Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1886-08-11
IN A 5lExICAN INDIANS HOUSE
A MASSIVE Ancient Portal-Wretcaed-
ness and Misery.

Walk straight out east, pass the south
side of the palace from the grand pla-
"a, cross the bridge over the wall or
canal, and go straight on TO No. IL.
This No. III is 4 great rusty, creaking
portal which opens into paved court
where 1T least 100 babies are playing
over the rough fiagstOueS or about their
mothers as they grind or wash, or knit,
or sew. This massive and ancient pOr-
tai IS the door of about fifty homes.
As you enter you see large brass
sign fastened up en- the side of the wall.
1t is secured there by a big paddock.
These large signs that you see locked I'D
on the walls all about the city are uSu-
ally rich and massive plates of solid
silver. This is the doctors sign.
And surely, surely il is needed here.
The SmellSl And yet any flagStOne is as
clean as soap and water and broom can
make it. Look in at each door as YOU
pass. The floors are like snow. They
are scrubbed and washed almost per-
petually. There is no cleanliness like
this Mexican cleanliness anywhere. And
yet it is such helpless, silly-I might al
most add such dirty-cleanlineSS? This
is the part of the city where YOU are
almost constantly taking off your hat to
blue and red and curiously pictured
cOfiinS.
Now let us look at these houses the
doors are all open. Why? Because the
only light that ever enters these caverns
Is through the door and 4 Woo len WIN
dow on hinges. In all these forty or
fifty houses not a single pane of glass,
not q single current of air can pass
through one of them, Bear in mind
this IS the sample middle-clasS Mexican
house, not the Indian adobe hut ut all.
These houses are all stone; all under the
police and sanitary regulations of Nexi-
co City, and are entirely orderly and re-
spectacle. And yet so wretehed and
miserable are these people that am GER
tain II Americans We're TO live here they
would lay life down as a burden too
dreadful 10 he borne. But you never
hear of suicides here. And, indeed,
why should they kill themselves? They
die so fast here that the youngest OF
them need not to wait very long. Take
off your hat; more collins on the backs
of the little how-legged Indians are pass
ing by the great portal. The walls of
these houses are from four to six feet
thick; every house is a fortress, you see.
The rent IS 81 north for u house on
the ground; the floor above is S.. The
houses have but one room, one door. y
large family will live i'll one of these
dark, damp caves. Their children are
born here; from here they bury their
numerous dead. They try hard to be
happy. They sometimes dance, when
the collins are not passing, on the clean
flagstones in the court.
There are holes in the ilagStOneS down
the cent r of the long court into which
the SlOpS are emptied. The sewer is
clogged up sometimes. Then they lift
one of the tlagstoIeS and the thick,
green, and poisonous water is made to
creep on and out TO the open gutter in
tins street If ever the yellow fever
climbs to this height and sets down i'm
this valley there VIII not be q soul Of
this primitive and helpless people left on
the banks of these dank lakes. You
imagine them idle? ignorant? | must
repeat again and again the Aztec is the
AAN'N AAAAuotAAONo NAtstNAAAt tAA blAAo
And do not think him ignorant of
books. Ignorant he is of all the laws of
health, helpless in taking care of him
self, for the master has had his heel on
his neck for centuries; but his children
are at school. And many an old Span
iSh book may be found in these dreadful
dens of misery, of helpless, hopeless poy-
erty.
Yes, they have forgotten their own
language, And those of the city have
forgotten their old traditions. They
only have the Spanish account of the con-
quest. But the mountain tribes come
down and wander about and across the
city talking strange tongues. And these !
have kept their traditions. They have |
also kept their blood pure, not only |
from the Spaniards, but from each !
other. The women of each tribe wear \
their own distinct dress, made by hand
up in their mountains, aud highly col
bred. Some of them are much like the !
Scotch plaids Of the Highlands, far over
The sea. And one would think that |
-hese strange tribes meeting and ming
ing here would fight and trouble the
Deon. But nothing Of the sort. They
come and they go with lips sealed. With
al the silent mystery about them, they
go rs they come, few knowing, and none
:aring, whittier.