St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1886-04-15
A TRIP TO OLD MExIoo--v1.
The Two Mexicos-A Remarkable Bath
ing PIace-From Leon to Queretaro-
The Strangest City Yet.


ing PIace-From Leon to Queretaro-
The Strangest City Yet.
AS eminent an authority as David
A. Wells is credited with saying that
Mexico is "'the poorest country south
of Greenland and north of the south
pole" The traveller who sees only
the first 500 miles south of it's northern
boundary will agree with Mr.. Wells;
but Mexico, like the life of the just, is
better farther on.
Thursday, March 25, when the band
of visitors awOke they were on a
siding at Aguas Calientes-Spanish for
the hot springs, for which the place is
celebrated. This is pleasant city of
some 10000 people, located on plain /;
clearly, with abundant water, and
many gardens and public squares,
adorned with trees and flowers now in
their glory. After breakfast with a
seat in the garden of San Marco, lis
tening to the chattering of innumer-
able blackbirds which throng the trees,
and the chatter of the poems which
throng the fountain, one could scarcely
believe his senses.
But the bath ! No camel of the
desert was ever more eager to reach
the pools of Arabia than these people
who for IL days and nights had been
confined in a sleeping car were to get
to the luxurious baths of Aguas Cali
entes. "Charles,n said the professor
to the porter the evening of the oath,
"call me at quarter before six" The
next morning the early risers of the
party were enabled to see not only the
professor but majority of the party
vending their way to the bath before
breakfast. About mile from the out
skirts of the town there are hot springs
which discharge large brook of hot
water of the temperature of about 100
degrees. Private enterprise has brought
this water by covered aqueduct to the
city and a large stone bath-house with
broad piazza and fine garden attach
ment, is but three minutes walk from
the railroad station. The white man
enters the Office where he is greeted by
Mexican and a shower of some for
eign language. The white man hands
out 25 cents and then follows guide
who takes in his hands Turkish tow
ell, sheet, soap and a wisp of some
kind of grass that looks like and an
swers the purpose of curled hair. You
enter large, high room, on one side
proportions made of stone, or cement
as hard as stone, and into the tub one
can draw from a twO-inch faucet all
the water he wishes. The tempera-
ture here is about 100 degrees, and the
luxury of bath under such conditions
is beyond computation.
The one peculiar feature of Aguas
Calientes is its public bath or wash
tub. This is a canal of stone and ce-
ment, about three feet wide and two
feet deep, conveying large brook of
this warm water from the springs to
the town. This canal runs alongside
a shady street the whole distanc and
is well filled with water which runs
with good curreng. During the mid
die of the day it is lined with the COM
mon and poorer people for it's entire
length. Here woman is seen kneel-
ing down on the ground by the side Of
this running stream doing the family
washing. This is done by dipping
water out of the canal with her hands
upon the clothes and then rubbing
them on a fiat stone which is placed
on slight incline. The next may be
family group, with the mother occu-
pied as the last, while the father and
younger children are bathing in the
canal. Very likely the youngest baby
is placed in a large basket near by for
security, with piece of sugar cane to
chew. Farther on two large girls are
bathing in the stream, or a mother and
daughter; while close by them is a
man seated fiat in the ditch and direct
ly behind him is woman, presumably
his wife, scrubbing his back At least
one of this couple seems to enjoy the
operation. This is the story, repeated
a hundred times in this mile, while at
the head of the canal is large pond
filled with swimmers as we'll as wash
ers.
Did | hear some reader say modes
ty? Well, it is not worth while to be
Over-squeamish in a country where
plug hat and pair of spurs is 4 full
dress; but as a matter of fact men,
and women too are more completely
disguised while sitting up to their arm
pits in this stream of stained water
than many of them are when dressed,
while as an agreeable sanitarium this
common wash house is most valuable.
The run from Aguas Calientes to
Leon, los miles, was made Friday
morning. This ride is through very
fertile fields, and the wheat and barley
was heading out 'and of very heavy
growth. Horse run to Leon city
from the station, some four miles. The
paseO, mile out of town, is beauti-
full shady avenue, extensively walled
and kept in fine order with trees and
shrubs and flowers. The Oleander
trees are very large and in full bloom,
and the organ cactus grows up in
single stalks like the front pipes of a
lo rorn orornn md i1ct Lorlt "a MON. 70, |