Daily Yellowstone journal., 1885-08-08
IN 4 HACIENDA.
AN IMm5Ns. STRUCTURE OF STONE
or PLt5Tea-o ADOBE
-rrnr.c n Mar.I,s NexIco LILO.

.F,nra g. Wards Mexico Ietfr"
All Mexican heCieuGas are much alike
as 10 genera features The main build.
ing is always an immense structure of
stone. or OF equally durable plaslered
adobe-ncithcr iurm nor country house
accordur 1, our IDEAS, but with a char.
acter peculiar to itself. 1t resembles a
fort more than anything else 10 be found
at the north, with Lastions aud ramParts
| like the domain OF baron Of Old. its cor,
ner towers and loophOlcS for guns hav.
| ing been built with an eye TO revolutionary
sieges aud the frequent raids OF ladroneS.
The wealthy proprietor seldom lives
upon his estlte, but gives IL over TO the
care OF an administrator. who in turn lets
| il To sub administrators who each have
their clerks and secretaries 10 Superintend
| the ovcrsrcrS. and so on down through
/ the social gamut Of the poems who super.
intend" the pigs As may BE- ina sined
/ there Is RUi luuch thrift in this complex
\ system, for when every ear Of corn and
| gallon of uigUr must pass through so
| many lauGs il naturally follows that most
of the profits are absorbed before those of
/ the owner arc reached
Most Of these lort,ltkc houses have the
appearance of barracks, being curtainless
aud carprlless. with brick Ioors. white.
washed inner walls. aud numberless
empty rooms. scantily furnished with
wooden benches, pine tables. and iron
bedsitads. put up only when wanted.
while the adjacent kitchens. servants
quarters, bakery, outhOus, = enormous
granaries, barns. and stables. aud the out.
living huts of the peasantry form village
within the ramparts
Every hacienda. whether rich or poor,
has its own church Of more or less mag
nifieence, which 10 the curioSi y hunting
tourist is perfect treasure trove Of
charming ugliness, each private sanctuary
possessing rs many saints IS the grand
cathedral in the City of Mexico. while
candles are constantly burning on its
altar, and yotive offerings Of fruits and
grains are piled around the holy family
for blessing upon the crops for the poems
are universally deyotedly piUus and su.
perstitious to a degree In those eXcep.
tioual instances where the millionaire
owners live upon their estates. their i'm
mediate families are sometimes numbered
by scores. This is partially due TO the
prevalence of an old Spanish custom,
which virtually obliges gentlemen TO pro-
vide for all their destitute female rela.
| tives and 10 shield them and their offspring
| from contact with the world.
Most of the lonesome haci endados
have few books. never any daily mails or
frequent newspapers. and no manner Of
amusement except such as they can ere.
ate within themselves Their life is like
that Of voyagers at sea, there being no es.
cape from the ship till the harbor Is
gained-the principal difference being
that the confinement Of the hacienda com.
munit ends only at the Stygian river
Happily they are an exceedingly gentle
aiiectionate. and even. tempered race, for
a family quarrel In such situation would
be unbearable without even the adyant
| ages possessed by the ancient citizens OF
! Tenochiliian. who built their early homes
upon the floating gardens of the great
salt lake. TeXcoco. and when the neigh.
borhood was not to their liking could
paddle away with their entire estate
Ii is easy 10 understand that, In these
circumstances, a visitor at the hacienda is
hailed as boon direct from heaven. aud
kept as long as be or she can prevailed
upon TO remain. In former times there
were few inns in Mexico and now they
ore almost unknown outside the great
cities: hence. persons travelling from place
to place, with the retinue of armed at.
PENDANTS which personal safety requires.
are obliged 10 depend upon the hospital.
/ iiy Of the hac.endados for nightly stop
| ping places. 80 generally is this ex'
pected that the proprietors always set
apart generous sum In the provision for
annual penditures TO lie used by their
administrators in the entertainment of
| chance guests whether they be rich or
poor. friends or strangers. Many are the
delightful acquaintanceships formed by
these accidental meetings and sometimes
the halt-intended for single night
lenglhcnS into weeks and payes the way
for futuIe returns for the sole purpose of
visiting The rOmances begun in this
manner between wandering KIN ghls aud
imprisoned maideus are legion. ard the
end is matrimony with the usual sequel:
They lived la. PLY forever a!lerward,