The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1885-09-17
AN INTERESTING LETTER FROM
MEXICO.

EDITORS JOURNAL Perhaps sucl
knowledge as | may have acquired o
Mexico, her people, and various en-
terprlses during three years resi-
dence here, may interest your read
ers. desire in a measure to CRAFTY
the wish of friends, who are constant.
ly making inquiries relative to this
country, and the favor of your col
umns as "A medium tor all.
The impression that most people
labor under as regards Mexico, OBJ
tanned from history, and from
officers and soldiers of the
Mexican war, differs greatly from
the true status of things to-day
Perhaps no nation has been so OPP
pressed by revolutions or ex-
perienced as many reverses as Mex
leo. At the time of the discovery of
America, Mexico was inhabited by n
superior class of Indians, called Az
tees, who called the country, Ana
huac ; the capital Tenochtitlan, which
was where the city of Mexico now
stands. Their kings and princes wore
most gorgeous dresses and iewelry.
Some of their old temples and palaces
can be seen yet. 1t would be foreign
to my intentions to enter into the
early history of Mexico which is very
obscure in this letter. The area of
the country about doubles that of all
the New England states, and became
Independent of Spain in 1921. At
one time it included Texas and Cali
fornia. Texas became independent
of Mexico in 1886, and in 1913 Cali
fornia was taken from them by the
United States.
1t is now Federal Republic of
twenty-seven states, one Territory
and one Federal district, with total
population of ten million people.
The Indians will out number all the
other inhabitants. The city of Mex
leo has a population of 100000 and
there are several other cities that ex-
coed $4,000. The cities and towns
are all well supplied with schools,
colleges and churches. They are
making more rapid progress in
learning than ever before. Their
exhibit at the recent Worlds Fair
in New Orleans well exemplifed the
general advancement of their various
enterprises, Mexico has never been
up with her neighbors in agriculture
and manufacture and it never will as
long as the mountains of silver and
gold last. Most any body had rath-
err dig gold and silver than pillow corn
or hoe cotton.
The exports are gold, silver, coffee,
vanilla, cochineal, hemp, hides, indi-
go, mahogany and other woods. The
imports are cotton, linen and wooden
goods and machinery. The greater
part of the country is called tropical.
but there are large sections in which
the tropics do not flourish. Corn is
the principal grain crop. Wheat is
grown well at an elevation of seven
and eight thousand feet. Cotton is
grown III about one half of the States
and coffee, tobacco, rice and sugar in
about one-third of the states. Most
everybody think that Mexico is a
torrid oven, which is a great mis-
take. 1t is undoubtedly the finest
climate in the world. Always pleas
ant, both summer and winter | have
not perspired as much in three years,
as the average fat man did in one
day at your recent county fair
The country is divided into three
zones, the mean temperature of which
are as follows: For the TERRA cali
ente, (hot lands) 20 degrees; for the
terra templada temperate lands),
6S to 10 degrees; for the terra fria
(cold lands), go degrees Fahrenheit.
You see, therefore, we have a great
variety Of climate. The mercury
never rises higher than 80 degrees at
Vera Cruz, which is considered the
warmest place in the country.
We have here what is called the
rainy and dry seasons. The rainy
season is from May to October and is
the principal farming time, though
they grow vegetables, fruits and
small patches of corn all the year
round by irrigation. The climate va
ries but little, so far as heat and cold
are concerned, during the year. 1t
rarely ever rains from October to
June. They don't know what a fire
place or heating stove is. They cook
on an old fashioned stone range. The
houses are all built of stone. There
is not wooden house in the city of
Mexico. The city of Mexico will
compare favorably with any city of
its size in the United States. The
country, until recently, suffered for
the want of carriers. Until 1873
they did not have but a few miles of
railroad in the country, now they
have nearly five thousand miles with
five different lines entering the Ma