The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-12-02

Special Correspondence of The
ERALD = Such an odd place as is
at Esparza, THE Holy Spirit of
Ope, " wherein we passed our
BIT night in this republic. AS we
me rafting into town in the early
ening the diIigencia and all it con-
med we're greeted by surprising
CHORUS OF YELPING Ours
Id vociferous gamin, while the popu-
ce rushed forth with eager curiosity
see the arrivals. From many open
bors came the tinkling of guitars and
e pattering of tandangoes and rape
roS, while woMeR, sid and young, sit
ng on their steps in the moonlight
noking cigarettes, unreseryedly ejscu-
ted in our hearing their suppressed
nspicions as to the business among
hem of Las AHeTicdnCSs
The main features of Esp ARA are
|apacious church, topped with belfry
Fhlch looks like q water tank set up on
tiIts; 8 broad, dreary and treeless space
ID the centre of the town dlgnlied by
he name of plaza; low, whitewsshed
asis, which looked like the corpses OF
10 many houses in the sickly smiling of
The moon; and big meson, or posada.
We drove directly up to this apology
for an inn, at whose gateway was
already collected great crowd of car
reboras and their coffee carts, horses,
dogs. mules and oxen. Its door was the
ionly one we had yet seen closed in
Esparzs, and the drivers pounded upon
BIT with a stone, shouting "A6rG IN
puertG; SOn1er AnltgOS, SeROr.-"Open the
doors we are your friends sir !"
In course of time, but not very
quickly, sleep-looking and ill-favored
Z individual, who paid 10 manner of at
tention to his newly-arIiVed friend, J"
not so much as glancing athim-opened
the great door just long enough for US
= TO hurry through; then he rebarred it
aud retired as leisurely as he came,
leaving US to our devices.
Looking about, by
THE PALE GLIMMER OF THE MOON
and a paler tsllow dip, we were struck
with the marvellous similarity between
this pOsade, in the western world, to-
ward the close of the nineteen century
and that on the other side of the globe,
q in which Joseph and Mary were shell
tered on the night when Christ was
born, according to the minute descrip-
ton thereof given by General Wallace
in Ben Hur. A better idea of the nleSOnS
and posadaS of to day, as they exist in
many parts of Mexico and Central
America cannot be gained than by
reading that book. AS they are dis
tinctiVe features of Spanish America,
and whoever travels here must neces
sarily have much to do with them, let
US take survey of this typical one of
Esparza.
In outward appearance they are all
aike-a large corral, or yard, entered
by huge gateway with wooden doors,
and surrounded by high, thick walls
of adobe. which are divided all around
the inside with a series Of square
rooms. These apar ments are all win
doWless, and entirely destitute of fur
niture, the door of each entering into
the corral. In one corner of the empty
room is generally platform Of stone
or adobe, about two feet high, which
serves the triple purpose of bed, table
and sofa-and with 1t you must con-
tent yourself, for in most nlesOnS,
NEITHER LOVE NOR MONEY
cansecure you anything more. Some
times an urgent demand may obtain
for you deal table, bench, or a col
bedstead; but that posada would be-
"swelp' indeed, and scarcely to be
found in Central America which could
supply such unheard-of luxuries as
chair or wash stand Do you suppose
Joseph and Mary had wash stands and
rocking chairs? Then why be IN
reasonable? Do as in Rome when
among the Romans, j. e. spread your
wrap upon the plaster floor and sit
upon it, and if you must wash, go oui
to the big stone trough where the cat
tie drink and where their aJreruants
indulge IN infrequent additions, anC
afterwards stand IN the sun to dry
Travellers are expected TO carry theu
own bedding, as well as cooking uten-
sis, and one soon learns to get along
with a very small quantity of either
But whatever you omit in
THIS vERMIN-INFEsTED COUNTRY,
be.sure TO keep we'll supplied with hell.
bore, or some other effective bug poison
and before spreading your blankets fol
the nights repose, literally dust all ad-
jacent objects.
In the corner of the corral is the pub
lie kitchen, in which you or your SER
wants are at liberty to cook supplies oil
your own furnishing, even charcoal
brought from the mesonero; and open
ing out of the kitchen is the stable
where the horses and mules are teth-
cred. The arrival of wearied party at
the gate of a meson is not greeled by
such ELUSIVE cordlality as the wayfarer
generally receives from the urbane pro-
prietor, diamond bedecked clerk and
obsequious porter of the average Amerl-
can hotel. If the gate be open you ride
in as a matter of course, and dismount-
ing within the walls, proceed to take
possession of whatever room you can
ind. unpack and STOW away your bag
gage. taking care to keep everything
stealable, even to the saddle and har-
ness. in the apartments you have
chosen. If by this time the nDeSonner0,
0andlord) has not put in an appear
ancs. it will be well to look him up.
Thereupon your DsOzO (servant) shouts
Cor him until ne comes forth, bringing
the key of the gransry.