The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-09-15
SUMNER DAYS IN MEXICO.
Pen-Pictures of Mexican Life - The
Breathing-Places of Monterey.
The Plaza de Saragoza-Jealous Husbands
How the "Old, Old Story" Is Told in
the Tropics-EducatiOn, Etc.
Correspondence of the Indianapolis Journal.

plazas public squares), and Monterey is par
ticularly blessed in that respect having not
less than dozen. Some of them are bare,
hot dusty places, without tree or shrub, and
others are full of bloom and beauty. First,
there is the market plaza, about which l
have already written you, with its crowds of
buyers and sellers, its queer commodities
and strange Egyptian fgures-presenting the
same scene every day in the year. The mu-
nicipal plaza, in the rear of the municipal
palace, is a big, blank, dusty place, upon
which the sun pours its fervent rays unhin-
dered. 1t is entirely given over to hack
drivers, who occupy it with their so-called
Carriages" and there one must go, or
send, if desiring a conveyance The Plaza
Cinco del Mayo 18th of Mayl named in honor
OF the victory over the French at Pueblo, is
another large, treeless square, devoted to the
annual celebration of that event so import
ant in Mexican history. The Cinco del Mayo
holidays last fortnight beginning on the
9th of May During that time, this plaza
which is deserted all the rest of the year is
scene of great hilarity. Then every foot of
| 1t is crowded with erry-go-rounds eating
stalls, gamblers booths (everybody CANDLES
"dulce" (candy) vendors, and swarming with
dogs and humans. At night the scene is
illuminated by lanterns, and then the fun
wakes uproarious and the gamblers reap a
silver harvest. In other days the favorite
plaza of Monterey was the old Alemeda
grove of elms( but for many years it has
been quite forsaken; its old elms are mostly
dead and its stone benches-like the beauty
and fashion who used to sit upon Them have
fallen to decay. The fashionable promenade
OF to-day is the beautiful Plaza de Zaragoza.
which lies in the center of the city, sur
rounded by the most prominent buildings of
church and state. 1t is full of trees and has
fine old marble fountain in the middle
whose big spouting dolphns were the work
OF a master hand. The central portion OF
the place is crossed and recrossed by many
shady paths, amid a wilderness of roses, and
around the outside runs a very wide double
walk of cement, made by Mexican masons,
as hard, white and smooth as polished mar
ole. Both inside and out are rows and rows
of clumsy benches, made of the same cement
in shape and size disagreeably suggestive of
sarcophagi and the morgue. Before sitting
upon them it is we'll to look out for cent?
pedes and scorpions, for it is anything but
pleasant to afterwards discover either OF
these animals scampering up your stockings
or down the back of your neck. The mill
tary band plays several evenings in the week
in this Plaza de Zaragoza, and then all Mon
versal Mexican custom to walk much in the
plazas. Married ladies do not indulge in it
to so great an extent as their jealous lords
prefer to keep them safely behind the bars;
but the senoritas go daily, and all the men,
young and old, bachelors and benedicts.
Round and round they promenade, for hours
at time the ladies' always with their chape-
rones or relatives, going in one direction,
the gentlemen in the other so that they are
constantly meeting each other 1t is the
correct thing to bow the first time you meet
and afterwards to deport yourselflike follow
ers in funeral procession who must not
recognize their dearest friends Such thing
as stopping to chat by the way is not thought
of. 1t is amusing to note how the most no.
toriously jealous husbands are always seen
upon the plaza, strutting like peacocks and
flirting outrageously whenever oppor-
tunity offers. No doubt there are
good husbands among Mexicans, not
withstanding the peculiarities of tropical
temperamenE but to show how a man is alb
solute master of his wife here, let me tell you
an incident: The most beautiful woman in
Montery is young widow, who wears the
weeds OF deepest woe-yet probably the hap
piest day OF her life was when her wretch of
husband died. She has father, brothers
and large connection among the first fam-
lies of this city One evening, when she and
all the town were in this plaza, her half inc
brated husband suspected her of flirting and
actually drove her through the streets,
striking her, am told, no less than three
hundred times between the plaza and their
home. And was there no man in Montery
to nterfere"-I cried Indignantly where
were her father and her brothers?' oh, he
was her husband, you know" was the reply;
Nobody had right to interfere"
These public breathing places are a bless
ing to the young, for about the only places
where gallants can gaze upon the objects of
their devotion are here and at church. They
cannot call familiarity with their brothers
and sisters, or take the young ladies out to
walk or ride as in our blessed country; oh,
neverl The whole social structure would
tumble about their ears if such scandalous
things were permitted, and they regard the
free-and-easy ways of foreigners with uplift-
ed hands of holy horror. But the old, old
story, which is as new to-day as when
learned by the first pair of lovers in Eden,
will be told here, as elsewhere, and southern
blood is not slow to learn il. And this is the
way they manage it in MeXico When a
young man fixes his affections upon girl
whom he wishes to marry, he must undergo
great probation and trbulation before he can
hope to win her OF course he has no ac-
quaintance whatever with her, and may not
go boldly to call at the house, like an honest
man, so he meanders back and forth, by day
and night, before her windows, until he has
succeeded in attracting her attention-fre-
quently attracting the attention of the fami-
ly bulldog, pater familias's boot or the po-
lice instead. When she begins to
smile, be it never so bashfully
upon him, he holder grows, and
losses bouquets through the bars of her win
dow when the old folks are not looking(, by
and by with tender little bilet-doux hidden
among the roses If the damsels affections
are not otherwise occupied, she is not slow
to respond-and and then you may be sure
her attendance at church is more constant
than ever and her precious health demands
a vast amount of exercise in the plaza
They may not speak to each other-he dare
not ask mutual friend to introduce him
but they exchange sly smiles and meaning
looks; and sometimes, when, as by accident
she falls behind her chaperone in some leafy
part where the light is conveniently obscure
ln cri,,n bor hnrn L. l.