MEXICAN LIFE AND TRAVEL
Travel and description--Mexican cities--Guadalajara--Lake Chapala--
Falls of Juanacatlan--The Pacific slope--Colima--Puebla--Cities of the
Great Plateau--Guanajuato--Chihuahua--The Apaches--The _peones_--
Comparison with Americans--_Peon_ labour system--Mode of living--Houses
of the _peon_ class--Diet--_Tortillas_ and _frijoles_--Chilli--
_Pulque_--Habits of the _peon_ class--Their religion--The wayside
crosses and their tragedies--Ruthless political executions--The fallen
cross--Similarity to Bible scenes--_Peon_ superstitions--The ignis
fatuus, or _relacion_--Caves and buried treasure--Prehistoric Mexican
religion--The Teocallis--Comparison with modern religious systems--
Philosophical considerations.
The City of Mexico, typical as it is of Mexican people and their life,
by no means embodies or monopolises the whole interest of the country,
and the mere tourist who, having paid a flying visit thereto, thinks
thereby to gain much idea of the nation as a whole, will naturally fall
short in his observations. We must depart thence, and visit the other
handsome and interesting centres of Mexico's life and population, and
sojourn for a season among her people, and observe something of the
"short and simple annals" of her labouring classes. During the several
years which it fell to my lot to pass in this interesting land the
various phases of Spanish-American life as portrayed in Mexico were
often brought vividly before me, and indeed it is only after arduous
journeyings in a land of this nature that pictures of its life and
topography can be truly portrayed.
[Illustration: CITY OF GUADALAJARA: INTERIOR OF THE CATHEDRAL.]
The general type of Mexican cities has been set forth in the former
chapter: their distinctive Spanish-American character and atmosphere.
The city next in importance to the capital is Guadalajara, in the State
of Jalisco. This is a really handsome community, with fine public
buildings; and it forms a centre of Mexican civilisation and education
of which its inhabitants are proud: not without sufficient reason. The
people of Guadalajara love to term their city the "The Queen of the
West," for the city lies upon the Pacific watershed, although the
Western Sierra Madre intervenes between her and the great ocean. The
population of Guadalajara numbers rather more than 101,000, and the
city is famed for its public monuments and institutions, religious and
secular. The elevation above sea-level of 5,175 feet insures an equable
climate, tending to a spring-like warmth, yet of an exhilarating
character, due to the breezes which sweep over the broad valley in
which it is situated. The region around the city is one of varied
topographical interest. To the south-east is the great Lake Chapala,
eighty miles long--a sheet of water of marked scenic beauty--and from
its broad bosom the Santiago river flows upon its two-hundred-mile
journey to the Pacific, near Tepic, of Toltec fame, but first forming
the well-known falls of Juanacatlan. Surrounding this region are great
plains of wheat-growing capacities, and indeed this State has been
termed the "Granary of Mexico." The railway carries us westwardly to
Ameca, a picturesque town, and thence the saddle is our means of
conveyance. Far down towards the Pacific coast, and southwardly, one of
my journeys took me, over vast stretches of plains and among
timber-clad hills: timber-clad, as the devouring wood-burning
locomotive has not yet reached so far, and the stump-studded lands as
along the railway are not encountered. Further on are the abrupt
precipices of the Pacific slope, and above them rises the high volcano
of Colima with its everlasting crest of smoke, breaking in leaden
spirals against the sky by day, and illuminating the night scenery of
_haciendas_ and palm groves with its fitful flames. Colima is the only
active Mexican volcano at present.
In quite a different direction is the city of Puebla, one of the
foremost of the State capitals, lying within a short distance by rail
from the City of Mexico. This city has acquired a considerable
commercial and industrial importance of recent years, largely due to
the local cotton-manufacturing industries and general flourishing
agricultural resources. The city is not, however, spoilt by the
manufacturing element as regards its character and appearance, and the
cleanliness of its streets and general beauty and severity, in their
various fields, of its church and domestic architecture charm the
traveller, and elicit admiration from those who had expected a less
advanced community. The cathedral is one of those handsome colonial
structures for which Mexico is famous. The elevation of the city is
slightly over 7,000 feet above sea-level, with a corresponding
excellence of climatic conditions, whilst the general environment and
azure tropic sky form a whole which remains pleasingly upon the memory.
A busy population of more than 93,000 people is supported in the city,
mainly by the natural products and manufactures of its environment.
Overlooked by the picturesque hills where the struggle for independence
was raged in the historic years of last century, and sentinelled to the
north-west by the two volcanic peaks of snow-crowned altitude,
Popocatepetl and Ixtaccihuatl, the city of Puebla is of much interest.
To the north, and of a somewhat different character as regards their
environment and population, are the cities along the Great Plateau,
especially those upon the mineral belt, although they bear the
inseparable stamp of the Spanish-American people and their life. Some
of these cities sprang to being upon the very flanks of the mountains
which give them their source of life--silver--centuries ago. Among
these great towns of the plateau, especially those whose wealth and
population have accrued from or depend upon the business of delving
into the earth for minerals, is Guanajuato, picturesquely situated
among the foothills of a mountain range known as the Sierra of Santa
Rosa. Its elevation above sea-level is 6,850 feet, and the dry, clear
atmosphere, bright hues of buildings and churches, sloping hills with
houses and gardens perforce terraced thereon, with the brilliant
sunlight overhead, form a characteristic Mexican centre of industry.
The houses of Guanajuato are built of a species of freestone, which as
a fine-grained tufa caps the Sierra in places here, and is known as
_cantera_. It is easily worked and hardens on weathering, and its use
gives a well-constructed appearance to the streets. I have noted the
same aspect in other Spanish-American countries, notably the Peruvian
city of Arequipa. According to the calculation of Humboldt, the great
_veta madre_, or "mother lode," of Guanajuato, had yielded, up to his
time, silver to the value of fifty-eight million pounds sterling; and,
indeed, it is to be recollected that, a century ago, Guanajuato was a
larger city than New York!
Of Zacatecas, Durango, San Luis Potosi, Aguascalientes, and others of
the numerous important cities and towns, linked together by the great
trunk lines of railway along the vast reaches of the _mesa central_, we
cannot speak save by name. Each has its peculiar circumstance and
interest, and the different States of which they form the political and
industrial centres are described in the chapter devoted thereto. We
will, however, take a momentary flight to the fine city of Chihuahua,
far to the north, situated among its great plains and mineral-bearing
mountain ranges. Among these vast deserts, now slowly yielding to
reclamation by the hand of civilised man, scorched by a merciless sun
by day and bitterly cold by night, which form this part of Mexico, the
savage Apaches formerly roamed--the abominable Apaches: the cruellest
and most treacherous race the world has ever known. Well might these
savages have been hunted to the death by the invaders of the white
race, both here and on the great American deserts north of the Rio
Grande, and well might their scalpings and torturings form the theme
for those adventurous novels which made our flesh creep as we perused
them in boyhood's days! Now the degenerate descendants of these once
formidable Redskins seek a living in desultory cultivation of the soil,
although bands of them and of other tribes still cause trouble to
soldiery of the Mexican Republic at times. But the capital city of
Chihuahua is an example of man rising superior to savagery and Nature,
and this splendid centre of modern life and industry is far removed
from the condition of its natural surroundings. It stands at an
elevation of nearly 5,000 feet above the level of the sea. The climate
is a healthy one, eminently suitable for the white race and its
activities; and the population of 30,000 inhabitants forms the centre
of a great growing region whose natural resources are manifold. Upon
the river Conchos, and upon the Casas Grandes, affluents of the Rio
Grande or Bravo, are some of the ruins which are amongst the oldest and
most interesting of Mexico, from an archaeological point of view.
We have said that the Mexicans are an hospitable people, and this is
eminently true of the upper class. As to the _peones_, they are, in the
more remote districts, by no means of an untractable or surly
character, although the lowest in the scale, and some of the Indian
tribes, are excessively stupid and suspicious. The Mexicans of better
class divide these people into _gente de razon_, or "rational" people,
and _gente intratable_, or people with whom it is almost impossible to
treat or to comprehend. These people vary much throughout the country,
but as a rule they are unaggressive and harmless. Whilst thieving is
generally ascribed as a strong vice of the Mexican lower class, this
must not be rashly applied. The _peon_, or Indian, may take articles of
small value which are left about, but he does not commit crime in order
to rob; and the extraordinary outrages constantly perpetrated in the
"Wild West" of the United States, in the shootings, "holding-up" of
passenger trains, wrecking of express cars by dynamite, bank robbery,
and the like exploits of the Anglo-American desperado, to steal, are
unknown to the temperament of the Spanish-American. The latter are
creatures of impulse, and lack the "nerve" for a well-planned murderous
exploit of the above nature. Nor are they capable of the lynching,
burnings of negroes, and race riots which characterise those parts of
the United States which bound Mexico on the north, and once formed part
of her territory. If, however, their crimes are smaller, so is their
power of initiative, sustained effort, and the working for to-morrow
characteristic of the Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-American peoples. Yet the
police are much in evidence in Mexican travel. A _gendarme_ with sabre
and revolver accompanies every car on the trains which cross the great
plateau. Indeed, in former years robbery with violence was the chief
"incident" of travel in Mexico. Footpads and armed _bandidos_ infested
every highway and mountain road twenty years ago, and travel was
impossible except with an armed escort. But this was before the work of
President Diaz and his _rurales_. The conditions are now very
different, and the traveller may journey almost anywhere, except in a
few districts, without danger of molestation, with ordinary precautions
such as the characteristic conditions of the country call for. In those
places where the _peones_ are distrustful of the white foreigners it is
generally due to the influence of these, who have ingrained their own
bad habits and vices upon them. A gentleman, if he holds the demeanour
covered by the designation, ever carries respect in Mexico.
Incidents of life and travel in remote regions, among the petty
authorities and the _hacendados_, _rancheros_, and landowners
generally, are full of colour and interest for the traveller. Our
belongings are securely packed upon a couple of well-appointed mules;
we are astride passable Mexican horses, seated on comfortable saddles,
with our servant and the _arriero_ in attendance, and we have left the
last of the city streets; with our face to the open country the true
charm of travel comes upon us--the touch of Nature, solitude, and the
far horizon which nothing else can ever supply. Thus accoutred we shall
hold real converse with Nature, and with the typical people of the
land over which we pass.
Let us therefore turn our attention to the picturesque world of the
great bulk of the Mexican population, the class which earns its daily
bread by the sweat of its brow. These are the _peones_, and to their
work is due the cultivation of the ground, the working of the mines,
and all the manual labour without which the industries of the country
would be non-existent. The _peon_ is not necessarily a forced labourer.
Nevertheless, the conditions of his life are such that he is not a free
agent as the working men of other countries are. His payment is largely
received in goods which he is obliged to purchase in the general store
of the _hacienda_, belonging to the proprietor, or by some one licensed
thereby. This is a species of "truck" system. High prices and short
weight--in accordance with the business principles underlying such
systems--generally accompany these dealings. Moreover, as the _peon_
has often been granted supplies in advance, against future wages, he is
generally in debt to the store, a condition which, purposely, is not
discouraged. The law does not support the system, but as the whole area
of land surrounding the _hacienda_ belongs thereto, the proprietor may
or may not--generally the latter--permit the establishment of any
independent shop in the vicinity. Indeed, such temerity on the part of
any would-be merchant would soon call down punishment--if such it may
be termed--from the myrmidons of the landowner, to whom the hunting of
"contraband" vendors of goods or liquor is fair game.
[Illustration: A TOBACCO-PRODUCING HACIENDA: STATE OF VERA CRUZ.]
The house of the _peon_--the single-roomed adobe-built habitation, or
the wattle-built _jacal_ in which he dwells, belongs to the estate
owner; and if the dweller, through laziness or other similar cause,
fails to put in an appearance in the fields, he is soon forced to
vacate it, and, supposing him to be free from debt, to leave the
_hacienda_. He toils all day in the fields, drawing a scanty wage, and
retires at night to this primitive abode, which he shares with his
female consort and her progeny.
Yet it is not to be supposed that under this autocratic and patriarchal
rule--for the _regime_ in some respects has an atmosphere of the
pastoral scenes of the Old Testament--the _peones_ are oppressed or
unhappy. Men who know no other state are contented with their lot, and
the poor Mexican creates matters of pastime and enjoyment in his simple
life. Bull-fights, horse-racing, cock-fighting, together with dancing
and the consumption of liquor--the latter his serious and principal
vice--furnish him with distraction, whilst religious feast-days make up
the sum.
This description applies mainly to the agricultural labourer. The miner
stands somewhat apart as a class, pursuing his more arduous, yet
possibly more independent, labour under the ground, and living in the
clustered _adobe_ huts upon the bare hillside in the vicinity of the
mine-mouth. With his pick, bar, and dynamite he jovially enters his
subterranean passage, where, generally working under some system of
contract, his energies are spurred by the hope of profit depending upon
his own efforts--ever a stimulus which the mere day-worker lacks.
The system of contract work also obtains in some cases with the
agricultural labourer, especially in the cultivation of sugar-cane,
which is an important Mexican industry. Fields, with water for
irrigation, are allotted to the responsible worker--Mexico is a country
whose rainfall generally is insufficient for cultivation without
irrigation--and this he cultivates, the _hacienda_ lending seed and
implements, and taking as payment a stated portion of the crop.
So, if the people generally are poor, they are not discontented. Their
wants are exceedingly simple and easily supplied. Furniture and other
household chattels are not acquired nor required by the poorer class of
_peon_. If he has no bedstead, the earthen floor serves the purpose,
and here he and his family sleep, rolled together in their _ponchos_ or
blankets for warmth, with an utter disregard for ventilation, damp, or
kindred matters. Indeed, if need be, the hardy _peon_ will sleep out
upon the open plain without feeling any particular discomfort.
The interior _menage_ of a Mexican hut is naturally primitive. The
fireplace is often outside, and consists of unshaped stones, between
which charcoal or firewood is ignited, and upon these the earthen pot,
or _olla_, is balanced, containing whatever comestible the moment may
have afforded, and whose contents we will proceed to investigate. If
the fireplace is inside, there is often no chimney, and the habitation
is smoky and dark, with only a hole in the roof for ventilation. _En
passant_, it may be said that some of the methods of the poorer Mexican
_peones_ are not much in advance of those of our common
ancestor--primeval man!
To observe now the contents of the _olla_. First it should be noted
that earthenware vessels fulfil nearly all the purposes of the
_peones'_ culinary requirements. In these seemingly fragile articles
the women bake, stew, boil, and fry in a fashion which would astonish
the English or American housewife, accustomed to the use of iron
utensils. The diet of the _peon_ is largely vegetarian, and indeed he
is a living example of the working force contained in cereals and
leguminous plants. Meat is a scarce and expensive luxury which he is
rarely able to obtain.
[Illustration: MEXICAN PEON LIFE: TYPICAL VILLAGE MARKET-PLACE.]
Most important of all in this primitive menu is the _tortilla_; and,
indeed, this simple article of food is worthy of being blazoned upon
the country's escutcheon! for it may be said to be the basis of all
labour here. The _tortilla_ is simply an unsweetened pancake of _maiz_
flour, patted out thin in the hands and baked, and its preparation is
the principal occupation of the women of the _peones_ during the time
their men are toiling in the fields. Let us watch a Mexican woman of
the working class making her _tortillas_, probably sitting on the
threshold of her habitation for purposes of light and neighbourly
gossip. She has brought forth a grinding-stone or flat mortar known as
a _metate_, for the purpose of grinding the _maiz_--an article shaped
out of a block of a special kind of volcanic stone, called _recinta_,
an implement inherited from Aztec times. The _maiz_ has been boiled
with a little lime, and is somewhat softened, and she places handfuls
of the grain upon the _metate_, adding water, and shortly reduces it to
a stiff paste under the grinding of the upper stone. The _tortilla_ is
then patted out into the form of a thin pancake and baked in an
earthenware dish, or _casuela_. If it is to be our fortune to partake
of this preparation--and if we have been travelling in a remote part of
the country it may be so--it is advisable not to inquire too closely
into the cleanliness of the operation, for the Mexican _peon_ and his
woman do not consider morning ablutions at all a necessary part of
their toilette! The supply of _tortillas_ being finished, they are
sufficient for the day's requirements, and take the place of bread,
and, indeed, of plates, knives and forks, for the _peones_ scoop up
their food or put it upon these handy pancakes for depositing it in
their mouths, and munch them with their _frijoles_ with the utmost
gusto. To re-heat the _tortillas_ they are placed for a few moments
upon the glowing embers of the fire, and with a roll of _tortillas_ in
his pocket the _peon_ will undertake a day's work, or toilsome march,
and ask little else. The _tortilla_, and, indeed, the consumption of
_maiz_ in this form, seems to be peculiar to Mexico. In Peru, Chile, or
other Spanish-American countries it is unknown.
Mention has been made of _frijoles_. There is more contained in that
word--which we should translate as haricot beans, a small white
variety--than might be supposed. Next to the _tortilla_ it is the
staple article of diet of a good many millions of Mexico's inhabitants.
The preparation of the _frijoles_ is simple. They are boiled in an
earthen pot until they are cooked, and then fried in lard or other fat.
They acquire a rich brown colour, and are appetising and wholesome.
Even in the homes of the upper class _frijoles_ are--or were--served as
one of the courses, although there is a certain tendency to despise
this as a national or _Indian_ dish--a little weakness of advancing
civilisation! But beans cooked in the Mexican way might well be adapted
in English households, whether for reasons of novelty or economy. In
the United States they are used in the form of "Boston baked pork and
beans," but are considered a delicacy rather than an article of
ordinary diet.
The next important item on the Mexican _peones'_ bill of fare is
_Chile_. This is the chilli; the pepper-pods of that name, a species of
capsicum; the guinea-pepper. The pods are eaten either green, which is
their unripe condition, or ripe or sun-dried, when they acquire a
scarlet colour. In the first state they are only slightly piquant and
are consumed largely, cooked with cheese or pork, which latter
favourite dish is known as _Chile con carne_. When red they are
exceedingly piquant, but are largely consumed with the _frijoles_ and
_tortillas_. They might certainly form a useful article of diet in
England or the United States, where they are practically unknown,
except in the form of chilli pepper.
Potatoes come next in the diet of the _peones_. The Mexican potato,
however, seems often to be small and of inferior quality, and probably
the soil and climate are not favourable to its production. Camotes and
sweet potatoes, however, are excellent.
The national beverage of the Mexican is the well-known _pulque_, a
fermented and intoxicating drink made from the _maguey_, and elsewhere
described. Coffee is much esteemed by the _peones_, and purchased when
circumstances will allow, and tea also, although in lesser degree. Milk
and butter are scarce, and rarely used by the _peones_, but cheese made
from goats' milk is a favourite article of diet. Meat is often
used--when obtainable--dried, in strips, generally of beef. Mutton, or
_carne de borrego_ is consumed to some extent, and goats' flesh more
frequently. The Mexican _peon_ is not necessarily particular as to the
quality of this meat. If a cow or bullock perishes upon the plain from
drought or accident, the villagers soon get wind of the fact and the
carcase is cut up and appropriated in short order. Indeed, the flesh of
horses is not despised at times! And, as may be supposed, there are no
troublesome municipal restrictions or health officers in such places to
interpose authority against the practice, and the struggle for life,
especially upon the great plateau, is keen.
Of course, as we rise in the social scale a large variety of foods are
consumed, of excellent quality and unstinted quantity, such as we have
described in speaking of the upper class. Even here, however, a Mexican
"Mrs. Beeton" would have to describe a number of novel and appetising
dishes of national character, and peculiar to the country.
The _peon_, like his superior the educated and wealthy Mexican, is
excessively fond of tobacco. His cigarette is his great solace and
enjoyment. No manufactured and papered article is the _peones'_
cigarette. The dried husk of the _maiz_ is taken and cut into pieces of
the required size. Into this he sprinkles a small portion of strong
tobacco and rolling it into a thin roll in a certain dexterous way,
smokes it without necessity of gumming or fastening the edge. These
cigarettes have a distinctive and agreeable taste and aroma, and the
foreigner who has grown accustomed to them will certainly find nothing
superior in the machine-made cigarettes of the United States or Great
Britain--especially the former. The upper-class Mexican does not use
these cigarettes of _hoja de maiz_, or _maiz_ husk, but unceasingly
smokes either the imported Havannas, or the Mexican paper-covered
varieties, which are generally excellent.
The _peon_ does not generally use matches to light his cigarette. He
produces an _eslabon_, or small steel link, which he strikes upon his
piece of flint, deftly dropping a spark upon his rag tinder, and so
creates the means of ignition. Matches cost money--why spend
unnecessarily? Or, seated at the camp-fire, he takes a glowing wood
ember for the purpose, and indeed the traveller finds that this method
of lighting a husk cigarette imparts a peculiar flavour or sense of
satisfaction, unknown before. The _peon_ who accompanied me on my
expeditions picked up the cartridge cases, especially the brass ones,
which I had ejected from the rifle, or _carabina_, after firing at bird
or animal, and preserved them carefully. What for? "It forms an
excellent tinder-box," he replied, asking permission to retain it.
The Mexican _peon_, like the _Cholo_ of Peru, has become deeply imbued
with the Roman Catholic religion, as expounded by the priests of
Spanish-America. His was a nature to which the realistic ceremony and
outward show of this system strongly appealed, and the superstition
which in Spanish-America is an inseparable adjunct of this religion
among the poorer class--and indeed to a certain extent among the
upper--is at times scarcely distinguishable therefrom. To speak first
of the religion. This manifests itself in their excessive reverence
displayed towards the priests, the adoration of saints, and the naming
of objects and places after these, and in the devout method of
expression employed even in their ordinary tasks. Shrines and crosses
are found everywhere--upon inaccessible hill-tops and in the depths of
mines. As we ride along the dusty road our eyes rest suddenly upon a
cross set by the way-side, apparently without any explanation of its
presence at that spot. We turn to our _mozo_, or servant, who himself
is only a more or less intelligent _peon_, and ask him the reason.
"Senor," he will make reply, "may God preserve you: a highwayman--_un
bandido_--was overtaken and shot here some years ago," or some kindred
explanation wherein death has befallen some one by the wayside, whether
by accident or punishment. There is much that is attractive and good
about this religious sentiment--far be it from the philosophical
observer to scoff thereat.
Yet the frequent occurrences of these crosses along the mountain-roads
are terribly indicative of past disorders, and of private and political
revenge, and even murder. Inquiry reveals that highway robbery and
assassination, private feuds, love, drunken quarrels, and--frequent as
any--_pronunciamientos_ and revolutions are responsible for the deeds
of bloodshed upon the spots where the emblem of Christian love and
brotherhood is raised up. A certain lonely hill, which it was my
fortune to pass on one occasion, was marked by three decaying crosses
set among the stones and thorns at its base. I inquired the reason of
their presence there from my servant, a faithful old _peon_ who was a
native of the vicinity. "Ah, senor," he replied, crossing himself
devoutly as we drew rein and gazed upon the melancholy spot, "three
_caballeros_ died here--_pasado por las armas_[31]--twenty years ago."
"For what reason?" I inquired. "That no one has ever known," he
answered. "They were roused from their sleep in yonder town"--pointing
to the white cluster of buildings and trees on the far-off horizon
which we had that morning left--"taken by a file of soldiers under
arrest, with orders--it was said--to conduct them to the capital."
"Well?" I said as he paused; and the old fellow looked round as if
fearful that rocks and cactuses had ears and might report his
utterances to some _jefe politico_, and continued, "A volley was heard,
and the officers afterwards reported that the prisoners had _attempted
to escape_ and had been shot down." Drawing closer to me he added,
"But, senor, it was not true. My brother happened to be on this very
hill and saw it, and the prisoners had been stood up in a line and
shot."
[Footnote 31: That is to say, shot.]
I did not feel called upon to doubt the old fellow's words. Probably
the three _caballeros_ had been implicated in some political plot, and
the Federal Government had--as was common in Mexico a few years
ago--disposed of them by this swift and ruthless method. The pretext of
"endeavouring to escape" was often a convenient one to hide the summary
execution both of political suspects and criminals in the turbulent
days of Mexico's recent history, and indeed has not altogether
disappeared yet! _Pasado por las armas_ was a common penalty, and is a
somewhat poetic nomenclature for that form of execution which the
soldier prefers.
Absorbed in such reflections, I rode on for some distance through the
rocky defiles and over the alternating plains--absolutely sterile and
verdureless--which some parts of the great _mesa central_ present. On
the summit of a small eminence I beheld yet another cross--a large
wooden structure, which, however, had fallen from its base of loose
rocks and lay upon the ground. Old Jose, my servant, was some distance
behind assisting the mule-driver with my baggage with a refractory
mule, and there was no one to say why the cross had been erected. The
dusk was rapidly falling and we had yet some leagues to my
objective-point. But there was something pathetic about the lone,
fallen cross, and I felt loath to pass and leave it there, prone.
Dismounting, I looped the long bridle over a projecting rock, and,
ascending the eminence, took hold of the fallen cross, exerting my
strength to raise it. It was large and heavy, and the footing on the
slippery rock made it difficult, but at length I managed to lift it up
and put it in position, piling heavy stones round its base to keep it
there. Engaged in this self-imposed task, I did not observe that my
horse--a spirited animal I had bought some months before--had freed its
bridle from the rock below, and when I looked round it was just
breaking into a gentle trot away across the desert! At this juncture
old Jose rode up with the mule-driver and took in the situation, and I
directed the latter individual to tie up his pack-mule and pursue my
horse at all speed. "This cross," said Jose, in response to my
questions, "was placed here when I was a boy," and he recounted how it
had been erected in memory of an old Spaniard, a rich landowner of that
region, who had been murdered there by the lover of his wife; she a
beautiful young Mexican woman. The details of the history are too long
to record here, but according to the legend current among the people,
which Jose recounted, the spirit of the penitent wife visited the cross
at evening, and hung a phantom wreath of white flowers upon it. "But,"
added the old _peon_, whose diction and ideas, notwithstanding his
superstition, were superior to his kind generally, "the cross has never
fallen before, and when from afar I saw the senor lifting it up I was
astonished. But it is a blessed act, and no evil can now befall the
senor!"
Inquiring what he meant by this, I learned that, in the opinion of the
natives of some regions, the raising up of a fallen cross secures
immunity from danger for him who has performed it for a season
afterwards! This belief of old Jose's seemed put to the test, in his
view, for half an hour afterwards, on crossing a steep-sided ravine, my
horse slipped and fell, and carried me down the almost vertical cliff
face for 50 feet or more. The sand and stones poured down in an
avalanche, but I kept my horse's head up, and we landed on the sandy
bottom below, unscratched, in a normal position! "The senor has been
saved because of the cross!" Jose and the _arriero_ both averred, after
congratulating me upon the almost miraculous escape from injury.
But the cross set up in Mexico means many things, and is always in
evidence among the lower orders. Here is a little path winding away
among the rocks, pressed flat by the bare feet of generations of Indian
women. Let us follow it. It leads to a feeble spring of clear water,
which flows from the bare hillside into a scooped-out rock basin, and
close beside it is a rude wooden cross, adorned with fading flowers.
Perhaps we have met on the path a damsel with peasant dress and bare
brown feet, who passes us with downcast eyes, bearing upon her shoulder
a huge earthenware _olla_ of water of quaint form--a figure such as in
the land and time of Jacob and Rachel might have graced the sterile
landscape. The cross has been placed there as a mark of gratitude for
the existence of this frail water supply. Indeed, in these
Spanish-American countries--as Mexico, Peru, and others--the conditions
and atmosphere of everyday life often remind us of the scenes and
colour of the Bible narratives. The absence of the conditions of modern
life--railways, factories, the scramble for commercial wealth--induce
this. The quaint and primitive methods of travel, the long distances,
the sterile landscape, and the simple dress and pastoral life of the
people, all contribute to this environment. Amid the haze of some long,
shimmering road as we ride along a figure approaches. We do not _see_
him; we "behold him while he is yet afar off," and if he happens to be
a native friend he does not greet us with a handshake, but "falls upon
our neck." Here in these wilds what typical places there are where the
traveller might "fall among thieves" in some rocky defile or on the
desert's edge! Here men are close to nature. They are unconsciously
tinged and imbued with its picturesque and chequered incident, as was
the great singer of Israel. Nature is ever present in Mexico, and man's
struggle with her is his daily task. The wilderness is ever before his
eyes, and circumstances often compel him to fast there in the
wilderness, whose broad, arid bosom does but accentuate the valleys
which intersect it, flowing veritably with milk and honey, and which we
ofttimes behold from some Pisgah's mountain of the rocky Sierra. The
"patriarchal" condition of life, moreover, as regards family life,
"handmaidens" and natural sons, are reminiscent of Biblical story.
Nature will not admit too rigid regulations against increase of
population in Mexico: Hagar and Ishmael dwell in every hamlet!
Just as the religion of the Mexican _peon_ causes him to people his
daily surroundings with the presence of the saints, so does his
superstitious mind assign supernatural causes to things not easily
explained, and bid him see evil spirits and hobgoblins in strange or
unfrequented places. Naturally, much of this superstition has come down
with the traditions of his Aztec forbears, whose polytheistic religion
set up many imaginary gods and spirits. The devil and his attendant
hobgoblins are active people in this people's minds. But--happy tribute
to the strength of Christianity!--the sign of the cross is potent to
banish imaginary fiends on all ordinary occasions.
But the _peon_ loves not to journey alone at night, nor to enter dark
caves and grottoes where the bones and mummies of dead men are found.
Peculiar superstition attaches to the vicinity of buried treasure.
Enter into conversation with your _mozo_, or other of the _peones_, in
their hours of relaxation, and they will impart strange stories of
apparitions drawn from their own or some acquaintance's experience,
and--for they are given to romancing--partly from their imagination. As
to buried treasure, it is supposed that this is always guarded by a
spirit, sometimes good, sometimes evil, and generally that some evil
will befall those who meddle with it. In the immediate vicinity of
concealed treasure at night, upon the plain, the _peones_ say that a
mysterious light is seen hovering over the spot, especially when damp
and misty. This light they term a _relacion_; and although they dare
not approach it, it serves as a guide to mark the place, which they
proceed to dig over when daylight comes--although in some cases they
dare not do so, fearing that an evil spirit will draw them in--in the
hope of enriching themselves with treasure trove. The same light is
said by the Mexican miners to "burn" over the place where a lode of
rich metallic ore exists undiscovered, or even within the workings of a
mine, sometimes, when a body of rich ore has escaped attention.
The truth or falsity of these stories of the _peones_ I must leave to
the inclination of the reader. On one occasion I observed a phenomenon
of this nature, however. It was a damp, misty night, and I was sitting
in my tent after a long day's examination of the hills. "Senor,"
suddenly exclaimed one of my men, entering the tent, "there is a
_relacion_ burning on the plain by the point of the hill!" I started
up, willing to observe whatever might be visible, or have the
satisfaction of showing them what _tontos_ they were. They conducted me
round the spur of the hill close at hand. The sky was dark and
frowning, and an eerie feeling took possession--at least of the two
_peones_!
"There!" they exclaimed, and following the direction indicated I
observed a pale fluctuating flame or light a few hundred feet distant.
I began to advance towards it, but the fearful _peones_ strove to
detain me. "No, senor," they urged; "it is a spirit; do not approach."
But disregarding this admonition, I began to walk towards the spot,
telling them to follow, which, however, they would not do. In unknown
situations in wild countries a revolver gives a certain sense of
security, and drawing mine I approached the mysterious light, which
went and came intermittently. I knew it must be an _ignis fatuus_. As I
reached the place it disappeared; my feet suddenly sank in marshy
ground, and a heavy mist-cloud enveloped the place, so that I could see
absolutely nothing. I confess I felt a species of "gooseflesh" creeping
over me. But my feet were sinking deeper in the bog, and more by good
luck than anything else I floundered out and regained the rock, and,
directed by the shouts of the _peones_, made my way through the dense
mist to the tent. I heard some time afterwards that excavations had
been made at the spot in the hope of finding treasure, but could not
learn the result.
Ancient caves in different parts of Mexico often contain the skulls and
bones of former inhabitants, whether prehistoric or of later times,
sometimes containing finely fashioned flint implements. The natives, as
a rule, fear to go into these places. "Do not enter, senor," they will
say, as, with Anglo-Saxon lack of superstition, you determine to
explore them; "some evil befalls those who meddle with the remains of
the dead." And if they are prevailed upon to assist they cross
themselves devoutly before descending or entering. Weird tales they
unfold afterwards of men who have gone into such places and found their
exit barred by some evil spirit, they themselves having been
encountered dead and cold upon the cavern floor when discovered by
their relatives, who had searched for the missing one! According to the
_peones_, the scenes of murder or wickedness which may have taken place
in such situations are enacted again to the terrified vision of the
unhappy witness who had the temerity to venture into these places
possessed of the devil, for the King of Darkness is an ever-present and
active element of the poor Mexican's superstitious world.
As to buried treasure, it is a favourite subject of the _peon_ for
conversation. Quantities of silver money and other articles are
frequently found concealed throughout the country, where they were
often placed for safety in the turbulent times of former history. At
the time of the dispossession of the clergy it is probable that a good
deal of concealment of this nature was made, whether in lonely places
in the hills or plains, or in the floors and walls of convents and
houses.
It was with considerable difficulty that I persuaded my _peones_ on one
occasion to assist me in the examination of a cave which was said to
contain the remains of the dead. The cave had a corkscrew-like opening
from the surface of the hill, a barren limestone hog-back in the State
of Durango. It descended spirally for some 30 feet or more, as I found
when my men lowered me down with a rope, at my command. When my feet
touched bottom I lighted the candle, which had been put out in the
descent, and looked around. The place was of small extent--little more
than a pit--and it seemed to be a natural cavity, with nothing
remarkable about it. But I turned my attention to the floor, which felt
curiously soft and greasy to the touch. It was strewn with pieces of
human bones and skulls! The gruesome place weighed rather upon me, I
confess, silent and stifling as it was, but having come to explore I
proceeded to excavate lightly in the yielding material of the floor
with a light pick. The singular nature of this material aroused my
attention, and well it might, for I afterwards learned that there was a
legend to the effect that the pit had been the scene of a massacre, and
that numbers of persons alive and dead, had been thrown into it, and
the soft material was the decayed human remains! When this had taken
place no one knew, but it must have been at a very remote or
prehistoric period, for during my digging in the floor I unearthed a
flint spearhead, beautifully chipped and fashioned, lying by a skull it
had cloven. The spearhead, or blade, is some 6 inches in length and 4
inches in width, about a quarter of an inch thick, and I still preserve
it.
So, as we have seen, religion and superstition are much combined in the
mind of the Mexicans, the result of both ancient and modern creeds. As
to the antique beliefs and cult, there is much that appeals to the
philosopher in the religious structures and history of the prehistoric,
semi-civilised peoples of Mexico, or indeed of Spanish-America, whether
North or South. The pyramids and temples, which the Toltecs and the
Aztecs and the Incas built, have something grand and broad underlying
their main idea, the idea of being able to get _on_ their temples
rather than _in_ them. There is ever a source of inspiration in being
upon the point of an eminence, to commune with Providence, rather than
being immured within some gloomy walls, with toppling spires overhead.
The spirit ever tries to get _out_, to ascend, and is exalted in
accordance with its altitude. Did not Moses at Sinai bring forth the
enduring Decalogue from the summit of a great natural pyramid, rather
than from the gloomy interior of a temple? The exceedingly numerous
pyramids throughout ancient Mexico seem to attest some exalted idea of
a natural religion, which found outlet and habitation in the great
Teocallis.
Man, semi-civilised or modern, ever strives to commune with a God, an
unseen Being. Is it not nobler and more inspiring to gaze towards the
setting sun with solitude around us? An environment of Nature, the
nearest approach to the "unknown God" which exists, subtly attracts us
as the handiwork of a power unknown. Well may the altar lights and
emblems, and the oppressive enclosure of temples, be more and more
rejected by the thinking mind, as the dark ages of religion leave us
and true reverential knowledge unfolds. We might almost be tempted to
say that the cathedrals of Mexico are not a philosophical exchange for
its Teocallis, nor that the stake and axe of the Inquisition were much
advance upon the sacrificial stone of the Aztec war-god! The frenzied
priest who cut open the breast of the human sacrificial victim with an
obsidian knife, and tore out the palpitating heart to cast it before
his fanciful gods, does not present a picture of such refined cruelty
as that of civilised European man, the Inquisitors in long black
cloaks, calmly sitting by whilst their victims were slowly roasted to
death at the stake because they would not change their faith, or for
other equally reasonless cause. There is, and ever will be, something
peculiarly sinister and abominable about the recollection of the
Inquisition and its operations, under the sky of the New World. And to
the philosophical observer, who pins his thoughts to no mere creed of
whatever designation, the fact seems palpable that the sinister
authority which did those things is only slumbering, and did not
civilisation and antagonism restrain it those scenes would be repeated.
The germs of an Inquisition exist in almost every religious
organisation, but the old original one would burn its victims again if
it could!
As to the Teocallis, perhaps their form was suggested by the natural
pyramidal hills of the mountain landscape, whereon men must have stood
to watch the sunset and feel nearer heaven, even in those savage lands.
Even to-day this hill-ascending influence is not banished among the
primitive class of the Mexican people. Every hill in the neighbourhood
of a hamlet is surmounted by a cross, up to which culminating point
processions constantly ascend. Indeed, at times the devout--or
fanatic--Indian and _peon_ ascends these rocky steeps upon his knees,
leaving blood-spots to mark his way! Processions of fanatic Indians
were formerly common; they journeyed over great distances upon their
knees towards some popular shrine, and although the law now prohibits
these, they are surreptitiously carried out at times, and I have
witnessed them myself. Onwards and upwards towards the "Unknown God"
these poor people grope their way--
"Upon the great world's altar stairs."
Can we say much more of the most civilised among us?
Much of beauty and interest there is in a study of both the old and new
religions of this land; much of the romance of the former we may feel,
as, standing on the pyramid whence the rays of the orb of day were
flashed back from the golden breastplate of Tonatiah in days of yore,
we mark the sun-god of the Aztecs sink in the Occident.