large yard, with the mules
and carts and peons flitting about. Many women and chil-
dren who had come from their homes to make purchases at
the store added interest to the scene, as they lingered about
before walking back to the village with their male relatives.

These haciendas resemble monasteries in more ways than
one ; they are far away from the outside world, they have to
do everything for themselves — as did the monks of yore —
so at quiet seasons they make their own carts, even the
wheels ! They employ regular carpenters, blacksmiths,
coppersmiths, bricklayers and masons all the year round.
Everyone is paid by the day, and the books are most intri-
cate. An hacienda of this kind is quite a colony, and
requires a clever head to manage.

In the evening about sundown all the hands come up
from the fields and pass before the book-keeper, who sits
behind a large table on the balcony at the bottom of the

LIFE ON A SOUTHERN HACIENDA. 341

house stairs, and as he calls out the names each man answers
in his turn. It naturally takes some time to register one
thousand or more names. I sat on a weighing-machine for
a long time watching those hundreds of men and boys pass
the book-keeper. They were all respectful and nice, stand-
ing hat in hand and bowing civilly as they passed the office
desk. At the moment an extra seven hundred men and
boys, making a total of 1,700 persons, were employed
daily cutting sugar as it was harvest-time. There are
numerous sugar haciendas scattered over Mexico ; the
people are tremendously fond of sweet things and are
always eating dukes. The exports of sugar are only
about ^4,000 annually, but of course no sugar is imported.
With the new plant being put up everywhere, it is likely
the export will increase at a considerable rate.

In the house itself a number of servants are employed ;
there is always one, and sometimes there are two servants
allotted to each member of the family. Then again one
woman is constantly employed making tortillas for the
kitchen and the clerks, and she io literally engaged all day
in grinding her Indian corn and patting out her cakes.

In the servants' bedrooms there are often altars, and the
sacred erections put up at Christmas are not taken down
until the 2nd of February. Each room had its altar at
San Gabriel, with its little creche, moss, candles, and small
hanging lamp.

Hacienda life resembles that of England in the time of
the Barons, when feudal laws reigned and hotels were un-
known. For instance, in days before the introduction of
ti^ains into Mexico, anyone could call and ask for admittance
at an hacienda, which was then literally an open house, as
to a certain extent it remains to-day. The stranger who
craved a night's food and lodging sat at the bottom of the
table, and perhaps never spoke a word ; he would eat, go off
to bed, rise, and depart early next morning ! In the past

342 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

he would sometimes even ask the loan of a horse. At one
time it was not at all unusual for a dozen strangers to claim
lodging in one night, and no one was ever refused. Hotels
do not exist even to-day, villages lie far apart, the roads
are merely mountain tracks, so naturally shelter has still
sometimes to be asked for and given at country houses.

A certain amount of land in each village is held l)y
Government, which the Indians have the right to buy ; all
Government property is claimable, and if anyone thinks fit
and can pay the price wanted he can purchase it. Besides
this, the owner of the hacienda generally lets out extra plots
of land for farming, the men holding the same being known
as arrendetario, or renters. The peons sow corn in the rainy
season, and pay their rent in kind according to the acreage,
viz., five cargoes of corn for every 24 cuartillos they put in
the ground, which covers about 250 acres. The peon must
deliver his corn at the hacienda or railway ; 15,000 to 20,000
dollars is often made yearly by the proprietor of the hacienda
by this means without any worry or expense. He sells the
corn in Mexico City.

The term peon really means a foot\x\-Si.\-\, one without a
trade who works for wages by the day. Caballe^'o means
a /^c'r^^man, and a gafian is a worker for wages in agri-
culture.

At the Amors' hacienda I was amazed to find a regular
racing stable ; their English bringing-up had made them
love sport. They have built good stables, where they
breed polo ponies, trotters, and racing thoroughbreds.
Everything is up-to-date ; the animals' names are painted
above their boxes, and the place is well kept. The Amors
are devoted to their animals, and when we went into the
yard out popped various horses' heads over the low doors
of their boxes. They knew their masters' voices, and came
up to bid them welcome and receive a friendly rub on the
nose. It seemed strange to find this love of sport in the

LIFE ON A SOUTHERN HACIENDA. 343

wild mountains of Southern Mexico, another of the endless
surprises in store for the traveller.

It is a curious fact that in the many haciendas at which
I was lucky enough to stay the meals were invariably served
on a wide balcony. There were no windows, only a carved
stone balustrade and massive stone arches. On the balus-
trade stood vases of plants and palms in tubs everywhere ;
all very picturesque and nice in the middle of the day, but
early breakfast before the sun had risen was apt to strike
somewhat chilly, while often by eight o'clock — supper time
— ^it grew quite cold. Then again it is common to have no
glass windows, even in the bedrooms in the south, just wire
netting to keep out mosquitoes, and wooden shutters for
night use. Certainly to a European or American mind the
houses of Mexico are chilly and strangely arranged.

The living rooms are always upstairs, for the entire
ground floor of an hacienda is given up to clerks' offices,
store rooms, for the making of sugar, the shelling of rice or
corn, or the packing of coffee, according to the district.
Sometimes there are two storeys of these vaults, which are
inhabited chiefly by bats, who seem to appreciate the
darkness. These cloister cellars were originally made in
this manner because four or five hundred years ago it was
supposed that light affected sugar ; now it is known it was
not light but the air.

Nothing more weird or wildly romantic and picturesque
could possibly be found than some of the old Spanish
haciendas of Mexico, and yet, in spite of their antiquity,
electric light and modern machinery are creeping in on
every side. Men had been shot, fights had taken place,
elopements occurred in this dear historical old place belong-
ing to the Amors, with its flat roofs and queer chambers.
The San Gabriel hacienda was connected with an important
event, too, in the life of the Governor of the State of
Morelos, in whose charge I was travelling. It was this : —

344 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

In the year 1875, during the political war, Diaz got up a
evolution against the President, Sebastian Lerdo de
Tejada. Morelos was one of Diaz' great strongholds.
Alarcon was a captain then, fighting for the Government,
and therefore opposed to Diaz. The insurgents could hide
themselves in the mountains and oppose the Government
troops, but they tried to avoid a regular fight with trained
forces.

Alarcon, then on the side of the Government, routed
Diaz' men and took twenty prisoners and forty horses.
When he arrived at Cacahuimilpa he found that the Indians
had caught two men whom they presented to him with
pride, whereupon he told the prisoners to join the others on
foot. One of them replied :

" I presume you do not know to whom you are talking.
I am General Molina, one of General Diaz' most reliable
triends and generals, and have been sent down by him to
command his troops."

As soon as Alarcon heard this he drew up, wishing to
show all respect to an enemy of such high rank, and at
once lent him a horse, and rode with him to the hacienda
of San Gabriel — along; the road we had traversed from
Cacahuimilpa — where Colonel Ugalde was stationed with
his regiment. The hacienda at that time belonged to the
lather of the present Amors, who were then boys at school
in England. Alejandro Oliveros was the manager, and his
son, Ramon — also educated in England — travelled through
Morelos with us, and kindly acted as my interpreter when
necessity arose.

Colonel Ugalde was angry with young Alarcon for not
shooting General Molina on the spot, and therefore ordered
the captain to be confined as a prisoner. So in this very
hacienda where he was now an honoured guest, Seiior
Alarcon had once been a captive.

All that night Senor Ak^andro Oliveros tried to

Orran-cactus hedse.

Aztec Indian.

[ To face page 344

LIFE ON A SOUTHERN HACIENDA. 345

persuade Colonel Ugalde not to shoot General INIolina ;
but all to no avail.

General Molina, a charmine nan, was told that he would
be shot next day ; he asked for paper, pen and ink, and
spent all the night writing to his wife ; towards morning he
went to bed, and when called was sleeping quietly. He
had been fighting for weeks, and was travel-stained and
dirty, therefore after a bath he borrowed clean clothes from
Seiior Oliveros, and requested that his boots might be
polished! He then came across to the dining-room — that
same great balcony where we had our meals — calmly ate
his breakfast, and when satisfied sent word to say he was
ready. It had rained all through the night, the quadrangle
was muddy, and Ramon Oliveros remembers being much
impressed as a boy, by seeing General Molina picking his
way across the courtyard in order to keep his newly-
polished boots clean while he walked along coolly to his
death. After passing the gate at the far end, he turned
and said :

" This spot will do."

Whereupon he made a little speech to the soldiers,
saying he had been fighting for his cause, and was cheer-
fully dying for that cause ; he begged them to be brave, to
uphold valour and honour before all, and then calmly asked
them " to shoot at his head ! "

Pluck is a well-developed characteristic of the Mexicans.

Alarcon was locked up at San Gabriel until all was over,
then he was liberated. When that revolution was sup-
pressed, poor young Alarcon had a bad time. The then
Governor of Morelos sent for him and appealed to him to
help in subduing this obstreperous State for Diaz. It was a
tough business ; but Alarcon, who had originally been
opposed to Diaz, had now realised the worth of the man.
and determined to serve him loyally. He succeeded in
getting rid of most of the brigands. In his many engage-

346 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

ments with them, the Colonel was never wounded, though
all told me he had performed some daring feats, and one had
but to look at, or talk to, the man to believe the statement.
When Diaz was safely in power, he gave orders that
the ringleaders of rebellion were to be shot, as then it
would be comparatively easy to subdue the others. He
rose to be President of Mexico at a time when nothing but
the most stringent measures were of any avail. Colonel
x^larcon became one of his most valued allies, and as Diaz
who ruled with a rod of iron now leads the country with a
wave of his hand, so Alarcon who shot down revolutionists
relentlessly, is now governor of the self-same State through
which he rode with me, while everywhere love and respect
o-reeted him.

Formerly, men were shot on the slightest provocation,
and troubles quelled ; men are still shot to-day — not so
frequently of course, but still they are shot if they have
offended against law and order. Trial is not necessary.
If a man who is caught be known as a dangerous character
or an inciter of disturbance, he is taken outside the town by
a band of soldiers or rurales, and "allowed to escape."
There is a law in Mexico called Ley fuga which allows any
man running away from justice to be shot — a simple
method which saves much trouble !

Colonel Alarcon always impressed me with his deter-
mination and pluck, yet withal he was so gentle, so con-
siderate and anxious that Seiiorita Flores and I should
not be over-tired ; he seemed to have both the manly,
soldierly side to his character, together with the gentle
and womanly one. He appears to have borne a charmed
life ; on one occasion his horse actually bolted with him
right into a hundred or more of his enemy, and he rode
untouched through their midst and out again ! Yet he is
so modest, he never told me one word himself of his many
plucky deeds, and laughed them off as nothing. He is a

LIFE ON A SOUTHERN HACIENDA. 347

charming man, and no one can wonder he and President
Diaz are such friends.

The worst of going to nice places and meeting charming
people, is that they have to be left all too soon. For
my part I was quite sorry to turn my back on San Gabriel
with its greyhounds and fox-terriers, its stud and farm,
its up-to-date appliances, and delightfully quaint old pic-
turesqueness, in order to jog on again, partly by train
from Puente de Ixtla — for we had joined another line after
our journey through the mountains — and then on horse-
back to the Governor's own hacienda at Temilpa, near
Cuautla, from which the band had come that played in
those grand caves. There are some marvellous springs
here ; they are not hot, only tepid, yet the pools are con-
tinually bubbling up owing to volcanic action. One is
composed of mud and sand, and it is strange to watch
the sand being hustled round and round in this regular
whirlpool. I had never seen anything like them except
in rugged Iceland. They resembled water in a saucepan
boiling on the fire, but the saucepan was sixty yards in
circumference, and every now and then the heated liquid
shot on high. These springs, of which the water is clearest
green, are surrounded by all kinds of tropical vegetation,
the pools themselves being closed in by the most magnificent
arum lilies.

From here we rode through a banana grove, the
splendid leaves forming delightful shade as we trotted
beneath them through the coffee with its scarlet berries.
There are so many kinds of bananas and plantains that
it is quite impossible to describe them in detail, but as a
rule they only live eighteen months, bear their fruit — which
is always picked green — and then die. Some of the
plantains in the groves grow twenty or thirty feet high ;
others are much shorter, but it is a handsome tree, and
forms a pleasant shade. For the first time in my life I

34S MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

then really enjoyed a banana, and that was because it
tasted like an apple ! It was one of a rare kind which
does not carry well, and is therefore never exported, but
it was quite delicious. One can pick an orange, a lemL»n
or a lime, and eat it by the way in Mexico, but a banana
is different. Much to my surprise, I learnt it must be
cut and kept a fortnight even in that tropical land before it
really ripens.

We lunched in an orange grove where Seiiora Alarcon — ■
the Governor's handsome and charming wife — met us, anci
after the meal we borrowed the rifles of the Rurales and
shot at bottles. Sefiora Alarcon broke a couple, the writer
saved the credit of her country on this occasion by smash-
ing one, and each of the men managed to shatter several.

We were all enjoying ourselves, everyone calling out
" Viva Mexico," or " Viva Inglaterra," with reference to
the nationality of the person whose good shot was being
thus honoured, when Sefiora Alarcon and I moved away
for a stroll. On our return I noticed the bottle was hanging
on another tree, and bent forward to my hostess to say : —

" We must move, we might get a ricochet here."
The word ricochet had hardly left my lips — ^my face being-
upturned — when speech seemed paralysed ; I was shot !
It was nothing serious, but the little bit of twisted lead had
slid off the bottle and buried itself in my " Adam's apple,"
if the female descendants of Eve possess such an organ !
A tiny red streak ran down my collar, and everyone seemed
to think I must be dead, so great was the excitement. It
was nothing, however, and in a few minutes I could speak
again and was washed clean !

Frivolity enters into all our lives at times, and a little
dancing under the orange trees completed our amusement
on the day in question. Some of the Rurales joined us
when we danced the Mexican national dance to the
accompaniment of some fiddlers and mandoline players who

LIFE ON A SOUTHERN HACIENDA. 349

had come upon the scene, and so under the shade of orange
trees laden with blossom and fruit, we enjoyed the delights
of the Terpsichorean art. What a medley of humanity we
were, too !

Colonel Alarcon's hacienda was famous chiefly for rice
culture ; there the brown husks were beinof removed to show
the white beans within. This was done by machinery ;
and yet at the same farm the Indian corn was still taken
from the cob by hand.

Rice is, of course, one of the staple foods of Mexico,
Strangely enough it seldom or ever appears in the form of
a pudding, but is served as a vegetable, and in the case of
the poorer people often forms the entire meal. The chief
rice-producing State is undoubtedly Morelos, where in 1898
the value of the crop was 685,000 dols.

We have all heard of paddy fields in India ; rice in
Mexico is grown in somewhat the same manner. A
great deal of water is necessary, which is all dammed up
into little pools from four to eight feet in size. This is not
a particularly healthy form of culture, and a mist or miasma
containing the germs of fever, is continually rising, but
then this is only in the rice fields themselves, and a hundred
yards away all may be different.

What a happy week it had been, what a week of new
experiences and novel sights. How splendidly it had been
organised, nothing ever went wrong ; and yet it is no easy
matter to move a body of some half hundred mounted
people through a mountainous country, and feed and house
them by the way, when everything has to be carried on
pack mules, and every village has to know when the caval-
cade is to be expected, so that its officials may be in
readiness, its band tuned, its triumphal arches up, the
flowers still fresh, its roadways lined with people, and
branches of trees stuck in the ground to make the paths
appear like boulevards.

3 so MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

Colonel Alarcon had done it all, and done it right royally,
too. He was constantly making the most charming allusions
to the pleasure it gave him to do anything for a lady, for a
friend of President Diaz, for a daughter of that great
country England, and — since he had known me — for the
sake of the lady herself.

He has a charming house, and both he and his wife were
so hospitable and friendly, I soon felt at home.

Our visit to Temilpa was all too short. One morning
the train stopped, and into it Victor Amor, Adolfo
Grimwood, and I stepped on our way back to Mexico City.
Some of the party remained with the Alarcons, others
started to ride home again through the mountains. The
Governor rode with us to the station, accompanied by his
guard, and then galloped off to meet General Diaz, who was
arriving further up the line in his special train. He had
been ill, very ill, but not nearly so ill as the European and
American papers had reported, and for nearly six weeks he
remained the guest of Colonel Alarcon until his health was
completely restored.

The Governor of Morelos was terribly distressed that he
could not escort me to his frontier, but to meet the President
of Mexico was of course his first duty.

At the frontier CuazUla, the Jefe Politico Agustin
Munoz de Cote met us, and gave the luncheon Colonel
Alarcon had ordered to be in readiness when the train
stopped.

Only imagine a church and adjacent convent being turned
into a railway station ! Yet this has actually happened at
Cuautla, situated on the border of the State of Morelos.
In Iceland the church at Thingvalla was formerly used as a
sleeping place for weary travellers, although during my
visit to that interesting spot we were lodged in the priest's
house. Churches have been put to strange uses, as stables
or barracks in times of war ; but in days of peace it seems

LIFE ON A SOUTHERN HACIENDA. 351

odd to select a place of worship as a suitable building
for a railway station. A pretty church, too, for Mexico
is justly famous for the number and beauty of her religious
edifices.

The tower with its bells remains ; in fact the Church
remains, but it has been adapted to ticket offices and other
uses. Cuautla is a sweet place ; in the garden where we
lunched with the distinguished-looking sheriff was a pro-
fusion of flowers. We were not a hundred miles south of
the city of Mexico, yet the climate was tropical.

It was wonderful — from first to last those eight days'
ride through the State of Morelos appear more like a
dream than reality.

A delightful little pamphlet written in Spanish has been
printed, giving an account of that trip through Morelos.
It is too long to give in full, but one or two short extracts
are appended. It only came into my hands long after this
chapter was written, and yet shows the Spanish man and
English woman received much the same impressions : —

VISIT TO THE STATE OF MORELOS,

BY
THE DISTINGUISHED WRITER, MRS. ALEC TWEEDIE.

The progress of our country is assuredly only furthered by the visits of distinguished
writers, who on returning to their own countries will forward the current of emigration
to Mexico by the accounts of their impressions as they lay them before their readers.
There is therefore nothing strange in the fact that our Government should receive with
open arms authors of real eminence who come here perchance bearing a bagful of pre-
judices against us, and who on leaving must take away the fondest recollections of our
country, and intend, let us hope, to contradict some of those false impressions from
which we have suffered so much in the past.

Our State has been honoured by a visit from the distinguished writer, Mrs. Alec
Tweedie, that indefatigable authoress, who adds to her exceptional energy real literary
talent and a vast amount of solid common sense. She came preceded by well-deserved
fame, which has certainly been fully justified, and bore with her the highest recom-
mendations from the President of the Republic and other distinguished folk residing in
Mexico. She was accompanied by Senor Alarcon, whose gallantry and savoir faire are
proverbial, and we believe that he will cherish a most delightful recollection of his
journey. We purpose to relate as summarily as possible the excursion of the Senora
Tweedie, in which we had the pleasure of taking part.

352 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

At the little village of San Antonio, Senora Tweedieand the Governor, Senor Alarcon,
were received with simplicity, but with many significant proofs of affection. In the
middle of the only and picturesque street of the town the inhabitants had built floral
arches with kindly inscriptions. They presented the Senora with bouquets of flowers
and pieces of pottery to remind her of her visit to their pueblo.

On passing through the village of Xochitepec a liand of the pupils of the schools was
waiting to salute the Senora.

A most agreeable surprise awaited us at the village of Alpuyeca, where we arrived
about eleven o'clock. The principal street of the village had been beautifully decorated
with floral arches, hanging festoons and flags, and a special arch erected in front of the
municipal Ijuildings bore a kindly inscription in English, namely, " Welcome to the
Illustrious Visitor."

The Mansion itself was beautifully decorated with quantities of beautiful palms,
flowers and flags. In the middle of the street were placed the pupils of the schools
carrying banners, and the inhabitants of the town had come out to salute Mrs. Alec
Tweedie. The village band was playing the whole time. Beside the large arch which
we have described a platform had been erected, on which stood an allegorical group,
representing the independence of Mexico, and formed by three little girls. The Senora
Tweedie showed her profound gratitude to the people for their cordial manifestations.

Without any mishap we reached Xochicalco, where we were received by the principal
chief of the district, accompanied by the Mayors of the villages of Tetlama and
Xochitepec. In front of the ruins a beautiful floral bower had been erected, over which
were placed the united flags of Mexico and England, and an inscription in English : —
" To Mrs. Alec Fweedie. Wellcome. January 22nd, 1901."

After the party had partaken of an excellent luncheon, one of the Indians from
Tetlama asked leave of the Senora to address a few words to her in Aztec idiom,
which she readily granted.

The following day (25th) we went by train to Temilpa, and got out of the train quite
close to a famous ruin, where twelve horses for the party were awaiting us. From here
we rode through two banana groves to the springs which give birth to the Green River
(Rio Verde). The sight was really most picturesque which was aft'orded to us by all
those extraordinary bubbling springs, which are situated in most luxuriant surroundings.
The exuberant vegetation, the truly tropical splendour, evoked admiration from one and
all, as the Borbollones poured forth the enormous quantity of twelve cubic metres of
water per second. The whole volume of water presents an appearance of a volcano in a
state of eruption, and the water is thrown to a height of ten feet.

After admiring the tropical beauty of these wonderful springs we rode on to an orange
grove, where we were met by Senora de Alarcon, who had come from the Governor's
hacienda at Temilpa, a few miles distant, bringing with her a most magnificent
luncheon. After luncheon the diff"erent members of the party amused themselves in
various ways, and finally Mrs. Tweedie and Madame Alarcon, I^orrowing the soldiers'
firearms, proceeded to shoot at bottles which were suspended from the branches of the
trees. Senora Alarcon is an excellent shot, and both she and our English guest
succeeded in hitting the target and breaking their bottles.

At five in the afternoon we went to the Governor's residence, and remained there for
a couple of days ; it is situated about four miles from the orange grove.

Here, unfortunately, our delightful trip came to an end, but not before the Governor
had made Mrs. Tweedie a very charming little speech. Me said : —

LIFE ON A SOUTHERN HACIENDA. 353

"It is with infinite regret, Madame, that we have come to the termination of your
little excursion through my State. We one and all retain the most vivid and agreeable
impressions of the charm and amiability of our guest. Whether riding or driving,
comfortable or uncomfortable, she has invariably been cheerful under all circumstances.
Her energy is indefatigable, and her talent and versatility surprising." He concluded
his flattering remarks by saying : —

" You brought with you, Madame, a recommendation that to me is of the highest
value, that of the President of the Republic, but believe me, Senora, that without any
such recommendation you yourself, by your own merit, would gain the good care of all
here, and be granted every privilege that you could wish for. The Senora Tweedie has
left to all of us who know her the most pleasant and indelible recollections. May God
guide her through all paths, and may He grant that her impressions of Mexico may be
as favourable as are those which she has created in our minds."

We conclude by addressing to Colonel Alarcon our utmost thanks for having afforded
us the pleasure of such an agreeable excursion. The arrangement and management of
everything were beyond praise ; we had not one single difficulty during the whole
journey. Everywhere we went we found arrangements had been made for our reception,
and for everybody's comfort. Had it not been for such splendid management, the trip
would have been extremely difficult, in fact, in some cases, almost impossible ; and this
excursion gives one additional proof — if it were needed — of the powers of organisation
possessed by the Governor of Morelos, and of the great affection in which he is held by
his subordinates, all of whom most zealously carried out his most minute instructions.

354

CHAPTER XXII.

AN INTERESTING TRIP TO OAXx\CA.

Everyone who goes to Mexico should visit the wonderful
Mayas-Zapotec ruins of Mitla. Mexico possesses the
strangest, most romantic, most cruel of records.
Mayas, Toltec, Aztec and Zapotec ruins still remain after
one or four thousand years, perhaps more, who knows ?
and are dotted over the country to cause doubt and
speculation, and mystify historian and archaeologist alike.

The ruins of Mitla are probably Zapotec, but no one has
yet been able to decide the question ; in any case, they are
totally unlike the fortress of Xochicalco, which is supposed
to be of Aztec origin.

A narrow gauge railway runs to Oaxaca, a day and
night's journey from the City, and a few hours before
reaching the town with this strange name — one realises
the marvellous engineering skill that managed to get even
a narrow gauge line up that tremendous grade, where
there is not a single kilometre without its curves, and
where for sixty miles, while passing through the Canon de
Tomellin, one sits amazed at the mao-nificence of the sur-
roundings. The Cafion de Guerrero, on the road to Tam-
])ico, is beautiful with its verdure, great tropical trees,
cocoanuts and bamboos, creepers and palms, its parrots and
its monkeys; but de Tomellin is quite different, wildly grand,
with hills and precipices of volcanic rock. There is prac-
tically no vegetation in places, but the red, yellow, brown

*M.

Cholula Pyramid.

Big tree of Tule, 1 54 feet round the trunk at 6 feet from the ground ; a native says,
"It takes two looks to see the top."

[To face page 3S4.

AN LXTERESTIXG TRIP TO OAXACA. 355

grey or white of those volcanic masses is so twisted and
twirled that they look as though they had been swirled
round and round in a boiling cauldron, and the sight of them
makes the trip magnificent. Perhaps this may be con-
sidered ihe g7^andest line in Mexico, for it is just one splendid
wild picture after another.

Mr. W. Morcom, of the Mexican Southern Railway,
kindly sent his private car up to Mexico City to fetch me,
and Mrs. C. R. Hudson was my companion.

We enjoyed Puebla, with its lovely Cathedral, its won-
derful chapel of Santo Domingo, where the carving is
undoubtedly another of the best specimens in Mexico — and
when one says " Mexico " one means in the world, for in
the matter of churches, carvings, and gildings, Mexico
contains exquisite workmanship. Much was destroyed in
the days of warfare and revolution, but fortunately much
still remains. The Domingo churches are generally the
finest of all, which is again proved in Oaxaca ; that sect of
monks seems to have been particularly artistic as well as rich.

In Puebla a handsome Municipal Palace has just been
erected, and the architect is an Englishman, Mr. Charles
Hall, a former student of the Royal Academy, London.
How Britons do penetrate to the farthest corners of the earth !

In small towns like Puebla, Oaxaca or Cuernavaca, it is
not the fashion for ladies to wear hats. The girls have no
head covering, and when they go out in the sun — which is
seldom — they merely use a parasol. To avoid sunburn
they powder tremendously — quite a white powder, which
contrasts strangely with their dark skins. The elder ladies
wear lace mantillas, or thin black scarves, over their hair.
These, though charming — especially the former — afford no
protection whatever from the sun ! It seems strange that
the men — includinof gentlemen — should all wear the enormous
hat of the countrv, while the women q^o unshielded.

The poorer women never wear a hat ; they just put

23*

356 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

their blue shawls (rebozo) over their heads, and walk about
at the hottest time of the day with no further protection
from the sun. Needless to say, they have no parasols !

The people seem to be divided into two classes, those who
dread the sun and those who do not. Those who do, drive
about in closed carriages, while their coachmen carry sun-
shades ! Sunstroke in Mexico is almost unknown, except
among foreigners.

Puebla is one of the twenty-seven States of Mexico, and
its chief town has the same name. Eleven times have
armies assembled before the eates of Puebla, Eleven
times in the strange history of Mexico has Puebla played
her part ; but now all is quiet. There are two or three
dozen factories, saw-mills, and foundries. The public
squares are full of monuments, and the streets clean and
well-kept. The town stands 7,000 feet above the sea level,
after the usual Mexican fashion. Mexico had no considera-
tion for weak hearts when it planned its cities !

Of course we went to see the famous Aztec pyramid of
Cholula, where the Spaniards met the former in deadly
combat. A drive of seven or eight miles in a tram-car
drawn by galloping mules brought us to the spot. Men
were ploughing with funny old wooden implements drawn
by oxen, and churches were to be seen on every side.

The pyramid of Cholula is thus described by Prescott in
his " Conquest of Mexico " : —

" Cholula was to Mexico what Mecca is to Mahommedans, or Jerusalem to Christians.
It was the Holy City of Anahuac.

" It was in honour of Quetzalcoatl, the benevolent deity, that the stupendous mound
was erected on which the traveller still gazes with admiration as the most colossal fabric
in New Spain, rivalling in dimensions, and somewhat resembling in form, the pyramidal
structures of ancient Egypt. The date of its erection is unknown. It seems not im-
probable that it is an artificial composition of stone and earth, deeply incrusted, as is
certain, in every part, with alternate strata of brick and clay.

"The perpendicular height of the pyramid is one hundred and seventy-seven feet. Its
base is one thousand four hundred and twenty-three feel long, twice as long as that
of the great pyramid of Cheops. It may give some idea of its dimensions to state that
its base, which is square, covers about forty-four acres, and the platform on its truncated

^.V INTERESTING TRIP TO O AX AC A. 357

summit embraces more than one. It reminds us of those colossal monuments of brick-
work which are still seen in ruins on the banks of the Euphrates, and, in much higher
preservation, on those of the Nile. Several of the pyramids of Eg)'pt, and the ruins
of Babylon, are, as is well known, of brick. An inscription on one of the former,
indeed, celebrates this material as superior to stone. Humboldt furnishes an apt illus-
tration of the size of the Mexican teocalli by comparing it to a mass of bricks covering
a square four times as large as the Place Vendome, and of twice the height of the Louvre.

"On the summit stood a sumptuous temple, in which was the image of the mystic
deity, ' god of the air,' with ebon features, unlike the fair complexion which he bore
upon earth, wearing a mitre on his head waving with plumes of fire, with a resplendent
collar of gold round his neck, pendants of mosaic turquoise in his ears, a jewelled
sceptre in one hand, and a shield curiously painted, the emblem of his rule over the
winds, in the other. The sanctity of the place, hallowed by hoary tradition, and the
magnificence of the temple and its services, made it an object of veneration throughout
the land, and pilgrims from the furthest corners of Anahuac came to offer up their
devotions at the shrine of Quetzacoatl. The number of these was so great as to give
an air of mendicity to the motley population of the city ; and Cortes, struck with the
novelty, tells us that he saw multitudes of beggars, such as are to be found in the
enlightened capitals of Europe ; a whimsical criterion of civilisation which must place
our own prosperous land somewhat low in the scale.

" Cholula was not the resort only of the indigent devotee."

Cholula is still a place of pilgrimage.

It hardly looks like a pyramid, so thick is the vegetation,
so tall are the trees ; on one side is a wide stairway, or now
and then a gentle slant, up which the pilgrims toil, often on
their knees ! We felt quite like pilgrims ourselves, so hot
was the sun and so Q-reat the ascent. At the summit was a
church, not a particularly beautiful place of worship by any
means, but commanding such a panorama! It is said that
fifty-seven churches can be seen in the surrounding valleys,
and indeed domes and spires seemed more numerous than
ever. They are such beautiful tiled or gilded domes and
such splendid towers, that really the churches of Mexico,
even in the villages, excite astonishment.

Puebla was once famous for its tiles, and most of the best
in Mexico were formerly made there, usually copied from
the old Moorish ; but the art has died out, and although
there is one man who undertakes to copy them, he fails to
get that wonderful mellowness of colouring that one finds in
the old glaze.

We had a terrible dust storm at Cholula, one of those

358 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

storms which turn one's hair white, and fill eyes, ears,
nose and mouth with sand. It o-ave me a sore throat,
and being afraid to start for southern wilds with tonsilitis,
or anything of the sort, I went to a druggist to obtain a
remedy. He spoke no language but Spanish. A few
words and many gesticulations made him, however, under-
stand I wanted a throat spray, and at last he produced one
triumphantly. So far so good. Now I required iron or
steel drops to use in it. Alas ! English, French, and
German failed ; what was to be done ? Suddenly like an
inspiration the Latin word " ferrum " came into my mind.

" Ferrum ? " I said in an interrogatory tone.

"Si, Sefiora, ferrum," replied the gentleman, and off he
went and fetched the bottle.

It is wonderful what can be accomplished in a foreign
land by signs and an occasional odd word. But one must
not be shy !

After we left Puebla the journey by train became ex-
tremely interesting, and as we travelled farther south the
vegetation grew more and more tropical. This was the
third time I had entered tropical climes within a month, and
to return again to the height of Mexico City seemed some-
what of a trial for any constitution !

It is a strange country ; in the valley of this route rain
never falls. From January to December rain is unknown ;
but there is mist or rain in the hills, whereby the land is
irrigated. The result is that whenever people feel inclined,
they sow a crop, and are able to reap it a few weeks later,
regardless of the season, and when they wish to sow another
they just do so. Three crops a year are quite a common
occurrence, so bountiful is Nature in this part of the
world !

Surprises never end in Mexico. About luncheon-time
our train drew up at the station of Tomellin, and I was just
stepping out of the car when a gentleman came forward

AN INTERESTING TRIP TO OAXACA. 359

and asked if I were " Senora Seed?" I bowed assent,
having learnt that there was no w in Spanish, for which
reason Tweedie proved totally unpronounceable to an
ordinary Mexican.

He promptly began a long speech, in which I caught the
words y^/^ Politico, Gobernador, Comida (Sheriff, Governor,
Luncheon). In my best Spanish I thanked him, not daring
to say we had just lunched in the private car, on the good
fare provided by Mr. Morcom, and taking his arm, was
marched off amid many kindly words of welcome to a
second meal. He was the Jefe Politico of the district of
Cuicatlan Torres Altaminano. Almost immediately another
man came along the platform and enquired in English if I
were Mrs. Alec Tweedie.

" I have come with the Chief Justice of the State on
behalf of the Governor, General Gonzales, who is away, to
bid you welcome," said the new-comer.

It turned out that President Diaz, with his customary
forethought, had telegraphed the news of my probable
arrival, and this young Englishman — whose father, Con-
stantine Rickards, had lived in Mexico for fifty years — had
been sent with the Chief Justice, Sefior Lie Magro, a
journey of five hours by rail — imagine ! five hours by rail
in the tropics ! — to meet and escort me to the capital of the
State ! They brought the following letter : —

Correspondencia Particular Oaxaca, Enero 29 de 1901.

del
GOBERNADOR DEL ESTADO.

Senora ELEN TWEEDIE, Tomellin.
Muy respetable Sra. :

El suscrito Gobernador del Estado pot la presente tiene la
honra de presentar a Ud. a los Srs. Licenciado Francisco Magro y
Federico Rickards comisionados para que en su representacion se
sirvan ofrecerle sus respetos y acompanarla hasta su alojamiento en esta
Ciudad.

El mismo queda de Ud. afmo. y S.S.

NICOLAS LOPEZ,

Garrido.

36o MEXICO AS 1 SAW IT

We all went off to the luncheon prepared, and Mrs.
Hudson and I enjoyed iced lemon squashes, and played
with food to keep the others company.

Here in the canon, miles from anywhere and everywhere
—so to speak — was a luncheon fit for a king. The little
shanty was kept by a Chinaman, a first-class caterer and
cook ; as said before, surprises never end in Mexico.
The mere fact that it should pay this enterprising caterer
seemed extraordinary ; but of course he had all the
passengers from the daily up and down trains, and being
on the line could easily get supplies of food when
necessary ; but the result was so wonderful, it would
have done credit to many a large railway station, where
the fare is often equally surprising in its awfulness !

What a journey it was up the caiion from Tomellin to
Oaxaca ! What glorious rocks, what deep ravines and
mountain torrents, everything wild and grand ! Our little
engine puffed and panted as we rose higher and higher.
For sixty miles we swung round corners more or less on
four per cent, grades, so the effect may be imagined ! Just
one grand picture after another, but it was terribly hot.

The train was stopped on two occasions for me to take
photographs ; out I jumped with the conductor, while
heads were popped from every window to see what had
happened. Alas, the photographs were a failure — some of
the few failures of Mexico. The tropical damp of the caiion
made the films hazy and indistinct, as happened later at
Tehuantepec. The ravine is so shut in, in places, it was
exactly like a Turkish bath.

The two officials from the Governor returned with us
on the five hours' journey to Oaxaca, which they had left
at five o'clock that morning. They proved delightful
companions, although the Chief Justice only spoke Spanish.

The pass became grander and grander ; the mountains
rose five thousand feet straight up from the railway track.

AN INTERESTING TRIP TO OAXACA. 361

One strange thing we noticed ; after following a stream
the waters of which were flowing to the south, suddenly
the train passed through a cutting, and the river was
flowing to the north !

When our train drew up at Oaxaca, it was nearly dark
{j.y^ p.m.), but there, standing on the platform were a
number of " new friends " to welcome us. The Governor
of the State, and some of his officials, and also the oldest
English resident in Oaxaca, namely, Constantine Rickards,
senior, the father of one of our escort.

In front of us was a line of soldiers, and behind them
stood a couple of artillery waggons. I ventured to
remark upon this latter fact, and received the amazing
reply :

" They are here for your luggage."

This was sad, for we had no luggage, at least none
to speak of ; but they managed to spread the little out
somehow, and half an hour later six soldiers in uniform
solemnly marched into the hotel, bearing two small cases,
and two sombrero hats! They deposited our "-luggage "
with great ceremony, and after saluting, departed.

Carriages were waiting at the station, and arm in arm
with the Governor of the State, I marched across the plat-
form, and took my seat behind the driver. It is really
interesting to witness the amount of fatigue a Mexican
gentleman will go through when placing a lady in the seat
of honour. It is a matter of courtesy about which he is
most particular.

When our carriage drew up at the hotel, we found
another battalion of soldiers before the door. "As we
halted, they struck up the national air of Mexico. This
Oaxaca band was certainly the best I heard in the
Republic ; it played splendidly. Thirty-eight performers
serenaded us that evening until I stepped on to the
balcony of the caged-in window and called the band-

362 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

master to thank him for his excellent music, and to
tell him we were ready to go to bed. Otherwise, I verily
believe these serenades would go on all night, for the
people love music dearly. Hundreds of Indians were lolling
in the street, or lying on the pavement, enjoying this open-
air concert.

A suite of rooms, including a dining and drawing room,
had been secured, and in them we found exquisite bouquets
of roses, each bearing a card of welcome from the
Governor of the State of Oaxaca, or some English
or American resident. It all seemed quite home-like, and
everyone was so kind that for a moment I almost forgot
that mighty oceans divided me from my dear old London
surroundings.

The Governor had ordered supper, which, alas ! we could
not enjoy, as we and our escorts had dined in the private
car ; but on going into the dining-room to get some soda
water, I was amazed to find two large baskets of cham-
pagne and all sorts of good vintages had been sent up
from the Municipal Palace for our use ! They certainly do
things royally in Mexico, but almost teetotal habits did not
cause much shrinkage in the basket-cellar.

The son of an Englishman is Archbishop of Oaxaca !
Strange but true ; and Archbishop Gillow is a most delight-
ful person. Oaxaca is really to be congratulated on having
such a high priest, for he is a gentleman and a scholar, a
student of art, and just the man to restore the Cathedral
and the Santo Domingo church, both of which he seems to
be doing well.

The Archbishop's full title is Ihistrisimo Senor Doctor
Don Etdogio G. Gillozv, Arzobispo de Oaxaca.

I was admiring a full-length portrait of the prelate in a
sort of cardinal's red robe, when he explained the dress in
question had nothing to do with a cardinal, but was a Capa
Magna which he holds as a councillor of the King of

AN INTERESTING TRIP TO O AX AC A. 363

Spain ! He sent for the dress, which is really lov^ely. A
white closely-pleated shirt has a lace flounce of the finest
point, about twelve inches deep. Over this is worn the
Capa Magna, made of the most gorgeous red cardinal silk,
with a train about six yards long, or a yard and a half
longer than those worn by ladies at the Court of St. James'.
The hood is lined and ornamented with white satin, and
gorgeous jewels add to the effect. Six or seven times a
year — that is to say, at the great festivals — x\rchbishop
Gillow wears his Capa, and as he walks in the church
procession with his train bearers, the effect must be magni-
ficent, for he has a fine head and bearing, worthy of the
robe. He informed me with pride he had not long been
back from the Paris Exhibition.

" I attended the first exhibition in 1851,' he said, "and
have been to every one that has been held since. I find
them an education in every way. But I love Mexico,
especially the southern country. By-the-bye, have you
ever seen an antiburro } "

" No ; what is it ? "

" A rare animal, still found in parts, half donkey and
half bull. There are some on my country property
even now."

There are wonderful jewels and sacramental cups in
Oaxaca, as in so many other towns ; but that is not sur-
prising when one remembers the wealth of the Mexican
Church until Juarez overthrew the Roman Catholic power.

Archbishop Gillow showed us a strange old wooden Indian
idol lately removed from one of the churches. He would not
own that idols still are objects of worship in some of the
out-of-the-way villages, and that the priests dare not
remove them for fear of perilling their lives. Alter all,
the idol of old was no more gruesome than are some of the
figures of Christ and the Virgin Mary that Mexican Indians
worship to-day.

364 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

The Indian is full of superstition, and although the
Church does all it can to wipe this out, it cannot succeed.
There are people in the mountains who are said to be
gifted with second sight, and an Indian will walk for days
in order to consult one of these oracles as to whether he
ought to marry, buy a farm, or go a journey. A little
removed from the main track one can find idols in the reed
huts, idols that the people love, idols that have been in
their families for generations, and before which they burn
their votive offerings.

Of course a wax model wrapped in rags can be burnt,
drowned, or broken, and the same dire calamity will
happen to the person the effigy represents !

Nestizo (performers of witchcraft) are supposed to be
able to do wondrous things to keep away the devil, and
manuscript prayers and formulae which act as charms can
be purchased from them. Suppose a person to have been
drowned. A basin or saucer, in which a liohted sacred
candle has been placed, is started off on the stream, and is
supposed to stop above the spot where the body lies hidden.

On one occasion we passed an idle man, and a friend
called out to him something about Chtiparosa.

" What did you say ? " I enquired.

" I told him to get a humming-bird and put it in his belt
(faja)," was the reply. " The Indians imagine if they carry
one wrapped in bits of ribbon or wool it makes them indus-
trious. Another idea is to carry the finger bone of a dead
person for the same purpose."

The best collection of idols in Mexico belongs to Dr.
Fernando Sologuren at Oaxaca, whose young daughter is a
direct descendant of Montezuma, on the mother's side.

He is by profession a doctor of medicine, but his hobby
is archeeology, and whenever he has a holiday he goes and
digs. One or two things in his museum interested me most
particularly. He has a numljcr of jade ornaments and

p^.">"' ^■■iife&?»-w,-..:;v,-

c — "

:H'^

AN INTERESTING TRIP TO O AX AC A. 365

beads, and as no jade of the kind has ever been found in
Mexico this again points to the fact that in former times
Mexico and China were connected. Even more marvellous
than this, however, is the fact that in an old tomb near
Oaxaca he found a small bronze Chinese idol ! This little
personage is beautifully made ; it is in a sitting posture, the
figure about four inches high. The Doctor once showed it
to a great Chinese antiquarian, who said that from the work-
manship he should judge it to be over three thousand years
old, and undoubtedly Chinese. Yet this figure was found
buried in a Zapotec tomb at Oaxaca ! How did it get there,
unless, like its friend the jade, it had been brought over from
China ?

To me, as a casual visitor who only spent six months in
the country, it seems that the influence of China and Egypt
is noticeable aeain and aQ:ain in the ancient Mexican ruins,
carvings, and ornaments. One constantly finds vases of
Egyptian form, and although, of course, I may be totally
wrong, I cannot help thinking that these scattered islands
of the West Indies and those scattered islands of Japan
were once far more numerous than they are to-day, and
that the people of Egypt and China had communication
with Mexico by means of long chains of islands which
enabled them to travel in their boats without covering too
enormous an area of open sea, as the Icelanders did to
Ireland and Norway in the open boats of the Vikings.

Dr. Sologuren told me that all the tombs round Oaxaca
look towards the setting sun, emblematic of the setting life.
As a rule, five figures of gods or idols are found in each
tomb, generally in a squatting position, the same posture, in
fact, in which the Indians still sit to-day, and the idols are
usually about two feet high. They are not beautiful, indeed
in many cases one might truthfully say they are hideous ;
but as the types vary very much, the Doctor thinks that
they were meant to represent the person buried in the tomb.

366 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

There were vases in this most interesting collection which,
w^hen blown into, whistle quite prettily, and, judging by the
shells and pots found which formerly had been utilised for
whistling, that must have been a favourite amusement, as it
is to-day. Most of the modern pottery has whistles attached.
There were beautifully painted urns, arrow-heads, and won-
derful Mixtec or Zapotec jewellery. The gold ear-rings struck
me as remarkable ; they were four inches in circumference,
and quite an inch wide at the narrowest part ; the two rims
being identical in size. The flesh of the ear was bored
through, and day by day larger instruments were forced into
it until the hole was sufficiently big to admit these enormous
ear-rings, like miniature cart-wheels, being pushed through.

A "prehistoric skull" was 'peculiarly interesting; the
bone was about three times the thickness of an ordinary
skull, and if the man were made in proportion to the size of
his head, he must have been nine or ten feet high.
This private collection of Dr. Sologuren's ought to find its
way to the British Museum. Will no rich man step
forward and secure the prize and thus raise our Mexican
collection from mediocrity to something worthy the traditions
of the place }

Concerning arrow-heads, it is a remarkable fact that in
these out-of-the-way valleys of Mexico the Indians still
make their own arrow-heads, and shoot with blow-pipes.
A man will fashion his arrow-head in a few minutes — five
at most — and with his long reed blow-pipe and stone head
fixed to his arrow, shoot with no uncertain aim !

The State of Oaxaca is full of mines of gold, silver, and
lead, indeed anything and everything belonging to the
mineral world seems to be found there. The enterprises as
a rule are not large, being for the most part small mining
camps ; but they make an income and manage to get along.
Doubtless as time goes on great developments will ensue
and large companies be formed to work the wealth of those

AN INTERESTING TRIP TO OAXACA. 367

mountains, but I hope not dishonest bogus companies, for
there have been far too many sad stories of the latter in
Mexico. The minerals are there without a doubt ; but it is
of no use to form a company and collect enormous sums of
money to work a mine, when the company only acquires a
poor or a bad one, and puts the surplus money into the
pockets of its own directors. I must say again here, at
the risk of repetition, that it seems to me an extraordinary
thing that Americans and Englishmen so often invest their
money in this ridiculous way, without even taking the
trouble to find out whether the project is a sound one, and
then they are surprised and indignant when — as is too often
the case — they burn their fingers !

The mines of Mexico contain fathomless possibilities, at
least such is my impression after travelling a good deal and
talking to all sorts and conditions of men in that country.
But the roguery practised is, alas ! unfathomable also, and
often proves disastrous to widows and orphans, who are
dazzled by the golden glitter of promises, which are merely
cleverly concocted falsehoods.

Mines at the best of times are doubtful investments, and
it would appear that they are even more doubtful in Mexico
than elsewhere, owing to the class of men who have got
hold of some of them.

Oaxaca was the birth-place of General Diaz, and the
history of his life is closely connected with that town. In
fact, In 1858 he defended the city against General Cobos,
and pursued him to Jalapa. A couple of years later Diaz,
on his return from Tehuantepec, fought against this same
enemy, and defeated him near the ruins of Mitla. Probably
the greatest battle against the French under Marshal
Bazaine was the siege of Oaxaca in 1865, when Diaz was
again engaged in defending his own town. The siege
lasted three weeks, by which time Diaz and his supporters
were entirely destitute of food, stores, and ammunition.

368 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

They succeeded in making the church bells into cannon
balls, but they could not make stones into bread. It is
related that General Diaz stood on one of the towers of the
old Convent of San Francisco, discharging a howitzer, until
his position became so perilous that he was positively
dragged away by his own officers. This did not prevent
his being made prisoner and taken to Puebla, whence he
escaped. He then marched against the Imperialists, and
this time was the besieger, where little more than a year
previously he had been the besieged. In November, 1866,
he made a triumphal entry into his native town, marched on
to Puebla, and finally the City of Mexico. So delighted
were the people of Oaxaca with the daring of their citizen
that after the French war they presented him with an
hacienda as a free gift, where he lived for a couple of years
in happiness with the wife he had married by proxy. Many
changes followed. The General visited the United States,
was afterwards proclaimed President of Mexico, and during
the four years he retired before re-election, he returned to
Oaxaca, where he was at once elected Governor, an office
he continued to hold until again made President in 18S0, a
post he has held ever since. Busy as this great man is, no
item of my visit to the State of Oaxaca was omitted from
his carefully-arranged programme. Each day was carefully
thought out and planned.

One night the Deputy-Governor, Nicolas Garrido, in the
absence of General Gonzales, gave a dinner at the Muni-
cipal Palace. Now, the Municipal Palace in Oaxaca is a
very grand building ! At the door a guard of soldiers and
Rurales was, of course, stationed ; the carriages and horses
were all in the patio, according to custom. Upstairs were
the different suites of apartments, and turning along a wide
corridor to the right we entered the chief salon, upholstered
in yellow and brown brocade, with gorgeous mirrors here
and there, and a considerable amount of gilding. There

AN INTERESTING TRIP TO OAXACA. 369

was the inevitable sofa of honour, and there, in two direct
lines facinof one another were the rows of half-a-dozen
chairs, as at Cuernavaca, on which the guests sit, forming
three sides of a quadrangle.

Eight o'clock was the dinner hour, but when we arrived
the Governor and a couple of gentlemen were the only-
Mexicans present. Meals in Mexico are never served for
at least half-an-hour after the appointed time, sometimes,
indeed, an entire hour elapses ; for, whatever may be the
virtues of that strange land, punctuality cannot claim to be
one of them.

With the exception of one Englishman and one American
no person wore evening dress, the rest of the gentlemen
being attired in frock-coats and the ladies in high gowns.
Each new arrival was introduced to me, and after a few
words in English, German, French, or my weird and
wonderful Spanish, I returned to the sofa.

My Spanish was a source of great amusement to everyone.
It was fearless and bad ; " Mrs. Tweedie talks Latin" was
the usual comment. This sounds terribly learned, but really
it was not so at all. A number of French words, an occasional
Italian phrase, and a Latin noun here and there, all served
up together with a smile and a good deal of English sauce,
make a fairly satisfactory Spanish conversation.

To return to our dinner-party. At about 8.40 the party
of twenty-two had assembled, and, taking the Governor's
offered arm, we proceeded along innumerable corridors,
passing e7z route a large portrait of President Diaz, which
one invariably finds in every Municipal Palace in Mexico,
until finally we reached the dining-room. The table, decked
with quantities of tropical Bowers and little bouquets for
each of the guests, looked exceedingly pretty.

The followingf is a list of the Government officials who
were present at this dinner at the Palace, Oaxaca, January

31st, IQOL.

370 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

Senor Gobernador del Estado (Governor of the State),
Licenciado (lawyer), Nicolas Lopez Garrido. Senor Secre-
tario del Despacho (Secretary of State), Licenciado
Francisco Belmar. Tesorero del Estado (Treasurer of the
State), Seiior Albino Lopez Garron. Magistrados de la
Suprema Corte (Magistrates of Supreme Court), Licen-
ciado Francisco Magro, Licenciado Rafael Hernandez.
Director del Instituto de Ciencias y Artes del Estado
(Director of the Institute), Dr. Aurelio Valdivieso. Seiior
Catedratico del Instituto (Professor at the Institute), Dr.
Fernando Sologilren. Seiior Diputado del Congreso del
Estado (Congressman), Dr. Antonio Alvarez, and the two
Mr. Rickards.

We had an excellent dinner of fifteen or twenty courses,
and, according to custom, everyone drank everyone else's
health to the word " salud."

Ices made their appearance about half way through the
programme. They were followed by the national dish,
namely, turkey, and after the dessert various puddings came
on, according to Mexican fashion. Liqueurs, cigarettes and
coffee followed, and then the men offered their arms to the
women and escorted them back solemnly through various
salons used for receptions, to the great drawing-room.

I had a most interesting chat with Seiior Belmar, who has
written grammars on many of the different Indian tongues,
and is a great authority. He could not tell me the exact
number of languages spoken in Mexico, but gave a list
of those in the State of Oaxaca. Some people enumerate
more, but they are really only dialects, he thinks.

LANGUAGES SPOKEN IN THE STATE OF OAXACA.
Zapoteco and its dialects.
Mixteco and its dialects.
Mazateco and its dialects.
Trike.
Choco.
Cincateco.
Chatino.

Amurzgo.

Chontal.

Mixe and its dialects.

Loque.

Thrave.

Azteco or Mexicano.

AN INTERESTING TRIP TO O AX AC A. 371

Senor Francisco Belmar has published several interesting
books on the subject :

The " iMexicano or Azteco " and the "Zapoteco" are
essentially different in their grammars and dictionaries, but,
he says, both of them belong to the group of agglutinant
languages.

The morning after the banquet we were up before day-
light, and ready to start on a thirty-mile drive to Mitla,
where are probably the most famous ruins in all Mexico.

How proud Mexico ought to be of her ruins ! They are
some of the most wonderful monuments in the history of the
world, and show that here dwelt a great and powerful
nation at a time when we in Northern Europe were little
better than savages ! Here in Mexico, three, four, perhaps
five thousand years ago, there existed a people of advanced
ideas, who knew how to build monuments which, for
masonry and carving, teach us lessons even to-day ; who
made beautiful pottery and elegant vessels, had their metal
money and their gold ornaments, who were, in fact, a great
people. It seems difficult to realise ! Yet when Confucius
was teaching the inhabitants of China respect for their
already ancient customs, we were still barbarians, and these
Toltecs, Zopatecs and Aztecs w^ere advanced in civilization.

We saw something of the quaintness of the natives of
modern Mexico on that thirty-mile drive from Oaxaca to
Mitla.

Without exception that was quite the dustiest journey I
ever experienced in all my life, even worse than the journey
to Oaxaca. Mexico is verily the land of dust, dust such as
is totally unknown in Europe, a sharp, gritty sand that
hurts one's eyes and throat, and stings one's cheeks like an
east wind. Then there are continual dust-spouts ; when
passing along a valley one may see half-a-dozen at a time ;
just a column of pure dust rising straight into the air for
many feet. It will twirl round and round for a time and

24*

372 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

then suddenly cease, or sometimes the top of the column
blows off, just like the smoke from an engine. These
whirlwinds of dust are intermittent, often near tosfether,
and of quite unequal magnitude. They only come in the
dry winter. The consequence is that blue goggles and a
large sombrero are absolutely essential to one's comfort
in the mountains.

A good deal of the dust on the road to Mitla was caused
by bullock waggons. It happened to be the weekly market,
and there seemed to be hundreds of them. A couple of
oxen were yoked, not close together, but far apart, so far,
indeed, that there m.ust have been some six or eio^ht feet
between the heads of some of them, and those great lum-
bering wheels of solid wood followed in the track made by
the oxen's feet. This method of spanning the animals
appears peculiar to Mitla. On their heads the bulls wore
a sort of shield, resembling an inverted plate of matting
or leather ; but whether this was to keep off the heat of the
sun or fix the pole to which their horns were strapped it is
impossible to say. Thus they trudged along, those slow old
things, hour after hour, their noses well down in the dust ;
the only excitement being an occasional prod from the
driver's spear.

The carts were laden with fruit, flowers, vegetables, corn,
stones, earth, anything and everything, in short ; and,
although a woman and child sometimes drove, the man and
his son generally plodded along on foot. Such primitive
carts, too, quite ridiculously primitive, in which a
modern sewing-machine looked entirely out of place.

Another example of the incongruities to be found in
Mexico, where most things are primitive and hot, is the fact
that natural ice is not uncommon in the tropics. It is pro-
cured in this wise ; the large leaves of the maguey plant, or
big-leaved palm, are plaited like a box, and, taken in the
evening to the mountains, are filled with water ; sometimes

(Jx waygon, showing liig wheels and had streets.

"'*'-5Sr>

Native Indian Church near .Mitla, where the entire altar, rails, lamps, etc.
are of silver !

[ To face page 372.

AN INTERESTING TRIP TO OAXACA. 373

a hole is dug in the root of a pine tree or a shallow hole
made in the earth ; these also are filled with water, which
during the night freezes, and in the early morning the ice
which rises is fetched by Indians, who consider it a great
luxury, as it undoubtedly is.

How we enjoyed cold tea with a piece of ice in it after
our long dusty mountain drive !

Most travellers agree cold tea is, /«r excellence, the drink
for a hot country, just plain tea, drawn off from the leaves.
It does more to quench thirst than any other liquid in the
world ; lemon or lime in water come next, but alcoholic
beverages only diminish thirst for the moment.

Numerous folk were riding, often pillion fashion, on horses,
mules or donkeys, along the market road ; but it was a
much more usual performance for the animal to be laden up
until it could hardly move. Then on the top of everything
was perched a woman and her baby. The husband marched
solemnly beside her.

To a certain limited extent the women in Mexico have
an easy time ; they never work in the fields, but they do
everything else, and at Oaxaca they have a flourishing
little business of their own.

In the surrounding villages the women get up early,
grind their Indian corn, make their tortillas — the bread of
the country — pack them in a big basket, which they carry
on their backs, and while these tortillas are still hot, they
trot off to the town and sell them. These baskets are
heavy, they rest on the small of the back, as does the creel
of a Scotch fish-wife, and are supported by a band across
the forehead. The women are doubled right over with the
weight ; their burden is hot, and the sun scorching, yet
they run miles and miles to dispose of their wares.

Indians are so accustomed to bear heavy weights on
their backs, that when they are going up a mountain they
will take up a stone if they have nothing else to carry, just

374 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

for the purpose of securing their balance, therefore perhaps,
after all, our pity is thrown away when we see them strug-
gling, as we suppose, under a terrible load.

We saw some women in the valley with marvellous hair ;
there were four or five whose tresses lay upon the ground
when they stood erect. Yet patent hair wash is unknown !
This tribe is undoubtedly good-looking ; they have not the
flat nose of the Aztecs at Xochicalco — the Zapotec nose is
more Napoleonic in style. They are a very small people,
except on the isthmus of Tehuantepec, a little farther south,
where the finest Indians in Mexico to-day exist.

The women of the Mitla Valley are grown up at twelve
or thirteen years of age ; they usually marry at fourteen,
while the husbands are only a couple of years older. High
festival is held at a wedding, the feasting often continuing
for three days. Each district performs the marriage rite —
when it is performed I — differently. As a rule the god-
parents present the bride with her dress (enaguas) and head
shawl (rebozo), and at the ceremony the young couple wear
crowns of natural flowers. The end of the festivities is
the formal carriage of all the girl's possessions to her new
home, amidst the tears of her parents at parting with her.

Skeleton weddings were customary in Southern Mexico
until four years ago, when they were prohibited by the
sheriff or magistrate (Jefe Politico). These weddings took
place on All Souls' Day, the day of prayer for departed
souls, or rather began then, and usually lasted a week.
Oaxaca was a great place for these gruesome performances.
A woman's skeleton was dressed up as a bride with the
skull showing ; the bridegroom was placed at the altar rails
beside her, in full wedding attire, and they were accompanied
by other skeletons dressed as Indians or monks. The idea
was that " in the midst of life we are in death," and the
populace prayed all round these weird figures, and, in
some of the churches, food and sweets were brought for the

AN INTERESTING TRIP TO OAXACA. 375

skeletons. It was a great occasion, when everyone called
on everyone else, drank wine and ate cakes. Could any-
thing more horrible possibly be imagined than a skeleton
wedding ? The descriptions given me by some of my
friends were hideous.

The Government thought these skeleton weddings harm-
ful and ridiculous, and consequently they were prohibited ;
but they are still talked about by the Indians with awe and
respect. They are forbidden in the town of Oaxaca, but
in the surrounding districts the unpleasing spectacle may
still be seen on All Souls' Day. Sometimes a skeleton
dressed up in this way is laid in the church, before the
altar, as a reminder to prepare for Death and the Judg-
ment Day.

Devil-dances go on more or less all over Mexico among
the inhabitants on the feast day of each particular village,
named after the village saint. The Indians paint their
bodies to represent skeletons and dance wildly. They
light a fire, and in the dark of night they yell and shriek
and perform mad antics. They wear big feathered head-
dresses, bits of looking-glass, beads and ornaments as at
Guadalupe ; but the custom is dying out, and is now kept
up more for a lark than any serious reason. Originally
they represented the Aztecs fighting for freedom against
the Spaniards, but the meaning is being lost and forgotten.

Oddly enough the Zapotec language as spoken to-day is
identically the same as that given in the old grammars.
I learnt one word, "chang," meaning good-day, and most
useful it proved.

It is strange, however, that the names in Oaxaca State
should be of Aztec origin, but so it is, and this is yet
another of the Mexican riddles still awaitino' solution.
Some of the village names are curious ; for instance, we
passed one called " St. James of the Drunkards," while
its near companion was " The Five Flowers."

376 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

Opposite " St. James of the Drunkards " is Monte Alban,
where there are numerous tumuli which have not yet been
opened. What a mine of archaeological surprises exists in
Mexico ; not one-quarter of the graves and tombs have ever
been disturbed. Any responsible person can obtain per-
mission from Government to dig ; but he has to do so at
his own expense, and one-half of what he finds must go
to the Mexican museum, a fair arrangement. The Govern-
ment helps him in every possible way, and gives him a free
hand, although the Government inspector has to be present
during the excavations.

Of course we stopped to see the big tree of Tule. It is
one of the biggest trees in the world, not excepting the
giants of California. Imagine, it is one hundred and fifty-
four feet in circumference at a height of six feet from the
ground, or, to give a better idea of its size — twenty-eight
men with outstretched arms, their finger-tips just touching,
can barely span its girth ! It is a cypress, of which there
are many in the country, especially the famous grove near
Diaz' Palace at Chapultepec.

There are several queer caves along the route to Mitla,
in which some of the poorer Indians still dwell, so there are
cave-dwellers in Mexico even at this period of the world's
history !

Our next halt was at Tlacolula, about twenty-four miles
from Oaxaca, where the Jefe Politico — one of the most
charming of the many Jefes Politicos I had the pleasure
of meeting — was waiting to bid us welcome. After making
acquaintance with nearly two dozen of these officials, I do
not hesitate to say that Sefior Andres Ruiz was one of the
nicest and brightest of them all.

He welcomed us in the name of the State, and as we
entered his patio the band struck up. He gave us luncheon,
and as we had been travelling for some five hours, we were
not sorry for the meal, which included a delicious ice-cream

AN INTERESTING TRIP TO OAXACA. Z77

As soon as the repast was over he asked if I should like to
see his church, and knowing that it was famous for its
carving, I quickly assented, after accepting a bouquet of
pink and yellow roses brought by the village children.

This, be it understood, was a purely Indian village ; the
people were of the Zapotec tribe ; it was twenty-four miles
from a station — the railway line will run to Mitla shortly
after this book appears in print — so that the village was
simply a sample of an ordinary native village ; yet it had
its market place, its public garden, its band, and a small
inn.

Everyone who visits Mexico should poke about an Indian
village such as Tlacolula, and enjoy the priceless objects it
often contains. Imagine our surprise in finding at this
typical little Indian village a really beautiful church, with
fine carvings and paintings, and the entire altar fronts
made of solid silver ! There were no cloths or draperies,
just solid silver, measuring some fourteen feet by three
high. The entire frontals were embossed and chiselled in
repousse work, and truly magnificent silver lamps hung
before them, lamps that Rome herself would be glad to
possess ; the candlesticks standing six or seven feet high
were of the same precious metal. There they are in the
little church where the door is always left open ; but woe
betide anyone who dared to harm them, for Indians are hot-
blooded, and these are their own treasures ; they would kill
anyone who stole or even shifted an article.

Some of the robes, jewels, and cups of the priests are
lovely, in the best Spanish style, and all this rare treasure
belongs to dark-skinned Zapotecs, who, be it owned, love
and revere their possessions and keep them spotlessly clean.
The contents of that little out-of-the-way church would
do credit to any cathedral.

Nearly all the churches of Mexico are domed, and covered
with beautiful tiles or with gold. A great many of these

378 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

domes and towers, however, are quite crooked, owing to
earthquakes.

On the tower of Tlacokila Church were four musicians
who played on the reed instruments of the country, and
some Mexican flags had been put up. Wonderful to relate,
it was not a feast day ; in Mexico there really seem to be
more feast days than any other days in the year, but this
was still an extra holiday in honour of the English visitor !

379

CHAPTER XXIII.

ANCIENT RUINS OF MITLA.

I A.M no archseoloQ;ist, but I found the ruins of Mitla most
interesting and wonderful, the more so that new discoveries
had been made four days previous to my visit, which
consequently heightened their charm. The village lies in
a flat and somewhat ugly valley, where every surrounding
hill has its history. On all sides there are ancient tombs,
many of which have not been opened ; there are tumuli
everywhere, the whole valley is teeming with treasures only
waiting to be explored, and there in the midst are the ruins
of the great temples themselves. In that time, so long ago,
about which we know so little, the whole district must have
been thickly populated, or why these enormous temples,
those fortresses on the hills and endless tumuli, or, as our
Mexican friends term them, pyramids ?

One would hardly expect to find a little hotel in such a
wild part ; but there is actually an hacienda where people
can put up. With a crack of the whip we drove up in
style to the door, where " mine host " was waiting to
greet us.

We shook hands according to custom, and he bowed me
to the room which had been ordered by the Governor of
the State, whose guest I was during my week's stay in the
State of Oaxaca. Two things struck me at once, namely,
the marvellous pictures on the walls, and a couple of soup-
plates near the bed, which were filled with cigarettes of

38o MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

different kinds ; apparently a little extra attention for my
comfort !

The pictures had been executed by the landlord's daugh-
ter ; they were wonderful embroideries in chenille and
beads, and many other things, representing weird scenes
and strange animals, and were carefully framed and pre-
served under glass. In the future they will probably find
their way to some museum.

x'\mong others, the Governor had kindly arranged for
Dr. Sologiiren to be one of my numerous escort to Mitla,
and this gentleman proved a delightful guide, as he had
done a vast amount of excavating there himself, and has a
wonderful collection of ancient idols, as remarked in a
previous chapter.

My good fortune, however, did not end here, for we were
at once welcomed by Sefior Batres, the Government in-
spector, whose acquaintance I had made a few weeks
before in the drains of Mexico, when he showed me the
newly-found Aztec altar. Senor Batres was employed at
Mitla restoring parts of the temples, where walls had fallen
down with age or been cracked by earthquakes.

A few minutes later Professor Marshall Saville, from the
New York Museum, appeared upon the scene. He was
completing his researches at Mitla, and only a few days
previously had discovered a new Cruciform Cross. The
Professor, an extremely good-looking young man, was most
kind ; he gave me pamphlets and photographs, and did
everything in his power to make my visit pleasant.

It was a strange — but, for me, most fortunate — occurrence

that the three men who, in modern times, had done all the

excavations at Mitla, should meet together at the very time

^when I was there, for under their kindly guidance I saw so

much more than could otherwise have been the case.

Next morning early the song of the mocking-bird filled
the air ; such a pretty song, too, until the mocking instinct

ANCIENT RUINS OF MIT LA. 381

was suddenly aroused, and the bird left its own natural
notes to imitate the cackle of a hen who was proudly
announcing the fact that she had laid an &%%. That
exultant cry seems to be known all over the world, except-
ing Iceland, where cocks and hens were not, when I visited
that land a few years ago.

The mocking-bird did its best to imitate Mrs. Hen, and
then, contented with its efforts, went back to its own inter-
rupted song.

Mexico is a strange land of beautiful birds of paradise
and wondrous flowers ; but it is only the plainer birds that
sing, for brilliant plumage hides no nightingale's throat, and
but few of the lovely flowers have any scent !

Very little is really known concerning the ruins of ancient
Mexico, of which those at Mitla are probably the finest
specimens. Every archaeologist has a different theory ;
each thinks he is able to prove his ideas, and yet each
generally disagrees with the other.

The date of these ruins is absolutely unknown ; they
may be anything from two to five thousand years old, and
that leaves a wide margin for speculation to wander over.
Then again, various tribes are supposed to have built those
wondrous temples ; but in all probability they are of
Zapotec origin. The descendants of the Zapotec tribe
live in the neighbourhood to-day, and bear the strongest
resemblance to the faces found carved on the idols and
pottery discovered in the tombs. The type of these idols
is somewhat Jewish and a little Egyptian ; with good
features, the Roman nose of the Jew, the thick lips and
heavy eyelids of the Egyptians, and even the wig curl
over the ear. They wore breast-plates, ear-rings, necklaces
and other ornaments of stone or gold, some of which are
of fine workmanship. They were not a rude people, indeed,
on looking at some of their painting, the stone masonry
of their walls, and many of their idols, one pictures them

382 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

a people of highly advanced civilisation, even if they did
live five thousand years ago.

How am I, in a few pages, to give the slightest idea of
Mitla, a place about which so many volumes have been
written by archaeologists of every nationality ? Among
the best are Charnay's book on the " Ancient Cities of the
New World," William Holmes' " Archeeological Studies
among the Ancient Cities of Mexico," Payne's " History of
the New World," Bancroft and Sandelier Medaillac's " Pre-
historic America," all of which are full of interesting in-
formation.

So little were the ruins of Mitla appreciated or cared for
during the last two or three hundred years, that the stones
were taken out to build the church, or to form any building
or coping that was necessary in the village ! Part of the
place was turned into a stable, and the priest lived in a
frescoed chamber, one of many now whitewashed ! But
under the able guidance of President Diaz this is being-
altered, and Professor Batres is now employed by the
Government in replacing as many of the stones as he can,
in putting iron supports under door-ways, where the enor-
mous lintels have been cracked by earthquakes, and
propping up walls which seem likely to fall.

All these restorations are being made none too soon.
Sefior Batres has replaced one wall which had almost
entirely fallen down. It seems that terrible desecration has
gone on in the past few years owing to tourists and others.
What a pity it is that Mexico has no society — such as we
have in England — for the preservation of her ancient
buildings ! Why, they are chapters in history which, once
destroyed, can never be replaced. Mexico ought to guard
her ancient ruins as her proudest possessions ; they are
unique, and not a stone of such a history should be
destroyed by the hands of modern man. Once defaced —
as, alas ! nearly all the mural paintings have already been at

ANCIENT RUINS OF MIT LA. 383

Mitla — they are gone for ever, and one of Mexico's greatest
attractions is lost to the world. The Government up to
the present has not been vigilant enough in the preser-
vation of her treasures.

And now to describe my own impressions of the ruins of
Mitla. After stumbling over a quantity of newly-excavated
debris we suddenly found ourselves in a great square court-
yard. Facing us, and also to the right and left, were the
ruins of the temples, but, alas ! the fourth side — where we
stood — had been almost destroyed.

Each temple was approached by a flight of steps running
its entire length, and each temple had three doors, as the
majority of Mexican churches have to-day. There were no
rounded arches. Everything at Mitla is straight and in
line. One imagines they were temples, not because there
are altars, but because there are tombs beneath, and, being
in a valley, they could hardly be fortifications, added to
which there are many fortifications of totally different form
amid the surrounding hills. Why there were four such
temples is another question, unless they were raised to the
four winds !

The entire walls were ornamented with carvings, which
are known as Grecqiies. Some of these are of charming
design ; they are cut in the solid slabs of stone, or some-
times mosaiced on. When the latter was the case
thousands and thousands of different pieces of stone were
employed to form the geometrical pattern arranged in formal
panels.

It will be remembered that at Xochicalco human figures,
large eagles, and serpents formed the design ; there was
nothing conventional, and the all-over pattern was chiselled
out of the stone by the Aztecs ; but at Mitla it is absolutely
different. Every pattern is strictly geometrical ; there are
neither figures nor animals ; but fifteen distinct geometrical
designs are found, repeated again and again in panels, a

384 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

q;ooc1 idea of which can be formed from the illustration,
" The Hall of the Grecques."

It was certainly most impressive ; the size of the place,
the beautiful workmanship of the geometrical carvings, the
wonderful proportions of everything, betrayed the record of
a great people.

The " Hall of the Monoliths" is perhaps the best known
of the ruins at Mitla ; the columns are not carved. They
stand about eleven feet four inches high, and formerly
supported a wooden roof, the holes where the beams were
fixed being visible in the walls. There are no carved
monoliths among these ruins, in which they differ from those
of Yucatan. Professor Saville thinks that : — " Mitla and
the Yucatan ruins probably belong to the same epoch, and
are the remains of a people having kindred ancestors."

He suggests that the building of Mitla was effected
by the Nahuas, and that Zapotecan occupancy was the
result of conquest. He adds further : — " Modern research
points to a common ancestry of both Nahuan and Mayan
people."

Professor Marshall Saville's most important excavations
have been, undoubtedly, in the courtyard of the palaces or
temples, where he has just brought to light a stone-work
substructure, showing that this part of the building had
received as much attention as the edifices themselves. It
had a beautiful face of cement, and the inclined stone slabs
which form the long steps to the various door- ways are of
perfect workmanship. The courtyard measurement of the
subterranean gallery is exactly 1 1 7 feet square, so exact
that the four sides are not a fraction out ! The width of
the stair-ways leading up to each of the four edifices is
equally correct.

The cement floor was formerly painted red in almost
Pompeian colouring ; the basis of the substructure, covered
with cement, was also red. There is little doubt that these

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ANCIENT RUINS OF MITLA. 385

people knew how to mix paints with ease, for the walls were
apparently washed with whitish earths and iron oxides.
Then again, such scraps as remain of the mural decorations
are of many colours, although white and red predominate.
The paintings, unlike the carvings, are not geometrical, but
represent life forms conventionally treated. Reproductions
of these appear in Dr. Eeler's (of Berlin) work on Mitla.
These mural designs show the remarkable mythological sub-
jects so well reproduced in Lord Kingsborough's wonderful
book.

The steps show distinct signs of having been repaired,
which Professor Saville thinks was probably the work of
the Toltecs. When these steps are all excavated, and the
debris is entirely cleared away, the temples will look more
imposing than they have done for centuries.

The new Cruciform Chamber, only opened a few days
before our arrival, has its entrance in the courtyard, and
passes directly under the steps of the substructure.

"Will you come and see my new cross?" asked Pro-
fessor Saville, to which proposition we willingly assented,
and he accordingly sent one of the peons — who were busily
engaged in carrying earth away from the courtyard — to
fetch a lamp.

It was the strangest entrance imaginable ; a large stone
slab which had closed the mouth of the tomb had been
thrown back slanting-wise, and down this we had to slide.
It was too large to step or crawl across, so the only way to
manage was to sit down and just slip along the stone. This
would have been all right if there had been standing room
at the bottom ; but unfortunately the opening was barely
three feet in height, and the entrance for some distance was
scarcely so much.

The Professor went first with the lamp, and then I slid
after him as ungracefully as possible — and that is saying a
good deal. Arrived at the bottom, I found I could not

386 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

stand, I could not even sit erect with my big Mexican hat
on my head, so off it had to come.

" Give me time to breathe," I cried, for in spite of the
little lamp it was almost impossible to see, " and tell me if I
am to crawl, or if there is room to walk bent double ? "

" You can walk bent double, but really double, for the
passage is only three feet high for a distance of a few feet,"
was the cheerful reply ; " further on you can stand upright."

So bent double, literally double — I am sure the passage
was not even three feet hioh — I endeavoured to walk, and,
as the Yankees say, " got right there."

Ah, here was relief ! here we could stand ! and what a
surprise !

The tomb, which is made in the shape of an exact cross,
is eight-and-a-half feet high, so anyone can stand erect
happily. The length of the arms is precisely forty-five feet,
and every inch of the walls is carved !

It was remarkable, truly remarkable ! In the first place
it was an exact cross — that same cross which seems to be
found all over the world and in all forms of religion, yet
built long before the introduction of Christianity. In this
case the foot faced the west, the idea again being that the
soul went to rest with the setting sun. The door-ways of
the tombs invariably face this way, and are sealed by large
stones.

There we stood in the tomb of some king or priest, a
tomb that had not been opened for centuries untold, and,
with the exception of Mrs. Saville, I was the first woman
who had entered that carved edifice may be for thousands
of years.

" How wonderfully those stones fit," I exclaimed, amazed
at their size and workmanship.

" Yes ; the mason's art was more perfect then than it is
to-day, and Mida is an excellent example. In those days
they cut and fitted their work to perfection. Those grecques

ANCIENT RUINS OF MIT LA. 387

were cut, whether by stone chisels, or how, no one knows,
for few implements of any kind have been found."

" Is this in any way Aztec ? " I asked, noting its dis-
similarity to other Aztec work.

" No, to my mind it resembles Toltec and Zapotec work-
manship far more than Aztec," was the Professor's reply.

In the other cross found by the early Spaniards under
another of the temples, the grecques are of mosaic work,
each bit of the pattern being formed by a separate piece of
stone being fitted together to form the whole ; but in the
case of this new Cruciform the grecques are carved in the
solid stone, and though they have been buried for centuries,
they are simply perfect in condition. The depth of the
carving is about three-quarters of an inch, and as a rule the
serrated edges of the patterns are slightly bevelled.

No one knows how they were carved ; but there are
distinct marks of pencil or paint, or whatever they used in
those far away times (not burnt wood, for that would have
worn off), which show that the pattern was carefully traced
before the carvers began their work. The metric system
comes out perfectly in all the grecque work, which looks as
if these ancient people measured by metric rule !

Nothing of any importance was found in this new tomb ;
a few bones, odd broken bits of pottery, and a little earth
and rubbish. Sometimes, however, burnt bones are found,
sometimes whole skeletons, often in a sitting posture. This
tomb had evidently been emptied of corpse, idols, and
offerings, and then time had closed its entrance. This
entrance question struck me as strange, I saw four of the
five known Cruciforms, all more or less perfect, which all
showed that endless time and pains had been expended on
them, and yet every one had a horribly awkward entrance,
just a long, low passage-way, rough and rude in the extreme.
Why, if the Zapotecs paid such attention to the cross itself,
did they make the entrance to it like a drain } It must have

25*

388 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

been most difficult to convey the dead through such a narrow
channel, and if the cross were considered worthy of so much
work, why should there not have been a proper way to get
into it, unless it was to hide away the spirit of the dead,
and prevent his having future egress to annoy the living.
The portals to the temples and palaces are beautiful, but
the entrances to the tombs terrible.

Professor Saville, summarizing in a general way as the
results of his explorations, has brought the following facts to
light : —

Funeral urns were generally placed in series of five in
front of the tombs, on the roof, or fastened into the fa9ade.

These vaults are properly ossuaries or places where the
bones of the dead were deposited. Tombs exist in Xoxo
outside of the burial mounds. House sites may be looked
for in the vicinity of the main group. The absence of
stone implements is notable, only a single tiny arrow-point
and two celts being found.

The mortuary custom of painting the bones red, the
placing of food and incense in the tomb, the interment of
decapitated heads, the sparsity of personal ornaments buried
with the dead, and the absence of decorated vessels in the
vaults, are features brought out by his explorations.

The custom of filing and inlaying the teeth was prac-
tised, and the use of hematite as an inlay was found for the
first time. This ancient custom can now be traced from the
region of Arizona to Southern Central America.

The terra-cotta tubing found in a mound may perhaps be
explained as serving some mythological purpose — perhaps
to form an outlet for the escape of the shade of the dead.
This explanation, however, is not altogether satisfactory,
and further excavation in this region is needed to shed light
on its significance.

The great importance attached to mortuary rites is shown
by the elaborately constructed tombs containing mural

^^<

Exterior of Milla "lave.

Interior of Mitla siiase.

[ To face page 388.

ANCIENT RUINS OF MIT LA. 389

paintings and hieroglyphic inscriptions. The terra-cotta
figures and the funeral urns attest the very high attainment
of the ancient Zapotecs in the art of modelling earthen
objects.

The Hall of Kings was being restored by Seiior D.
Leopoldo Batres. He was doing the work splendidly, and
really having the stones replaced with such care it was not
possible to discover which of them had just been put back.
Some of the stones that he was using in his repairs he had
found half a mile away in the village ; but so carefully had
he fitted each into its own place that no one could have told
that some of them had been absent for centuries ! He is
working for Government. Let us hope that means the
beginning of a stricter survey and preservation of the
treasures of Mexico. The Professor is of French extrac-
tion, and by means of that tongue we became excellent
friends. He is genial, a good talker, and did much
towards making that visit to Mitla appear like a fairy
dream. His son works with him, and is as keen as his
father on things archaeological.

Another young man who is deeply interested, and has
done considerable excavation, is Constantine Richards, one
of the men who met us in Tomellin canon, sent by the
Governor of Oaxaca to translate for, and help us, during
the week we were the guests of the State. His father
has a charming house in Oaxaca, where we enjoyed a
delightful dinner party.

When looking back and comparing Xochicalco with
Mitla, it was interesting to note the differences between
the respective ruins. The fortress of Xochicalco lay amid
far more beautiful surroundings than the other, and of the
two its position, perched on the top of a hill, was the more
impressive. It was bold and grand ; the designs of gigantic
Indians in war plumes, of serpents with strange heads and
long twisted tails, and eagles' wings outspread, the grandeur

390 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

of the carvings, and the splendid workmanship, were all
superior, to my mind, to anything at Mitla. The ruins
themselves, though not nearly so large, were finer in design,
and their situation was imposing. Xochicalco was probably
the work of the Aztecs, those wonderful people Cortes
conquered.

At Mitla the work appeared more modern, and yet it was
probably older : everything exactly matched everything else.
There was a courtyard with four temples all one storey high,
all windowless, and each with three doors. The designs
upon the walls were smaller, neater, and more carefully
executed ; but the position of the Zapotecan temples in the
valley was poor in comparison -with that of the Aztec
fortress on the hill. Yet Mitla denoted more inhabitants —
a vast population in fact, who possessed, evidently, a greater
knowledge of how to build, who even possessed drain-pipes
of clay ! These ruins were of Zapotec origin, quite another
tribe of people, with dissimilar ideas.

Professor Saville suggested we should visit the temples
in the evening. It was moonlight, the moon was full, and
shone straight over our heads — so straight, indeed, that we
could not see our own shadows. This effect was caused by
our being in the tropics ; the sun travels twenty-three and a
half degrees north and south of the equator in the course of
a year, and it is consequently overhead at mid-day on some
day of the year at all places between latitudes twenty-three
and a half degrees north and south — that is, within the tropics.
The same thing happens with the moon ; but as the moon's
path is inclined to that of the sun, at an angle of five degrees,
the full moon appears overhead at some time or other at all
places between latitudes twenty-eight and a half degrees
north and south. This, however, does not happen every
year as it does in the case of the sun. We were fortunate
enough to experience the curious effect.

There was something very wonderful in the sight of

ANCIENT RUINS OF MIT LA. 391

those ruins by moonlight. There stood those three great
temple fronts, each with its triple portal, and flights of steps
leading to the courtyard below. Fancy could picture the
priests of yore, issuing forth on just such a night, followed
by their acolytes and choristers, and in solemn procession
descending those steps to the scent of the wafted incense,
made from copal, such as is used in the churches of Mexico
to-day, and accompanied by the chant of human voices.
We seemed to see them crossing that great square court,
pausing finally before a sacrificial stone, similar to that
which is now in the Mexican Museum ; we saw the human
victim led forth, bound and fettered, and then !

We could picture the subsequent banquet on human flesh
in the Hall of Kings, the revelry of barbaric wealth and
magnificence.

In the solitude of those ruined temples and palaces in
that silent valley, we seemed to see the triumphal dance of
the Indians as they capered around the wretched prisoners
of war, always offered up in sacrifice. We could picture
their feathered heads and jewels, their breast-plates of
gold, and weapons of war, such as are depicted in the
tiny scrap of painting which yet remains on one of the
walls.

Only two or three years since, many of those paintings
still existed, but the application of wet sponges for the
benefit of some American tourists, and the picking off of
bits here and there for the amusement of others, have
effectually destroyed treasures that can never be replaced,
and, too late, the Government has awakened to the duty of
protecting what is left.

The old MSS. were painted on cotton cloth, prepared
skins, the leaf of the aloe, or a composition of silk and gum.
It is a collection of these ancient writings that Lord
Kingsborough reproduced in his wonderful work on
Mexico. The pictures give some idea of the gorgeous

392 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

colouring of those days, the fantastic dress of the Indians,
and the wealth and splendour that rivalled ancient Rome.

Yes, we seemed to see it all in the moonlight. We could
almost hear the cry of the victims whose blood was poured
out on that central stone, ere their bodies were taken behind
the temples to the great banqueting halls for the subsequent
feast. We could picture that feast of human flesh, in which
women, alas ! joined — for women were well treated in those
days, and shared all the joys (?) of their husbands ; they
were not shut up in any way. On the contrary, they were
as free and independent as the Zapotec women of the
Isthmus of Tehuantepec are to-day. Polygamy, though
permitted, was only practised among the wealthier classes.

According to Professor Marshall Saville the first mention
of Mitla occurs in the Post Columbian Nahuatl Book, known
as the Codex Telleriano Remensis, under the account of
what transpired during the reign of Ahuistotl, the Aztec
monarch who preceded Montezuma.

Fray Diego Duran places the subjugation of Mitla
during the reign of Montezuma the First, and the majority
of orio^inal sources ao-ree in datino- that reio^n between the
years 1440 and 1454 a.d.

Father Martin de Valencia, a Spanish priest, passed
through Mitla in 1537, and describes a temple in ruins
containing columns. But all this is modern writing ; the
temples had then been destroyed — who can tell what they
were like centuries previously ?

The village of Mitla is almost as interesting as are the
ruins themselves. Here dwell the descendants of the very
people who built those great temples. They are still most
primitive in their manners and customs, chiefly employed in
cultivating the soil and tending cattle and sheep. Tiny
huts made of bamboo form these Zapotecan dwellings,
which contain but one small room, eight feet by twelve
being the average size. If these Indians are rich they build

^lU., "* ,.

ANCIENT RUINS OF MIT LA. 393

a kitchen, just a tiny place shaped like a tent, on much the
same principle as their hut, and here the wife makes her
tortillas or does her washing.

One family we visited was quite remarkable. The mother,
presumably about thirty-five, was a well-preserved, hand-
some woman for her age ; and the eldest daughter, a girl of
seventeen, could but be considered lovely. She was very
small, five feet at most — as are all the Indians — and dark-
skinned, her complexion being of a rich nut-brown hue.
She was attired in a sort of chemise low In the neck and
short in the sleeves, which showed a perfectly modelled bust ;
round her throat she wore red coral for luck and some
curiouslv-coloured beads. Her lono: black hair huno- in two
plaits, into which red braid had been twisted, so that what
fell below her waist was really a tassel of braid. The mother,
on the other hand, wore her plaits coiled round her head,
which, as they were interwoven with bright green wool, had
the effect of a laurel wreath.

Both mother and daughter wore the long strip of skirt
round the body, and as they had just finished weaving a
new one, they exhibited it with pride. The coarse black
material was woven in three strips, which were stitched
together with coloured wool ; it was nearly a yard wide, its
length about eight feet. It had no shape. The girl poked
one end between her legs, quickly bound it round and caught
it in at the waist by a sash-band. This is the usual skirt ;
but made in a shorter length it does not always fold over so
well, hence one often sees the bare leg of an Indian woman.
They wear nothing on their feet.

A small personage of about two — the youngest of the
woman's five children — was dressed in the quaint old fashion
of the babies of the district. He had on long white trousers
and a coat like that of his father ; indeed, boys and girls, as
soon as they can stand, are dressed exactly like their elders.

He was told to say "How do you do ? " to the lady.

394 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

I gave him my hand, and the tiny creature kissed it !
His Httle lips and hands were so cold that kiss really gave
me a shock ; but I suppose Indian blood must be thin and
poor, for I never shook hands with any native who felt warm
— they always seem to be cold and clammy. To my mind
there is something almost uncanny about them — snake or
fish like — although they are beautiful in shape and remark-
able in carriage. They are poorly clad, and yet they surely
cannot feel the cold as we do, or presumably they would
alter matters and do something to warm up that chill, thin
blood of theirs, and set it circulating more freely through
their veins.

At another wigwam they were making rope ; a boy with
a stick was turning one end round and round with both
hands to give the rope a twist. A man was standing thirty
feet away, and as the boy twirled the rope, he added on bit
by bit shreds of vegetable fibre, and so dexterous was this
gentleman that he quickly added a foot, and beautifully and
securely woven it was, too. Near him were a couple of
women squatting on the foreground ; one of them was
spinning her wool, which she had dyed herself with vege-
table dyes ; she had a small earthenware bowl, and in it
stood her bobbin — about eight inches high — which she set
spinning by a touch of her fingers, when it just continued
the movement like an everlasting top, while she spun her
wool off the bobbin.

Her mother, close at hand, was " carding " the wool ;
she was doing it rapidly on the most simple wooden struc-
ture, chanting a little dirge to herself the while. Many of
these aboriginal modes of doing work exist in the Mitla
valley to-day. What simple folk they are ! They live on
next to nothing, their homes are nothing, they possess
almost nothing, they know nothing ; they are but little
removed from mere animal existence, and yet they appear
quite contented and happy !

ANCIENT RUINS OF MIT LA. 395

Would we change with them ? No ! Only those who
have experienced the sorrows and turmoils of life are able
to appreciate its pleasures and its joys ! Adversity is a fine
school for the mind.

Each hut had its tiny altar ; some great and wonderful
oleograph of the Virgin Mary formed the centre-piece ;
fresh floral offerings in blue or red china vases stood below,
and a tiny lamp hung before the picture, to be lighted on
all feast days. These poor folk are most devout, but their
religion is tempered by much fear ; they believe in devils
and hell fire and other terrible things ; so that though their
lives seem to be happy in the present, their dreams of the
future must be weird indeed.

The entire village retires to bed about 7.30 p.m.,
when the stars come out. The women begin to light their
cupful of fire about 5.30 a.m., in order to make their tor-
tillas with the break of day. As one rides through such a
village in the early morning, a thin veil of smoke rises from
the little homes, and the glint of the flame flickers through
the bamboo walls.

Our cavalcade was ready, and we started soon after seven
a.m. one morning for Upper Guiaroo, where we wished to
see an ancient fortress and a Cruciform Cross up in the
mountains. The first part of the road was good ; but as
we began to ascend the mountain the path narrowed con-
siderably, and often the horses could barely secure foothold ;
Mexican ponies, however, are like cats, and they always
manage to get along somehow.

Every shrub in Mexico appears to bear a thorn ; not a
little thorn, oh dear no ! The thorns are one and even
three inches long, and as stiff as the blade of a pen-knife ;
certainly our ride that day proved this fact to several
members of our party by rending their garments.

The path had been made a few months before by Professor
Saville and his workmen, when they were excavating at the

396 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

summit ; and though it was only a few months, some of his
excavations — such as holes used for sacrificial fires — were
already covered by greenery, so great is the rapidity of
vegetable growth in the tropical parts of Mexico.

Up, up we went — my riding astride affording amusement
to some of the party — until we suddenly found ourselves
close to the ancient fortress. The walls were of natural
stones — adobes (the native sun-burnt brick) piled one upon
the other, and several distinct courts and chambers were
visible.

What a splendid position it was for a fort ! We could see
for miles and miles right over that wide valley, and across
some of the smaller chains of hills to the more mountainous
regions beyond. Deep caverns or barrancas surrounded us
on all sides, while opposite lay a typical zig-zag mountain
path leading to the Isthmus of Tehuan tepee.

" It is a five days' ride from here," was the reply to my
question as to the distance. " The route lies right through
the mountains ; but there is barely one village on the way,
merely a reed hut for shelter, and tortillas the only food.

I felt sorely tempted to undertake that ride through the
wild mountains ; but as no one else seemed anxious to face
the discomforts, it would, of course, have been little short
of madness to attempt such a journey without a properly-
arranged escort.

Leaving our horses with their strange and wondrous
trappings at the fortress, we walked to the real summit of
the hill to see the great Cruciform Cross. It may here be
remarked that often quite a poor peon has most wonderful
horse furniture ; he sometimes possesses a saddle and bridle
worth ^"5 in English gold, and yet the horse he rides
would not be valued at one-tenth of the embroidered leather
he carries.

The cross was wonderful ; in the first place it had no
roof, and therefore we could see it in all the perfection of

< ** "'

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•y ~
?,1

■<,

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ANCIENT RUINS OF MIT LA. 397

daylight. It had evidently been made, like the others,
for the tomb of some great priest or king ; but accord-
ing to Professor Saville — who cleared it out in 1900 — had
never been completed. It had not been closed in, and
lying close at hand were several massive stones hewn ready
for use, with round holes in them, showing they had been
'* pinched " in place by means of holes at the back. The
perfect joining of these stones shows thorough mastery of
the mason's art.

The carving of the grecques was beautiful, so clean and
clearly cut, and yet what could these ancient people have
done their chiselling with ? No steel or iron tools have been
found, though the discovery of obsidian blades show that
these were in use. Rough stone implements like stunted
arrow-heads with sharp points have been found, and with
these doubtless some of the carving was accomplished.

One of the patterns on the walls was a cross oftentimes
repeated, that self-same equal-sided cross which appears
again and again all over the world. There are fifteen dif-
ferent and distinct designs of grecques at Mitla, and although
sometimes the pattern is made up by small pieces of stone
arranged mosaic fashion together, yet the generality are
carved in the solid blocks. No structures of a similar nature
are known in any other part of Mexico or Central America,
and these five are probably the most important burial
chambers in the new world, owing both to their size and
the beauty and preservation of the stone work.

The walls of this cross — which is an absolutely complete
+ , all four sides being alike — were about eight feet high
and at least thirty-two feet long in the arms. Here again
the grecques were carved and not mosaic, and evidently the
whole had originally been painted white, the patterns being
outlined in red, as the colour still remains in places.

There are three designs in these carvings, which com-
plete the fifteen designs found at Mitla.

398 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

The stones had been brought from a quarry about a
mile away, where some still remain, and must have been
carried this distance over a mountain top, down a deep
barranca, and up a steep incline ! Several large stones are
still to be found at these quarries ; others are lying on the
road between the quarries and Mitla, thus showing that the
work was interrupted before completion. It is supposed
that these enormous masses were moved by means of rollers
and ropes ; but on viewing the steep sides of the barrancas
one marvels how they were ever pulled up at all.

The stones, though probably dressed at the quarries,
were undoubtedly carved after being placed in position.

The lines of the crosses are always exactly five degrees
east and north, and there seems to be no doubt but that
these people worshipped the North Star.

The Mayas peopled Yutacan, and viay have built Mitla,
which is however more commonly considered the work of
the Zapotecs, because, although the former used arches in
their buildings, there are only square doors in Mitla.
William Holmes, when writing of these Mayas, says : —

" The Maya Race. — At the period of conquest the Maya tribes occupying the penin-
sula of Yucatan, and considerable portions of neighbouring territory to the south and
west, are said to have comprised in the neighbourhood of 2,000,000 souls. It is
said that some bands have never been fully conquered to-day, and they practically
substantiate the claim by holding the temples of their fathers by force of arms, defying
all comers, whether white or red.

" Physically the Mayas are short, sturdy, and dark, possessing generally the typical
characteristics of the red race. Their mental equipment is conceded to be of a high
order as compared with other native stocks. Their origin is largely a matter of con-
jecture. One account (Brinton, D.G., American Hero Myths, p. 145) connects them
with the history of the god and culture-hero Itzamna, and derives an important element
or division of the race from the east, where they are said to have come across — or
rather through — the ocean, thus forcibly recalling the story of Atlantis. The more
probable derivation is, however, from the west, as tradition, myth, art, and geographical
conditions point in this direction more decidedly than in any other. It appears that
there are few ties of language with the Aztecs or other Mexican peoples, though there
are numerous and striking analogies in arts and customs, and it is not improbable that
in the course of their history the Mayas have come into close contact with the great
tribes of the Plateau of Mexico. Indeed, all may have had a common origin to the
north in Mexico, or even beyond the Rio Grande.

"In the culture scale this people stood at the head of the American tribes. They

ANCIENT RUINS OF MIT LA. 399

were still, properly speaking, barbarians, but in several respects seemed to be on the
very threshold of civilisation. Their status may be compared to that of the Greeks and
Eg}'ptians immediately preceding the dawn of history, and we may assume that they
were, as measured by Aryan rates of progress, perhaps not more than a few thousand
years behind the foremost nations of the world in the great procession of races from
savagery toward enlightenment. It is certain that they were already enjoying a rude
system of historic records, and were the only nation on the western continent that had
made any considerable headway in the development of a phonetic system of writing.
Their hieroglyphics occupy a place, not yet well defined, somewhere along the course
of progress from pictograph to letter, and are consequently difficult of interpretation.
There is no doubt, however, that an age of literature was actually, though slowly,
dawning in America when the shock of conquest came."

It was wonderful to pause and think of all these things as
we sat on those monster stones forming the cruciform
chamber. Idly I poked about with my riding- whip, till
something appeared, and spoke to me, as it were, from the
past.

I did not dig nor delve ; but I stumbled across what are
to me a couple of treasures — a little bit of brown pottery
and a thin black obsidian blade (volcanic glass) which had
formerly been used as a knife. Triumphantly I bore away
my trophies, two little treasures revealed to me from a long
ago past, feeling, indeed, an archaeologist of great import to
have found such trophies at far-away Mitla ! A couple of
pieces of old money were given to me subsequently ; they
look like flat copper picks — six inches from tip to tip — and
the handle — two inches wide — is equally long. Such large
coins remind one of the ancient money of China or Finland.
But among my little collection four small gods forming part
of a necklace, and the head of an idol, with the heavy eyes,
thick lips, wide nose and side curl of Egypt seem to me
most precious.

On our return journey we stopped at an hacienda where
there is another cruciform cross, which has been known
since the days of the Spaniards. The farm house is now
built above it. In the courtyard was the open threshing-
floor ; these concrete threshing spaces may be seen all over
Mexico — they are round like a circus, have a stone curbing

400 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

and a cemented floor, and therein trudge the horses or
mules as they do when working at the ore in Pachuca.

The Indian corn is thrown on the floor, and mules march
solemnly round and round to thresh off the husks. It may
be well here to mention one of the chief uses of these
husks. They are not only utilised for fodder, but as a case
for the food of man ; the famous tamales of Mexico (minced
meat or vegetable concoctions) are enclosed in them.
The cob from which the husk has been removed is still
generally manipulated by hand, the beads of maize being
scraped down inch by inch.

The primitive people in the Mitla valley are probably
the direct descendants of that great race who raised those
wonderful temples. A handful of villagers is all that is
now left of the vast population which formerly filled this
wide valley.

How beautiful everything seemed, how picturesque the
surroundmgs, and how interesting my companions, for was
I not accompanied by the three archaeologists to whom all
the excavations of late years are due. How gloricjs the
flowers, the singing birds, the dear little humming-birds of
brighter plumage, the gorgeously-hued butterflies — it was
all so lovely, so sleepy, so strange.

Little did I dream of the wicked sprite laughing at my
joy, which was so shortly to be turned to tears. Life and
happiness were soon to be followed by pain and well nigh
death !

iVncient lorlress, Upper Guijiroo, Mitla.

]5unung clVigics of Judas, in Mexico City, on Easier SaUirday.
To face pas^e 401.]

401

CHAPTER XXIV.

RIVERS IN THE TROPICS.

New Orleans is the great centre of Carnival festivities in
the New World, for there the gaieties exceed those in Italy
or the Riviera, but in Mexico City, Carnival time, is now but
a poor affair. A few second-class balls on Sunday nights,
attended by the "half-world," as one paper announced, a
few tawdry dresses on the paseo, and some students arrayed
in old Spanish costumes, made but a poor representation
of the rejoicings of old.

On Ash Wednesday, however, every good Catholic wore
black, and went to mass for the first daily attendance at
forty consecutive services, and every good Catholic also had
a cross marked upon his forehead in ashes by the priest.
Some of the older people refuse to wash off this cross, and
therefore all day may be seen walking about the streets
with a dusky shadow across their brows.

On the Saturday morning before Easter Sunday all this
"humiliation" ends. It is a day of gladness, when the sin
of Judas is punished. At ten o'clock in^the morning the
bells of the Cathedral and every other church ring out La
Gloria, and immediately numerous effigies of the traitor are
burnt.

Now this^ strange and wonderful custom is, so far as
I know, peculiar to Mexico. As they dressed up clowns,
ballet dancers," and odd figures in paper for the pifiatas,
so they dress up yet more wonderful representations of

402 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

Judas. They make a hideous paper doll, two, , three,
four, or even five feet high, inside they put bread for the
poor, or — in richer districts — coins, they fill the puppet
with paper, pasteboard or straw, and hang him from a
cord across the street ; any street, every street, garden
or square has its Judas, and while La Gloria peals
forth each is ignited. The poor rush forward and scramble
for the coins or bread, and altogether " have a fine time ! "

If any particular man be specially unpopular in a
village, he often figures as Judas, and is burnt in effigy.

Until 1898 the Jockey Club in the City had the most
famous representations of that traitor. The club is rich,
and each of the three figures cost from two to three
hundred dollars. One would be on horseback, the horse
fashioned in pasteboard, but the accessories a real Mexican
embroidered saddle, bridle and stirrups. The mock Judas
wore real trousers, tight and close fitting, with silver
coins down his legs, and a valuable hat. Inside were
rockets, and when the thing was lighted the arms and legs
jumped, much to the delight of the pelados (populace)
below, who were sometimes almost crushed to death in
their endeavours to get a bit of the Judas. Free fights
ensued, the trousers were torn shred by shred to get at a
coin, until finally the police, being unable to cope with
the mob, intimated to the Jockey Club that the authorities
hoped they would discontinue such a dangerous custom.
The Jockey Club, therefore, no longer exhibits these
effigies, which nevertheless are still displayed at every
corner of the town, the people hugely enjoying such
gruesome spectacles.

I saw very little of the Carnival, for I was ill.

PuncJi s advice to persons about to marry applies to
those who think of Qrettinof ill in Mexico. Don't !

That is supposing you value your life, or unless your
nerves are of cast iron or steel, Don't.

R ITERS IN THE TROPICS. 403

It was a funny experience all the same, and I can afford
to laugh at the memory now, but at the time, well — I could
only repeat PimcJis wise counsel. Don't.

On returning from one of my various expeditions to the
tropics — the one and only occasion on which I was stupid
enough to ride without riding-boots — one of my knees
looked red and swollen ; a few hours later the other knee
followed suit, whilst various red patches appeared on my
legs, extending to the ankle, which soon became so horribly
painful, that when I stood up I could have shrieked aloud,
whereupon I sought a doctor.

" Poisoned bites," remarked that sapient individual.
" Got in the tropics. Eh ! Nine of them ! You must
go straight to bed and have a nurse."

As I was crawling back to my room, I met a well-known
bishop from New York, whom I had seen several times,
and after enquiring the cause of my slow and languid
movements, he added :

" I am feeling ill myself ; this elevation is very trying,
and my heart is troubling me a good deal."

A few more words, and he passed on into his room, and
I into mine, which chanced to be the next.

I did not have a nurse, because in Mexico they are
difficult to get, and therefore, in an hotel, are looked upon
with such awe it is almost impossible to arrange for one ;
but I stayed partly in bed, and partly in a cane arm-chair,
with my feet on another — a comfortable sofa is unknown in
a hotel — and tried to bear complacently the throbbing pain
of those nine bites, now swollen into two solid masses ! I
could hardly crawl to the bell, and when I did, no one came,
at least, not for half an hour or so, and then only a viozo
(man), for women servants are non-existent in Mexican
hotels. I ordered "hot chicken," which arrived in a tepid
condition, the salt was forgotten, and the potatoes were cold.
Altogether life did not look cheerful.

26*

404

MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

The whole of the following day people were rushing in
and out of the next room, which was occupied by the
learned divine. The walls were thin, and I could hear
distinctly all that passed. There was soon no more to
hear, for alas ! that evening the poor gentleman died, just
twenty-eight hours after we had talked on the balcony !

The event came as an awful shock, I own, and when all
the fuss attendant on death was over — by law every corpse
has to be buried within twenty-four hours in Mexico — and
they locked the door that night, there seemed something-
horrible in the intense stillness which succeeded to all the
bustle and confusion. Did I sleep ? No, not much, the
horror of my plight, the pain of those bites, despite the
application of a freezing mixture every hour to my lower
limbs — my own temperature being somewhere about
104^ Fahr. — the terrible, terrible loneliness I felt
with no one to come near but a Spaniard, who smelt
of garlic and spoke and understood nothing but his
own tongue — well, I could only again say with Punch,
" DON'T! "

Many of my English and American friends had influenza
at the time, and were unable to call, although two ladies
were most thoughtful, sleeping in my sitting-room at night
in turn when I was at my worst ; others sent or brought
me fresh butter — a real luxury — and little rolls, books,
fruit and flowers. But kind as my Mexican friends were
to me, hospitable and considerate as I invariably found
them, they somehow never seemed to fully realise the
awfulness of my fate. They left cards to enquire, or
sent flowers, but I felt utterly wretched. Tied by the leg
— by two legs, in fact — unable to stand for a second,
practically alone in a great gaunt hotel, where the food had
to be brought from a restaurant several minutes' walk away
— although in the same building — and was consequently
cold and unappetising, the whole thing seemed simply

RIVERS IN THE TROPICS. 405

horrible ! For fifteen days I suffered agonies from those
bites, and for ten of those terrible days I never put my
foot out of bed ; it was by a miracle I escaped more severe
blood-poisoning.

Freezing mixture and whisky was my prescription, and
I who had rarely tasted whisky, was expected to drink it
by the tumbler, as an antidote to the poison.

A guardian angel came to me at last, however, in the
guise of an old friend, Lady Pearson, just arrived from
England with Sir Weetman, who was on an inspection trip
of his work in Mexico. She bore me off to her lovely house
in Alvarado when I was well enough to be moved. I was
carried upstairs and put to bed, where she fed me with
dainties and generally looked after me. No words can
ever sufficiently thank her for her kindness in my hour
of need ; the comforts of a home, even the luxury of a
good bed and soft pillows, of thin cups and saucers, and
dainty linen, combined to quickly set me on the road to
recovery.

" All's well that ends well," and I can afford to laugh
about my illness now, but it was a gruesome experience,
and made me realise the madness of travelling alone so far
from home. Yet, after all, I had already been over six
months on the tramp, had slept in about fifty different
beds, had spent some twenty nights in railway cars, and
travelled thousands of miles, with never a day's illness ; but
until I reached Mexico City I had practically never been
in a hotel, or alone, and then — this is what befell me !

If any reader ever have a friend, or should hear of a
foreigner who is ill, in a strange land, let him hasten to
his side, to talk to him, cheer him up, to perform his little
commissions, to take him soup or jelly, even to boil the
kettle for a hot-water bottle, to do anything, in fact, rather
than leave a sick man or woman alone in an unknown
hotel, in a land far from his own.

4o6 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

If my disease were not caused by tropical bites — and
there was some little doubt about the matter — it must have
been due to poisoned ivy. This latter is very dangerous
in tropical lands. The parasite in hot climates grows rank,
generally in damp shady barrancas, where it spreads
prolifically. It has long, thick, dark-green leaves, and is
most poisonous when in bloom ; then the pollen flies, and
any one may be poisoned without even touching the plant,
when two or three feet away, in fact, if they are susceptible.
Many persons are susceptible, even among the Indians,
who live in constant dread of approaching the creeper,
while others appear to enjoy immunity from its effects.
Natives dread the devil, yellow fever, and poisonous ivy !

The poison raises large lumps, red and swollen like bites ;
pus forms, and a kind of blood poisoning, attended by
pain and danger, sets in.

While I was still ill, although on the high road to
recovery, Sir Weetman and Lady Pearson started for the
Isthmus of Tehuantepec. She and her daughter returned
to Mexico about three weeks later ; but he and his son,
managers, engineers and Members of the Government
remained to further inspect the line and attend to business.
I had unfortunately missed the first trip across the Isthmus
with Lady Pearson, but was luckily well enough to meet
the rest of the party down the river, and see the new railway.
On steamers and special trains it is not necessary to walk,
and by that time I could manage to crawl about again.
The ensuing time spent on a deck chair on those wonderful
rivers soon made me feel stronsfer.

The Isthmus Railway, and its immense possibilities, its
chance of revolutionising the carrying trade between the
East and West, are dealt with in the next chapter.

The railway line to Vera Cruz was the first opened in
Mexico, its object being to connect the capital with the
coast. Like the Inter-Oceanic, this route runs through

RIVERS IN THE TROPICS. 407

some of the chief maguey fields. Train loads of pulque
are brought into Mexico every morning, five hundred
thousand litres being drunk daily in the city of Mexico
alone !

Mr. Thomas Braniff, President of the Mexican Railway,
kindly lent me his own car, and after being seen off
by several friends, I travelled to Vera Cruz in company
with Mr. Colls, who had been for several years in
Mexico, but having married the only daughter of Edward
Terry, the actor, now lives in England.

It is a splendid journey. The line is often on a four
per cent, grade, and swings round endless curves as it
descends some ten thousand feet to Vera Cruz. The
beautiful part begins at Esperanza, and from thence to
Orizaba — famous for its domes — it is perfectly lovely.
There are endless tunnels and high bridges, and so sharply
does the route curve that the coaches have to lie right over
to get round at all. The succeeding curve is often in the
opposite direction, in which event over sways the car again
on the other side, see-saw fashion, until one gets quite
giddy looking over the sides of precipices sheer down seven
hundred to a thousand feet. This line, although the first
built in Mexico, remains the finest bit of engineering to-day,
and the honour of construction belongs to Englishmen !

Wheat is grown along the route, particularly near the
famous pyramids of the Sun and Moon. The stacks
of straw are somewhat peculiar, and one ean easily guess
the prevailing wind of the district by their shape. This
resembles a china cheese dish of wedge-like form ; where
the wind is strongest it is finest, getting bigger and
taller every foot, until it ends in an abrupt wall, and
viewed from that point might be an ordinary English
hay-rick. By this ingenious arrangement the straw is
not blown away, the force of the wind being broken
by its gentle incline.

4oS MEXICO AS I SAIV IT.

The canon is not so wild as at Tomellin, it is not
so tropical, perhaps, as Tampico, but it is assuredly
grand. Truly wonderful scenery is to be met with in
Mexico.

When we left the City at 7 a.m. in the beginning
of March, there was frost on the ground, but six hours
later we were in the heat of the tropics !

Again one repeats, 'tis the land of extremes of every
kind. As we descended lower we left the pines and
magueys and reached bananas sheltering coffee, likewise
cotton and sugar ; adobe houses disappeared, and their
places were taken by bamboo huts. The children ran about
clothed in nature's garb ; orchids and hanging mosses clung
to the trees, and all was tropical again. What a magnificent
view met our admiring gaze of the snow-capped volcano of
Orizaba !

Surely nothing in the world can be grander than
some of those Mexican scenes ; the Himalayas are
higher, it is true, than those extinct volcanoes — the Alps
are more numerous, the Andes perhaps more rugged ;
but where else does one get such marvellous pictures ?
Below, a river with alligators and terrapins in the water ;
parrots and monkeys overhead ; wild tropical tangled
jungle on the banks ; bamboo, cocoanut or plantain, then
the more rugged rocky peaks, and towering away into
that wonderful sky those great, snow-clad volcanoes.

I spent one night in Vera Cruz — a town of some size, but
without a single cab ! — and was off next morning at 5 a.m.,
ere break of day. Somehow one always seems to be
starting off somewhere before daybreak in Mexico. To
be up with the stars, and away in the dark, is quite a
usual mode of procedure ; but one learns by experience
that it is worth while to avoid the great heat of the day
whenever possible.

There is a small branch line to Alvarado further south

R/rERS AV THE TROPICS. 409

on the Gulf, and — another of the strano-e anomahes of
Mexico — the engine has an electric head-light! It
seems incongruous to find the latest modern improve-
ments in such an ancient, far-away land !

Fate ordained that I should see the Republic almost
entirely under the guidance and escort of men. I had
numberless companions, but they were always men. The
reader may ask why, and the question is not hard to
answer. It is simply due to the fact that no Mexican
woman has the slisfhtest idea how to " rouo-h it." There
are comparatively few English or American women in
Mexico, and those there are often have to leave their
husbands for other climes in summer ; added to which the
officials everywhere are of course men, and it was practically
the officials who showed me Mexico ! They were delightful ;
anything more considerate, more courteous, more kindly than
the behaviour of those men of all nationalities to me, a
stranger, could not possibly be imagined, and from the
bottom of my heart I thank them one and all for their
kindly aid, and unfailing and thoughtful help during my
185 days' sojourn in the Republic.

We left Vera Cruz in a special train, every mile of
the line to Alvarado becoming more and more tropical.
The glorious fan-like bamboos were missing, but the
palms and cocoa-nuts, the bananas and mangoes were
there. Strange round objects on trees, resembling ships'
buffers, attracted my attention.

" What are they ? " I asked.

" Hornets' nests," was the cheerful reply.

There were hundreds of them. What charming things
to disturb ! Egrets flew overhead, and when we reached
the lagoon, we saw thousands of buzzards along the water's
edge, tall, black, and forbidding, waiting for their carrion
prey.

My companions on this occasion were three men, J.

4IO MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

Fletcher Toomer, General Manao^er of the Vera Cruz
(Mexico) Railway, Limited; Arthur Colls, Secretary, and
Arthur J. Philbrick, Traffic Manager, Navigation Depart-
ment.

It is a pretty line, and I was amused to see the simple
native folk making starch from yucca root, which grows
freely in sand dunes. The root is soaked in large
tubs or troughs, under bamboo shelters, and subsequently
ground by hand, generally by the aid of rollers. By this
means a thick white fluid is extracted, which is spread in
troughs, and exposed to the sun in order to let the water
evaporate. A glutinous residue is left, yellow-brown in
colour, and as thick as molasses ; this is afterwards exposed
on the rush mats of the country to bleach ; it turns into
flakes, and is then fit to sell. There is a large industry in
starch among the Indians.

Perhaps those sand dunes may in the future develop
into golf links where the Indians of Alvarado will play !
Meantime the quaint little town is famous for tarpon and
oysters.

Our original plans having been slightly changed, we
reached our destination a day sooner than expected. It
is terrible to arrive a day too soon anywhere, because
things are not always ready. The river San Juan is
navigable to the town of that name from Alvarado, nearly
two hundred miles, and a big steamer runs as far as San
Nicolas, nearly half the distance. This steamer had been
painted for the occasion ; but as we arrived a day too
early, the black paint of the floor, and the white paint of
the walls were not quite dry, consequently we stuck above
and below, and round the corners ! Quite an ocean boat
with cabins and comforts ; but she could only go as far as
San Nicolas, where we were to change into a smaller craft.
This little steamer, with its flat bottom and hind wheel, was
still being carpentered. We, a party of four were to meet

RIVERS IN THE TROPICS. 411

Sir Weetman Pearson and eleven companions at San Juan
on their way back from Tehuantepec, and as we were all,
moreover, to live eighteen hours on board the smaller vessel,
on the return trip, a top roof had been added, and further
kitchen arrangements made, so she was not quite ready.
We took her in tow, with fourteen carpenters on board, who
finished their work by the way. Rather amusing to build
one's house as one goes along, and that on the water, too,
but such was actually the case.

What a transfer of goods ! Our special train from Vera
Cruz was composed of an engine, a luggage van, and the
directors' car, with cooks, butlers, and food for ten days.
The things came on board ; sixteen trestle beds and bed-
ding, wine and spirits, chairs and tables, food and cutlery,
pots and pans, everything and anything likely to be needed
by our small army of fifteen men and one woman !

But the greatest trouble of all was the ice-chest, a thing
weighing a ton, full of chickens, fish and eatables generally.
A dozen men were required to get it on to the boat, and
being natives, they insisted on doing it their own way.
Such a funny way, too ! They had rollers, but instead of
running and putting the roller down again in front of the
chest to keep the thing going, they would wait and think
about it, let the box drop down on its front edge, and then
have all the toil of lifting the end up again ! So thoroughly
Mexican ! We had a lovely twenty-four hours on that large
steamer, and I a four-berthed cabin to myself, which gives
some idea of the size of these five navigable rivers of
Southern Mexico.

In about three hours we reached Tlalcotalpam, quite a
flourishing town where, with ordinary boats, a number of
passengers generally land or come on board. Those great
rivers running up from the Isthmus, convey imported
goods to the haciendas, and bring back coffee, tobacco,
beans, log-wood, cedar, fustic (for dye), cotton, rubber,

412 MEXICO AS I SAW IT

cattle, and all manner of tropical fruits. Small villages are
springing up along the banks, since the steamship line was
inaugurated.

The rivers are at their lowest in March, just before the
rains begin, so we had chosen a bad time ; there is some-
times a difficulty in getting up the two hundred miles. They
are splendidly wide, but three feet is considered a good depth
of water in the higher reaches. We arrived at the end of
our big boat journey at night, and the carpenters manfully
struggled on with candles (round which thousands of moths
hovered), and succeeded in finishing the little steamer ready
for morning. There was a terrible mist at San Nicolas ;
all was hazy obscurity as we left our large vessel at six a.m.
and walked along a plank into the smaller craft. An excellent
hot breakfast, however, put us in good humour, and by nine
o'clock the sun came out to further cheer our hearts.

As the mist rose and the warmth increased, we saw
turtle swimming in the water, and alligators basking in the
sun. There are many less of the latter than formerly, as
an American company is doing its best to exterminate them
for the sake of their skins. What a picturesque trip it
was ! Indians were plying hither and thither in the streams
in their dug-out canoes. Boys and men were coming down
to the water's edge to fill their large jugs. Each piece of
pottery must have been three times the size of an ordinary
pail, and, when filled, really heavy, yet the natives carry
them on their shoulders supported by one or both hands.
After rolling up their white trousers they would walk into
the stream, fill their bowl, and then dragging it to the
water's edge, by some clever trick bend one knee, lift the
weight on to that limb, and, after but a moment's pause,
twist it up on to the shoulder, where a piece of sacking
or coarse stuff was already reposing to receive it. Such
a lazy, contented, happy, animal sort of existence was all
very Indian, tropical and interesting. As the day crept on

RIVERS IN THE TROPICS. 413

the heat increased, and then we sought refreshment by
drinking the fresh milk of the unripened cocoa-nut. Who
has not read the stirring tales of Marryat and Ballantyne
in youth, and learned the joys that fresh milk affords the
thirsty traveller ? We were not working hard, as did the
heroes of those thrilling romances ; we were merely bask-
ing in tropical sunshine, on a river steamer, with a fiat
bottom and a funny little paddle behind, like the famous
Mississippi boats, and yet we all thoroughly appreciated
that fresh milk ! The cocoa-nut was green. Cutting off
the top as one would an &gg, one discovered a white
woolly lining one-and-a-half inches thick. This would
later have been fibrous and useful for mat-making. After
cutting off the end, the milk was revealed. Three tumblers
of perfectly clear water, with a deliciously refreshing taste,
though in no way fiavoured with cocoa-nut. A thin brown
coating was beginning to adhere to the shell, and shortly,
if it had been left, the actual part which we call cocoa-nut
would have fastened to these edg^es as it formed itself out
of the liquid. The cocoa-nut rind was not yet set, and
therefore the entire shell was full of liuid. It was an ideal
drink, improved — the men declared — by a spoonful of gin,
not enouQ;h to disg-uise the milk, but to brino- out its
fiavour. A cocoa-nut bears at seven years of age, and its
life is about ten times that lengfth.

The turtles — or more properly speaking, terrapins, for
we were on fresh water — amused me. I had never seen
live turtles before, except at the famous " Ship and Turtle,"
in the City of London, where they swim about in tanks ;
although I had eaten them in soup at the Mansion House,
sitting next to a Lord Mayor ! Here they were on their
native heath — as an Irishman might say — and very happy
they looked. The Indians catch them in nets or creels,
something like lobster pots ; stew and eat them in lumps,
for the alderman's soup is unknown to Mexico !

414 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

Then there were the alligators — dozens, one might almost
say hundreds, of them. As we approached they were lying
on the banks, basking in the sun — grey-looking objects that
mio-ht have been the trunks of trees, they were so muddy.
Six or ten feet long seemed to be the average size, and one
distino-uished them from afar because their heads were
always pointed upwards.

" I will photograph one," said I, and accordingly the
camera was unearthed and I made my preparations. Up
till then we had seen them every few minutes ; now that all
was ready for the fray not one appeared for more than an
hour, and even when they did eventually emerge, it was
impossible to take them properly. They are shy, and as
they lay half asleep they heard the rattle of our engines in
the water, and with a start of surprise and fear, promptly
walked off and were lost to view. Alligators '• at home "
do not crawl, as I always imagined they did ; they get right
up on their little legs, and, head in air, march along quite
briskly. Their legs are like those of a dachshund, bent
and bowed, but they can almost run ! Alas, out of half-a-
dozen snap-shots none were really distinct. The northern
half of Mexico afforded splendid photographs, the air was
so clear, dry and sunny ; the shadows deep, the lights
brilliant — but in the tropics there is a moisture in the air
which gives a hazy look to the plates.

Parrots flew overhead, green as usual, and always in
couples. One never sees a solitary parrot ; they are birds
that seem to like company, and prefer to screech in pairs.
Perhaps parrots gossip, and therefore meet in couples to
wreck their neighbours' reputations.

Navigation in a low state of the river, and going against
the stream, becomes exciting at times. Our flat-bottomed
steamer was like a Thames house-boat, and when the water
grew shallow a man at each side stood in front, pole in hand.
Rings were painted in various colours a foot apart on these

Alligators on banks of tropical rivers.

Indian dug-out canoe, 150 years old ; River San Juan, Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

[^To face page j^\\

RIVERS IN THE TROPICS. 415

poles, and when the captain or pilot called out to take
soundings, these men dipped their poles, and cried : —

Dos y medio
Dos escasos
Dos largos
Fondo blando
Fondo duro

two-and-a-half feet.
two short,
two and a bit.
soft bottom,
hard bottom.

They almost sing these soundings, which so quickly
follow suit ; they only turn the big pole over in the hand
and dip it in again. In the silence of a tropical evening,
that song was charming. We got along quite happily in a
couple of feet of water ; in parts the river was quite deep,
but when it became shallower than twenty-four inches, or
we ran on to a sand-bank, trouble ensued.

Sand-banks in places were common, despite the width of
the river, and several times we were firmly caught. When
this occurred, down got the captain, out came the pilot, and
into the water both stepped, pole in hand, to find the best
way off or over. They wore no shoes, and apparently wet
trousers did not signify, for they waded about cheerfully
in the stream until they found what they wanted. At other
times, at some sharp bend where the current was strong,
we were swung round on to a bank and got hooked up
among the over-hanging trees. Then our two " sounding "
men produced long poles with forks at the end, and with all
their might and main shoved us off. We had no real
mishaps, because our only troubles were the shallows, and
there if things went very wrong one could always get off
and walk ashore ! So long as daylight lasted we steamed,
but in spite of a glorious moon we could not do so at night
owing to the constantly shifting hidden sand-banks, and
trunks of hidden trees called " snags " in our course, to say
nothing of the strength of the current.

We once drew up near a small native village about
7 p.m., to await the dawn of morning. Of course, all

4i6 . MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

the inhabitants came down to view us, and squatted on
their heels on the bank to watch us enjoying our dinner.
What amused them most ? Why, our knives and forks.
They had never seen anything so remarkable. T/iey
shovel in their food — if they are rich enough to have any
— with bits of tortillas, and that people should use a
fork instead of a piece of corn-cake, or that each person
should have a knife to himself was, they thought, extra-
ordinary.

Dinner over, the excitement of the camp began. Our
upper deck was exactly like the top of a Thames house-boat
(there were no cabins anywhere), excepting that we had two
or three plies of canvas roof to keep out the sun. Canvas
walls were let down at the sides, as far as the bulwarks,
and one end was partitioned off by a canvas screen for me.

This was my chamber ; a trestle bed, some blankets,
pillows, chair, and a tin tripod wash-handstand — which I
handed out for the use of others when done with — com-
pleted my furniture, but the little room was quite comfort-
able. On the other side of the canvas sheet my three com-
panions slept, while beyond, the captain and pilot twisted
themselves into balls in the very small wheel-house,
and below, the chef and butlers sought repose amid wine
cases and cutlery. The Indian crew and underlings took
their petate (grass mats), and, spreading them on the
bank, rolled their heads up in their blankets and went
to sleep, leaving the lower part of their bodies perfectly
bare. There were no mosquitoes, nothing to disturb our
peace. "Lights out " rang forth about ten o'clock; but
it was just as bright without them, for the moon shone
vividly and the stars twinkled merrily.

" Twinkle, twinkle, little star," dear old rhyme of our
youth, came back to me, as clearly and distinctly as though
it had been learnt but yesterday. Ah, those baby verses
were memorised when the slate of the mind was fresh and

RIVERS IN THE TROPICS. 417

clean ; its impression — like many impressions of one's
youth — seems indelible. As years roll by the slate
becomes crowded with manifold subjects, until some
memories have to be sponged off to make room for newer
impressions, and the last inscriptions become hazy and
blurred. If only we could keep our slates clean through
life, the tangled threads of memory would not get so
confused.

The night was calm and still ; the heat of a tropical day
had passed, and hour by hour it grew colder and colder
until the miasma of early morning rose from the river
and hung over the banks. By 4 a.m. we were enveloped
in a thick fog. Three blankets were not enough then, even
a fourth could not keep out the insidious damp, for the bed-
clothes became quite sodden. I put up my hand to my
hair — it was as wet as though I had just washed it ; but
then I was practically sleeping in the open — a roof of
canvas over my head and a screen of canvas around were
of no avail against mist which penetrated everywhere ; I
was wet through. It was not for long, however ; a couple
of hours later, with its first lifting, we started off again, and
then the warmth of the sun soon cleared it away. By
nine o'clock we were back in all the heat of another
tropical day, which was not overpowering by any means,
for we were moving and making a breeze as we swung
round the banks of the winding river.

Dressing was rather a funny entertainment, for the fog
still hung around, clothes felt cold and clammy ; but, when
one is happy, dreams of malaria do not trouble the mind,
and yellow fever germs had been left behind on the coast.

It seemed strange to see shoeless sailors all wearing
beautifully coloured scarves, smoking cigars — good cigars,
too, with a delicious aroma ; but then we were in the land
of tobacco, where cigars could be purchased at the modest
cost of three or four a penny ! They smoke a great deal,

41 8 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

those dark-skinned Indians, some of whom are splendid-
looking men. The type was often Jewish, but they were
all big and brawny with curly hair — not woolly or frizzy,
on the contrary, wavy and silky — and such glorious eyes !
They were just the folk to sit as artists' models, and the
touch of colour at their throats added a charm to the
picture. They were of the Zapotec tribe, descendants of
the people who built Mitla.

My companions — my three chaperons, as I called them —
dressed in white (shoes, coat, trousers and hat), looked
like Indian officers in their tropical cleanliness. Why is
it, I wonder, that this sort of attire is so becoming: }
Flannels, ducks, or neglige of any kind invariably suit a
man, though perhaps he never looks such a "gentleman " as
in that most hideous but refining of costumes, dress clothes.

Three days we spent on the river — three happy, indolent
days, basking in the sunshine, and letting the tropical
vegetation, flowers, foliage and animal life, sink into our
very souls. It was all so restful, so interesting, so re-
miniscent of Robinson Crusoe. Here were the jungled
forests, with the creepers and parasites hanging from the
boughs of the trees and re-planting themselves in the earth.
Seek where one would, one could find no admittance from
the banks ; it was all thick, impenetrable jungle. But
behind it tigers roamed, and a taper peered upon us from a
bough ; beneath heavy undergrowth snakes, three yards
long, were quietly crawling.

The real primeval forest is a very different thing from
the pictures we see in story-books. I remember once
sitting next to H. M. Stanley (now Sir Henry), of
" Darkest Africa " fame, at a Society of Authors' dinner,
when the conversation turned on the subject of primeval
forests. Mr. Stanley, usually a silent personage, on this
occasion — perhaps the result of a little anxiety concerning
the speech he was expected to make later in the evening,

RIVERS IN THE TROPICS. 419

and which he did admirably — proved talkative. One of his
remarks I well remember.

"A primeval forest," said he, "is an impenetrable wall,
which man's skill and pluck are sorely tried to enter."

These words came back to me on the Isthmus. Verily
an impenetrable wall. The undergrowth — six, eight, or
perhaps ten feet high — was so close, so jumbled, so inter-
woven that no human being could find space to stand.
A lofty palm here, a bamboo there, an orchid or a
mistletoe clinging to that cedar or mahogany tree, while
graceful tendrils descended from the boughs and took root
in the ground below. All things grew so thickly together
that it seemed impossible they could find room even to
take root ; but they did, and every variety of vegetation
appeared to thrive. This underwood is not so difficult to
clear as might be imagined ; it is simply ignited and burnt.
In the hot season everything is dry, and whole spaces are
easily cleared. No one could go into that jungle and cut
it down ! In the first place they could not get in, in the
second it is the home of snakes and lizards, scorpions and
reptiles of all sorts, to say nothing of larger animals and
venomous mosquitoes ; however, firing is comparatively
easy, and can to a great extent be guided and controlled.
The ash forms a manure, and a year later crops may be
raised on what but a few months previously was primeval
forest !

There were lovely green lizards (Iguana) about eighteen
inches to two feet long crawling up the banks, and later I
tasted one of them and found it excellent. The natives will
not eat ducks ; they consider they are filthy-living animals,
while these lizards, on the contrary, are clean and thought
a great luxury, as, indeed, is correct, for they taste like
chicken.

Towards sunset on the third day of our trip we neared
San Juan, the little native town which was our goal ; but

27*

420 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

there is " many a slip," as we all know, and about a mile
away we stuck ignominiously on a sand-bank ! Yes, we
stuck, and stuck hard and fast, too, and for an hour or more
it seemed as if we were unlikely ever to move again.
Signals of distress went up ; we whistled and whistled
again, till finally one of those large picturesque barges or
"dug-out" canoes, which do so much of the carrying trade
of the rivers, came to our rescue. It was said to be one
hundred and fifty years old, and was cut out of three long tree
trunks joined together, pointing upwards at each end. A
part of the deck was covered in with bamboo matting ; but
the heat of travelling slowly, and low down towards the
water, must have been terrible for passengers before steamers
were introduced. This canoe relieved us of our ice-chest
and wine-cases, of all the heavy things, in fact. Then
some thirty Indians, in nature's garb, descended into the
water and pulled with their hands or pushed with their legs,
making a prise or lever with poles, by means of which they
endeavoured to move the sand beneath our craft, some of
them working chains backwards and forwards also with
a view to accomplishing that object. For three hours,
in the gloam of evening, they worked, perspiring at every
pore, and eventually got us off. I had enjoyed it all,
for the moon was radiant, a beautiful tropical moon, the
evening warm, the scene quite lovely, and the dark figures
most picturesque.

The men worked to a sort of tune which reminded
me strangely of other scenes, thousands of miles away ; for
when I christened the " P. and O." steamer " Assaye " on
the Clyde a few months previously the men dug her out of
her cradle to much the same time and music. Poor Indians,
theirs was the longer and tougher job, for they had no
modern improvements, no greased " permanent ways," and
the tide was rolling the sand more and more against our
flat-bottomed craft every moment.

RIVERS IN THE TROPICS. 421

Suddenly a yell of triumph pierced the air, a joyful " She's
off" rang forth in many Indian dialects, and away we
steamed, about nine p.m., to the little town the lights of
which we had seen dimly flickering for hours !

A "special," composed of an engine and Sir Weetman
Pearson's own private car, had been sent up for us, and five
minutes after landing we were steaming away through the
stillness of the night, along the newly opened Juile Line to
join the Isthmus of Tehuantepec Railway, where we were to
meet a party of " men, men, nothing but men ! "

Was it not the famous Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough,
who, when asked by someone whether she liked books,
replied : " Books ! Prithee do not talk to me of books !
The only books I know are men and cards."

She would indeed have been in her element in Mexico !
We travelled all night, reaching Coatzacoalcos, the follow-
ing morning, where we joined Sir Weetman Pearson's party,
which consisted of General Mena, Minister of Communica-
tions, and formerly Mexican Minister in London and Paris ;
Julio M. Limantour, brother of the Minister of Finance ;
Carlos de Landa y Escandon ; Augustine Schulze, nephew
of the famous General Rincorn ; J. B. Body, Managing
Director of the Tehuantepec Railway ; Harold Pearson
(my host's son) ; H. H. Crabtree ; E. Sayer ; Miguel
Palacios, and others.

What a beautiful spot Coatzacoalcos is! Unfortunately,
I was not able to see much of it, for a "norther" had
sprung up, and a norther invariably absorbs one's whole
attention, and does not leave room for much else.

Mrs. Mellor, a lady from Jamaica, invited me to luncheon,
which was quite a remarkable meal. I was helped to some-
thing of a fishy nature, and the moment I tasted it ex-
claimed :

" Surely this is Norwegian fish-pudding ! "

" Yes," replied my hostess, " but how do you know that ? "

422 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

" Because I have eaten it sitting beside Dr. Nansen and
Bjornstjerne Bjornson in Norway ; but how on earth did
you get it in the tropics ? "

" By means of tins ; everything comes here in tins ! "

How little we home folk appreciate the possibilities of
tins. Later on we had a most excellent plum-pudding, my
Christmas pudding served in the tropics in March ; tinned
again. They are sent out in thousands from England to all
parts of the world, and eaten in the tropics with sunbeams
and monkeys peeping in at the windows, a reminder of
Christmas amid snow and ice ! Canning — as our American
friends call it — has reached wonderful perfection, and in
places like Mexico, where one lives to a great extent on
tinned foods, one learns their value and realises how good
they invariably are. Added to which, after seeing the
cleanliness of their preparation in a place like Chicago,
one gladly welcomes anything so sweet, wholesome and
palatable.

What a lot of things one learns by travelling !

Touchstone says : —

" When I was at home I was in a better place,
But travellers must be content."

Surely the one makes us appreciate the other !

A Tehuantc'pec !j;iii, uilli her "' lliiipil "' (lic;ul-L;c;ir)

To face page 423.]

423

CHAPTER XXV.

THE ISTHMUS OP^ TEHUANTEPEC*

Prophecy often works out its own fulfilment.

When in 15 19 Cortes arrived from Spain to conquer
Mexico, he landed at Vera Cruz ; but that harbour being
considered dangerous, he had the coast surveyed for sixty
leaofues further south, as far, indeed, as the Coatzacoalcos
river, which was finally decided upon as affording suitable
anchorage. Here a fort was built during the following
year, and a colony settled under Velasquez de Leon,
Nearly four hundred years later this chosen spot promises
to become one of the most important seaports in the
world.

From a letter written to Charles V. of Spain, it appears
that Cortes was most anxious to find a Strait which would
naturally unite the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. He saw
the immense importance of a direct route between those
vast seas. In vain he sought some natural channel ; but
finding none, and still realising the necessity of a connec-
tion for the purposes of trade, he conceived the idea of a
carriage road, by means of which to supply Spain with
spices from the East Indies, and return exports from
Europe to the Western hemisphere. Strong in his belief
of the ultimate importance of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec
Cortes selected tracts of land on the Coatzacoalcos river,

* Reprinted, with additions, from the Fortnightly, by permission.

424 MEXICO AS I SAW IT,

inland towards Oaxaca and Mitla, and further west towards
the town of Tehuantepec near the Pacific coast, which tracts
were finally conferred on him by grants from Charles V.
This far-seeing Spanish conqueror succeeded even in those
days to work mines on his property at considerable profit
— Oaxaca still being famous for its production of ore
although not so much mining is done on the Isthmus now
as formerly. History also asserts that the first gold to
excite the greed of Spain was obtained by the conquerors at
Chinamoca near Coatzacoalcos. To-day, however, agricul-
ture is the great wealth of the Tehuantepec country.
Petroleum has also lately been found there, which it is
proposed to use in the locomotives ; for a daily passenger
train is now running across the Isthmus, to say nothing of
freiofht trains.

Humboldt, three hundred years after Cortes, saw
the enormous possibilities of the Tehuantepec Isthmus
route between the East and the West, speaking of
it as the " Bridge of the World's commerce," and
to-day the prophecies of these two men are becoming
realities; for the Isthmus of Tehuantepec promises to
revolutionise the traffic of the Eastern and Western
hemispheres.

Trade is ever increasing in the world. People grow more
luxurious with every decade. The working classes now
enjoy their tea from China and Ceylon, their sugar from
the West Indies, their tobacco from Havannah, their grain
from Russia or the United States, and their spices from
the East Indies. What does this mean } Simply, every
year more and more export and import, more and more
interchange of goods. Over the whole world, in fact, traffic
is increasing, and the shortest and cheapest routes naturally
attract most custom.

No trade caravans could face the vast deserts, or the
wild Indians in the far north-west, therefore a shorter and

THE ISTHMUS OF TEHUANTEPEC. 425

more southern route for commerce became a necessity. A
cart road, as suggested by Cortes, was accordingly made
across the Isthmus, and coaches ran from Minatitlan to
Salina Cruz on the Pacific, carrying the miners and settlers
who flocked to California over fifty years ago when gold
was first discovered there. Later arose the idea of con-
structing a railway for ships to be dragged across ; a canal
was also proposed. No ship railway has as yet been
constructed anywhere ; but some years back the idea of
conveying vessels across narrow necks of land, by means
of innumerable trucks running on several parallel lines of
rail, was much discussed by engineers. The project took
definite shape about twelve years ago, when one was
partly made between Canada and Nova Scotia with the
object of saving the detour round the latter. Financial
troubles overtook the company, and the scheme was
abandoned.

The Government of Mexico finally conceived the plan
of making a railway across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec,
and in 1895 finished the line. Unfortunately they did
not then realise that it was of little use running a rail-
way from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific coast unless
they a'lso provided suitable harbours where large ships
could enter at all times. This railway, however, proved
the first step towards success. General Diaz, assisted
by his ministers, found that important harbours at both
ends were necessary ; but Government required co-
operation in so great an enterprise. They realised the
necessity of spending money on the ports ; but they also
felt the working of the entire scheme would have a
better chance in private hands, than if undertaken solely
by Government.

At that time Sir Weetman Pearson — head of the firm of
S. Pearson and Son — was already building the harbour at
Vera Cruz, which wonderful piece of engineering I saw

426 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

almost completed in March, 1901. He had also made
the Drainage Canal in the valley of Mexico City for the
Government, and saw great possibilities in the Tehuan-
tepec scheme. As the result of many conferences, the
Government of Mexico and Sir Weetman Pearson agreed
to become partners for a term of fifty years, in the gigantic
project of working the Isthmus of Tehuantepec Railway
and building harbours at Coatzacoalcos on the Mexican
Gulf and Salina Cruz on the Pacific.

It was arranged that fine deep-water ports should be
constructed at both ends of the ocean-to-ocean railway.
These ports — which will probably cost three millions ster-
ling — are to be paid for by the Government and built by
Pearson and Son. The Government, which has already
spent nearly four millions sterling on the railway, agreed
to spend half a million more, and there the Mexican obli-
gations end. Pearson and Son become their partners, and
are allowed a free hand, so that this huge undertaking may
be run upon business lines. The Government is to be
congratulated upon its prescience in having arranged that
a commercial enterprise of international importance should
not be weighted by departmental control in its every-day
working. Below is a resimte of the agreement.

The maximum rates for traffic are to be : Passenger, first-class, four cents ; second-
class, three cents ; third-class, two cents ; merchandise per metric ton, from three cents
for sixth-class to eight cents for first-class. Rates on domestic merchandise shall be
differential and on a decreasing scale. The distribution of the merchandise among the
six classes shall be effected, in concert with the Department of Communications and
Public Works, every three years. Cereals shall be always counted in the third-class,
rails and such like shall enjoy a rebate of thirty per cent, from the third-class rate ; the
charge for coal will be one-and-a-half cents per ton per kilometre if in carload lots
and destined for consumption in Mexico. The Government shall have a rebate for the
transportation of coal, troops, immigrants, etc. Mails are to be carried free.

Rates for telegrams shall be, for every ten words sent lOO kilometres, fifteen cents.

At the ports of Coatzacoalcos and Salina Cruz, the Government charge will be for
pilotage and sanitary dues one-half of the lowest rate at Vera Cruz or Tampico ; for
wharfage twenty-five cents a ton ; and also a transit due of forty cents per ton of mer-
chandise, or per passenger.

THE ISTHMUS OF TEHUANTEPEC. 427

The company, within the maximum tariff' given, have the right to fix the rate on all
through traffic.

No consular invoices are required for merchandise transported over the railway to be
re-shipped. Merchandise will not be subject to Custom House examination unless it
be destined for consumption in Mexico. No passports will be required of persons in
transit.

The company may organise a Navigation Company to work in conjunction with the
railway, in the Pacific, and also in the Atlantic.

Vessels belonging to the maritime service shall enjoy a twenty-five per cent, reduction
in sanitary and pilotage dues and fifty per cent, in other dues in other ports of the
Republic.

The Government may avail itself of the ships of the company, in case of war, on
payment of a monthly remuneration.

If it is necessary to extend the railway or ports, the company can borrow money,
offering as security the proceeds of the railway and ports.

When the contract is ended, any bonds that may have been so issued shall be re-
deemed by the Government, unless the Government decides to take upon itself the
obligations connected with said bonds and debt. From the other securities belonging
to the company, the Government and the company shall be paid for the capital in-
vested, and the surplus divided.

The Government binds itself not to grant during the period of this contract any con-
cession for the operation of other railways or ports within fifty kilometres of these
works, and it will not authorise railway lines, which now have the right to connect with
the Tehuantepec Railway, to make special transit or through rates from the Gulf to the
Pacific.

There is not much doubt that sooner or later the Nicar-
agua or Panama Canal will be miade, not so much on
account of necessity from a mercantile point of view, as
from its being a political necessity for the United
States Navy. The cost of any canal prohibits its com-
pletion as a private enterprise. It must be a Gov^ernment
work. Governments move slowly. Besides, the great
railways stretching across the United States have interests
that would be seriously affected if a canal were made,
and they do not usually allow rapid legislation when such
affects their purses. Hence it will probably be years
before the matter is seriously taken in hand by the Execu-
tive in Washington. Then it will probably require ten to
fifteen years to construct before the first man-of-war will
be able to sail through the canal, and Tehuantepec will
still claim freight and passenger traffic, and remain a great
commercial route.

428 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

As said previously, this new Tehuantepec route is likely
to revolutionise the carrying trade between the East and
West, most of which hitherto has been carried in the North
by the Southern Pacific Railway, but even apart from taking
any of that, commerce is increasing so rapidly, the new route
is sure to get its full share of freight. Meantime, the Panama
Railway has long had a monopoly in the South. Its earn-
ings must have been about ;!{^ 180,000 a year net, in spite of
lack of port facilities and its often prohibitive rates. Speak-
ing roughly, 1,500,000 tons annually is at present the
average trans-continental trade carried by the Panama and
United States Railways, and this trade is steadily increas-
ing. The bulk of this trade is between the Eastern States
and California ; but tea and silk from the Orient, with cotton
as the return freight, is no inconsiderable traffic.

The Tehuantepec Railway will be ready to commence its
carrying trade towards the end of 1902, long before Nicara-
gua can even be begun ! Apparently the route is looked
upon as practical, for a Chinese ship arrived when we were
at Tehuantepec, and insisted on discharging her cargo,
although assured that the Isthmus route was not then ready
to deal with heavy traffic. When completed every modern
facility for the cheap and quick handling of freight will
be provided.

The Tehuantepec Isthmus has several advantages :
primarily it is the shorter route. This shortening of
mileao-e is one of the dominatino- factors that ensures
success. It may be well to mention here that Tehuan-
tepec is 1,300 miles north of Panama and 800 miles north
of Nicarao'ua, and has therefore reduced on the Pacific
Ocean alone the distance between all Atlantic and Northern
Pacific ports by those considerable figures, while on the
Atlantic side the saving, though not so great, is also
considerable.

The followincy table shows the Q-ain in mileaq-e between

THE ISTHMUS OF TEHUANTEPEC. 429

certain points by the Tehuantepec Railway over the
Panama route : —

Via Panama.

Via

Tehuantepec.

Gain of Mileage

Plymouth to San Francisco

9>oi3

7,767

1,336

New York ,, ,,

6,270

5,005

1,265

New Orleans to ,,

5,596

3.5S6

2,010

Liverpool to Yokohama

14,540

13-455

1,085

New York ,,

11,256

10,006

1,250

New Orleans ,,

10,611

8,637

1,974

New York and Manilla .

12,602

",563

1,039

To realise the distances it is well to remember that it is
only about 3,000 miles from England to New York. From
New Orleans via Tehuantepec to San Francisco is 2,000
miles less than by Panama, which is a saving of two-thirds
of the distance from England to New York. Coatza-
coalcos, which is the Atlantic terminus of the Tehuantepec
route and 800 miles south of New Orleans, is, strange as it
may seem, nearer to San Francisco by the new route than
is New Orleans via the Southern Pacific Railway, which
is the usual mode of travel.

The Tehuantepec Railway charge from ship's side to
ship's side will, it is expected, not exceed sixteen shillings
per ton, and the Pacific Ocean part of the journey to San
Francisco will probably cost ten shillings a ton, making
a total charge for freight of twenty-six shillings a ton from
Coatzacoalcos, on the Gulf of Mexico, to San Francisco.
The United States Railways charge about sixty shillings
a ton, from ocean to ocean, which is only about a farthing
a ton per mile. The Panama rates are, roughly speaking,
twenty shillings a ton. If, therefore, the Tehuantepec
route carries freight from ship's side to ship's side for sixteen
shillings per ton, the saving to shippers over the Panama
route will be fully four shillings a ton in railway freight
alone, and from 1,265 ^o 2,010 miles sea freight on all
North Pacific trade ; whilst the saving over the ail-rail
freights will be thirty per cent., or one-third, of the price
of the trans-continental lines.

430

MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

The Tehuantepec route is undoubtedly the most Im-
portant scheme in Mexico to-day, hence these details.

We had a special train for the inspection trip, and
travelling under such circumstances is a luxury. First of
all was an engine with its cow-catcher in front, and all the
latest improvements. Then the servants' accommodation,
followed by the kitchen, where the cooking had to be done
for sixteen people requiring three meals a day, with a few-
extra guests thrown in, as generally two or three district
engineers joined our family party. Then came the dining-
room. This was not so luxurious as a Pullman, as it was only
improvised for the occasion. What is called a box-car, that
is to say, a shut-in van for freight, had been painted and
done up, extra canvas roofs added, and windows knocked
in at the sides. The result was excellent, for it allowed
a lone narrow table at which we could all sit with comfort,
a rude sideboard at the end where cold viands for hungry
men stood in rows, and plenty of room for the darkie
porters to move about. Beyond this was another box-car,
fitted up with bed-rooms, just like little cabins. It must be
understood that the Tehuantepec line is from ocean to
ocean, and it is therefore not joined by any other branch
whatsoever, consequently every car or engine has to be
brought by sea, or made on the Isthmus. In other places it
would be quite easy to procure ordinary carriages and just
run them along the already existing lines ; however, more
resource and enterprise is required where such means of
transport do not exist.

In these ingenious cabins the engineers of the party
slept. Beyond was the drawing-room of the train, namely,
Sir Weetman Pearson's own car. This had been brought
by sea from Vera Cruz to Coatzacoalcos, and I understand
great difficulty was experienced in getting such an enormous
structure on to the deck of the ship !

Verily it was a charming abode. At the far end was the

THE ISTHMUS OF TEHUANTEPEC. 431

observation drawinof-room with its cflass windows and
balcony, over which fell a striped awning. The drawing-
room at night was metamorphosised into a chamber with
four beds, partitioned by curtains, in which Sir Weetman,
General Mena and others slept, as they kindly gave me
the state bedroom, quite a palatial little place with a brass
bedstead and a bath !

The Mexicans of the party usually played cards every
evening, for apparently the Mexican cannot live without
this excitement, while Sir Weetman, surrounded by maps
and charts, figures and facts, discussed millions of pounds
or centavos of copper with his Staff.

Our train pulled up when necessary, that we might
examine some culvert or bridge, or, when requisite, in-
spect a pit of ballast. At interesting places we stayed for
hours, and over the less picturesque tracts sped on our
way by night. This was the perfection of comfort while
travelling, and I am afraid that I was spoilt in " Mexico
as I saw it."

Tehuantepec is in the tropics. It lies in the most
southern corner of Mexico, bordering on Yucatan, and is
the narrowest point of land between the two great oceans.
The Tehuantepec Railway, which is but one hundred and
ninety miles long and the highest point of which only
reaches seven hundred and fifty feet, runs due north and
south ; at one end is Coatzacoalcos, at the other Salina
Cruz, near the town of Tehuantepec. Coatzacoalcos, until
lately, was little more than a village. It is beautifully
situated at the mouth of a fine river of the same name,
which runs into the Gulf of Mexico. This river is
navigable for seventy miles, and at the town itself is a
quarter of a mile broad, where it forms a fine natural
harbour ; but, unfortunately, the bar has until now been a
great obstacle, as only ships of limited draught — fifteen
feet — could cross it.

432 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

All this is being changed. Jetties, nine hundred feet
apart, on much the same principles as at Tampico, and
at the mouth of the Mississippi, are now in course of
construction ; which, by confining the water into a
narrow space, will scour away the bar, and eventually
allow large ocean vessels to enter at any season. These
jetties will always maintain between thirty and forty feet of
water in the channel. The new quays along the river
banks are to be two-thirds of a mile long, so that eight
large ships can discharge at the same time. Parts of these
quays are already finished, and look most substantial and
business-like. Fine offices are being erected at the back,
and quite an important town seems likely to develop
rapidly.

But, in the meantime, although it has doubled itself during
the last two years — the population to-day being over five
thousand — it is still a funny, primitive little place. For-
merly, anyone who bought a piece of land built a house
after his own idea, and the result of this want of system
was naturally of an "anyhow" description. The streets
were of sand without any attempt at paving or draining,
and the little wooden houses most insanitary. The
Government of Mexico, however, is rapidly altering all
this, and also at the port of Salina Cruz on the Pacific
Slope. They have acquired houses and land in both
places, and are building entirely new towns, properly
planned and thoroughly drained. They are also institut-
ing splendid water supplies, so that Coatzacoalcos and
Salina Cruz will, it is expected, shortly be exempt from
yellow fever, and other tropical ills. Indeed, the Govern-
ment is sparing neither pains nor money in making both
towns thoroughly healthy, and, by starting on such scientific
and sanitary lines, they are almost sure of success ; at all
events they deserve it. I was on the Isthmus at the
beginning of the hot season when yellow fever is at its

THE ISTHMUS OF TEHUANTEPEC. 433

worst, but I only heard of three victims to that terrible
scourge.

A movement is being made at the present moment to
investigate yellow fever among other tropical diseases ;
but Universities are always poor, and an opportunity awaits
any wide-minded millionaire, who is willing to expend
some thousands of pounds for the good of humanity.
Such a generous act would benefit the whole human race,
for yellow fever is one of the greatest scourges of the
earth.

If once yellow fever were eradicated, hundreds of sea-
ports in tropical lands would be opened to the world as
desirable residential homes.

I was greatly struck with the country between the two
coasts. Eight or ten feet of soil is common, and anything
and everything seems to grow. On the Pacific Slope the
climate is dry, but on the Gulf side it is wet. The
Isthmus, for a tropical land, is considered healthy, by
reason of the fresh current of air always blowing from
one ocean to the other. Entering the town of Tehuantepec
the railway runs through the chief street. This town, to
which the Isthmus owes its name, is extremely picturesque.
Strangers are almost unknown, and many quaint habits,
customs, and costumes still remain. Strange to say, how-
ever, in this very un-up-to-date, far-away spot, " women's
rights" are undisputed! Ninety per cent, of the trade is
done by women, and a wife has to vouch for her husband
before he can even get credit! Indeed, woman reigns
supreme. The market-place presents a curious spectacle ;
hardly a man is to be seen ; in fact, cutlery seems to be the
only trade he is allowed to ply. Not only do the women
predominate in business, but they prove beyond all doubt,
that because a woman can earn a livelihood, it is not
necessary for her to be either ugly or mis-shapen. On the
contrary, the women of Tehuantepec are remarkable for

434 MEXICO AS I SAIV IT.

their beauty of face and form. Dark-skinned with glorious
soft eyes and masses of wavy black hair, they possess
exquisite features and lovely teeth. They are the most
beautiful women in Mexico, and their carriage at once
attracts attention. Small in stature, they are fine in limb ;
in fact, the girls of Tehuantepec seem born models for an
artist.

A ball in the market-place at Tehuantepec town is a
wonderful sight. The women wear a quaint head-dress,
called huepil, which is composed of coarse white lace, and
can be utilised in three different ways. At a. dance it is
wound about the neck and stands out all round like a huge
Elizabethan ruff. In church it is put on the head, some-
thing like a Boulogne fishwife's cap, only that it is larger,
while for ordinary wear the huepil is simply laid on the
hair, and folds of lace hang down the back. It seems a
curious form of head-dress to a stranger, but is neverthe-
less becoming, although it affords little or no protection
from the sun.

The feet of the richest Tehuanatepecana are invariably
bare, even at a ball ; but she makes up in jewellery for
what she omits in foot covering, and her chains, rich gems,
gold and silver ornaments are marvellous to behold. On
such occasions the wealthy ladies wear the huepil made of
gold lace.

These olive-skinned queens of the tropics are indeed
beautiful. They are full of grace, and dance exceedingly
well.

A short distance from Tehuantepec is the sea-port of
Salina Cruz. So curious is the position of this tropical bay,
running as it does exactly east and west, that the sun rises
in the sea and sets in the sea each day during the greater
part of the year. It is here that the most important harbour
works are in progress. An English inland clock, fifty acres
in extent, is being built, planned in such a way that its size

THE ISTHMUS OF TEHUANTEPEC. 435

can be doubled should necessity arise. Even at low tide
there will be thirty-three feet of water, thereby providing
for the increased draught of vessels that may be expected
in the future. Salina Cruz harbour will easily accommodate
a million tons of shipping annually, and is shielded by the
hills from the prevailing storms known as " northers." A
protecting breakwater is being built of stone, covered with
blocks of concrete weighing forty tons. This breakwater
will be nearly three-quarters of a mile in length, and is being
formed by a monster crane called a " Titan," which lifts
with ease blocks of fifty tons weight and deposits them in
the sea. The dock, like the quays at Coatzacoalcos, is
being fitted with the most up-to-date machinery for the
discharge of vessels, so that in minimum number of hours
cargo may be dispatched to the opposite coast. The present
little village stands on the site of the former dock, and is
being swept away to be replaced by a modern town now
being built on the rising ground near the harbour.

The train passes for miles and miles through a vast
acreage of primeval forest, a sort of jungle of every kind
of tropical tree and shrub, intermixed with palms of
various kinds.

At certain seasons of the year Mexican Indians live
entirely on the wild produce of the forest. Natives find
bananas, pine-apples, cocoa-nuts, and dozens of tropical
fruits, such as Manila mango, anona, aguacate, sapote
grande, and a variety of plums unknown in England. They
can shoot with their blow-guns game enough to supply
their larder, and being lazy, prefer to live by the chase
rather than on the results of their work.

The Isthmus is the native home of maize, which under
cultivation yields two crops annually, each averaging sixty
bushels to the acre. It sometimes happens that a sower
and a reaper may be seen working in the same field at the
same time.

28*

436

MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

Large quantities of maize are exported from Mexico, as
may be seen from the table below : —

Quantity.

Articles.

1S97.

1898.

1899.

Lbs.

Rice

Wheat ...

817,920

2,392,648
10,449,288

762,908
226,765

Wheat Flour
Maize
Barley . . .

78,775
2,543.174

7,041,400

11,160,611

5,663,926

6,750

1,413,481

35,779,000

There are sixty different kinds of humming-birds, most of
whom can be found on the Isthmus, but although beautiful
of plumage, they do not really sing.

Mexican coffee is rapidly coming into notice, and selling
yearly in large quantities. The coffee export in 189S was
380,714 cwt., and in 1899, 357,113 cwt. Everyone drinks
coffee, therefore the probable production is something like
10,000,000 cwt. per annumi. Mexican coffee is about the
finest in the world. Report says the Emperor of Germany
drinks nothing else. It grows to perfection on the Isthmus,
where it is also found wild.

The cacao bean is likewise indigenous, and from that, of
course, chocolate is made. Even in the old Aztec days
chocolate was a favourite beverage. The Isthmus is claimed
as the natural home of rubber, and large areas are now
under cultivation, Mexican rubber is worth about eighty
cents (gold) per lb., and a good tree yields from two to four
pounds annually when from eight to twelve years old. It
is computed that a rubber forest of 1,000 acres, containing
250 trees to the acre, ought to yield 250,000 dollars profit,
or a dollar a tree annually. Large tracts of country are
already under cultivation ; but the greater portion remains
to be cleared. Although there is still a wild primitive
charm about the place, there are something like a hundred

THE ISTHMUS OF TEHUANTEPEC. 437

thousand inhabitants scattered along the sea-ports, rivers,
and railroads. In fact, from three to four thousand people
are at present employed merely on the new route.

As far as agricultural production goes, Tehuantepec is a
veritable Paradise, and were it not for the dangers to health
which always accompany life in a tropical climate, it would
be a veritable Garden of Eden ; and as before mentioned,
Mr. Le Plonchon declares the true Garden of Eden was
in Yucatan, close by. The climate is equable ; there are
winter and summer months, the rains falling during the
latter season, but spring and autumn are unknown. My
visit was in the beginning of the hot weather ; the ther-
mometer was about loo F. deo-rees in the shade ; but the
heat did not seem overpowering, the mornings and evenings
were so lovely. One of the greatest products is sugar.
Like coffee, it o-rows wild, but when under cultivation the
cane frequently has twenty-eight joints, and reaches a
diameter of two or three inches. Rice often yields two
crops without any re-sowing or attention. Cotton does well
in parts, and pine-apples flourish. I was told the latter
sometimes weigh as much as 15 lbs. each. We saw acres
and acres of them growing wild along the side of the track.

On our return trip, before we rejoined our large steamer,
I had rather an interesting experience. In consequence of
the lowness of the water — for the anticipated summer rains
had not yet arrived — we did not accomplish the journey
back to San Nicolas in one day, and as we were unable
to travel at night, and our whole party of sixteen could not
possibly sleep on that small deck, we managed to anchor near
an hacienda. This grand farm had five beds to offer, and
accordingly five of us went off" to sleep on shore. It was a real
Southern Mexican farm, and therefore merits description.

We had dined on board, to the accompaniment ot a
village band on the bank, and enjoyed our meal before an
audience composed of the inhabitants of the entire village.

438 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

About nine p.m., escorted by ship's lanterns, we scrambled
up the bank to our shore house. A railing surrounded the
garden, on which were roosting dozens of black birds with
white tips to their wings ; these were zopilotes or buzzards.
They are the scavengers of Mexico, and are protected by
law. It is believed they have no sense of smell, and as
they cannot see prey at night, they merely sit and wait till
dawn. What a size they are ! Almost as big as turkeys ;
and how they pounce clown on a dead animal and tear it to
shreds ! Horrible stories are told. It is said that if a man
be dying, these buzzards will hover round the house for hours.
Instinct tells them death is at hand ; so that when they flock
near a dwelling where there is illness the natives do not try
to do any more for their sick friend, and will even go so far
as to prepare for his funeral before life departs if the buzzards
persistently remain.

The " death signals " did not move as we approached,
they barely lifted their heads. We crossed the garden, in
which, strange to say, many beautiful flowers were growing
— the chatelaine of the house prided herself on her garden ;
the beds had been enclosed with brick or stone for purposes
of irrigation, and she watered and tended the plants herself.
The result was highly satisfactory, and before I left the
following morning she kindly presented me with some lovely
roses. As a rule no care is taken of gardens in Mexico, for
so many orchids, palms and flowers grow wild outside, people
do not care to water plants inside their fence ; therefore
artificial flowers are more often found in houses than real
ones, simply because the real die so quickly in those sultry
lands, and the others give less trouble.

A wide balcony ran right round that big rambling house,
and on to it opened large green-shuttered doors from the
rooms. They had no windows, not a single pane of glass was
there in that large building ; one door opened on to the court-
yard or patio, the other on to the balcony, and all through the

THE ISTHMUS OF TEHUANTEPEC. 439

day both doors stood wide, while Hght and air were admitted
through these apertures, but at night everything was closed.

At the front entrance, drawn up in two lines along the
balcony, were rows of chairs. On one side sat the lady of
the house and all her women-folk, hand-maidens and
children ; on the other side was the Ranchero with his
followers. All rose to greet us as we entered, but everyone,
including the lady, continued to smoke a long cigar. A
couple of trestle beds had been put up for some of our party
in the brick-floored hall ; in the room beyond two neat little
cots had been prepared, with clean white mosquito curtains,
and I was allotted an adjacent room to myself. It had three
doors, not one of which boasted a bolt.

We all bowed, we all shook hands, the proficient Spanish
scholars or Mexicans of the party chatted pleasantly, and
finally, with the aid of a lamp, I retired to bed. The room
was large, and my bed was enveloped in a mosquito net
although there were no mosquitos. Mattress there was
none, but a plaited grass mat was swung on the wooden
trestles from side to side, somewhat resembling a stretched-
out hammock. These grass mats are common in hot lands ;
they are cool, pliable and clean, and although a little hard
for unaccustomed elbows, they are really quite nice and
sensible. Sheets there were none, only a couple of red
blankets in case the night grew chilly and a pillow in a fine
linen case. At the other end of the room was a large old-
fashioned four-post bed ; but it had no bottom, and its
frame was used to support sacks of potatoes, one of which
having burst, its contents were lying on the brick floor.
The owners of the house were well-to-do people, yet the
enamelled tin basin stood on an old box, and even at the
bedside there was no carpet. I opened a door leading on
to the patio before going to bed, for the potatoes made their
presence known by their odour, but I did not like to open
that on the verandah in case a wild-cat, lion, jaguar, or

440.^ --. MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

leopard should take a fancy to walk into my room, for these
beasts still wander at large. I looked carefully for a scorpion,
for it seemed just the place to find one, but as nothing more
venomous than a spider the size of a dollar-piece appeared,
I dived behind my curtains and slept.

Before daylight we were up. Three whistles from our
steamer was the signal to get ready, and when I emerged
from my spacious chamber I found the entire household had
resumed their seats in rows upon the balcony to formally
bid us good-bye. The lady was smoking again, and some
were engaged in busily rolling the green tobacco on their
knees into cigars. But — and this was really amazing — a
little boy not quite three years old was busily puffing away
at a large cigar ! Yes, such small children are allowed to
smoke ! This infantile person, two years and ten months
old, seemed to thoroughly enjoy his weed, which was at
least eig-ht inches lono-.

It was extraordinary to see a full-sized cigar in his baby
mouth, yet he puffed at it most professionally, while in his
left hand he held a banana from which he took bites
between the puffs, occasionally stopping to play with a
small mongrel puppy !

" Does he often smoke ? " I asked the mother, in amaze-
ment.

" Si, Sefiora, he smokes three or four cigars a day ; all
our children have done so at that age."

" Does he ever let it out ? " I asked.

" No, never," replied his fond mamma, " he would con-
sider that a disgrace. He lights it himself, and smokes it
through."

Adaptability of temperament to climate !

The child looked perfectly well and chubby, as he ate
bananas in the intervals of smoking ; it apparently did not
interfere with his appetite. It was a tobacco hacienda,
and much of the produce went by river to Alvarado, and

THE ISTHMUS OF TEHUANTEPEC. 441

thence to England by sea, where it is probably sold as the
best Havanah !

The estimated production of tobacco in Mexico was : — In
1898, /i7,o54,828.

The revolution in the island of Cuba has served as an
impulse to the tobacco industry on the Isthmus, and the
growers have extended their plantations, especially in the
southern part of the Republic, with the result that the
exports in 1898 were nearly double those of 1897, and were
destined for the markets of Germany, France, Belgium and
New York.

On the Isthmus as everywhere else in Mexico, the better
class people are of Spanish origin, and Spanish is their
language. The natives are of Indian descent, mostly of
the Zapotec tribe, the same people who are supposed to
have built the magnificent ancient temples of Mitla, w^hich
lie only one hundred miles north of Tehuantepec. How
glad I was I had not attempted to ride that hundred miles,
for my illness would have overtaken me on the way, and " a
hundred miles from everywhere " would have proved more
disastrous even than those bites actually did — and they were
bad enough, in all conscience ! What a pity tropical lands
have such drawbacks !

The Indians are a fine people as a rule, lazy and indolent
like all Southern peoples, and yet on occasions they will
travel fifty miles per diem on foot through the mountains,
and keep that pace up for days together. They can carry
great weights on their heads — a hundred to a hundred and
fifty pounds being quite a usual load. In some parts of the
Isthmus they have a curious fashion of tying weights to the
horses' tails, which the animals drag without any apparent
trouble along the mountain tracks.

Labour, as we have seen, is a great difficulty in Mexico.
The Indian in the south seems to have even less ambition
than his brother in the north ; he lives on little or nothing,

442 MEXICO AS I SAJJ^ IT.

he does not want to save, so he only works when he
actually wants money, and never on ?i fiesta or saint's day, of
which there seems an endless number in the country.

The Indian peon's soul has never expanded; dwarfed at
birth, he is narrowed by habit until his mind has become so
vacant that he does not own one thought to rub against
another. Hugging superstition, and the art of idleness,
which he understands full well, are his only joys. He
must have intuitive knowledge of Robert Louis Stevenson's
" Apology for Idlers." Stevenson gave a smiling boy a
coin for his cheerfulness and happy expression ! He
would not have required to disburse many such coins
among the Mexican Indians, but they know how to love
passionately.

It is a daily occurrence for a man or woman to go to a drug
store and ask for a " love potion,'" just as was done in the
days of Juliet ; they drink the draught, and pay their centa-
vos, happy in the belief that their sweetheart will return their
affection.

There is another beautiful many-coloured bird in Mexico
called Chupa-mirto, the first word meaning suction, the
second a flower. One day on a country road we saw a
man fondlino- a little dead bird, but when he found we were
watching him, he opened his cotton shirt and placed it inside,
next his heart.

" Ah, that is a common superstition," said a friend. " The
Indians think so long as they carry a Chupa-mirto next their
skin, the man or woman they love cannot play them false.
If they are enamoured with someone who does not care for
them, they think they will win the love by keeping the bird
next their heart."

It is a pretty bird, and a pretty superstition.

All Indians are afraid of the evil eye ; but they do not
paint a hand upon their houses, as do the people in Morocco,
to protect them against misfortunes.

THE ISTHMUS OF TEHUANTEPEC. 443

They also fear the cry of the owl. A popular saying is
that "the owl is the Indian's enemy," and when he cries a
Mexican dies.

The deer is no longer respected, he is killed for his skin ;
but in the time of the Spanish invasion the deer was as
sacred an animal in Mexico as the bull is in India to-day,
and no one ever shot one of the pretty creatures. That
superstition has died out.

Of course there are witches, as already noticed ; but one
very common practice is to get them to make a love effigy.
For example, if a girl is in love, and the object of her
affection jilts her and marries another girl, the first love
goes off to the nearest witch. Together they make an
effigy in r_ags — not clay or wax, but rags when it is a love
case — and having painted his face and dressed him up as
near to life as they can (although the one I saw resembled
nothing in heaven or earth), they put pins into his vital
parts, his heart, his lungs, his stomach or his head, singing
a weird incantation the while. If the Fates are kind the
unfaithful lover soon afterwards sickens at one of these
points, pines aw^ay and dies.

Such then are the people. The possibilities of the
Isthmus itself may be gathered from this sketchy account
of the land and its yield. It must be remembered that
there have been greater battles than Waterloo, yet none
have perhaps so affected human destiny. There are greater
railroads than Tehuantepec, but none are likely so com-
pletely to change the course of the world's commerce than
this short route.

Up till now it remains practically virgin country, so little
has been done for its development ; but with the opening-
up of this great Isthmus route matters must rapidly change.
Capital will flow into the country, enterprise will arise,
and in a few years all will be different. With the march of
civilisation, hospitals and ice-making machines are already

444 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

being put up in the towns, so really the Isthmus is becoming
quite up-to-date !

The Tehuantepec route will be shorter and cheaper than
those already in existence. In addition to its through
traffic, its local freight will be considerable, for it practically
opens up a new tropical country, able to produce abundantly
and distribute economically, for which reasons it promises,
humanly speaking, to prove a great success.

We were a very jolly party on that Tehuantepec trip.
I had learned that champagne was more easily procured
than milk, and foie gras than bread ! It was a journey full
of interest, a journey into an almost unknown land as far as
civilised visitors go, and yet we had a chef and a butler ;
but, alas ! like all the good things of life it drew only too
quickly to a close.

We had seen the Isthmus, and after bidding a farewell to
Coatzacoalcos turned north again. What a journey lay
before me ! Something like nine days and nights on the
cars intervened between me and New York! From whence
that marvellous ship the Oceanic was destined to bear me
home to England.

Vera Cruz was en fete when we arrived. March, 1901,
was the three hundredth anniversary of the founding of that
seaport.

Military and civic parades were held, sports, serenades,
balls, fireworks and banquets. Perhaps the prettiest of
all was the children's ball, or for fine spectacular effect the
Venetian festival in the Harbour, when every ship was
lighted. Vera Cruz was truly en fete. We were smothered
with confetti ; poles, flags, streamers and decorations orna-
mented every dwelling, and the three hundredth anniver-
sary will long be remembered by the inhabitants of that
famous seaport.

It was very hot — punkahs and electric fans did not keep
the houses cool — but then the summer had set in.

THE ISTHMUS OF TEHUANTEPEC. 44S

Unfortunately I was obliged to leave Mexico without per-
sonally saying good-bye to my kind friends, General and
Madame Diaz. The President had been ill, and subse-
quently paid a lengthy visit to Colonel Alarcon, the
Governor of Morelos, from which he had not returned
when I left the country.

Their kindness and courtesy, the extraordinary thought-
fulness and consideration with which I was treated will ever
remain in my mind. Without the personal aid of General
Diaz I could not have written " Mexico as I saw it," and
perhaps this peep into the life of the people, over whom he
rules so powerfully, may help to make that wonderful
country a little better understood.

Congress opened on i6th September, 1901, and in his
speech the President stated the Revenue of Mexico ex-
ceeded by 11,000,000 dollars the receipts announced six
months before !

Statistics are doubtless interesting for those who like
figures ; but rows of statistics would give but a poor idea of
a country which a personal account of the life of the people
brings more easily before the stranger.

Mexico is a great country, and Mexico has a grand future.
In agriculture and mining lie her strength, and she is
forging ahead in both, ably steered over billows and shoals
by that great man at her helm ; but she must not try to grow
young too quickly !

446

APPENDIX A.

MINING AND TRADE.

In writing a book of travel, one has to cater for many tastes, therefore
a volume on Mexico would be incomplete without mention of its mining
and trade prospects, consequently this chapter is inserted for the benefit
of people interested in such subjects, although it has nothing to do with
my personal experiences. For the notes I am greatly indebted to
Mr. William Guggenheim and Mr. Herbert Bourchier.

Silver has been worked continuously since the days of Cortds, and
even the old Aztecs made ornaments of gold and worked in precious
metals.

Some hundred and fifty million ounces of silver are yearly produced in
the world, of which nearly fifty-five million come from Mexico, and about
the same amount from the United States, showing that the remaining
forty million ounces represent the yield of all the rest of the earth put
together.

So many tales have been told of the fabulous mineral wealth of Mexico,
one readily forms an impression that as a mineral-producing country
Mexico stands foremost among the nations of the world. This, however,
is not so when one compares Mexico's mineral production with that of the
United States. Considering the limited population, and the improvident
and indolent nature of its people, the production of mineral is certainly
large, and with capital, energy, and intelligence this production is capable
of material increase. It is upon its silver production that Mexico's re-
putation as a great mining country is founded. In the States of Chihuahua,
Zacatecas, Guanajuato, and Hidalgo, as well as on the west coast, silver
mines of marvellous richness have been worked for years, many of which
are still producing that metal.

Although no statistics exist, the average cost to-day of producing silver
is no doubt cheaper in Mexico than in the United States, so that a material

Bringing the ore from the mine.

An arrastra.

To face Appendix A.

MINING AND TRADE. 447

lowering of the price of silver would result in the quicker closing down of
mines in the United States than in Mexico. The principal mining States
of Mexico, in addition to those already mentioned, are Durango, Coahuila,
Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipus, and they are still affording ample oppor-
tunity for ex-ploitation and investment. All these States have reasonably
good railroad facilities, and most of their mines are accessible to the large
American smelting establishments in Mexico.

Branch roads, however, connecting the main lines of railroads are still
in many places essential, but when these are once made the increase in the
mineral production of the country will be enormous. The States of
Oaxaca, Guerrero, Michoacan, and indeed several others, have not yet
been thoroughly exploited because of this want of railroad facilities, but
there is no doubt their mineral resources are large.

The mining laws of Mexico are excellent, and few difficulties are en-
countered. The law, " follow down your side lines," here prevails, and the
troublesome apex law which has involved so many mines in the United
States in litigation is not known. The old law of Mexico, compelling the
owner of a mine to do a stipulated amount of work yearly, and employ so
many men on the claims, has recently been changed. The present law is
simply how much surface the mines cover, and the stamp tax is paid
accordingly. Therefore the greater the surface, naturally the prettier the
owner's mine titles look covered with variegated and beautifully coloured
but expensive stamps ! The mining officials as a rule are courteous and
painstaking, and extended litigation is hardly known.

Various methods for the treatment of ores are employed ; large lead
and copper smelters and lixiviation plants are scattered throughout the
country, but there is one process that is peculiarly and characteristically
Mexican. This is known as the Patio process.

As can be understood by the simplest mind, a mine will produce by far
more low^-grade ore than high-grade, and, in fact, few mines pay their
expenses if this low-grade ore cannot be successfully treated in some way
or other. At this point one must consider that when the mines of Mexico
were first worked there were no railways or means of transporting heavy
machinery, therefore some method had to be devised for treating ores in
the interior, the commercial value of which would not stand the heavy rate
of freight transportation on mule back from the mines to Vera Cruz, and
from thence by steamer or sailing vessel to the large smelters in England
or Germany. In the year 1557, a.d., a native of Pachuca, by name
Bartolome de Medina, invented the Patio process, of which I will give a
short description as it is still in daily use.

On the ore being brought up to the mouth of the shaft in cow-hide bags
(by means of a bolster in the shape of a huge barrel, which is pulled round

448 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

on an elongated axis by horses or mules, and around which the hoisting
cable is wound), it is spread out in the yard of the mine, and small boys
then sort it into various grades ; this sorting is called the " Pepena." It is
done merely by sight, as the youngsters can tell immediately if the ore be
rich or poor by putting it in water and looking at the character of the
stones. After sorting, the rich ore is packed for export, or for sale to the
ore-buyers or smelters. The low-grade ore is then sent down to one of the
so called Haciendas de Beneficio. Here the ore, after being broken by
means of primitive wooden " stamps," is then reduced to a fine mud by
means of the arrastra.

An arrastra is a sort of basin built into the floor and lined with cement
or stone. The usual diameter of an arrastra is about nine to twelve
feet. In the middle is a revolving upright shaft of wood, through
which pass two cross-bars, thus giving four arms, one of which extends
over the edge of the basin, and to which the mules are attached.
To each of the cross-bars are hung by chains four large heavy stones
having one flat side at least. (To explain this better, a rough sketch is
added, showing two of the stones). As the mules drag these stones round
on the ore, the latter gets ground down, and water is added, so that in
time the original ore is reduced to a state of liquid mud. This is then
spread out in layers of about one foot thick on the floor of the Patio
this yard having a floor of carefully-adjusted large flat stones, or even in
some cases of dove-tailed boards. Great care is necessary in the con-
struction of this flooring, otherwise the quicksilver would work its way
through and cause great loss of both quicksilver and silver.

After the mud-pie (or Torta) is laid out, it is left for a day or two,
to allow the water to evaporate, and thus attain a greater state of
density. After this salt is added, and the wretched mules are turned in to
tramp round for a day or two more ; then sulphate of copper or magistral
are added, and often lime, according to the nature of the ore. After this
quicksilver is put in, which catches up the silver. The poor animals have
their hoofs and tails all eaten away by the quicksilver, and only last a few
weeks ; it is a horrible business. The Torta is thus worked from thirty
to seventy days, according to the time of year. When ready for washing
oft', i.e.., when the silver has been caught up by the quicksilver, it is re-
duced to a liquid state, and put into a " washing-tank." Owing to the
high specific gravity of quicksilver, the latter immediately goes to the
bottom and finally by continual washing nothing but amalgam is left, i.e.,
quick-silver and silver.

This amalgam is then retorted and the silver made into bars. Thus
within about three months after the low-grade ore comes to the surface it
is turned into hard silver, without the aid of machinery. The silver is

MINING AND TRADE. 449

finally sent to the nearest town having a mint, and sold, when it is con-
verted into Mexican dollars.

Latterly the wooden stamps and arrastras have begun to disappear, owing
to the railways bringing modern mechanical stamp mills, and Chilian mills,
run by steam or electricity. Waterfalls long idle have also been turned to
use by the Pelton wheel and other inventions, and electricity in many
Mexican mining camps is now found.

Not content with these changes, new blood has been endeavouring to
improve Bartolome de Medina's system of treading the tortas with mules,
but as yet without effect. Recently one of the companies tried to sub-
stitute for mules a long revolving pole on a pivot in the centre of a
round arrastra. This pole was furnished with a quantity of wooden imita-
tion horses' legs, and the feet were even shod with iron shoes to try and
obtain the proper friction. These legs were sent galloping through the
mud-pie, but without effecting any good result.

"Last week," says a friend, writing on March 30th, 1901, "yet another
substitute for mules was tried, which consists of a set of stamps that trot
round and round the torta on a spiral screw, going to the centre and back
as well as completing the circle. The small tests proved satisfactory, but
up to now nothing has been found so satisfactory as the living animal."

The advantages of mechanically working these tortas would be —

( 1 ) Saving cost of mules and their keep.

(2) By operating day and night the torta can be worked in half the
time.

(3) Economy in men to look after mules and tortas.

A mule or horse for the patio process which works daily from seven
a.m. till three p.m., costs from nine to fifteen dollars net, and only lasts
three months.

Miners as a rule are extremely superstitious \ for instance, they hate the
sight of a woman in the mines, and are convinced that if one goes down a
mine and the vein is subsequently lost, or should any mishap occur, the
devil in woman's form was to blame. For this reason there are compara-
tively few managers who will allow ladies to enter their mines for fear
that their men should shun them, in anticipation of a cave-in or other
misfortune. In fact, few men would accept the responsibility of taking
ladies down a mine, and yet, curiously enough, there are some places
where a visit from one of the fair sex is appreciated.

450 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

The silver output, according to the Blue Book, is : —

Value.

•

1896.

1897.

1898.

1899.

Silver ores

,, bullion...

,, coin (Mexican)

,, ,, (foreign) ...

Dollars.
11,558,529

28,565,845
18,253,978

483,343

Dollars.

11,401,176

37,601,752

21,274,119

651,228

Dollars.

11,048,358

39,104,930

15,886,765

702,024

Dollars.

10,766,099

41,270,718

4,761,105

816,709

Total

58,861,695

70,928,275

66,742,077

57,614,631

The comparison of these figures shows that the greatest decrease has
been in the quantity of silver dollars exported, the amount in the year
1899 being the smallest in the above-mentioned years, and, in fact, in the
whole of the ten previous years, owing to the low price obtained for silver
dollars in the New York market during the past year.

The following table gives the number of all the titles referring to silver
mines, alone or in conjunction with other metals, that were reported to be
in force on December 31, 1899, and paying taxes. The figures can no
doubt be considered as correct, as they are published by the Department
of Finance, and are compiled from data furnished that department by the
agents entrusted to collect the tax on mining properties. The figures for
the previous year are also given for the sake of comparison. They refer
only to those mines that are in existence, no mention being made of those
whose titles have lapsed during the year.

The principal mining centres where silver is found in an unmixed con-
dition are the State of Durango, Zacatecas, Sonora, Chihuahua, Hidalgo,
and in Guanajuato. Chihuahua is the State where most silver is found
in conjunction with copper or lead, and Zacatecas where it is found in
conjunction with both these minerals.

Number of the Titles to Silver Mining Properties in force on December
31, 1898-99:—

1898.

1899.

Silver

,, and copper

,, ,, lead

,, ,, iron ...

,, ,, manganese ...

,, , copper, and lead

,, and mercurj'

4,045

165

1,069

44
3

4,054

225

1,346

27
2

Total

5,326

5,658

MINING AND TRADE. 45 1

Mexico's lead production is, considering everything, considerable,
amounting to about 90,000 tons yearly. The United States produce
175,000 tons. Lead, which is found mostly in carbonaceous deposits, is
never treated in Mexico for its lead contents alone, but is always worked
in connection with silver ores, as is also largely the case in the United
States.

The gold production amounts to about 9,000,000 dollars in value, or
450,000 ounces. The world's production equals about 240,000,000 dollars
in value, the United States contributing about 70,000,000 dollars. From
this it will be seen that Mexico as yet is hardly to be considered a gold
producer.

The copper production is also insignificant, amounting to about 22,000
tons, whilst that of the United States is about 268,000 tons; the entire
production of the world amounts to 486,000 tons. The Mexican copper
production, however, is on the increase, and there is no doubt large
deposits exist, which, if the present price of copper continues to prevail,
will be opened up within the next few years.

"On December 31, 1S99, the number of titles to copper properties in
force and paying taxes to the Government was set down at 258, as against
190 on the same date in the year 1898, the greatest number, 48, being
situated in the State of Michoacan, which are mostly controlled by the com-
pany working the Inguaran mines in that same State. There are 36
copper properties in the State of Aguascalientes, 32 in the State of Sonora,
and 25 in the State of Durango, while Lower California, where the famous
mines of the Boleo Company are situated, is reported to contain but 15.
The area covered by the properties in the State of Durango is 1,910 acres,
while that covered by the 48 in the State of Michoacan is only 1,822 acres.
This mineral is also found in conjunction with iron and lead, principally
in the State of Zacatecas.

The exports of copper in the past three years have been as follows : —

1897

1898 ... ... •■• 23,169 573.^24

792,516

The exports of copper include both copper ore and refined, principally
in the shape of copper matte, which is sent to the United States. The
exports of ore show a very large decrease from previous years, the quantity
given in the official returns being 209 tons in 1899, as against 12,938 tons
in 1898, while the exports of refined copper or copper matte were 24,893
tons in 1899, as against 10,199 in 1898."

29*

452 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

The average price of copper in the New York market during the year
1899 was 16-67 c. gold per lb.

There are very large deposits of iron ore in Mexico, the best known
being in the State of Durango, near Durango City. There is also a very
large deposit near Lampazos, in the State of Nuevo Leon, and large iron-
works are being constructed in the City of Monterey, State of Nuevo
Leon, for the treatment of the same. The successful working, however,
of these deposits, in competition with the cheap production of iron ore and
manufacture of pig iron in the United States, has still to be determined.
In the United States they have the advantage of operating on a gigantic
scale, and with cheap fuel. Mexico, however, proposes to off-set this competi-
tion by high tariff laws. Notwithstanding these large deposits of iron ore, the
production is, up to date, almost nil, outside of that used for so-called
fluxing purposes in lead smelting.

The iron deposit near Durango City is called the " Iron Mountain," of
which Humboldt wrote when he made his enterprising visit so many years
ago to Mexico. Between 50 and 60 per cent, of the entire mountain is
iron ore. It belongs to several proprietors, and strange white monuments
— like enormous milestones — mark the individual boundaries. The owners
have not begun to blast the rock yet ; they are merely working away at the
sand and fallen pieces all round the base. Men shovel this on to hand-
cars — -wheelbarrows are practically unknown in Mexico, where everything
is carried either by hand or on the head — take it to the lead-smelting
works near at hand, or put it directly into the railway cars to send away to
other lead-smelters, where it is used for so-called fluxing purposes.

One very curious thing is worth mentioning. On the mountain-side are
numerous ant-heaps — not heaps, but ant-quarries. On looking closely into
any of these, which are usually about two feet in diameter, one finds it is
composed of small iron pellets, exactly the same size ; one heap will
consist of big pellets, another of smaller ones, and so on. How or why
do the ants bring them in this way to the surface ? The native
Mexican is often possessed of an ancient blunderbuss, here is his iron shot
ready made; he loads his gun right up. Towards evening he goes down
to the river with an old cow, and hiding himself behind his friend, he
waits his opportunity to shoot at the wonderful flights of wild duck as
they pass. He kills many at a time, and unfortunately wounds many more.
But teal are excellent eating, and we thank him for his enterprise.

The only large coal-producing area is that controlled by the Mexican
International Railroad in the northern part of the country, in the State
of Coahuila. Other persons have recently secured coal tracks in the
same district, and when these are once operated, the coal production of
Mexico will be considerably increased. Coal, however, is a serious question

MINING AND TRADE. 453

in Mexico, as its own production is still insignificant, not being nearly
sufficient for its own consumption. Cheap transportation facilities, how-
ever, have materially aided the country in this respect, although fuel is still
expensive, making manufacture costly.

There is some onyx and also good marble, but neither is produced in
large quantities. Oil has not been worked yet in Mexico, although several
wells have been found.

For a country, therefore, whose main industry is mining, any comparison
at present with the United States is far from favourable, but the comparison
is hardly fair, as the United States far surpasses any other country in its
combined mineral production. There is abundant opportunity in Mexico
for mining, and with expert engineers the country can be readily exploited
and examined. High values, however, are already put on valuable pro-
perties, most of which are still held by Mexicans. During the last ten
years many foreigners, particularly Americans, have become large mining
property owners. Many new mines are being opened up everywhere ; but
bogus companies are doing much harm. It is quite pitiable to find the
number of companies which have been floated in England without the very
slightest chance of financial success, suffice to say that such things have been
and are being done. In one notable instance people took up the shares, yet
no returns were forthcoming ; more money was demanded for increased
machinery, and better prospects were reported. Part of the money was
actually expended in plant which had been sent out — as a blind no doubt,
and salaries paid, but only to the promoters under assumed names, and
not for labour at the mines. There is ore, certainly, but such poor stuff
it could never pay to work, a fact the promoters must have known full
well. How is it that investors do not send out skilled, competent, and
honest experts to investigate before they pay their money ?

We heard many stories of the kind in Mexico, and would earnestly
entreat people before investing in Ivlexican mines— of which there are
several splendid ones — to be sure what they are about before parting with
any money. Up to the last ten years the methods pursued in mining were
of a very simple and crude nature, but during that time more advanced
modes of operating, on a large scale with machinery, have been introduced,
so that to-day the mining methods employed in Mexico compare favourably
with those in any part of the world.

Turning from mining, it may be mentioned that the export and import
trade of Mexico are steadily increasing. The bulk of both is naturally
with the United States. England is gradually losing ground in her exports,
Germany as gradually gaining it. Will any manufacturer whose eyes
chance to fall upon these pages lay these facts to heart ? We are losing
ground, Germany and the United States are gaining it. W\\y ? Because

454 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

we are allowing these two enterprising countries to pass us in the race for
commerce, and are folding our hands and working on exactly the same
lines to-day as we did fifty years ago when we were first in the field. Other
countries have gone ahead, and the sooner we shoot past them and revo-
lutionise our methods and our industries, the better, unless we wish to
drop altogether out of the reckoning. The United States are " knocking
at the door " — as Ibsen would say — but let us push past and open it.
English trade unions are stifling our trade, as trusts seem likely eventually
to ruin the manufacturers of America.

Want of fuel is one of the most pressing needs of Mexico. Forests
are being burnt up, and cabinet woods destroyed. Husks of cotton seed,
wheat, straw, and cotton-bushes are being utilised for fuel. There are beds
of peat, as yet hardly worked ; indeed, peat is found within ten miles of
the City.

According to Blue Book reports : —

The imports of coal and coke in the year 1899 amounted to 886,637
tons, as against 597,842 tons in 1898. The increase is accounted for in
part by the many new industrial enterprises in the Republic, and also
by the extension of the railway lines, which are being steadily increased
in length. The largest portion of both coal and coke comes from the
United States, the United Kingdom and her Colonies, and Germany
following next. The coal brought from Australia is landed at the
ports on the Pacific coast, principally Acapulco which is the coaling station
for vessels of the Pacific squadron. Some is also taken to Manzanillo
where it is employed on the railway from that port to the City of Colima,
and much is also used by the contractors for the water supply and sewerage
of Manzanillo. This port of Manzanillo is undoubtedly destined to be one
of the most important on the Pacific coast, especially when it is in direct
communication with the town of Guadalajara by rail now under con-
struction.

The export of coal from Mexico in 1899 amounted to 110,510 tons, as
against 116,679 tons in 1898. The price of the ton of Mexican coal on
the border, as put down in the ofticial return of exports, was four dollars
ten cents silver per ton, while the price of foreign coal in the City of
Mexico ranges from twenty to twenty-two dollars per ton.

Roughly speaking, America supplies sixty-one and a half per cent, of
Mexico's wants ; the United Kingdom twenty per cent. : Germany seven-
teen per cent. The remaining per-centage is divided into very small
proportions among the other countries. The imports of iron rails in 1899
amounted to ;^394,824, as against ;^336,578 in 1898. This increase is
accounted for by the development of the railway systems. Barbed wire
imported in 1899 amounted to ;!{T52,8i5, as against £j\&,2\'i in 1898.

MINING AND TRADE.

45S

Every branch of iron and steel trade is increasing ; ploughs, corrugated
iron sheets, wire, bar steel, iron piping, hoop iron, agricultural implements,
etc., nearly all of which comes from the United States. What are
Birmingham and Sheffield about when this ever-increasing trade is waiting
for their produce ?

" Steam engines, both locomotive and stationary, show an increase of
^150,000 in the value imported; and if taken in conjunction with the
former item, indicate more fully the steady progress of the country in the
development of industries. The total imports of machinery and steam
engines in the years 1897-9S-99 were as follows : —

Steam engines
jMachinery

Total

1,469,719

While on the subject of machinery, it may be mentioned that, apart
from the increase of fifteen cotton mills, several large factories for
tanning leather and making boots and shoes, breweries, distillery plants
brick and clay factories, have been established and there are others in
course of construction.

The value of the chemical products imported into Mexico in the year
1899 was ;^455,3oo, as against ;/^376,6i5 in 1898. The imports from
the United States have increased very considerably during the past year.
The boot and shoe industry is almost entirely in the hands of American
manufacturers, though the principal dealers in boots and shoes in the City
of Mexico are Spaniards.

The American manufacturers, always on the look-out for new fields for
the investment of capital, have made a purchase of a piece of land in the
City of Guadalajara, and are erecting a large tannery with a boot and shoe
actory attached. The imports of petroleum oil, both crude and refined,
show an increase from ;^75,i6o in 1898 to ;,^io9,6i7 in 1899, the greater
quantity being imported in a crude state, and refined in the large refineries
established at Tampico, Vera Cruz, and the City of Mexico, whence it is
distributed all over the country.

Openings for British trade being the chief purpose of these reports, it is
only fair to the manufacturer and merchant to bring before his notice the
articles which form the principal part of the import trade of each country,
and it is, therefore, hoped that the foregoing figures, referring to the trade

456 MEXICO AS I SAW IT.

of Mexico for the year 1899, may be of service; and though they show a
shght increase in favour of British trade, there is ample room for it to
increase very considerably. The figure of j[,2,q>']2,\21 set down as the
value of the imports from the United Kingdom represents eighteen and a
half per cent, of the whole of the trade of Mexico in the year 1899, and
includes the imports from her colonies as well, which, according to the
official returns, were: India, £a^,'^c>S'> Australia, ^^8,698 ; Canada,

^3,865.

The trade of Mexico, as compared with that of other countries, may be
small, but it is a country that is being opened up rapidly. The imports into
Mexico in 1889 were ^{^"8,608, 147, while in 1899 they had increased to
;^ii,254,3i5, an increase in the ten years of ^2,646, 168, or over thirty
per cent. This of itself shows the actual development of the country, as
the value of the imports being based on the gold values from each country,
or the equivalent of five dollars to the ^i, is not liable to the fluctua-
tions of exchange, as is the case with the exports. This method of
calculating the value of foreign merchandise has been in use for many
years, so that it is easy to obtain the value of the imports from any par-
ticular country by reducing the value as given in the Mexican customs
returns at par.

British trade in Mexico is almost entirely in the hands of .agents, many
of whom are not even acquainted with the country and its customs, and
speak very little Spanish, while others, though knowing the manners and
customs, are unable to correspond in English, therefore it is not surprising
that our trade does not receive the impetus it should. The commercial
travellers who come to Mexico from the United Kingdom are, with very
few exceptions, Germans, or at least of German extraction, who, having a
knowledge of several languages, are better able to undertake the employ-
ment than are those of British extraction who rely on their abilities to
make themselves understood.

The point that a British merchant should always bear in mind in his
business relations with Mexico is strict and careful adherence to the re-
quirements of the Mexican customs tarifl", of which an English translation
can be procured."

Catalogues are much wanted, they facilitate sale when illustrated.

The greater part of the agricultural machinery and implements at
present, as has been already said, is imported from the United States, but
British manufacturers could well afford to give their attention to the wants
and requirements of this market. A case may be cited in support of this.
English threshing machines are recognised throughout the country as
being superior to those made in the United States. Their finish and
adjustment is better, and the results obtained are greater, but owing to

MINING AND TRADE.

457

the inability to procure pieces for repairing them in cases of accident, the
order is often given to an American firm.

The cyHnders in American machines are made in pieces, and the teeth
are attached by means of screws and nuts ; in case of one or more
breaking, they can be taken out and new ones put in, while in machines
of British manufacture the cylinder and teeth are made in one piece,
which, if broken by accident, has to be taken out, rendering the machine
useless until a new piece can be obtained, either by having it cast
in one of the foundries in the country, which is expensive, on account of
the mould having to be made first, or by waiting for it to come from the
makers, this often entailing a delay of several months.

The demand for mining machinery and tools is always increasing, and
though there are several American firms established in Mexico city,
English tools and machinery would find a market.

Return of Principal Articles of Import to Mexico during the
Calendar Years 1898-99.

1898.

1899.

Articles.

Quantity.

V'alue.

Quantity.

Value.

Raw cotton

Cwts. ...

162,246

209,252

127,398

170,864

Coal and coke

Tons ...

597.842

317,640

886,637

423.750

Cotton piece-goods ...

Sq. yards

47.330,090

651,386

49,029,863

741.556

Cottons at value

383.765

431.544

Linen piece-goods

Sq. yards

1,053,416

65.157

2,233,420

79.914

Linens at value

42,839

45.918

Woollen piece-goods...

Sq. yards

1,620,079

262,174

1,816,123

307.763

Woollens at value

77.191

89,024

Iron and steel

Tons ...

114,777

1,032,832

134,480

1.384.572

Machinery and implements .

1,320,800

1,809,318

Chemical products ...

376,615

455.300

Spirituous liquors

499.149

548,594

Paper and manufactures of .

...

306,234

407,056