The Grant County herald. (Big Stone City, Grant County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1883, 1880-08-28
Mexican Villages.
an arbor.

| Mexican Villages.
3 correspondent tells US how s. Meal
can vll.sge looks in the following extrac
from this letter: Perhaps We alight with
III one Of the smaller collections OF dwell
ings. Ne matter what its name may be
Each resembles tile other SO much as /,
De known at lance as .'o"n brother,
The first genera Impression left on th'
mind Is that tb" place bears an artfu
| likeness 10 town, huify ri toy blocks By
q very young child. The streets, Whiet
might better be called lanes. are withou,
sysieln og regularity. The houses ar.
either OF adobe or OF stakes planted up
right iu the ground and cnnked and
piastered with mud. They may 0, ma.
| not have little courts either IN front ~
rear ana in,lOse3 by adobe wals. No
endeavor toHar! display o. taste, nc III,
Slgldualty is apparent about the bu3ld
| ings. All angles were intenle,3 oy thu
! buiiier- - be right angles, and such q
thing as = curve is beyond shc pale o.
| possibilities. seldom vii. YOU fni 3
tree among the aiievs of the village; bu.
| IL you venture tp7 a stlall after night you
may, while barking your sh,ns against
| broken down adobe walls, lie Convinced
ot the presence ~ the thoFny mos4uit
| bush ar the hostile "~panish dagge~"
plant. saSe io1 a complication oI such q
Kind, and al pery4iipg sens q deadly
dplnn.s fills ane'> being from tha NJ.
| naeat % entering ]. M N len t0s5p.
let As y0a pa>s ~ ~ h9.ss.s infIe
luent peisan n1as ~ ,eel moving llstless
| ~ from on. ael1 say IL sno1ues Of Spme
open mouthesi s,.nt.r may star. st3pll
| y from The shat. Nif'sh he II .Touehel.
But nobody ssen.e T. have ANY particular
purpose Or ,hjtct in lii.. Should you
put i question Il one 81 I'd $, automatic
e.rpsee, the inv arfahEa aossa; MI come
WITH machine ike fegnIIity, "Quien
sabe + There is III inespresslhie sir OF
| sadness about the place. Tie color OF
the buildings, as sorr0wiel IN tone ~ the
brown. stone homes ot New York, the
| ever! present, unprotiactlye sand upon
the village rests, even the white sunshine
| itself, oppress one with feeling ot gloom
And the Mexican villagers themselves
| partake of the nature oi Their environ.
ment and are saa people. viii . SAD
| ness, however, that ls not Inconsistent
| ~lth general eOn,entmenr and seasons oi
mirth. There is nos much filth In ths
streets OF the plssita. Tie Inevitable goal
cleans up what little garhage il thronn
out Of doors, and the hot climate breeds
| many insects TO act a. general seav1ngers
In riding along sa highways and By
Nays OF New Mexico one often comes up
on small gatherings Of dwellings IN the
que1est, most unexpected places. They
seem to have been dropped d9wn iron,
somewhere above, with happy 90 lucky
disregari for the fitness ol the quarter
where they Should touch ground. You
may see village sliding and struggling
down the side OF sand hill, win mol
even as much as blade 81 grass u Msrd
off The fierce rays OF the snn in sumner ol
IT, chilly blasts Of winter wind, while il
Is more than likely thar within FIVE nan
! ntes' walk there is locality ainlrabl,
suited by nature for to~n site. Tt,
tirst conner appears 70 have raised hlf
roof tree wherever be happened t. fn3 I
clear space, and his followers have ranges
up by hls side because he aGs there pa
| fore then. and tor no other reason. "
in some cases the disagreeabe location
ct the villages have been to s certain ex
/ tent matters Il necessity. II making
settlement in New Mexico the first con
sideraslon u nesrness 70 water, by ahicl
land can be irrigated, and whence liYt
stock can be suppliea. Where the quaint
| ty of land that can Sc brought ander We
ter is small the dwellings arc SET bask il
any conveniently proSimate position
Tie first settlers having made arrange
ments with some such intention, late
corners have crowded their houses as nea
as possible, with the idea Of mutual pr,
lection in case of danger from Indian a.
saults, and thus the s.plazita' he g-owr
Sometimes the land cultivated by ii
men Of the villages extends Tor conslJ
cradle distance from the center Of h2blts
ton, bat more often there is no more 50
under tllage than mere pa1eh tor eac
family.