The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-08-11
AT SANTA ANITA.
A Sunday Spent at the Pleasure Resort of
the City of Mexico.

a Sunday Spent at the Pleasure Resort O
the City of Mexico.
Santa Anita, the first village on the
] Viga beyond the City of Mexico, is the
universal rallying point on Sundays,
both for natives and sight-seekcrs from
the capitol. There is always fiesta al
Santa Anita, and the Indians are for.
ever fandangoing, pulque-d drinking anG
bsllad-singing.O On arriving at this
village, the first business Of every body
is to secure a wreath Of peoples and
corn flowers, which the women wcal
upon their tangled hair and the men
upon their sombreros though, perhaps,
the "human form divine thus bcauti.
fully crowned may be but partially GOV.
cred with scant and dirty rags. Lovely
wrcaths sell for madio (sx cents)
apiece; and the woman. young or old,
who is net Wreathcd before the day is
( over is either deep in disgrace Or hope
lessly out of fashion. This innate love
of flowers is direct hcritarge from
the swarthy founders of the float
/ ing gardens. History tells us
that the most valuable gift
which Montezuma presented to the
| Spanish ambassadors who came to his
court, was accompanied by rare
bouquct--and Il strange anomaly it
must have seemed, the love of the beau
| tiful combined with their blood curdling
religion. Baron Won Humboldt re-
marked upon the same popularity CEN
turtles afterward, and SO have other
writer's on Mexico. To-day those who
sit in the market-places must embower
themselves in green branches garlanded
with flowers, while some proSalc pulque
barrels are wreathed with roses. and
mugsand pitchers are similarly adorned.
The poorest village church has its floor
strewn with blossoms, and fresh bou-
quets are always arranged upon the
affairs before services begin. The babe
at its christening, the child at its contir-
nation, the bride at her wedding and
the corpse in its coffin are alike
adorned.
At the Indian village next above
Santa Anita is rare old church, VIII ch
was built by Coriez more than three
hundred years ago, but is still in daily
use. 1t is well worth visit, and if the
doors chance to be closed, a few cents
will induce the custodian (who lives
conveniently near) to produce the key
and reveal all its treasures Of antique
uginess. In the rear is u weed grown
grave yard with rows of grinning skulls
ranged along the arms of its central
cross, which is surrounded by the usual
heap OF human bones. In front of the
church, facing the plaza fountain where
the women collect with the r water
jars and linger to gossip, as even Indian
women wili-are several blue painted
adobe tombs The vaults are mostly
empty, except a few moldy bits OF
coffin Gas any one may see by looking
in), but each is graced by the owner
skull and cross-bohes. placed
carefully on top. There is
something charmingly grotesque in
the idea that these long-dead folk have
come oht to watch the little world they
left, and listsh to the endless gossip at
the fountaiis; and each eyeless "dome of
thought" seems to weara cheerful grin,
as if apprec ating the situation.
Nothing more picturesque can be
imagined than the evening homc-com-
ing down the Viga-the happy-hearted
natives singing Oh shore or in their