The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-07-17
PRICE 5 CENTS.
MEXICO'S INTERIOR.
TRAVELLERS DESCRIPTION OF HOME
LIFE AMONG THE Poems.


How Their Houses Are Bui1t-When the
Evening Comes-Diet and Cooking
Dress of the women-Apparel of the
Men.
In the terras calientes hot lands) the
children often go naked and the grown
people wear no more clothing than their
partial civilization demands. The tat
rooted adobe house, the palm covered
cane hut or cave in the hillside serves all
the purposes of an earthly hah;sarfOn for
those whose lives are passed within them.
But here in the coolest part OF the REPUBLIC
"a mile and 8 half above the level of the
SIGNATURE has so elevated the e9dngy
and lowered the temperature that cloth
ing Is a necessity. There Is sufficient rain
to penetrate tho fat roofs and drown out
the cave dvellers, hence we find people
living above ground and under inclined
roofs. Thus they have advanced by the
sheer necessity of their external surround
iugs; but where nature has not acted with
compulsory force they still remain in
condition that is scarcely above that Of
the lower animals In some respect.
THE FAMILY CIRCLE.
adobe. They have dirt floors and shed
roofs which are covered with mud mortar
about six inches deep. They seldom have
windows or any other provision for light
and ventilation except the door. We often
find large family living in one Of these
rooms. When the evening comes family
circle is formed around a few ancient
earthen mugs and jars which are set on
the dirt floor; from these they take their
scant and simple meal; after which
round of cigaretts are smoked, the door
is barred, the Pickering tallow candle is
blown out, and while the unsavory fumes
of the smoking wick is permeating the
entire room the last one retires to rest in
this dungeon home, home then darker
than the blacklist night, as unsavory as
the dungeon of the doomed, and almost as
sickly and deadly as the black-hole of Cal
cutta.
We see these creatures on their knees
every day and with outstretched arms
they bemoan their lot and beg of God in
his Nero y to grant them more blessings,
after which they employ what little men
tai and physical force they possess in re-
jecting these which have already been
granted. "What fools these mortals be-"
Their diet consists of the various fruits
and tortillas (corn cakes) made { salt ana
water. The meal is ground by hand be-
| tween stones similar to those used by the
ancients In place of stoves and iron
cooking utensils, they use elevated fire
| places and earthen jars, which are placed
| over charcoal fires. The knowledge Of
| cooking among all classes of women is
as meager as the means used, hence the
| breakfast biscuit, white loaf bread, pies,
preserves and buildings Of the United
! States are never seen in Mexico.
DRESS OF WOMEN.
The women wear shawls over their heads
| in place of hats and bonnets and the fash
ion never changes. Their feet are small
and they wear tight shoes with very high
heels. Among the lower class plain cut,
bright-red dresses are often worn, but
among the higher classes a com bination OF
| bright colors is preferred.
| The men of every class have passionate
fondness for dressed sheep, goat, or deer
| skin suits These are often fringed,
| painted and embroidered with silver. The
| pantaloons are often striped down the
| side with rows of buttons and buckles and
| the wide rimmed sombrero is often
adorned with silver stars, tassels and b
few rounds of heavy silver cord around
the crown. The poems wear very low
| crowned, wide brimmed straw hats, and
in place of coats they wear heavy wooden
blankets winter and summer. Though
| am now in the torrid zone and to-day is
| July 18th, yet sea the natives passing or
| summing themselves with their blankets
wound around them up to the nose Moth
ers are passing with their babies wrapped
up out of sight and the men use sandals
in place of shoes or boots. A few are
dressed as we find them in the United
States. Thus it is the old and the new,
the high and the low are all seen at one
view.-Zacatecas Cor. Detroit Free Press