LITTLE NOTES OF INTEREST.
Superstition is the ruin of Mexico. While we were there some children
found a shell containing an image of the Virgin. The matter was deemed
miraculous, and they directly decided to build a chapel on the spot
where the shell was found.
In the State of Morelos exists a stone that they say was used before
the conquest to call the people to labor or to war. The stone appears
to be hewn, in the center of the upper part is a hole which runs
into the heart of the stone, forming a spiral. On fitting to this a
mouthpiece and blowing, the sound of a horn is produced, somewhat
melancholy in tone, but so loud that it can be heard a great distance;
the ranchmen of that locality employ it as a means of calling their
flocks and the animals quickly obey the summons. It is known as the
"Calling Stone."
There is a tradition about this stone; they say that no difference
where it is taken, that by some invisible means it always goes back to
the spot it has occupied for the past century. They say that once it
was even chained in a cellar, but in the morning it was missing, and
when they searched for it, it was found in its old position.
Mexico abounds with the most beautiful and wonderful flowers. Many are
unknown even to horticulturists. One of the novel flowers I heard of
was one which grew on the San Jose hacienda, some twenty-two leagues
from the City of Tehuantepec. In the morning it is white, at noon it is
red, and at night it is blue. At noon it has a beautiful perfume, but
at no other time. It grows on a tree.
There are very few fires in Mexico, and it is a blessing to the
citizens; they have one fire company, but no alarms. When there is a
fire the policemen nearest give the customary alarm, three shots in
the air from his revolver; the next policeman does the same, and on up
until they come to the policeman near the firemen's office. The fires
are always out or the place reduced to ashes before those noble laddies
put in an appearance.
On every corner is hung a sign, giving a list of all the business
places on that block.
The turkeys in Mexico are the most obliging things I ever saw; they are
brought into town in droves and they never scatter, but walk quietly
along, obeying the voice of their driver. If he wants a drink he makes
them lie down and they stay until he returns.
Mail is delivered every day in the week, Sunday not excepted. Every
letter-box contains a slip which the carrier fixes, which tells when
the next collection will be made. Printed slips are published daily,
and hung in the corridors of the post-office, of unclaimed letters and
papers, and of those that have not gone out for lack of postage.
Houses are never labeled "To Let" when they are empty; a piece of white
paper is tied to the iron balcony and everybody knows what it means. No
taxes are paid on empty houses or uncultivated land. People never rent
houses by the year, but by the day or week; they can move at any time
they wish; this makes landlords civil.
Grass is cut in the park with a small piece of zinc, which is sharpened
on a stone, and it is raked with a twig broom.
No houses have bathrooms, but the city is well supplied with public
swimming baths. One can have a room and private bath for twenty-five
cents. Everybody of any note takes a bath every morning. It is quite a
pretty and yet strange sight to see the beautiful young girls coming
leisurely up the prominent thoroughfares early in the morning, with
their exquisite hair hanging in tangled masses, often to their feet.
They are always attended by a maid.
Mexican ladies have a contempt for people who do not have servants.
They never carry anything on the streets; but always have a mozo, even
to carry an umbrella.
Because Vera Cruz has such a largo death rate from yellow fever the
Mexicans have named it _La Ciudad de los Muertos_ (the city of the
dead).
In Yucatan the Maya language is still used. It is very musical and is
written all in capitals.
It is considered polite and quite a compliment for a man to stare at
a lady on the streets. I might add that the men, by this rule, are
remarkably polite.
Families employ street musicians by the month, to visit them for a
certain time daily. The hand-organs there are most musical instruments.
Shoes are never marked with a number, but are fitted until they please
the buyer. The shoes worn on the street are what would be the pride of
an actress. They are very cheap.
The easiest English word for the Mexican to learn is "all right." Even
the Indians catch it quickly. They all like to speak English.
Butter is seldom seen in Mexico. The only way they have of getting it
is by its forming from the rocking on the burro's back while being
brought to town, it is skimmed off the milk by the hand and is sold at
a big price. It is never salted. The butter is always wrapped in corn
husks, looking exactly like an ear of corn until it is opened. They
also make cottage-cheese, and tying it up in green reeds sell it. Salt
is very expensive.
It costs a single man about one hundred and fifty dollars a month for
his room rent and board, he must also retain the chamber-maid and the
_patero_ (door-keeper,) with certain amounts. Young men never carry
night keys in Mexico, because they weigh about a pound. According to
law every door must be locked at ten o'clock, and all those entering
afterward must pay the _patero_ for unlocking and unbarring the heavy
portals.
The poor, when dead, are carried to the graveyard on the heads of
_cargadores._ If the coffin is only tied shut with a rope, it is
borrowed for the occasion. The body is taken out at the cemetery and
consigned, coffinless, to mother earth.
The Mexicans began to call the Americans _gringos_ during the war. They
say the way the title originated was this: at that time an old ballad,
"Green grows the Rushes, O!" was very popular, and all the American
soldiers were singing it. The Mexicans could only catch "green grows"
and so they have ever since called the Americans "gringos."
Newspapers are published every day in the week except Monday. Sunday is
always a feast day, and as no one will work then, the paper cannot be
gotten out for Monday.
Mexicans never suffer from catarrh; they say it is because they will
not wash the face while suffering from a cold. They say a green leaf
pasted on the temple cures headaches.
The women in Mexico are gaining more freedom gradually; they have them
now as telegraph and telephone operators. Some Mexican bachelors use
the telephone for an alarm clock, that is, they have the girls wake
them by means of the telephone placed in their room.
No bills are legal unless they are stamped. Every man has a peculiar
mark which he scratches beneath his name. It is a sort of a trade mark,
and makes his name legal.
The Indian women have some means of coloring cotton so that it will
never fade.
There are public letter writers on the plazas, where one can have the
correspondence attended to for a small sum.
Letter-writing is an expensive thing in Mexico; to all points not
exceeding sixteen leagues, they pay ten cents for a quarter of an
ounce, or fifty cents an ounce. Postal cards are two cents; to send
a letter to the United States only costs five cents. Every state in
Mexico has its own stamps.
Some haciendas are enormously large in Mexico. One man owns a farm
through which the railroad runs for thirty miles. It is said to
comprise ten thousand square miles.
The public schools in Mexico are similar to those in the States fifty
years ago; the schools are never mixed; the boys attend one place and
the girls another; the advanced teachers are elected, and are given
a house to hold the school in, and one hundred dollars a month for
conducting it. For the others they get a house somewhere, and from
thirty to sixty dollars; ten years ago girls were not taught spelling
or writing in public schools; they are now taught all the common
branches and English, which has replaced French; sketching, music,
fancy-work, and plain sewing; the hours are from 8 to 12.30, and from
2 to 6; they are thoroughly taught the geography of their own country,
but they absolutely learn nothing of other lands.