The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-06-25
SOCIAL LIFE IN MEXICO.

people, they rise early-the gentlernef
: to take their morning ride, the ladies tC
go to early mass, which is the ONLY oc
casion OF which they appear in the
streets on foot. They take luncheon
between twelve and one O'Clock. The
Mex1eans are very temperate people
they drink Ettle brandy, wine or beer
but On every table you find 10uZQtIe,
hghf, VJnous beverage resembling cider
obtained from the American agave. Al
a general thing they lead very regular
exemplary lives, but gambling is theil
passion.
The men are usually small, delicately
but symmetrically made, and have very
small hands and feet. They are very
polite and graceful. reserved and eau.
t1ous, as though they were always on
their guard against deception-and fol
very good reason, since trustworthi.
ness is far from being a leading virtue
among them. They are ready to promise
with words ; are always at your SER
vice, but they afe not to be trusted.
Fifty years of civil strife would be suf-
ticent to demoralize better people than
the descendants of COrtez and his fol-
lowers. They love money, but have
little idea how it is to be honestly OBJ
tanned hence it is looked upon rather
as being meritorious than sinful to steal
from the government. be that govern
ment what it may. Whoever gets into
office uses his position for this purpose.
In general they are very hospitable,
and at dinner there are always two or
three covers laiG for guests who may
chance to come in. Frugal as they
usually are, when they entertain they
provide very botntifully.
The women of the better classes are
very handsome, and are especially re-
markable for their abundant heads of
black hair, their large, dark, melan-
choly eyes and their small, deGcately-
formed extremities. They marry young,
often at the age Of fourteen or fifteen,
| and usually have large families it is
| not uhustta1 to see a woman with a
dozen children, and sometimes with
even more. The children are very fKail,
very quiet and vell-behaved. I have
never seen them romp and quarrel, as 1
have always seen hearty, strong chill
| dren do in other countries. The mothers
usually nurse their children themselves,
are very fond and devoted, and bring
them up very irrationally. They treat
| them like dolls, and their chief study is
are very precocious up to their tenth
or twelfth year they progress with won
derful rapidity, but then their intellect
ual development becomes very slow or
entirely ceases.
Family life in Mexico is quite pleas
ant; the husband and wife are always
seen together, and they live mostly at
home, surrounded by their relations
Parents separate themselves from their
daughters very UnwillinRly, and not I'M
frequently they marry them to men who
are content to make the house of their
father-in-law their home and to live at
his expense.
The ladies are exceedingly ignorant.
They read nothing but their PRAYER
books and are hardly able to write the
most commonplace letter. They know
no language but Spanish, and of history
and geography they are entirely iqno-
rant. They knew before they were in
vaded by the French that Paris is the
capital of France, and of London they
had also heard, since from both of these
cities they have always received their
finery and many objects of luxury. All
they know of Rome is that the pope has
his residence there, and but for that cir
cumstance they would not know there is
such city. They, however, have a
good deal of taste for music and many
of them sing and play very creditably. |
In many Mexican houses they have, as |
a rule, no regular dinner. If they are |
hungry they eat some simple dish or
drink cup of chocolate, which is ex-
eellent the coffee, however, although |
they raise a good quality, is not good
they do not know how to prepare it.
At six o'clock they drive out and from
the promenade they go to the opera or
theater, taking their daughters, dressed |
i'll their finest, with them. IF perchance
there is no place of amusement to which
they can go, then they remain at home
aud amuse themselves with cards and
music. The young people assemble
very frequently for hop or tertuLiG,
as such gatherings are called in Mexico.
Although there are in Mexico among
the 100000 inhabitants about half a
million negroes-yery few in the cities
the house servants are Indians, mostly
young girls, who are generally treated
in very friendly and familiar manner
by their employers. They are well
skilled in household affairs, and many
of them embroider beautifully.
More than hall the population of the
country are Indians those who live on
the plateau of Mexico and in the Wei
nifty are descendants of the ztecs,
who, 300 years ago, astonished the
Spaniards with their civilization, which
some say surpassed that of the ancient
The conquerors who ex-
pected to meet with savages only, found
in the Aztec capital fCurishing city
containing many fine buildings adorned
L. VIZ |
become of this intelligent, industrious
people The manner in which the
English treated the American Indians,
bad as it was, had some excuse in the
Obstinacy with which they resisted
every attempt to civiliz them; but
the Aztees were very far from being !
3avages.
Ma.treated as the poor natives were,
they took refuge in the forests, where !
they were deprived of every means of
culture. Their children grew up in '
ignorance and, in course OF time, they j
even lost their mechanical skill. No '
wonder they are shy and distrustful.
When they are well treated they evince
great goodness of heart, ale faithful I
and evince a strong desire to learn. I
When the cOnquerors spread over the
buS doO1ASIuSb COuIu uOb hOGp |
,nirely away fir, m them, especially in {
he vicinity of the cities. OF this con- t
act there came among them a new sort {
If civilization. They soon learned the q
7alue of money, and that it could be e
obtained by selling their service to t
heir lazy ma ters. The consequence B
S that we see them everywhere the
BETTY tradssmen and laborers of the
country. They were almost exclusively
he providers for the capitsl-tbey q
anne from every direction with their /
poultry, frnits, vegetables, wood, char a
oal, etc., etc. I
The women work mole than the men, r
nd, together with heavy load, carry +
ng their babies on their backs, they h
an be seen on every road leading to :
he city, going on dog -trot to market. 3
Their dress is very simple. A piece of q
,lue cotton stuff is wound round the r
7aist and falls to the ankles, while the 7
houlder and breast are covered by an {,
ther piece of cotton of a different p
olor, in which there is a hole to put o
he head through. ] have seen the Ii
in the Tyrol wear pieces of 4