Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-03-10
THE MEXICAN REPUBLIC.
DIFFICULTIES WHICH BEsET THE
PROPERTY-OWE2R.
How One May Jump" Another's
aim-Ordernazas de Minerva
or for Yucatan.
Correspondence of the REcoRD- UNION
I i

comprising the State of Potosi every vari-
ETY. of climate is found, for though its
southern borders extend into the tropics
the elevation of all this section upon the
celebrated mesa central gives the valleys
the temperature of northern Mays, while
ice and snow may always be found in the
uplands.
Several mountain ranges cross the State,
mostly formed by spurs of that great Cor
dillera called in South America the Andes.
here known as the Sierra Madres, and
further north, the Rockies These mag
nifcent Mother Mountains" nearly coy
ering the eastern portion OF the republic,
from natural boundary-line between the
States of Tamaulipas and San Luis Potcsi.
There are ranges Of purple foothills beside,
and isolated peaks rearing here and there
their precipitous clifis-the Sierras Gordas
(''fat mountains"), the stupendous chain
known as the Sierra de San Luis, and an
other in the south whose name | have for
gotten. Between these nights lie some of
the finest valleys in the world, agricultur-
ally, which, with the mineral riches
Astounding in the hills make San Luis one
of the wealthiest States in Mexico Every
column Of this paper devoted to the task
would be insufficient to describe all the
metallic veins which cross Potosi in every
direction. Internal revolutions, want of
water, and, until lately lack of communica-
ton with the outer world, has caused some
of the richest of these lodes to be aban-
doned but despite all disadvantages many
of them have been worked, with unvarying
success, through more than five hundred
years.
Among the most famous are the mines
of Papagayo and Matehula in the Catorce
foothills-the real De Catorce-only thir-
teen miles from San Luis city. The vii
lage has now only about $4,000 inhabitants,
but at one time during the great bonanzas,
the population reached 10000 No more
interesting object in all Mexico will be
found than Catorce mountain and the cele-
brated town at its foot, about which are
clustered traditions such as few silver re-
gions can boast. During the French inva-
sion mint was established here, but since
that time its prosperity has been steadily
decreasing.
Its first back-set occurred some ninety
years ago, when neighboring Indians swept
down and murdered all the settlers. The
word cdtorce means fourteen" and the
town was named after a band of fourteen
robbers, who for many years we're the ter
TOR of the vicinage
The once immeasurably-rich veins of
this district are owned by a few Spaniards
and Englishmen. Quite recently an en-
terprising American drove tunnel into
one of the old claims, and it is said that
some rich pockets of ore have been found.
The new railroads have given fresh i'm
petus to all enterprises, and many long
deserted lodes, as well as Undiscovered
ones, have been denounced within the
last two years and are now in operation.
According to the laws of Mexico, ANYBODY
may "denounce" mine, or other property
not actually being made use of, and take
peaceable possession thereof, whatever the
owner may have to say about it.
The entire text of Los Ordernazas de
Mineria is too long for reproduction-bu
in order to show how uncertain is ones
tenure here unless constantly on the spot,
permit me to quote from the statutes, be-
ginning with Article 8: aft any one de-
n2unces mine as deserted in the manner
hereinafter set forth, his announcement
shall be admitted; the location of the
mine, the name of the last owner if known.
and The names of owners of adjoining
mines if occupied-ts all which persons
proper notice must be given if possible If
within ten days time they do not present
themselves, the announcement shall be
made public during the three following
Sundays. There being no contradiction,
the denouncer shall, within 60 days, have
cleared and in working order some part of
of the mine, to the depth of ten yaras
within the walls of the VEIN"
Then through various other Articles the
law goes on to state that if those conditions
are complied with, " Possession shall be
given to the denouncer against all opposers,
Who shall not be heard, they not having
come forward during the time above men
toned. Should the former owner of the
mine contest the announcement, the time
Tor public notice having passed, he shall
not be heard as to the possession of the
mine, which the denouneer shall retain."
Any one may seek and denounce or
register mines or veins, not only in public,
but also in private lands paying for the
land he may occupy and the damage that
Immediately follows, according to the ap-
praisals of umpires. The same shall hold
good for denouncing sites or water-riehts,
for purposes of erecting machinery to form
establishments for the treatment of ores.r
Since it is well known that the wealthiest
landowners of Mexico spend most of their
lives abroad, seldom even visiting their
vast estates-which, in many instances
comprise thousands of acres-the wonder
is that the needy of all lands do not flock
in and "denounce," right and left, for
living Probably more Of it would be
done by Americans now in the country,
were it not for the fact that foreigner has
no rights here which anybody feels bound
TO respect. The laws Of this Republic
were obviously framed for wealthy Mexi-
cans, and are administered to suit them
selves, regardless of the blind-folded god
deSS. As anybody can see, these 0rdeinan-
sGs admit all manner of unfair play in the
hands of INSCRIPTIONS lawyers. Money is
the 'open sesame" to all things here, the
poor man standing no more chance for JUS
tice as opposed to a rich one, than an
American can hope to profit in any case
by laws that were never made for him.
But there are two sides TO every ques-
ton, and this denouncing business is no
exception to the rule Mexicans are so
indolent, both by nature and habit, that
enterprises of all sorts would languish were
there no greater incentive to exertion than
mere money-getting beyond present needs.
Besides the gold and silver, there is
much lead, cinnabar, anthony, copper.
salt, nagistral and some coal in the State
of Potosi. About thirty-five miles from
San Luis city are some wonderful marble
guarries, from which unbroken slabs two
metres long have been extracted. Near
the surface the marble is streaked with
grs fish veins, but lower down it is black
as jet, very hard, and capable of being pol
ished to the luster of a mirror The owner
of the quarries, Senior Don Juan Bacane-
gra, has also quarry of very valuble ala
baster, and is developing both by the add
ton of new machinery.
Among the other cities of the State that
are worthy cf mention are Cedral. nine
miles north of Matehuala, with many
smelling works and the varying population
of a mining town, ranging between S, 0OOand
$4,000. Charcas is another mining center
on the main highway between the frontier
and the capital, with population of
10000. FL Vanado showed something
over $1,000 al the last census. Rio Verde,
IL