The Republican journal., 1888-03-29
In Central America.
THE YUCATECOS AT HOME. LIFE IN 4 FAR
AWAY COUNTRY.

in this part of the world. the steamer anchors
several miles from Shore-and all we can see is IL
white sand-bank, scarcely rising above the sea-
long wharf blistering in the sun, and Il few
tile-covered huts, overshalowed by il group of
splendid palms.
The moment vessel hcayes in sight dozen
lighters put out to convey >horeward her freight
and passengers; and as they advance-cvrry
man cNerting himself to the utmost to GET
ahead of his comprehensive observe at Il
| glance that there is a notable difference fetwccn
these Iucdtecos and the Aztecs these being
taller and more sturdy race, and as remarkably
clean as those are dirty.
Arrived on shore. the customary tus,le with
| Customs officials ensucs-an rrcpressihle con-
fct in which he comes off best who shows
| least disposition to fight. BY far the better
| way is to hand over Your keys without Il pro-
| test and let them work their will with Your
luggage, smiling like angels while they overhaul
| the innermost recesses OF your private property
| and expose it to the gaping crowd. though in
| your heart may be murder. The chances are
| that politenesS and seeming Indifference on
| your part may meet with an equal return, while
the slightest demur will arouse all the suspicious
Of these distrustful people and subject YOU to
ten times greater annoyance.
There is a handsome Custom House ri Pro-
gresO, but the alleged ''hotel'' in which we pass
ed one night is about the worst have ever en-
| countered. 1t is low. long. stone-Wailed
| structurc, with thatched roof. and one sleeping
| apartment over the stable. This general dor
| mitory contains no such CONFERENCE.-The
nnhearl of-as bureau. or dressing case, and
| not even table or chairs, nothing whatever but
| hammocks slung up on pegs and big tin wash
basin. One experienced in these regions. how
ever. thanks his stars for the democratic sim
plicty" Of the surroundings which enables
| him to give his undivided attention to the thatch
overhead. knowing it to be swarming with
| spiders, scorpions and possibly with Nenom0us
serpents. If he occupied foul-posted bed
stead, he would be compelled TO keep close
watch upon each Of its legs, which centipede>
and other social creatures would surely utilize
as highways by which to pay him nocturnal
visit. hilc its coverings would inevitably be
filled with verGlin of various species. .t> it is.
If he removes any of his clothing. he does not
| know what to do with lt-and III any case must
be careful to treat his shoes and every article
he touches like a dose Of medicine labelled, TO
| be well shaken before taking
Besides the i'm and Custom House. there are
| perhaps one hundred rc,l-ted cdS0S and straw
| thatched hut>, half atoZen ''stores" of general
| merchandise. a market-place and a church..
As the shipping place for vast quantities Of
| ucatan'S only source of Wealth->isil hemp
| and henequin-thiS port is of very great i'm
portance; bat with the total lack OF enterprise
| that characteriZes every thing Mexican. there
| Is no harbor here. and vessels are compelled to
anchor far from shore in the open road>tead.
! exposed to dangerous "Northers" and all the
| winds that blow. 1t has but one wharf. or
etty. and that is 800 feet long. provided with
| wooden cranes.
| Why named P'nJreso no human being can
| tell. for it is not likely to make any sort Of
! progress 50 long MeNicans >ha possess
| Mexico. Though Very hot. the place has the
| reputation of being more >alubriol> tnln most
| of uratan. hence Numbers Of people from
the interior flock here during tie heated
term Its population is about 1000, and where
! the plcasure-seekerS put themselves daring the
| fashionable season it is impossible to guess.
The Old port of Si-a->onse distance further
| down the coast-waS .unw since abandoned.
and as it has no railroad leading to the interior,
1t Is not likely to ever again he pIae" of en-
| port for the hemp that bears its Galme.
A railroad leads to Merida. the state Capital.
| 25miles away, and as the fare is but few dollars
| and the trip of great interest every tourist
| who reaches Progreso should @tl himself trans
ported TO lucalan'> quaint and beautiful mt
tropoli> without loss OF time.
| \ wori about this misunderstanding that
| all MeNicans are not 50 entirely devoid of
| >hrewdnc>> a> their Yankee nci4hnor> believe.
| All the iron. equipments and rolling stock for
! the road were brought from Engl land and the
| u. s, landed at Progrc>o. and then carte, to
| the interior terminus. where the building be-
| gan. At first sight this would seem to be one
| of the foolish undertakings Of an unpro-res>ive
people: but not 50. The contractor had method
| in his madness. wishing to secure at once the
| benefit of freyhtS. anu-Since all the hemp
| came from the interior-hc deemed 1t advisable
| to begin at the end nearest the freight Hence
| everything was hauled through carti and desert
| sands. with infinite trouble. to Merida. aud
there tn" road WAS started. Soon a> the iIr>I
| few miles We're laid. lhc smart contractor com
menced to haul hemp. (hy mule poWer}. As far
| as his rails went.
He received ''conce>>on'' Of money from
| the government for every mile Of road when
| finished and it happened that the portion near
| est Merida was much easier to build than that
near the sea; and thus in many ways did the
| Mexican Gould make his enterprise pay from
the start, so that to-day it is considered one of
| the most profitable railroads in the world. Ac
| cor,iing to the terms of his contract with the
| government. the owner of the road was COM
| pel!ed to carry passengers from port 10 tarltai
| for a certain reasonable sum, lrh~H the fOod
shonld be fnhy compieted so tn; sharp rascal
| built within mile or two Of the coast. and
| there stopped, continuing to charge at Il very
unreasonable rate. At last. however. the road
was finished, and there are now two trains
| daily each way, beside the forenoon and after
| noon freights.
| Accustomed as we are to strange surround
| ingS, the scenery of 1ucatan imprc>seS ne a.
| indescribaby unique. Just back of the coast
| dunes stretches broad lagoon. several hum
| dred miles long, varying in Gepth and breadth
| with the season. Millions Of northern birds
| SpcHu Their winters mere. l mere are uttk ana
| teal, herons white and blue. ibis and ""ret>,
snipe and sand ppers curIcwS, Snahe-hird>,
| cormorants and many others.
| Beyond the lagoon the bed of coral rock
| which composes the entire peninsula of uci
| tan, rises above the level of the water. No
| where is vegetation luXuriant, and the soil is
| thin and dry. Now we enter the vast heH"IHin
| plantations, and the road runs through them.
with miles and miles of the So-called ''>iSal"
| hemp growing on either side. 10 prevent cat
| tie from roaming in and eating the valuable
| plants. the immense fields are all neatly wall
ed, while the picturesque houses of the plant
| erS are mostly of solid stone. shaded by groves
of cocoa-palms, and approached by long ave
nucS terminating in arched gateways Of stone
| or adobe.
Whatever may happen to lucitan in the fu-
tllre, her great source of wealth will always
| lie in the fibre productions. The demand for
the henequin, which here finds its natural
home, is steadily increasing. although in point
| of durability it cannot compare to the fibre of
that plant of the Philippine Islands known
commercially as Manila hemp. 1t has been
suggested that the government should cncour-
age the introduction of the Manila plant into
Yucatan. for if once demonstrated that it
| would find cOngenal home here. this PENN
sula could supply the markets Of the world.
| While SiSal hemp brings from IL to cents
per pound in New York. Manila hemp easily
commands -; thus showing the relative
market values of the two librcS. Owing to its
proximity to New York, lucatan could easily
exclude from commerce the tbrcs of the far
away Philippine Islands. did she produce
those of as good quality, as the area of land
that might be placed under cultivation is al
most unlimited.
During last month the exploration of hcne-
quin from PrOgresso reached l3,9ll bales. az
| gregating $500 tons. The state treasury of
Iucatan, on a tax Of 3 cents per orreb0 20
lbs.) received thereon 4 nice little item: and
the Federal treasury Jared even better, OH a
tax of % per cent. And in spite of the heavy
expectation tax thus levied. the exports Of
henequin show steady increase.
Though there is not much to boast Of i'll the
way of scenery along the Merida railroad, the
prevailing vegetation being low and Scrubby.
the people one meets en- route are study of
never-failng interest They are wholly pccr-
liar to this peninsula-the almost unmiNed
descendants of the Mayas whom Cortez and
Cordova found here nearly 400 years ago. They
| are much darker than those of Northern McNi-
co, and both men and women are universally
clad in garments white as snow; the former
wearing wide cotton trousers and shirts
(''flaps' outside) with plated backs and much
beruifled bosoms; while the women still stick
to the traditional dress Of their anccstors-l
single scanty shirt falling from waist to ankles.
and an outside chcmSe or uipH from should
ers to knees. Feet and arms are bare and bos-
oms exposed, yet there is about them an air of
modesty and reserve not common anon" the
lower classes of Mexico. They have the CLOS
sicst and blackest of hair. that of the women
being braided in two tails, tied at the ends
with bits of gaudy clio tn or ribbon. The faces
| are eyDreSsOneSS many barn doors