Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-08-10

Its Streets, Its People and Its CustOms-
The Tertio- MillcnnlnI Expeditions
The Adobe Church OF san Miguel,

| The Tertio. Millennlnl Expeditions
| The Adobe Church Of san Miguel,
etc.
SANTA FR, New Mexico, Aug. /, 1888.
To the Editor of the Free Press and Times
As this place is some 1900 miles from
home, it is sufficiently remote to be interest
| ing and 80 is presumably worth brief letter
of description.
From the Mississippi river, we travelled
through the rich and well TILED fields of
Iowa, the crude but fertile prairies of Ne
braska, the dry and treeless cattle ranges of
Eastern Colorado, tue dismal plains and up
| lands of New Mexico to this the Oldest city
of the continent s)mc 1000 feet above sea
level.
The climate Of Colorado and New Mexico
is not to all new corners agreeable. The
dry white LIGHT, the glare over the whole face
of nature, the absence of shade trees Except
| ing cotton-woods that mark the course of the
infrequent streams and the scrub pines along
| the foot hills, the dust and fiery sun which
blistcrs the lips and peels the nose and the
| shortneSs OF breath that afllicts climbers in
| high attitudes combine to give to many, at
| first, an unpleasant impression of the coun-
tay. But the mornings and nights are de-
| lightful, and, to be perfectly comfortable
during the day and as happy as Mexican,
one has only to keep on the shady side of a
building or rock.
The chief interest of Santa Fc lies in the
contrast which it illustrates of the civilization
of the 10Th century American with that
l.Nft l..N Ax..1 ..f 1...I..
| The Mexican lives substantially MS he has
for three hundred years past and the Pueblo,
or village Indian, as he has from time un-
measured. The city is now celebrating its
SO called "tertiomill6nnmP' in commcmora-
ton of its discovery 10y the Spanards about
| the year 1850 or sufficiently near that date
to justify the title Of the present exposition.
The Spaniards found here IN Indian village
bearing the marks of time already establish
cd. The present population is about $500
Of which $500 are Of Spanish or Mexican
descent. The soldiers and Adventures of
Spain settled in the country pared with In.
dans and the modern NIexcans are their Off
pring. The country is now undergoing
q new conquest by the modern
Yankee who dominates the land With the
railroad, telegraph, telephone and the miners
pick and shovel as certainly as did the Span
iards with fire, sword and cross. From the
window of a highprced hotel with all modern
appliances of comfort $50 called you look
upon hillside covered with adobe houses
centuries old and inhabited by conserva-
tive people whose habits have never changed
until forced to some modification by the in
road of the Northern hordes of tradesmen,
miners and spectators.
| The streets are narrow and the houses, with
very few exceptions, are built of adobe, in
one story and upon three sides of a square.
The entrance is from the court into the main
body of the house, and not from the street,
excepting in few dwellings of American
residents. The inner portal is covered by a
projecting roof with thick deposit of earth
upon it in place of shingles. Here is q cool
retreat at all times in which the Mexican
with his cigarette feels that he has found the
true philosophy of life. Such rooms as we
entered were scrupulously neat.
The women inmates were clothed in n sort
Of loose white dressing sacks and gown of cal
leo or other cheap stuff. When in the street
they cover their heads with black shaw,
holding it under the chin with one hand,
pulling it far over the brow, If in the sun,
and sometimes covering part of the face if
stared at too curiously. l observed that, at
all times, they took care TO keep one bright
eye uncovered and on duty. This head dress
of the Questionable Mexican woman is TO
some tastes as useful and becoming as anoth-
| er which embelshes the more instructed
brain centres of some modsh American ladies
in Santa Fee and elsewhere, and which con-
sists apparently of n large wheel OF monde
script material covered with ROSTERS tails
mingled with painted paper and glass and
spearcd into bunch of dead hair behind.
The Mexican working man of the present day
in this vicinity dresses in shabby prod
uct of the ready made clothing store.
Their complexion is u shade relieved from
the dark copper color of the Indian, although
it cannot take on peach bloom, is suited
to the climate and has the negative merit OF
not being subject to the manifold imperfcc-
fections of the more sensitive Caucasian
skin.
Adobe is common earth wet up, sun dried
and moulded into bricks about "a inches
long. eight inches wide and three inches thick
The houses are made of these bricks plastered
together with mud. The foundations are OF
stone and lime to better resist the action OF
water. These dwellings must be very com
Portable Summer and Winter, and in this lane
OF bright sun their dull color Of earth is pleas
ant for the eye to rest upon. They arc also
very durable One of them standing next tC
the church of San Miguel, in perfect preser
walton and now occupied us home was ar
old building when the Spauiards entered The
city.
The most notable sight in town is thi:
church of San Miguel built OF adobe Ivy the
Spaniards between the years 1882 and 1896
unroofed by the Indians in 1850 and restored
by the Spaniards in l7l0. 1t makes no pre-
tensions to fine architecture, but tho bean
supporting the restored gallery is carefully
and neatly carved showing that the church II
accordance with its traditions, used sucl
feeble means as it had at command to trace
the lines of beauty. Some of the paintings
upon the wall were brought from the ole
country by the invaders and are of no specia
interest beyond their antiquity.
The exposition in progress here was or
ganized for the purpose Of advertising tn,
country and its resources. 1t has been ,
, failure in point Of attendance but the exhibit
OF mineral and other products of the country
! seems to DO satisfactory. Every day or two
some novel entertainment was organized t
l divert the visiting stranger, pony races, In
dian dances, Mexican balls, the performance
] OF Zuni rites and other shows of all kinds
Z From speeches that were made at the expo
s sition by gentlemen prominent in the terri
Q tory inferred that the chief interest upo
a which the country relies for development
: IS mining and that stock raising, trade and az
c riculture are held TO be of secondary impoI
n lance; and there was complaint that minin
n and miners had not hitherto received prope
s encouragement in New Mexico.