# Mexico of the Mexicans/Chapter IX

CHAPTER IX
THE PROVINCES AND LARGER TOWNS
Mexico city is no more Mexico than Paris is France or Vienna is Austria. The provincial life of the country is, in its way, a varied one. Although there is a distinct Mexican national type, provincial types also abound, each fairly distinct from the other; and this is, perhaps, to be accounted for by the fact that the various races of Indians who have amalgamated with the Spanish population in Mexico's several States appear to be widely different in origin as well as in language. Let us take a purview of the Mexican provinces, beginning at the north with Chihuahua, that storm-centre and nursery of revolutions, and working our way southwards, in criss-cross fashion jumping, as it were, from centre to centre on the map, and halting for a space at towns and localities where there is anything of notable interest only. Beginning, then, with Chihuahua, one of the largest States of the Union, and that to which the eyes of all those interested in Mexican affairs are turned at present, we find it but thinly populated and its great resources most imperfectly developed. American capital has been poured into Chihuahua, but the results so far have by no means justified the hopes of those who have invested their money in its mines and fields. A great part of Chihuahua is tierra templada, that is, temperate country, and very nearly cold in places, for some of it stands 7,000 ft. above the sea. It is cold in winter, but exceptionally warm in summer, and this heat is by no means improved by the pouring rainstorms which frequently visit it for days at a time. The town of Chihuahua itself is the very metropolis of dust at all seasons, and indeed the whole State is afflicted at times with regular siroccos of dust.
A HACIENDA HOUSE
Photo by permission of the Anglo-American Petroleum Co., Ltd.
​industries of this State; but, of course, during the revolutionary outbreak this industry has greatly languished. Chihuahua is first and foremost a cattle country; indeed, it is the great meat-raising district of the Mexican Republic, the surplus-sage going north across the border to the United States. Large ranches are the fashion in this State, and the number of animals on some of these enormous haciendas is equal to the population of a small manufacturing town. Some of Chihuahua's cattle kings rule stretches of territory populated by thousands of bullocks, on a scale as extensive as anything of the sort to be found in South America.
The State of Sonora, to the west of Chihuahua, is second to it in size and, because of its proximity to the border and its very considerable coast-line, is destined Sonora. sooner or later to achieve great commercial importance. Like the country on the east coast, it slopes down from a height, until by the time one reaches the sea he finds himself in a tropical climate, where, strangely enough, the soil is almost entirely barren. The country suffers from a lack of rivers, and thus agriculture is in rather a backward condition. But mining flourishes, and the commercial capital, Guaymas, smelts much precious metal. Of course, the Revolution has been active in this State as well as in that which marches with it, and it may be said that public opinion here is rather anti-federal than otherwise. The Sonorans are, however, thrifty and law-abiding if well treated; but if roughly dealt with, as many of the mine hands have been by Yankee overseers and others, they become fiercely resentful and make nasty enemies. There is plenty of room in this State for teetotal effort; and Chinese coolies have introduced the more sordid types of vice, as they do wherever they go.
Coahuila, to the south-east of Chihuahua, is another large State, fertile agriculturally, wealthy minerally, and healthy climatically. It is not too much to state that the future of this State is assured because of its great natural resources. There ​is but one thing that it is not rich in, and that is human population; but it is getting over this difficulty by attracting suitable immigrants from the United Coahuila. States and elsewhere. The pity of it is that revolutionary disturbances have put a temporary period to its mineral development. Silver and coal abound here, and as the State has been carefully fostered, so far as its resources are concerned, by a wise and politic Government, the work of reconstruction, which has already begun, should be no very prolonged or serious matter. Coahuila probably contains more silver ore than any other tract of similar extent in the world, but for the benefit of prospecting amateurs it will be as well to state that practically all claims are already "pegged out" and strongly held. Cattle-raising flourishes here also, especially as regards the Swiss breed, which seem to thrive in the high altitude; and pure agriculture is by no means neglected, the universal Mexican bean being raised in large quantities, as well as maize, wheat, and cotton. Wages in this State are high, and during the cotton-picking season an active labourer can make from a dollar (American) to a dollar and a half per day—"big money" for the Mexican peon. It cannot be said that the financial resources of the State are in the hands of native Mexicans, as most of its capital belongs to Americans, Germans, and Spaniards. The capital of the State is Saltillo, with about 30,000 inhabitants, which possesses some fine buildings, among others a beautiful cathedral, a fine theatre, and an imposing official residence for its governor. The Casino is one of those charming places common to the larger cities of Latin-America and the continent of Europe, where society meets in its leisure hours for reasonable amusement and pleasure—such a place as the British climate and British snobbery could never permit. The new town of Torreon has within a few years become one of the most important commercial and industrial centres in Mexico, and is a great rallying-place of Americans. ​Durango is a State which possesses as many climates as it has altitudes, and from a scenic point of view it is perhaps the most beautiful in Mexico, presenting as Durango. it does wonderful vistas of mountain and lake country. Nowhere in Mexico are such magnificent flowers raised, and these are so varied—because of the differences in climate found in Durango—as to constitute an almost entire botanical museum. The mineral sources of Durango, too, are generous, and on its plains more than a million head of cattle are raised annually. The city of Durango itself is one of the oldest and most picturesque in Mexico, with regular streets and squares, and a wonderful Spanish State-house.
Sinaloa, a Pacific State, has been to some extent neglected—cut off as it is from the rest of Mexico by a lofty range of mountains, which, however, contain great Sinaloa. mineral wealth. Its valleys produce cotton in abundance, and its pastures thousands of cattle. Its scenery is somewhat severe and rugged, but the more hilly portions are heavily timbered, an advantage for a State lying near the seaboard. The climate is rainy in the higher districts, but agreeable nearer the coast. Mazatlan, the principal port, was on the verge of development when the Revolution broke out in all its fury, retarding progress here as in so many other places. Speculative American land-syndicates have wreaked some havoc in this State, aided to some extent by the neglect of its Government to safeguard new settlers.
Nuevo Léon is certainly the most important State in the Union next to Mexico itself. It is most happily situated, but unfortunately suffers from a rather Nuevo Léon. trying climate. Its capital, Monterey, has a population of nearly 80,000 people, and is far more American than Mexican in type. It was founded so long ago as 1560, and is built on a plain surrounded by lofty, green mountains. The suburban quarter is attractive ​and well laid out, but the climate is intensely warm; and were it not for good natural irrigation, the neighbourhood might have been a desert one. As it is, the soil is sandy and easily raised by the wind, so that dust-clouds those pests of Northern Mexico are by no means infrequent. Under American enterprise, the town has grown apace as an iron-smelting centre, and brick factories flourish here. The price of land around Monterey is fairly high, and in the last twenty years has appreciated by nearly thirty times its original value, because of its appraisement for building and not for agricultural purposes. The town is entirely modern in plan; and its water supply, telephone system, and other municipal advantages, which were only installed within recent years, have greatly added to its amenity as a residential centre. As in so many Mexican States, mining is the industry round which most popular interest centres in this locality, though not necessarily the most profitable one. The Monterey Mining, Smelting, and Refining Company is a sound concern, paying 7 per cent, with great regularity.
The labour question here is in an unsatisfactory condition, owing to the lack of population. Good workmen can earn good wages in this State, mechanics of all kinds, railwaymen, bricklayers, and masons being in great request. The condition of the poorer classes—the unskilled labourers—is rather a dreadful one, and there is a real housing problem in Monterey. The people of this State are by no means active, and have won unenviable notoriety by means of their proneness to rebellion. They are hot-tempered, too, and some-what quick with the knife. General Reyes, the Governor of Nuevo Léon, was formerly Minister of War and Marine, and was unfortunately killed in the course of the Revolution at the age of 66. He was a truly patriotic man, and a brave and skilful soldier.
The State of San Luis Potosi is another centre of mineral wealth, its silver mines having been known of old to the ancient Mexicans. Indeed, it was named by the Spaniards after ​the famous silver-bearing country of Potosi in Peru. It has a population to-day of over half a million, a delightfully mild climate, mountainous scenery in parts, and San Luis Potosi. it is watered by several large rivers. Agriculture is in a high state of advancement, the sugar-cane and the maguey both yielding large returns, as do the native textile plants, the crops of which have a high annual value. But here, as elsewhere in the North, the unremitting search for the precious metal has caused agriculturists to be content with second place. The city of San Luis, its capital, is kept spotlessly clean, a great deal of municipal attention being paid to sanitary affairs. In no Mexican town do the natives appear so prosperous or so well-dressed. A dry climate demands a better water supply than the place has at present; and here it may be stated that in most Mexican towns the consumer of aqua pura must purchase it by the jar, and either send one of his servants for it to a drinking-fountain or else convey it home himself. San Luis is a manufacturing centre of some importance, and is very advanced in popular education.
Zacatecas has a climate unfavourable to agriculture, and bare and sterile scenery reminiscent of Spain; but it makes up for these deficiencies in its vast mineral Zacatecas. wealth. Its commercial trade, taken on an annual basis, is very large—nearly £5,000,000—of which, perhaps, one-third is export and about as much import. This State has directed an unrelenting crusade against the pulque habit and, principally to assist in the eradication of this evil, it has instituted a really wonderful educational system. In Zacatecas, the capital, you can be trained as a lawyer, a doctor, or an engineer; and if you show any special ability or, indeed, give the State the least excuse for doing so, it will pack you off to Mexico city with a scholarship in your pocket. Such a community is worthy the respect of all men. Some very hard things have of late been said about Mexican education in American newspapers, ​and it has even been stated that the governor of a certain Mexican State put the money voted for education within the bounds of that State to his own purposes. It is impossible at the present time to verify or deny such a statement, but it is possible to deny other assertions that Mexican education as a whole is being starved at the present time. As has been said before, the educational instinct is strong within the Mexican breast, and to attempt to brand this people as retrograde in letters or erudition is merely absurd. Indeed, the average Mexican of the better class has a much higher appreciation of all the things that really matter and that tend to make life beautiful than the commercial-minded American can ever attain to. Idealism was the cause of the present Revolution, and idealism will bring it to a happy issue. Aguas Calientes is one of the smallest States in Mexico, but it is well endowed by Nature, and closely cultivated by a thrifty and hard-working population. Foreigners abound here, and so do silver mines. True to its name ("Hot Waters"), this State possesses many natural springs, the principal of which are situated in the capital. One can see the women washing their clothes in these, and many public baths throughout the city draw their supplies therefrom. The town is a finely-built place, with a large industrial population; and as the State is practically in the centre of Mexico, it naturally figures as an important commercial centre. It is well served by the Central Railway, and its trade may be estimated at about £1,500,000 per annum. The policy of this State has been progressive, education is good, and liberal grants are made by the local government in aid of it. The city of Aguas Calientes, it may be remarked, is one of the most interesting in Mexico, and possesses several fine old churches.
CATHEDRAL, AGUAS CALIENTES
​microcosm of Mexico, a little Mexico, containing something of everything truly Mexican. Thus, in parts, it is mountainous and even volcanic; in others, Jalisco. it is agricultural and well watered; it embraces a wide variety of climates; cattle-raising is carried on with advantage and on a large scale; the cotton manufactory is on a firm basis; and last, but not least, the mining industry is one of the most important in the Republic. Amidst all these natural resources, one is surprised to find the serious handicap of a backward railway system; but had it not been for recent conditions, this would have been rectified, and doubtless will be when the proper time arrives. The principal city of this State is Guadalajara, a go-ahead community with modern ideas regarding sanitation and education. Some of its streets and suburbs are remarkable for their architecture, and many of its residences are striking in their individuality and outward beauty. There is a most efficient system of police, who, by the way, have a very moderate stipend—about 15s. per week. The inhabitants are pleasure-loving, and innocent amusements of all kinds are greatly in vogue. Club-life is extremely popular; and as most of the upper classes are well endowed with this world's goods, they can exercise their penchant for amusement. Bright hues preponderate in the native dress, and the whole place presents a vivid picture of colour.
Guanajuato is famous for its silver and gold mines, and, commercially speaking, is one of the most active and important States in the Republic. Parts of it are Guanajuato. very mountainous, while others consist of fertile plains, well watered and rich in pasturage. Indeed, Guanajuato is, perhaps, the best irrigated State in Mexico. Its trade amounts to nearly £15,000,000 per annum, and its population is over 1,000,000. The Bajio district is celebrated for its large production of cereals. Cheap electrical power is now available in nearly all parts of the State; and as irrigation can be assisted thereby, ​and good ranches and farms can be purchased at reasonable prices, it is one of the best States to which the prospective emigrant could betake himself. The system of railway communication in Guanajuato is an excellent one and, before the Revolution, was growing yearly; the Mexican Central and the Mexican National lines both traversing it. The city of Guanajuato, with a population of about 80,000, has mediaeval as well as modern features. Some of the larger buildings, such as the law courts and the Hall of Congress, the theatre, and the State College, are very imposing. The town straggles up the sides of a valley, and this position gives it a somewhat terraced appearance. Some of the residences are enclosed in most beautiful gardens and have a really picturesque appearance, embowered as they are among trees and semi-tropical plants. The inhabitants, or at least the foreign colony, are nearly all well-to-do, and consist for the most part of Americans, Britons, Germans, and French.
The city of Léon, which has a population similar to that of Guanajuato, is a manufacturing place and the centre of a thriving agricultural district. There are gold and silver mines in the vicinity, and the woollen and cotton manufactures give employment to large numbers of hands. The goods turned out are for the most part Mexican zarapes, and blankets and the rebozos worn by the women, which are usually woven in bright hues. Wages are good for Mexico, and average about 4s. a day. Some of the bright patterns which make their appearance in these national garments cannot be woven by machinery, but are still made on the old wooden looms; and, as in old Thrums, so delightfully depicted by Mr. J. M. Barrie, each cottage has its loom, or perhaps the inmates are leather-workers or tailors.
Colima is a Pacific Coast State and the second smallest in Colima. the Republic. Its population is about 80,000, and it lies for the most part on the western slopes of the Sierra Madre. The principal sources of revenue are agriculture and stock-raising, ​and sugar, maize, coffee, and cotton are cultivated. The mineral wealth of this State has not as yet been properly exploited. A valuable lumber industry exists, and there is a considerable salt industry. But this territory has been rather neglected because of the lack of railway facilities and, perhaps, through its distance from the centre of the country. Scenically it is one of the most impressive districts in Mexico; but its climate is almost tropical in parts, and dust and rain-storms rather handicap it for residential purposes. But the soil is extremely fertile, and the agriculturist in Colima may rely on reaping two or three crops a year without a great deal of trouble. The remoteness from which it has long suffered will pass away with the proper installation of rail-way facilities, and doubtless its natural resources will rapidly be opened up when this desirable consummation takes place. Colima, the capital, has a population of about 25,000 and has various local industries, its chief activities being the export of rice, coffee, rubber, and cabinet woods.
The State of Hidalgo has nearly 75,000 inhabitants and, like most Mexican States, has a large area of mountainous region. Its mining resources can only be Hidalgo. described as immense; and its coffee, sugar, cotton, and tobacco plantations are rich and numerous. Perhaps nowhere in Mexico is there so much wealth per head of the population as in Hidalgo. Large deposits of iron are mined in some vicinities, and this is worked into bars and castings and disposed of to other States.
Pachuca, the capital, has a population of about 40,000, and is one of the oldest towns in Mexico, with a long history behind it and some really fine Spanish architecture. Some of the churches and the Government palace are particularly noteworthy. It was here that Medina discovered the process of reducing silver ores with quicksilver in 1587, and his old hacienda is still to be seen. American capital is behind most ventures in Pachuca, and has, of course, suffered ​considerably from the recent unsettled conditions prevalent there.
The State of Michoacan has a Pacific coast-line. Its population is about 1,000,000. Part of it is plateau country, but the Southern portion is broken up into Michoacan. fertile valleys. That district of it which slopes to the Pacific is as yet undeveloped, and agriculture as a whole is rather circumscribed within its boundaries. The mining industry is important, and the famous silver mine of Dos Estrellas, situated near the boundary line with the State of Mexico, has one of the largest outputs in the world. A favourite place of resort in Michoacan is the Lake of Chapala, which attracts many foreign visitors and residents, and which has recently been considerably altered in its general appearance as the result of a severe earthquake. Michoacan is a cattle-raising State, and the annual value of its live stock is nearly £3,000,000. A great railway undertaking was in course of construction in this State prior to the revolutionary epoch, but how the venture stands at the present time one has small means of discovering.
Morelia, with a population of 40,000, is the capital of Michoacan, and was named after Morelos, the priest-patriot of Mexico, who was originally a follower of Hidalgo. It is rather a humdrum town, but has decided attractions as a place of residence, as it has delightfully clean streets, beautiful parks, and wonderful churches. It is typically a Spanish-colonial city. The houses are built of large blocks of stone, with enormous carved doorways, and now command extremely low rents. It is, indeed, a "Sleepy Hollow," and the only products of manufacture are silk shawls, a limited amount of cotton goods, palm hats, lace, and embroideries. The cathedral is one of the finest specimens of Spanish Renaissance church architecture in Mexico, and possesses an exquisite onyx font and silver doors to the shrines of its chapels. The inhabitants are intensely musical, and annual band-competitions draw thousands of interested listeners, the best ​band being sent to the city of Mexico to compete with similar organisations from other States. Morelia, like the State of which it is a capital, is a stronghold of clericalism and conservatism, and here the Church has instituted numerous schools in opposition to the State colleges. But Morelia has within its bounds the oldest collegiate institution in Mexico, that of San Nicolas de Hidalgo, founded at Patzcuaro by Bishop Quiroga in 1540, and transferred to Morelia, which was then known as Valladolid, a few years later.
Morelos, a small but wealthy State, with a population of 162,000, lies on the southern slope of the great Mexican plateau. Within its boundaries are to be Morelos. found some of the highest mountain peaks in Mexico, arid for so small a territory it possesses a wide range of climate. But it is well cultivated and irrigated, and is, indeed, one of the most flourishing agricultural States of Mexico. As a mining district, however, it has been almost entirely neglected, and its real wealth lies in sugar and molasses. The people are contented and, if wages are not high, neither are the prices of the necessaries of life. Some of the mestizos of this State are extremely artistic; and the pottery of San Antonio, a suburb of Cuernavaca, is most highly finished and rich in colour. Cuernavaca itself is one of the most romantic towns in Mexico, surrounded as it is by mountains and occupying a site where flowers blossom in abundance. Cortés built himself a residence in this old city, but this is not the only historical connection it can boast, for the unfortunate Emperor Maximilian, attracted by its beautiful situation, often retired there to his cottage of Olindo, which is almost unchanged from the day on which he quitted it. Near at hand are the ruins of Xochicalco, among the best examples of a Mexican teocalli which still exists. On its sides can be seen representations of the feathered serpent divinity, Quetzalcoatl, but unfortunately these have been much defaced. Near this place, too, is Cortés sugar hacienda and other buildings of note.
​The State of Guerrero is in a somewhat backward condition, and is populated largely by Indians and Mestizos, who number about 500,000. These are, for the Guerrero. most part, of a very ignorant and degraded type. The resources of the State, however, are almost unequalled; and it has a port, Acapulco, which should greatly assist in its development if more railway lines than the present single one converged upon it. It is mountainous, with a low coastal plain, the hinterland being cut up into narrow valleys, rich with timber but difficult of penetration. The coastal zone is hot, and life can be supported much better by Europeans in the tierras templadas of the mountain region. Coffee, cotton, tobacco, and cereals can be grown, but mining is undeveloped. However, the State is scarcely a white man's country, at least not until it is freed from the malarial conditions which at present exist near the coast. Opals of great beauty are mined at Guerrero, as well as gold and silver. The unfortunate circumstance connected with this State is that it is to a great extent cut off by the Sierras Madre from the rest of Mexico. Many schemes have been formed to connect it by rail with the interior of the country, but the topographical difficulties in the way are enormous, and it does not look as if they would be readily overcome. The country has other drawbacks, for the excitements of earthquake are on occasion added to those lesser annoyances which afflict all Europeans in the hot lands of Mexico the—tarantula, the mosquito, the centipede, and the scorpion.
​rainfall, which greatly assists agricultural operations, here the staple of existence. In no State in Mexico, perhaps, are the conditions of ancient Aztec life so closely presented, for here, amid a teeming native population, we find the soil as carefully and lovingly tilled by hand as it was in the days of the Aztec emperors. Coffee, cereals, sugar-cane, and fruits, to say nothing of the inevitable pulque, are cultivated in Puebla, all of a very high standard. Manufacturing is carried on with great briskness because of the cheapness of labour, and the cotton factories of Puebla are by far the most numerous in the Republic. But the State is not to any great extent a cotton-growing one, and imports most of its raw material. Onyx and marble are also quarried in Puebla. Puebla de los Angeles, the capital, situated on a great, open plain, has a population of nearly 100,000, and is one of the handsomest and most regularly built cities in Mexico. Churches abound, and their towers are to be seen rising on every hand, glittering with coloured tiles or gold leaf. The cathedral is certainly one of the finest in the world, and certainly the finest in Latin-America. The interior is superb, the exterior somewhat unequal in design. The building was begun in 1552, and took nearly a century to complete. The Teatro Principal, built in 1790, is said to be the oldest existing theatre in the American continent. Puebla is, indeed, one of the most striking cities in Mexico from an artistic point of view. Its art galleries, libraries, and myriad treasures are as interesting as its history, for it was here that Diaz swept the French army before him in headlong rout, and here that Iturbide made his triumphal entry after a stubborn siege, and the marks of French and Mexican bullets may still be seen on its buildings.
Oaxaca is certainly one of the most wealthy mining districts of Mexico. Indeed, its celebrity in this respect Oaxaca. is world-wide. It has a population of about 1,000,000, and its scenery is probably unrivalled on the American continent. The Sierra Madre ​mountain range crosses the State, and the valleys which lie between its peaks are of surpassing beauty and fertility. The climate is sub-tropical and healthy, with a moderate rainfall, and agriculture is extensively engaged in. The Indian races of Oaxaca, the Zapotecs and Mixtecs, the descendants of those who built ruined Mitla, still form the greater part of the population, and they are greatly in demand throughout the Republic as clerks and schoolmasters, and because of their intelligence generally. Railway communication is scarcely what it should be, but before the Revolution this want was being surely but slowly met. The city of Oaxaca is typically Spanish and rather backward. It was originally an Aztec military post, called Huaxyacac, and was founded in 1486, according to native tradition. The whole valley of Oaxaca was settled upon Cortés by the Spanish crown, in recognition of his great services, and he was also given the title of Marquis del Valle de Oaxaca. The city has had a chequered history, and has produced many great figures in Mexican life, notably Benito Juarez and Porfirio Diaz, the two most celebrated Presidents who ever directed the affairs of the Mexican Republic. The population is about 35,000, mostly Indian.
GENERAL VIEW OF VERA CRUZ AND GULF OF MEXICO
​opinion of the richness of the whole country. Stock-raising is the principal industry, and has an annual value of nearly £3,000,000. It is said that the pasturage in Vera Cruz is perhaps the finest in the world, and the animals raised there are of a superb strain. The town of Vera Cruz is the largest port in Mexico. Works which record travel in Mexico a generation ago speak of it as a wretched place, full of slums and pulque shops; but if the travellers who then decried it were to revisit it and behold it as it now is—an up-to-date and thoroughly equipped port, from whose harbours hundreds of great ships carry the produce of wealthy Mexico they would undoubtedly receive a surprise. It is not, however, a suitable place to reside in; and in this respect it has not changed much within the last century, the prime reason for this being that it is situated in the hot lands and is thus regarded as unhealthy by Europeans, who, on landing, usually catch the first train for Mexico city. But Vera Cruz city is by no means so fever-ridden as it once was, and as a matter of fact, its death-rate is less than that of the capital. Phthisis is a far more common scourge in Vera Cruz than "Yellow Jack," and no wonder, for parts of the place are squalid to a degree. Jalapa, the capital of the State, is a well-built, modern city, with clean, wide streets and handsome buildings. Orizaba is an attractive holiday resort, and was frequently patronised by Maximilian.
Campeché, one of the most luxuriant and verdant States in the Union, is, unfortunately, the most unhealthy of all, for within her borders there lurk those Campeché. terrible tropical fevers so fatal to the European. This State comprises the western part of the peninsula of Yucatan, and is named after the Campeche, or logwood, its principal product. Rare woods, mahogany, palms, and dyewoods are exported, and the labour which fells these and brings them to the coast is almost exclusively Indian. There are practically no other means of communication than those afforded by the rivers ​and lakes of the country, roads being few and agriculture in a most backward state. The population is about 90,000; and the capital, Campeché, built on the site of an older native town, is reminiscent in its fine old buildings of the prosperous times when it possessed the entire trade of Yucatan, which has now gone to Progreso, the port of Merida.
Chiapas, for the most part, still awaits development. It has a varied climate and is fertile, and its people are intelligent and peace-loving. There are Chiapas. indications of rich mineral deposits, but railway communication is, as elsewhere in Mexico, sadly lacking. The cattle trade is in a flourishing condition, and coffee is grown to great advantage in the district of Soconusco. This last-named vicinity is one of the classic countries of native lore, and it is to its people that the collector of Mexican traditions must address himself if he desires to discover a great deal that he cannot glean from the Indians of the more northerly States, for here ancient custom and folk-usage linger, and there are suspicions that in certain remote centres the ancient religion of the country is still current. In Chiapas are situated the marvellous ruins of Palenque, the most wonderful productions of aboriginal architecture on the continent of America.
Provincial Mexico is considerably older than provincial America, and is, therefore, more highly specialised in type. Local feeling and local pride are strong, and State patriotism is in some places even more powerful than national patriotism. There is, again, a very wide difference between the peoples of the North and the inhabitants of the isthmian territories; but that there is a Mexican type, a distinct Mexican people, can in no way be denied, and that this race is trending to homogeneity of ideal, if not of ethnic type, is also undoubted.