Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1884-03-13
An OLD MEXICAN TOWN.
IacatCras,

Zacaiccas.
Layatccas, being situated in the CEN
tral part Of the country, away from the
routes of travel and cmigration, re-
mains almost as thoroughly Mexican
as ii was in the first century OF the
conquest The first hat OF bonnet ever
seen in Xacatccas upon female head
made its appearance less than two
years ago, and that mode Of hcad-gcar
supplemented by the ordinary walk
ing costume in vogue with us-iS still
enough of a curiosity to collect q crowd
of opcn-mouthcd followers around the
valorouS .'Amcricana' who ventures
out thus attircd. Betsy and |. in the
heathcniSh apparel Of the east, feel
| like n circus whenever we walk abroad
among the barc-hcadcd pOpulacr and
| the darE-cyCd scnOraS and scnOritaS.
whose black trCsSr4 are lightly drapcd
in the graceful lace mantilla of Spain,
or swathcd in black shawlS or blue re-
bozas, and have anew "fcllow feeling
for the Chinese. Turks and other
strange harbarianS who sometimes
visit our cities and get similarly gahcd
at. But the American milincr, that
arch generator Of strifcs and heart
burnngS and cmptcr Of pockets, is
coming with the locomotive, followed
by the drcSSmakcr and the drummcr>,
and the days of simplicity are num-
brrcd in this delightful arcadia. II is
| impossible To convey with the pen any
] 8
ness. First we must he made to real
ilc the silent. solemn empty country
| by which II is reached through many
Il palmy plain" like those Of Egypt
and the thin, clear mountain atmus-
phcrc, in which remote object, stand
out sharply defined against the sky
Withprculiar distinctncss succession
Of pictures in watcr-culor tints, calcu-
lated to drive an artist crazy with en-
thusiasm. The city of Xacalccas,
capital of the state of the same name,
has Il population of about NiNty-iiyc
thousand, and lies nearly eight thousand
feet above the level of the gulf. I,~
narrow streets straggIc up and down
the surrounding heights in In" most
marvellous manner. stony alleys rush-
ing straight mp the steep mountain
sides, or descending aS Perpendicular
Iy by old steps cut into the rocks,
worn hollow by the restless feet of
countless generations and over
,hadowcd by adobe walls centuries
old. And the passing crowds are Il
study of ncvcr-failing interest dark
and orientalin intype the majority in bare
or >andallcd feet and with garments as
primitivcaS the fashions Of Bethlehem in
Mary'- davf women with wni"r.iar-
upon their ShOuldrrs men with cnur-
nous wooden bowls full of strange
tropical fruits upon their heads. or
with huge hampers upon their backs:
diminutivc donkcys laden with every
conceivable commodity, the rHrambu-
latory merchant. the water seller, the
street cook .aprrpctually shifting pam
orama As in all Mexican cities where
extremes Of wealth and poverty meet, |
ih" higher cluears ara ocldnm opru "ul
OF doors, except rs now and then they
roll by in their carriages, IaratccaN
has its exclusive circle Of proud gran
drcS, differing rs widely from the low
~ rlo,,r, of The street, -. thr oristo.
cratic resident, of New York, Fifth
nyrnuc differ from thc rpmin Of Five
Point. Altbnurh thr IGwk. and irun-
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in ronr l,,nT ltWr.frni,i,r Nir,ir,. /
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