Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1888-10-04
SCENES i'm Sam Crislobal.

This city is tue capital of .bo State Of
Chapas, which borders on the republic Of
Guatemala. The city has population Of
about twenty thousand, is well pavet, kept
clean, and has delightful climate, being
situated on the summit of ths Sierra Madre
mountains. We have here temperate
climate, and all il raised that is raised 10 our
central States but by descending the noun
tain in either direction we find a torrid
cline hence here we enjoy about all the
temperate and tropical products, but owing
to the secluded position of the State, and es
pecially this city, we enjoy but few of the
advantages of modern civilization. There
are no roads within nearly 800 miles Of
the place except the Indian tails, many of
which are impossible for horse or pack
mules hence any thing that can not be
transported over the mountains Oh the backs
of Indians is never seen here. The city has
a large cathedral, several churches, but not
Protestant church in the place. Near
ly all business in the surrounding
country is done by the neighboring
Indians. They bring the wood, corn, dairy
products, butcher supplies and, in fact, all
the city requires, including lumber, stone
nuo 10 oiO0oAe AZ VIZ Wv DHSno
of men and women.
The city market early every morning pre-
sents strange scene scores of women are
seen coming in loaded down with meat,
corn, fodder, lightwood, 6rewood, charcoal
and apples and other fruits. Some OF them
have their babes tied on top and Two or
three children following on behind with
little hemp bags filled with market supplies.
Most of them are hatless a1d shoeless and
men and women wear the same garb. their
apparel consisting of a long narrow blanket
with hole in the centre for the head to
pass through and two others for the arms to
pass out, while the sides are sewed up from
the armpits down and the dress is finished.
The men are usually employed in making
long Journeys over the mountains with the
exports of country while others are hewng
out puncheon boards and hauling them to
the city. This is done by fastening one end to
either eide of the pack-saddle while the
other end drags on the ground.
There ia no market house in the city, all
marketing being done in the open air. An
old woman, with all her children around
her, is seen seated on the ground by the
side of her peach basket while another sits
behind her meat basket, or a pile of vegeta-
bles, firewood, and homemade clabber
cheese. Unlike the Aztecs of the up coun.
try, these Indians prepare everything in the
most cleanly and attractive manner. Their
fresh and dried meats as exhibited would
tempt the appetite of an epicure, while pep.
pered pigs feet, cold ham, boiled eggs,
sweet potatoes, Mexican sweetmeats, coffee,
chocolate, pure milk and fine fruits for
dessert, and all very cheap, and served in
plates set on the ground and eaten with
wooden spoons, make a lunch which
for the palate, and rustic style in which
it is served ia unsurpassed by anything of
the kind l have ever seen. Some of these
'old ladies" of the distant wiwams are not
at all handsome and often have little more
than girdle for clothing, yet they are very
pleasing in their manner, call everybody
their sons and daughters, call you some nice
names and compliment you while you eat,
and seem to feel and act towards you in
that real good old grandmotherly way that
makes one feel as if he had found new
friend who would stand by him like
mother. Beauty is, you know, as beauty
does, so the old Indian woman soon loses
all her coarse backwoods features and we
soon learn to be quite at home either by her
market stand or in the wigwam in the
woods and if ever we call this way again
we will ask no better welcome than we have
received from some of the old mothers of
the tribes we have met along the mountain
trail. RAMBLER.