St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-03-27
Who See Beauties in the For
mer, but No Use for the
Latter.
Gl0rieS Of the Excursions Laid
Out From the Great City
of Mexico.
Sumptuous Summer of Table
Lands--Volcanoes Crowned
With Snow.

pdIdu1t valley lOT ill llto USES O1 ClVlll-
cation. Crops do not require irrigation,
and not all the inhabitants deem it es-
Sential to their health and comfort.
Pulque is the national drink, and ablu-
ton is not deemed-at least by many of
the descendants of the ancient tribeS-to
be healthy. While water is abundant.
little of it goes great ways with many
of these ''sons of the forest" In speak
ing of the Mexican Indians in this gen.
eral way, do not include all the races
of this republic by any means-as there
are more than 100 of these races still,
speaking as many distinct languages,
or dialects or gibberishes, or whatever
you call them. Through the veins of
majority of the most talented and
learned citizens of the republic courses
Indian blood. Among the ablest states
men, soldiers, scientists, business men
of every calling, are descendants of the
Observation-Disclosures who occupied this
country before the coming of CorteZ.
But there are now, as there were in
the days prior to the dawn of civiliza-
ton, many Mexican Indians who dwell
in ignorance and filth. There are those
who do not believe it healthy to battle.
An American lady who has resided
here some five or six years. and who
has employed native ''help" in her
household, was made acquainted with
this fact in this way: An old Mexican
woman, who lived near her in the city,
told her, one day, that she kept her lit
tie boy, some four years old, too clean
for his good health. ''You ought not
battle him." she said. ''My oldest
daughter lived for awhile in French
family here, and there she learned their
new-fangled motives about bathing and
scrubbing; so when she came home
what did she do but get out tub and
head to foot, and every one of them
took sick. Now, here am l. over sixty
years old, and | never took bath in
my life, and never was Sickp'
x X
No one who comes to Mexico should
fail to make that most charming and in
teresting trip over the Mexican railway
to Orizaba, COrdopa, Vera Cruz and
Pueblo. II any one returns without
making this trip he misses not only the
dessert to his dinner, but the wine as
we'll. 1t is impossible to concentrate in
so small space more of commanding
interest to an American than is here
presented. Leaving the great palace
studded and chimneyless city in the
quiet of early dawn, the traveller seats
himself in a clean and comfortable
coach. and is soon gliding through the
transparent and invigOrating atmOS-
phere along the banks of historic Tex
coco lake. By the time the early suns
rays are reflected from the Sn0w-capped
volcanoes which guard the valley, he is
moving ovel a smooth roadbed. through
level fields of grain and immense plant
n nf mo mast Drn1f
where thousands of sheep and goats
are feeding under the care of shepherds
i'll picturesque SerapeS and sombrerOS,
by great haciendaS with buildings like
ancient forts, surrounded by high and
oop-holed walls, and church-towers ris-
ing on hill and plain. Having left the
great valley of Anahuac, the original
center of Mexican civilization, at an
elevation of 1880 feet, passed under the
shadows of the brown hills of Guada-
lupe of Blessed Shrine, and in full view
of the gigantic pyramids of the sun and
moon, the train commences to ascend to
a still greater height. BY 9 o'clock
Spain is reached, in the center of the
pulque country. Here immense fields
stretch away on every side. unbounded
by walls, but crossed by thousands of
rows of maguey. Here the best and
freshest pulque i'll Mexico is had by the
drink or carload, and from this station
pulque train is run to the city every
day, bringing a revenue OF $1,000 per
day, it is said, the year round, to the
railroad for freight.
~
Another hours ride brings the traveller
to Soltepec, seventy miles from Mexico.
at an elevation of 1924 feet. A few
miles further on is Apizaco, where a
branch road runs off to Pueblo, the
most Interesting and picturesque city in
many regards in all Mexico. and prob
ably the most healthy. [ talked with
an American gentleman who lives in
Pueblo with his family, and he is con-
vinced that there is no other such de-
sirable spot on earth. On we go. pass
ing through Tlascala, that little state
whose heroic people, at war with Mon
tezuma at the time of the arrival of the
SpaniardS, tested their inyincibility in
terrible battle: ard who, after meet
ing with defeat, made treaty with the
white strangers and subsequently saved
them from annihilatiOn-passingo over
historic ground all the way to Esper--
ANA, where we get a perfect view of
the SnoW-c rOWned volcano ORR
zaba, glittering in the golden sun,
standing 1878 feet higher than
Vera Cruz, from which city we now
are but few hours ride. Here we
take on the great doUble-ended Fairlie
engine, whose tremendous power is re-
uuired to hold one train in check while
we descend from the frozen zone,
through the temperate zone, into the
torrid zone at the Sea-a dive down Of
5000 perpendicular feet. from eternal
winter to eternal summer! And all
within four short hours. 1t is now but
forty-siX miles down to COrdOva, which
icltl 10 orr nd panfpr nf the nnffnp-
growing district: and this forty-six
miles is picturesque beyond description.
Mountains broken into every conceiv-
able shape, packed in by the side of
each other and piled one upon the top
of another with an effect more artistic
and sublime than ever conceived
by human painter. The road is
cut like cash into mountain
sides, bored through mountains
spurs. bridged across mountain gorges;
and the powerful engine Kisses and
groans, belching forth his pine-wood-
red-hot breath in his effort to hold our
train from rushing forward to utter de-
struction. AS we look down perpen-
dieular distance of ZOO feet the beau
'.tiful town of Maltrata, with its luXuri-
ant gardens laid out with t lie geometri-
cal precision of chess board, filled
with fruits, flowers and vegetables of
every hue ana color, ana glance along
the devious windings of the eleven
miles of serpentine steel ribbon which
sparkles in the sun and marks our path
to that transcendently enchanting
valley, and feel the headlOng dashing
of our train on its wild descent-switch-
ing around curves so sharp that engine
and rear car can speak across to each
other, playing hide-and-go-seek by
lodging into dark tunnel, now and
then exposing itself to full view on
hridra hIlilt an q radius of a25 feet