The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-06-15
LIFE IN YUCATAN.
The Natives One Of the Superior
Races of the Latitude.

knew only by hearSay, that the
natives of Yucatan are one f the
superior races of this latitude
the equal Of the Spanish Creoles and
more than the equal of the average
Cuban and Mex can. The Mexican
is rather sluggish; the Yucatan is
active, alert industrious, quick as a
cat. The Mexican is satisfied with
bis lot; the Yucatan is hope.
full and ambitious The Mex
lean, Il must be admitted. ia
filthy in his personnel habits; the
Yucstan is as neat and clean as the
HoIlander. The Mexican is docile,
submissive, obsequious; the Yucca
tan is naughty and warlike. The
Mexican is poor, and so dishonest
that nothing that can be lifted is
ever exposed the Yucatan lie thrifty
and prosperous, and his honesty is a
proverb.
Progreso-named. of course, for
progress-is village Of half dozen
narrow streets along sandy beach ;
low houses of wood or "doby" of
shell or pebble stones-the best ones
painted IN gauGy colors of red, yell
low, pink and blue, the huts of the
poor squatting under pondeTous
thatch of palm leaves. Here or there
rises q mango tree or a banana
or cocoa p aim; everywhere shine
wild blossoms of three or four vari.
cites including the single tuberose,
and over all, as throughout Mexico,
the pulpy cactus holds In rest its
innumerable species. Along the
sandy beach we found a great vari-
ETY. Of sea shells and marine pro.
ducts, but none of them ve1y COM
plicated or rare-myriads of the
debris of sponges and broken coral
washed up on the site Of this great
coral reef Of Yucatan. In the mar
ket place, an open space under a
fat roof, were offered for sale sim.
pie products of the peninsula-
fruit, prepared food, ropes and mat
ting, bead work, embroidery, and
especially the chameleon. The latter
is not, l suppose, chameleon at all,
except in the fact that he s'lived on
air"-that is, without food.
1t is a yellowish-gray beetle,
about two inches long, with black
spots on his back. Each well-bred
lady Of Yucatan ha' at least one of
them for pet. With small six
inch gold chain fastened to his
waist and pinned TO his mistress
waist, he wanders about her shout
ders Tor months, till, feeble with old
sge, his soul forsakes its earthly
tenement. This well-mannered but
rather sluggish bug is the poodle
dog OF the tropics, and in some cases
he seems to become fond of lis
owner. l saw one this morning ON
board ship, wearing golden har.
ness, pinned on one end Of pillow
where a Creole was sleeping, He
had dragged his shining tether to its
fullest length in the direction OF her
dainty nose, and there he stood,
silent and still, cycling that precious
promontory with affectionaie inter
est. The chameleon is the DR.. Tan
ner of In.ectaria He has tIemen
doue endurance; hi digestive appa
ratus works go feeol, that he can
L l.
out mouth'ul Of food He is liter
sly light eater, for the owner OF
one copfe-sed 10 me that she gave
him for mo-, thly lunch "a DIT OF
cork" But he looked fat and was
probably glutton.
The cars run up 10 Merida twice
q day; fare, first elias, 81. The
! b in
square, fiat.roofed, and wholly v itn
out chimneys. Tue larger ones arr
built around q court, have elabor
ately carved facades, and are of tive
stories height, each story being fif
seen to twenty feet between joints
The streets are unpaved, but ca
and well cared for. There ar.
fifteen plazas, or public squares, il
this city, and each one has church
facing it; but since the confs
cation Of church property twent,
years ago, the former grandeur O
religious ceremonials has disap
peared. An American can nov
decline to remove his hat when tn
priest goes by, without being sub
Ijected to insult. The largest plaz
is paved with tiles and ra diant witt
blossoming flowers, and the evenin,
is made lustrous by a galaxy Of 81:
electric lights hauled to the top of
spar as in Madison Square, Ney
York. But at 10 O'Clock this con
spicuous glim is extinguished, an
the Meridans go to bed. Not to be,
ieXectly, but to hammock.
Every individual at Merida, ex
cept strangers at hotel, sleeps in
hammock the year found. Even tn
wealthy people, the magnates, tn
leaders of society circles, sas we'll a
natives, not only slesp In ham
mock, but they are born and die il
it. All the floors in Merida are G
cement, and the courts are tiled
leaving no woodwork except i
doors and windows The vault-lik
buildings are rather depressing to
stranger, and the effect is enhance
by the fact that there is no gIa, g il
the windows, but in its place clos
grating Of iron bars, full O
prison suggestions. Behind the bar
were interesting family groups, in
GLIDING many with black hair an
big splendid eyes-.he mcst a:
tractiVe girls in all Mezicr, Ishoul
: CON Tho hosol rr0-ai q o,,,aor II