The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-02-09
Shops and Shopping in Mexico.

Shops and shopping, of the upper
sort, in Mexico follow French or Eu-
ropean traditions more than American.
Fanciful titles over the doorway are
adopted instead OF firm name. A
dry goods store is "The Surprise" "
"The Spripgtime," "The Explosion
jewelers. the Pearl" or Emerald
shoe store, "The Azure Boot" and
"The Foot of Venus" The windows
are tastefully draped and large force
of clerks is seen shoulder to shoulder
within. These clerks are more demo-
cratic in their manners than Americans
would venture to be. They shake
hands with their patrons if they have
enjoyed slight previous acquaintance
and inquire after the health of Miss
Lolita and Miss Soledad. There are
those of superior social position among
them, hoTever-some who are met
with at the balls of the Guatemala
minister, for instance. The explana-
tion may perhaps be found in the limit
ed.choice of occupations open, which
leaves to many who desire to work no
moro important places.
Until Of late it has not been eti-
quette for ladies' OF standing to shop
except from their csrriages-a consid.
erable part of the shopping, as for furni-
ture and other household goods, is still
conducted by the men of the family
just as it was not etiquette for ladies to
be seen walking in the streets. The
change in both these respects is as
cribed to the horse-cars. The point of
ceremony, it appears, Was founded
somewhat upon the difficulty of getting
about The American touch appears in
the streets with increasing frequency,
in signs of dealers in arms, sewing ma
chimes, and other of our useful inven-
tions, and OF the insurance companies,
a novel idea, to which the Mexicans
seem to take with much readiness. The
principal shopping hours are from
TO 6 o'clock in the afternoon. From
l till 3, or even 4, little is
done. There is general stoppage of
affairs for dinner. 1t is but short
time since that interesting person, the
commercial traveller, has been known in
the country. The profits of favorably
situated houses, In the absence of keen
competition, have been very large, and
methods OF doing business in some in.
stances correspondingly loose. The
Mexican merchant does not necessarily
go into fine calculation of the pro.
portiopate value of each detail of for
eign invoice, but "lumps" the profit
he thinks he ought to receive on the
whole. Some articles, in consequence,
can be bought at less than their real
value, while others, in compensation,
are ex0rbitantly advanced.
1t is the smaller trade, however, and
that most removed from metrop .litan
influences, that is the gayest and most
entertaining as q spectacle. How many
picturesque market scenes does one
linger in Each population has its
own market-dsy, net to interfere with
any other. The stone flags of the plaza
or the msrket-houses, which are plenti
full and we'll built, are hidden under a
complication of fruits, grains, cocoa
sacks and mats, striped blankets and
rebozos, sprawling brown limbs, en-
broidered bodices and kirtles, as if
with an excessively thick, richly col
ored rug. A grade above this is the
Parian, as at Puebla, bazar of small
shops, in which goods, sales-people and
customers are all to be put upon the can
vas with the most vivid hues. The
leading merceria (dry goods shop) of
the same important city of Puebla,
called "The City of Mexico" has a
facade sntirely in glazed tiles upon an
unglazed ground Of red, with allegor-
ical figures larger than life between the
pilasters as part of the pattern.-H@-
per's Magazine.