The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-03
QUEER MEXICAN CUSTOMS.
Things that FIJI the Stranger with Wonder
Costly Hats-Excessive Generosity.
City Of Mexico LETTER in New York sun.

The oddities of Mexican life and customs strike
the tourist from the United States in o most
forcibie manner The first thing he observes is
that the men all wear extremely large hats, and
the women no hats at all The ordinary SOM
brero costs $l5 while those bearing the hand
some ornaments SO universally popular, run in
price all the way from $50 to $3.50 The Mexican
invests all his surplus in his hat. Men whose
wages are not more than $l2 month often wear
sombreros which represent whole quarters in
come. servant at the house of afriend was paid
of. the other day, for the three months his
Ployer had been absent He got $42, of which
he paid $50 for hat and gave 81 to his family.
The next thing you notice is that every block
street has different name and when you
start out on foot to make visit, you become be-
wildered at once, and have to call carriage.
Take the chief street, for example, which be-
gins at the Grand Plaza, where the palace
stands and runs to the statue of Charles Y, of
Spain. Each of the seventeen blocks has a
name of its own, and the names that are used
quite striking this perplexing custom.
Here is list of some of the principal blocks
streets translated into English: Crown of Thorns
street, Fifth of May street, Holy Ghost street.
Blood Of Christ street, Body of Christ street.
Mother of Sorrows street. street of the Sacred
Heart. the Heart of Jesus street, street of the
Love of God, Jesus street and John the Baptist
street Nearly every saint in the calendar has
street named after him or her, and nine-tenths
OF the city has the religion of the people thus IL
mstrated
Another thing that surprises you greatly is
that nearly every man you meet makes you
present of a residence He grasps your baud
with ardent cordiality when he leaves you, and
says my house is yours it stands numero tres
Gale, and SO ON, land is at your service"
The next man tells you that your house is such
and such a number, and he shall be angry if you
do not occupy it. AS neither of them has
joyed the honor of your acquaintance for
than FIVE inmates, and both are only casually in
PRODUCED this excessive generosity is quite
embarrassing. An English lord now staying
here says he met fourteen men at the
Jockey Club one evening, and was presented
with thirteen houses. The other man lived in
Cuba. But it is only the Mexican way of say
ing. Pm pleased to meet YOU" 1t often leads
to coinical adventures, however, for the gentle
men who tenders such profuse hospitality very
seldom remembers you the next morning.
People have accepted these ardent invitations,
and been met with cold welcome
Another amusing and puzzling popularity is
that everybody lives over shop. Even the
millionsres rent out the first floor of their resi-
dences for business pursoses and live in the
third story. The haudsonest house in all Mex
leo has a railway ticket Office on side of the
entrance and cigar shop on the other.
Everybod smokes; women as well as men.
They smoke in the street cars, in tho shops, at
the opera, everywhere. have seen a man upon
his knees in chapel muttering his prayers with
q lighted cigar in his hand
The street cars run In groups Instead of
starting car every ten minutes from the
terminus. three started together every half
hour One car is never seen alene nor two to-
gether, but always three in row. less than half
block apart 1t requires two conductors to run
Inc a4Inr a SAl
him q ticket. The second then comes in
and takes the ticket. In some respects it is an
improvement on the bellpunch system. There
are firstclass cars ard seeond-cass cars The
former are of NeN York manufacture, and
similar to those used in that city. The latter
are of domestic construction, have but few win
COWS and look like the cabooses used on railroad
freight trains. First-class fares are sometimes
as high as twenty five cents, but are more often
q medic 64 cents), being governed by the dis
tance. Second class fares are always one-half
the amount of frstclass fares. Streetcar dri-
vers carry horns, and blow them when they APP
proach street crossings. The conductors usually
carry revolvers. Nearly every body, in truth,
carries revolver.
Horseback riding is the national amusement,
and the streets are full of horsemen particularly
in the cooler hours of the morning and evening
The proper thing to wear is wide sombrero
very tight trousers of leather or cashmere, with
rows of silver buttons up and down the outer
seam; handsomely embroidered velvet jacket,
mention spurs of marvellous size and design,
and a saddle of SURPRISING magnifcence.
A Mexican caballero often spends 81, 600 for an
equestrian outfit His saddle costs from $50 to
$500, his sword $50, his silver-mounted bride
$50, his silver spurs as much more the solid sill
yer buttons on his trousers 800, his hat $50, and
the rest of his rig in proportion.
The Mexican small boy. ii he has wealthy par
ents is mounted after similar fashion, even 10
the revolver and sword An equestrian costume
for a boy of ten years can be purchased for
about $50, not including saddle and bride.
The Mexican ladies do not ride any more
than their sisters in the United States. Social
etiquette prohibits this recreation, unless they
have brothers to go with them. The senoras
and senortas take their exercise in closed car
riages. You never see phaeton or wagon in
Mexico. When they 60 shopping they SIT in
their carriages and have the goods brought out
to them. 1t is common thing to see a row of
carriages before fashionable store with clerk
at the doorof each one exhibiting silks or gloves
or ribbons.
In some of the stores are parlors in which
sonora can sit if she likes and have the goods
brought to her. None but foreigners and the
common people stand at the counters and buy.
Mexican merchants never classify their goods
They have system in arranging them. Silks
and eottons are Unfortunately mixed on the
shelves. There is no place for anything. and
nothing is ever in place: Hence shopping re-
quires the exercise of a vast deal of patience. /
went to buy pair of gloves the other day. The
clerk pulled open drawer in which were shoes
corsets and ribbons. He found some gloves, but
there being none in the box to fit, he hunted
around on the shelves and in the drawers until
be discovered another lot
Nor are goods ever delivered at the residences
of purchasers. If your package is too bulky to
carry in your hands or in your carriage it is
semitic your house by licensed carrier, similar
to the district messenger boy of New York, to
whom you pay a fee. Each carrier has a brass
badge like policemans, bearing number and
if he does not deliver the goods promptly and in
good order you report him at police headquar-
tiers, where he is heavily fined On the other
hand If he cannot find your residence, or there
is a mistake in the directions, he takes the goods
to police headquarters. and you can find them
them there, and discover the reasons why they
were not delivered
On pleasant afternoons, and except in the rainy
season, all afternoons are pleasant here. every
hndv who owns carriarA or Is mile to hira anl.