Daily Yellowstone journal., 1884-09-11
MEXICO'S UNIV ASKED.
Description of the Habits and Gus.
tens of Ell Pelado."
The Line of Demarcastou Between
the Different Grades Of 40.
eiety-Food, Work, Wages
The Indians.


l1acatecas Cor. he-Democrut.l
In Mexico the lines Of demarcation he.
tween the different grades Of society are
very marked. There is no shading of
from one into the other; there is no great
middle class. Los curos and los pelados,
the upper ten and the shirtlcss-there Is
nothing between them. A man who labors
for his living is pelado; one who gets his
living without working for il, or by work
ing in some genteel way, is euro The
lawyers, doctors, clerks and government
officials-any one who can wear coat. vest
and pants. is euro, while the great un.
washed. the "blanketed thieves" of Davy
Crockett, the miners, carpenters. aboring
men. are pelados.
euro is the Mexican name for priest,
and whoever can sport a suit Of clothes In
fair state is a euro. for the priests are the
best dressed men In the country. as rule.
Pelado means pealed. skinned, and on
looking over crowd of MeNicans no one
can doubt its appropriateness. A euro
will 20 without his dinner Ia huy neck
tie: pelado will eat II he has no shirt TO
his back. The peladO is grown
up child. generous, improyi,lcnt and
superstitious, passionate and revengeful:
he fOrgcts Yesterday and cares nothing for
tomorrow: the idea of accumulation is en-.
tirely absent from his mind; raise his pay
and he will work less days in the week
The climate Of the country makes clothes
and fuel, except for cooking purposes, al
most unnecessary. In the cities he con.
gregates in gangs, takes the middle Of the
street in preference 10 the sidewalk in his
pcrambulations: Is great admircr of the
mdsic of the hand organ and paironizes
the bull fights when his finances will per
nit. lie lives In the poorest houses in
the edge of the town, adobe walls, earth
floor and roof. guiltlcss of paint or white
wash. His furniture is simple, hut ample
for his wants; a chair or Two made Of
bruised palm fiber; "A petalc. a large mai
made from the leaves of the sane tree. a
wooden box to hold his worldly goods, and
picture OF his patron saint lacked against
the wall completes the list The peiate by
day serves as carpet, hy night ms bed.
In the kitchen, which often occupies
the corner of his only room, are found the
mataie and man0, two stones for grinding
the corn for his tortilas. The first. about
ten inches wide. twenty long and four
thick, with hollow In the middle, is sci
firmly in the ground at a slight incline.
Ii holds the corn while the mano. much
smaller stone. is rubbed back and forth in
the process Of grinding. Besides this hand
grist mill are casuelas. cajetes. jawas and
sarienes, earthcnware dishes and pots of
various sizes, To cook his beans. chite and
coffee The tortilla is his substitute for
bread II is made by first putting peck
Of corn IN u Gazette, large open m0uthed
jar. with enough water 10 cover il and a
little lime. Ii is now set on the fire to
come tol a boil and then thoroughly
washed. This lakes of the hull. The
hulled corn is called nistamal and the
wafer lief, behind enjaillote: il is SOW
eieign remedy for heas and usu.
ally j. sprinkied over the floor. The nista-
mai is now placed ON the metaie, d
handful at time, and the mano rubbed
hack and forth over II with considerable
force unul il is ground into dough called
masa: the masa is divided into little balls
Of three or four ounces each. according to
the size that the tOrtilla Is intended To be-
Fire is lighted under the comal, round
piece of carlhenware about two feet across,
half an inch thick and slightly dishing IN
the center, and over il little lime il
rubbed
To make the tortilla one of the little
balls Of masi il taken between the hands
and paile,l with rotary motion until n
circle Of dough five or six inches across
and AN eighth of an inch thick. looking
very much like an ordinary American
fiapiack. is Produced this is tossed on the
comal and IN minute or two is cooked.
A well made ioriilla. hot, with little
cheese and honey, j. not to I've despisei,
hut after they are once cold no amount OF
warming will make them palaiablc again.
Next 10 the torlila beans are the pelado's
chief article Of diet lie eats them fried,
n piece Of toliilla doubled ia the middle
serving fora spoon.
4 carpenter in central Mexico earns
from % 10 - cents day; mason the
same; common day labOrer from % to
- cents: a farm laborer who works by
the month from ~ TO fj month and
~found"-thcy work from daylight until
sunset. with half an hour at 3 o'clock and
again AT 3 for breakfast and supper.
These hours are very long, hut they take
my >'oppiug every Httle Wulle 10
smoke their cigarros, and accomplishing
less Than an American laborer will In six
or seven hours work. Their earni',, are
hare y sufficient to keep them in III
clothes Of the coarsest kind. WI g..
casional ralover for the bull igu, NJ
Pulque; hui they are the happicst people
on the face Of the earth. When
there il work for them they
work. when there is none they
loaf around the sunny places, smoking,
playing cards, or sleeping. Their wants
are few and simple; straw hat, a striped
Il aDkpl, cotton shirt and drawers and
','r sandals for their feet are all they
ok.
nr Ielad0 Is Of almost unmiNed Indian
blouu. he knows 4 and calls himself an
lndian and hates the Spaniards--gachl.
pines he calls them, and all foreigners, and
would he glad Ia drive them from the
country. lie dislikes railroads and all
foreign machinery, and docs what he can
10 injure them when he has the oppor.
tuniiy. The Americans are his special
aversion-los gringos; he fears and hates
them, and believes that at no distant day
they are destined TO take his country. In.
dividually the pelado Is good, but collcc.
lively bad: he Is incapable Of higher
civilization than he now possesses, and
will ever I've A newer of wool and drawer