The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-10-13
DOMESTIC LIFE IN MEXICO.
A Chapter for Ladies, Which Gentle
men Are Expected to Skip,
Typical Mexican Casa-Parlor and Bed
Room, Court, Corral and Garden-"The
Wicked FIea"-A Poetical Laundry.

furnishing of Mexican houses there is no
such variety as in the United States, but one
''casa" OF the better class is almost an exact
counterpart of thousands of Others. Let us
take survey of this in which 1 have for
some time been living, as it is typical home
of the average, well-to-do Mexican. Like
most others in this ancient city, our house
was built at least 200 years ago, and it's adobe
walls, five feet thick, look capable of defying
all storms to come till the resurrection morn
ing. After the manner of all Mexican
houses, it has a great number of rooms built
around and all opening into central court
which latter large unroofed space is paved
with small sharp stones, walking upon
which makes one feel like penitential pill
grim with peas in his shoes. In this court
figs, bananas and pomegranates are growing,
and flowers blossom the whole year through,
planted in adobe boxes elevated several feet
above the ground. In the center is the in
evitable deep, deep well, its adobe frame and
inner walls draped with ferns and lichens
In many houses these inner courts are very
beautiful, each with its fountain among the
flowers. surrounded by pink cement paved
corridor under whose bright-hued awnings
the family swing their hammocks, take
their afternoon chocolate and spend many
hours of every day. Wooden floors are
unknown in Mexico, all houses being paved
with large square bricks, or with a cement
which resembles polished stone Wooden
carpets are rarely indulged in. except in the
form of rugs. There is native carpet made
~
which is much like our hemp only far more
durable. 1t is pain ted by hand after being
woven, generally rose pink with dashes of
purple and green, and, strange to say, these
delicate colors are fadeless There is also a
pretty mating of Indian manufacture called
petate, which is made of shredded palm
leaves, braided in seamless squares as large
as required. Really, these paved floors, which
shine like marble, of a soft gray color or
tinted the usual strawberry pink, are too
beautiful to be hidden by much of our ugly
stif-fgured Brussels or ingram. Besides,
bare floors are more appropriate to this in
seet-breeding climate, and far more health
ful and clearly. But it must be confessed,
they have their disadvantages. The cement
e1...,..us mucn saIGpetre, which holds Damp
ness eternally, so that, owing to frequent
ablutions the floors are seldom perfectly
dry. However hot the days. we have gener-
ally chilly nights, and one feels like going to
bed in ones boots rather than put bare feet
upon floors which are then as cold as the
charity Of tine world Every casa has it's saa
de recibo (draWing-rooml of more or less
magnifcenee. 1t may not contain much in
the way of furniture, but is always by far
the largest room in the house-very long
md ikoa boil h,,A
one story and fat roof, the walls are ex-
tremey high, and the artistic effect of grayish
plaster, outlined by painted dado and fresco
decorations, the reddish wood of the sabine
beams overhead left like beauty una
dorned' or covered with painted canvas
combined with the gray or pink paved floors
is exceedingly pleasing to the eye.
A Mexican housewife has other ideas than
ours in the disposition of her furniture
There are always straight rows of sofas and
chairs set stiffly against the walls all around
the room. Though there are few occasions
in life when so great number of seats could
possibly be required, yet the family feels
itself poor indeed which does not possess
enough to reach in an unbroken line around
the entire circuit of the sala Into each
corner of the room triangular table is fitted,
and in the center is a large one-round or
oval-Shich has always its tall lamp in the
middle, and row OF empty vases and china
figures ranged at regular distances straight
around the outer edge. This central table
is generally covered With an enormous
crocheted or knitted spread sweeping the
floor, which represents years of patient la
Dor, vast expenditure of precious eyesight,
and hundreds of spools of fine linen thread.
The mistress of the manse began it when a
child, and succeeded in finishing it only in
time for her wedding. There is a noticeable
dearth of those little ornaments in which
American ladies especially delight for brio
huaa 49,
the reach of all here as in the q. S. A.
Chromos and eng-avings sparingly adorn the
walls and the corner tables are each loaded
with glass lamps and vases. which are valued
for ornament rather than use. A chrome
dreadful enough to set ones teeth on edge
which may be bought in indianapolis, frame
and ALL for two dollars, is in Mexico, owine
to outrageous duties, almost as expensive
as decent oil painting. At the extreme enc
of the sala de recioo, furtheSt from the
entrance, is always seen precisely r. he same
arrangement OF furniture in every casa
rug or square of carpet, with four or six
chairs placed in two straight lines visa Wis
upon it, bounded upon the further side by
the sofa against the wall To this little
island in the sea of the big bare room guests
are shown with great ceremony on entering
for in this particular spot the hostess concen
trates all her forces, as We understand the
art OF doing in spiritual seanees and reyiva
meetings.
Mexican windows are peculiar institutions
whose like is not 20 be found anywhere else
under the sun. They usually reach from
floor to ceiling are wider than church doors
and have always wooden or iron bars before
them. mparatively few casas luxuriatt
in window glass, but as the duty on that sub
stance is little less than robbery, the vast ma
jerity dispense with it altogether. The in
side shutters are of solid wood, usually un
painted, and opening both ways in the mid
do foru.iDp four 6nnrQ 40 this
peculiar construction renders curtains al
impossibility. the only way to secure the
slightest degree of privacy when the house
hold machinery isnot on exhibition. is to Close
the lower half of the shutters-and then out
siders frequently climb up and gaze at yOu