Morning journal and courier., 1889-09-09
How Mexicans Amuse Themselves. lCity of Mexico Correspondence San Francisco
 Chronicle1

Chronicle
 A few nights ago I started with 8 small party for an after-dinner constitutional, and we wended towards famous old building which was used as prison for captured Americans during the war of 1S47; but be- fore we reached that, or the quaint old church where maidens go on certain day to offer up special prayers to get sweethearts, we saw at distance a bright glow of diff fused light, and inferring that there was @ funcion de barrie, switched of and went thither. It was the barrier of San Antonio Tomatlan, whose dense population is more prolific than poetic.
 As we neared the scene of gayety the crowd, which had gradually grown more compact, became impossible, and we were forced to "round to-" Every doorway and window was full of spectators, and numbers of urchins were perohed on the window bars, high above the heads of their elders sitting ders had been crowded out into the adjacent blocks, where the masses were less thick. "But what came they all forth to sect" There was no gambling, no street games or amusements of the sort, such as jugglers, tumblers, theatrical shows, etc., sometimes holidays, when it is deemed desirable to draw the masses of the lower orders from the main streets to outlying plazas. Only the chance of gossip and chaffer over the sweets, peanuts, fruits and the thousand and one queer looking and savory smelling mess es cooked up by the crones on their braziers along the sidewalk; these things and the mu- sic. Every true Mexican is natural born lover of music, and, as general rule, con tent, If he is of the lower classes, to sit pa- tiently for hours, unheeding his very poten- tial cold or hunger, 50 he can but hear good music; and this treat Is usually facile of at tainment, for the excellence of Mexican bands is famous.
 On these occasions templete-that is to say booth or platform-is erected several feet above the street and decorated with lanterns, flags. flowers and streamers; and this structure is dedicated to the occupancy of group of musicians who play, almost without ceasing, popular airs. On grand oc- casions two or more bands alternate so that there shall be no discontent over a pause in | the "concourse of sweet sounds" which the populace love so passionately. And 1t is | near the tsmplete that the crush is closest, l and there those poor wretches of pelados l stand, often more than half naked, often hungry, but patient on foot for hours, 80 1 they can but hear the music.
 The favorite cate of all the mysterious l compounds dished up at these festivities, the piece de resistance, Is the toothsoms caca- huate, the "goober" of the Southern States, the ground pea, the peanut. On the morn | Ing aIt6r IuuclOu Qo UaETlO tuo STouHu ou the scene of combat is so thiokly carpeted with the shells of this savory cate as to be entirely invisible. Of course we too ate caca- huates. We invested the bankrupting sum of medic (six and one-fourth cents) in "the full of big handkerchief" and, aside from the material equivalent, considered ourselves
 indemni6sd for the expenditure by study
 of the sturdy vender. He was a fat, darl
 fellow of perhaps fifty years old, with {
 beaming countenance, and his share in tht
 proceedings was confined to his shouting
 continually in voice like the below of |
 bull of Bashsn, "Here are caeahuates, tasty
 savory, fresh from the tierra ealiente! Conn
 up, come up and buy Oh, just step up ant
 taste them-no charge for tasting, and yo'
 will certainly buy some if you only get tn
 taste of them" Aside from his vocal effort
 he was perfectly passive, leaving the activ
 commerce to two dusky youths, his sons O
 assistants, and not bestirring himself eve,
 when one of the customers-a sreakinI
 looking rasoal-claimed that one of tn
 boys had given him counterfeit real il
 change and brought up gendarme to re ! claim his money.