New-York tribune., 1868-11-06
MEXICO

A JOURNEY TO TIE PYRAMIDS-rIiE NiiLA"E
CIUECH-CROPs AND ILOwERs-Thh CANE
sYSTEM-LABoR AND RoBBERf-low 10
r1CuT THE LADRONES-MAXIMILIANS C,-
PRESS-PEASANT FuNERhS-IilE CHilpKEN
"A NIGHT AT THE MEsON.
GFRoM Our owS CORRESPONDENTS
S,NJUAN TEoTIuUACAN. Sept G.-Tho other day
coming here from Tepespam, n railroad station ~
miles from the city capital our wagon st"ppeu a'
Aclatonga. This not to water horses, Tor wafer
i not handy in these dry little puebos. bnt to give
our driver a chance to drink puque, which in Aca-
tonga must be excellent, as it is the center OF
maguey hacienda - leagues round and about. The
driver had furthermore to perform his business ~
moving post office by taking a letter or two fIon
ranchero or haCendado small farmer or big farmer
Meanwhile entered the village church yard. which,
like most of its kind is bounded by thick walls and
niched on the inner side lew half-eilhced saps
laid flat on the ground denote style OF burial diiei
ent from the wall seputure common to the pantheohs
in the CITY, The inches contain a few old bones
thrown up by the sexton in antiquarian diggings TO
serve for warning to sinners, The little church has
the common belfry tower of Mexico and. If remcm-
Der right front somewhat like Bishops hat STUCK
with small image of the Virgin but what smost re-
markabe about il are its interior figures ana pant
incs. One of these is 81. Jago de Composella, who
one hand and the sword in the other. aud appears
rea dy to slash conversion right and left among the
heart, Of the heathen Above the fierce ST. James Is
q rude picture of one OF the events attending the
Cruciix xion and this Is pinned or nailed oyer WIN
score of rosettcs the Indians tribute 10 religious ART
On the pulpit side OF the clurchs single aisle N an
old litter fitted round with iiu lanterns evldoniy
for the purpose of illuminating hguro OF Onr Lady,
which used 10 bo carried in procession along with an
equestrian statue Of 81. james the rash. oar Lady.
in wax and satin decorated with gold preside, over
the altar The Mexican church las always the yir-
tue Of accommodating rich and poor aliko "ihh us
mere walls and of course the parognia of Acatonga
has no seats at all to i,s old TIED iGor e1I Iea
gin of the Candlestick but how 90 describe this
mood Of the blessed maid do not know.
Our drive To the Teotihnacan, which - but
a few leagues from the village, vas as pleasant
as il should DO in the delightful sun and
sky of Mexican morning and with boundleSs
view Of the magucys. Bright and curious
flowers we're upon the waysldc: lobciias, from
petllas mustar, weeds conVOlvui aud composite,
squat little flower, yellow, common AS our Northern
clover and called here the cockseye. But probably
the finest sight about Mexican farm at this hour,
speaking of vegetation, is field OF ayocotes. the
famous big bean of the country with ItS magical
tween here and Tepespam are very ialr - lar "a
we see them in the ranchos. Vegetables are plenty;
beans and peas various and abundant soil good
enough ain told, to yield two crops in year one
of wheat and the other of corn. But one tilhng ~
needed TO give good crops OF alfalfa or Mexican
clover ( + five or six years ahead. The ateness of
the ram this year has been drawback 10 corr,
which is still promising The fertility of Mexican
soil il n story. and | SEQ no reason to doubt
IT, Volcanic regions aie usually rich, aud that Of
Mexico affords undeniably "A great variety OF ele-
mcnt and Of crops The table land OF Anahuac il benc,
fitted above all, by q sun. the genial charm and
frnctifying heat of which arc memorabilia 10 travel.
era The immigrant and tho plough might do still
more for both ground and crops but th9 seciai need
Of Mexico is by means agricultural IL has large
excess of farming compared 10 all other industries
The markets are gutted with grains and fruits;
Corn is speculation in dry or late seasons, and |
have been told is seldom very profitable till them AT
such times money s made from maize than any
thing else, few, by the way, the subjects of ac
industries Grains grow plentfully on the plateau
as one can wish barley takes the place of oats for
horses and yields finely; and with no great culti-
vation the farmer easily lhls market. Down III
the temperate terra around Orizaya may be seen
fields Of barley leagues in length Compare ITS agri-
cultural to its other needs, aud think II VIII beseen
that the country is badly OF for want of
variety Of labor and of immigration The grains
and fruits of Mexico will supply at least
twice its present population, yet with all
this capacity large mass OF the people are ab1ect
and ainless for want of something better to do Ont
of the country's rank abundance of p' asantry and
agriculture. tho thisles darnes. and yIlnagas OF
vicious life spring up with impunlty IL Is not 80
easy 10 saryo in Mexico, but dreadiuly easy to stag
nate aud when humanity enters into this act OF n
action, there is the old danger of fermentation-fcr
mentaton which pronOnnces itself as decidedly as
pnlque, and in such corrupt syllablcs as Marquee
Sana Anna Ncgrete, and the vcrnn Of thieves. big
and little, who have veNcd this war-wOTn Republic
That the greatest OF these thieves seem TO be- utterly
~,
of the hour. Passing roads tho village teanser
is good enough TO point ont for the place where
robber was shot some days ago; proof, however
that the San Juan country is pestilcnt this
account Its neighbor Otumba, boasts entire
exemption. and ] have not heard that san
Juan has ever been tcrTOrizcd. while
haciendas 10 miles down the road put
t0 sack Proof of the latter cnse is my companion
of travel, whose face has scarce recovered from
terrible wound inflicted in the cowardlicst manner
by one Of the gang OF Noriega who invaded Il haci-
enda near Zampoala killed two or three of its in
mates carried off the bacendad0. and bore him to
cave in the mountains, whore he was fed on tortias
till ransoned Five cities claimed Homer dead but
more than five villages NAV lay claim Ia Noriega
living robbing. and killing At lluasca. they told
me hc belonged Ia the place. at Rcgla the silver
hacienda owned him; now my driver, remarks as II
Inc knew all about IT, that il was Don Ant0niOs wife
who lived at Huasca though she was born al Veas-
co: i'm short that Don Antonio NOflega was born IN
the ancient and holy town of San Juan leotlhuacan
whittier our pilgrim wheels are rolling. Two
more places may lay hold 10 the
bad carcass of his fame Nelasco, where he
and his band took an old man out
OF ail and shot him for killing robher III the at
tempt TO save his daughter and hill near Pachnca
wheic he surprised All Austrian garrison, and put 1t
mercilessly 10 the sword. so much for the romance
of robbery wearing silver buttons and half dollars
down its legs and silver embroidery on lackct and
saddle cloth in such brave fashion that the richest
of the robber bands are called platead0- or sl