The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1885-09-23
A MEXICAN MARKET.
Ancient aud Curious sights in the Towns
and Villages ON Market Days.

AMI Villages ON Market Days.
One of these markets is quaint spectacle
Nothing in Mexico has seemed to me more
picturesque and more suggestive of the con-
ditions of the Mexican social problem. The
Indians begin to pour in from all directions
with the first light; some, indeed. to se-
cure favorable locations, have camped ON
the spots where you find them. When ar
lived, at o'clock, the day attended, three
Or four hundred persons were already as
semb.ed, seated about in rows on the hard
tagging, with their wares spread out before
them. It was pleasing picture, with its
setting of low, tile-roofed, whitewashed
adobes, animation, and the plenitude Of
color, gay retosos aud serapes, swarthy
skins, glossy black hair, and bright eye.
The Indian, with his Spanish adihixturs ia
rot bad looking, and Juan, In LIS white cot
tons, sandals, and broadsbriinmed Straw ha.
and serape carried jauntily on his arm, and
Chucha in her single short gown, girdled at
the waist, with bust and shoulders indiifer-
emily covered, both possess points of beaut y
for the artist whose eye is not too exacting.
low hum of conversation fills the mir
From half n dozen fires smoke and fumes
ascend from caldrons in which lard is be-
ing tried out, aud cloud of chat sur
rounds the peddlers of maize, busy win
moving their grain by tossing into the air
in the intervals of trade. Umbrellas are
eItemporized of mats, and the dealers in
frsible sweets protect their wares from the
sun by utilizing their wraps for awnings.
Fruits there are, of course, and green's in
endless variety. Red pottery. oddly orna-
mented in black designs huge water jugs
and pitchers that would make decorators of
drain tile sick with envy; their earthen-
ware tortillas griddles, two feet in diameter,
that resound to blows like gongs; plates,
three for cenlaro J; pitchers two and grid
dies one, respectively, for taco-one
might Gil his pantry shelves for shilling.
For another shilling he could buy a lava
stone nietale, and thus be the rossessor of
his own gristmill; and still another shilling
would command mats to sit and sleep on.
Here are toys and baskets, the latter really
fine; chickens in coops, and turkeys teth-
cred by strings tied to a leg and held in the
owners hands. There are meats, and hides
and leather, and no end of articles of which
did not know the names and could not
conjecture the use. One marvels at the
possible demand for these old keys, old
pictures, odd nondescript articles of all sorts,
survivals from old Spain, heir-lo oms, may
be, about to be sacrificed to the owners
needs.
Little OF the trade is of proportions de-
mauding aught but coppers, and to change
ten centavo piece the national dime
would break almost any dealer, for more
things will be carried away than sold, only
to appear again on successive me rket days.
One strong fellow, observed, sat all day
behind six puny bananas, which at night
remained unsold, and five small pieces of
lime constituted another's contribution to
the markets opportunities for traffic.
Twenty-Five dollars, like enough, would
have bought out every dealer at his own
price in the market but it would not be
80 easy to conjecture how many miles Of
weary back carriage over hot, dusty roads,
coming and going, and how many hours Of
patient industry were represented by these
humble wares
As the days wears on and barter slack ms,
the market assumes its holiday aspect, and
every gum tree on the plaza shades one or
more family picnics. After all, it is more
holiday than market day Soon good and
bad fortune in the mornings trade are
alike forgotten in the intoxication of the
yeasty pulque. Here and there rude
guitar-I bought one for a shilling-is
more or less unsteady picked, and social
chat succeeds barter. But as the day wears
on, one by one the poems who, from choice
or lack of coppers, have remained sober,
arrange their goods into convenient car
goes, place the strap over the forehead, and
turn their footsteps homeward, until at last
only here and there man or woman
sleeping off the effects of the pulque on the
hard pavement remain to tell that market
day Is over. With to-mouow's sun Juan
viii begin work sgsin on his masters haci-
enda at two reals q day, and if his head
aches from yesterdays indulgence, it will
not be In the visitors heart to blame him.