River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-03-05
QUEER CUSTOMS IN MEXICO.
Things That Make the Stranger Stare and
Wonder.


first thing he observes is that the men
all wear extremely large hats, and the
women no hats at all The ordinary
sombrero costs SIS, while those bearing
the handsome ornaments so universally
popular run in price all the way from
$25 to $3.50. The Mexican invests all
his surplus in his hat Men whose
wages are not more than 49, month
often wear sombreros which represent
a whole quarters income. A servant
at the house of friend was paid off the
other day for the three months his en-
ployer had been absent. He got So, OF
which he paid $35 for hat and gave 81
to his family.
The next thing you notice is that
every block on street has a different
name, and when you start out on foot to
make visit you become bewildered 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 V. of Spain Each of the sew
enteen blocks has name OF its own,
and the names that are used are quite
as striking as this perplexing custom.
Here Is list of some of the prime ipal
blocks or streets translated into Eng
lish: Grown 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,
and John the Baptist street. Nearly
every saint in the calendar has street
named after him o. her, and nine-tenths
of the city has .ne religion of the peo-
pie thus illustrated.
Another thing that surprises you
greatly is that nearly every man you
meet makes you a present of a residence.
He grasps your hand with ardent cor
diality when he leaves you and says ::
NY house is yours; it stands Numero
tres-Calle," and so on "and is at your
service" The next man tells you that
your house is such and such number,
and he shall be angry if you do not oc-
cupy it. As neither of them has en-
joyed the honor of your acquaintance
for more than five minutes, and both
are only casually introduced, this ex-
cessive generosity is quite embarrass-
ing. 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 Mexi-
can way of saying I'm pleased to meet
YOU" 1t often leads to comlcal adven-
lures, however, for the gentleman who
tenders such profuse hospitality very
seldom remembers you the next morn
ing. People have accepted these ar
dent invitations, and been met with a
cold welcome
Another amusing and puzzling pecu-
Iiarity is that everybody lives over
shop. Even the millionaires rent out
the first floor of their residences for
business purposes and live IN the third
story. The handsomest house In all
Mexico has o railway ticket office on one
side of the entrance and a cigar shop on
the other.
Everybody smokes; women as well
as men. They smoke in the street cars,
in the 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. In
stead of strating car every ten min
utes from the terminus, three are started
together every half hour. One car Is
never seen alone, nor two together, but
always three in row, less than half q
block apart 1t requires two conduc-
tors to run car. One approaches o
passenger and sells him ticket. In
some respects it is an improvement on
he bell-punch system. There are first
lass cars and second class cars. The
former are of New York manufacture
and similar to those used in
that city. The latter are of do
nestle construction, have but few
windows, and look like the calooses
used on railroad freight trans. First
class fares are sometimes as high as q
cents, but are more often a medic 6 Ia
cents) being governed by the distance
Second class fares are always one-halI
the amount of first-class fares. Street
car drivers carry horns and bloW them
when they approach street crossings
The conductors usually carry revolvers.
Nearly everybody, in truth, carries 8
revolver.
Horseback riding is the national
amusement, and the streets are full OF
horsemen, particularly in the cooler
no RS 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
ND and down the outer seam; hand
somely embroidered velvet jacket, &
scarlet sash, sword and two revolvers
not to mention spurs of marvellous size
and design, and a saddle of SURPRISING
magnifcence.
A Mexican caballero often spends
81 900 for an equestrian outfit. His
saddle costs from $50 to $500, his SWORD
$50, his silver mounted bride, S25, his
silver spurs as much more, the solid
silver buttons on his trousers 500, his
hat $50. and the rest Of his rig in pro
portion.
The Mexican small boy, if he ha!
wealthy parents, is mounted after {
similar fashion, even to the revolver anC
sword. An equestrian costume for DO,
10 years can be purchased for about 500
not including saddle and bride.
more than their sisters in the United
States. Social etiquette prohibits thi
recreation, unless they have brother
20 60 with them. The senoras and sen
oritas take their exercise in closed car
Wages. You never see a ph@ton o
wagon in Mexico. When they go shop
ping they SIT in their carriages and hav
the goods brought out to them. 1t is
common thing to see a row of carriage
before fashionable store with clerk a
the door of each one exhibiting silks o
gloves or ribbons.
In some of the stores are parlors II
which sonora can sit, if she likes, ant
have the goods brought to her Non
but foreigners and the common peopl
stand at the corners and buy.
Mexican merchants never classif.
their goods. They have no system il
arranging them. Silks and cottons ar
discr1min ately mixed on the shelves
There is no place for anything, aD'
nothing is ever in place. Hence shop
ping requires the exercise of a vast dea
of patience. ] went to buy pair 0
gloves the other day The clerk pulle'
open q drawer IN WHICH were 9AoeS
corsets, and ribbons. He found som
gloves, but there being none in the DO,
to fit, he hunted around on the shelye
and in the drawers until he discovered
another lot.
Nor are goods ever delivered at tn
residences Of purchasers. If your pack
age is too bulky to carry in your hand
or in your carriage, it Is sent t
your house by licensed carrier, sim
liar to the district messenger boy Q
| Nav York. to whom YOU pay fee. Fac