Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1890-03-14
"GREASERS."
BIExICANS WHO LIVE ON OUR
SOUTHWEST BORDER.
They arc Not All Bad, and Live p
Happy, COntcntcu Lifc-Their
Primitive Husbandry
A Dance.

'SpcV va pciiiS tildI ID utmost an anomaly,
even among our own cosmopolitan classes.
The border Mexican, or ''grcascr," has
no nation, yet he is distinctly local. He
is the evolution of that arid and sun
kissed belt characterized by flora and
fauna as acrimonious and rs shaggy rs
himself and best cxcmplifcd by the
| cactus, the coyote, and the burro You
cannot accuse nature of making a mis-
| take III his creation, for he is IN adapta.
ton that rises superior TO adversely. Yo,,
will find him picturesque and, when
better known, not ut all bad. This
| Mexican is far below the nations repre-
sentative, yet he is not the degraded pcon
Or scrf of the land. He is rather what the
pcon has become in the two generations
he has enjoyed the freedom of our Govern
ment, if not wiser, ut least less servilc.
lie is generally admitted to be the result
OF fusion for some centuries of the
Spaniard with that mild type of semi
civilized Indian of the Cortcx conuucsts,
but is nearer the Spaniard, whose bcaut;-
full language, further softcncd into dia-
lect, he still retains This NAV be duo
to lazincss, but is more probably from
the liquid movement of Indian speech
peculiar to some Of the southern tribes,
as shown by the present language of the
Pimas and 9laricopas Of southern Ari-
IONA
There are two Glasses of Mexican peas
ants, the Labrdocs and the Rancncros.
The former are the mildcr, simpler
people, found sprinklcd along the small!
canyons aud valleys on little plots Of
| bottom lnud adjacent and irrigated by
simple or community bitches called
accqnias, which lead from the Streams,
winding along the bank in ! gradual
way till the streams lower level will per-
nit them finally to wander over the bot
tom. They bridge no arroyas, build no
dams, arches or culverts, and use only
natures level, water, to give the grade
required for their canals. In engineer
ing ability they are as far behind the
Aztccs, who once inhabited this valley.
as are the present Egyptians behind their
ancestors under SIcncs.
a plot of Il few acres supports au en-
tire family of dozen, exclusive of
dogs-;lS many more. First, crop OF
melons and ccbada (mclons and barley;
later Il crop Of frciolcs and calabazas
(slcXican beans ana pumpkins). A little
pepper and onions and their commssary
is complete. The Ranchcros have more
or less catt!c, ponies, sheep or goats, are
less local in their tastes, and
are more hardy, so that it is
among them that is sometimes found
that outlaw element that has made
'Grcascr' the synonym for bandit and
has stamped the race as thicving and
trcachcrous. This character is partly the
result of traditional scntiment-a spirit
OF adventurous resistance to tyranny On
the Mexican side man VINO evades their
outrageous taxes and customs is hero:
one Killed in IN attempt to do so, II
martyr. The Government only is the
roDoer. Tine men are fine horsemeu, of
the lirni yet easy border seat, always
using that instrument of torture. the
bocada, or Spanish bit, in the control OF
their ponies. Many are experts in tossing
the Rata and some handle Il revolver we'll
A Pueblo scene is very characteristic.
Adobe buildings, matched roofs, arbors
beneath which the stone jars left Tin glazed
for cooling water, and the stone hand
mill for grinding the corn for corn cakes.
called ''torti.las." The conservatism OF
this people would compare with that Of
India. The agricultural methods :rlr
those described in the Bible. Hay is
cut with hoe, sometimes Il hand knife
or Il sickle: 4 bough whose fork. en-
brace the proper ang.c is their pillow, and
their oxen arc yokcd by lashing pole to
the base OF their horns.
tr.tn j. III.
''bailcn or dance If it be fall ana the
night air be cool You will find this hop
inside a -'jacal." Everything has been
removed from the house but row of
''sillas' Chairs and boxes) placed
around the sides of the room, which is
lighted ny few beds OF glowing Goals
placed mt intervals on the freshly
hard-packed earth floor, by Il few can
dies c.mentcd to brackets OF projecting
adobe bricks by their own wax, and by
the star beams thnt sift through the
matched roof and ceiling. The Goals
serve also as It stove and free light TOR
cigarettes. The music will be given from
an orchestra co.~poscd Of couple of
guitars, violin, IN accordion and one or
more harps. There are no hop cards,
but the habitue can tell you in advance
what the programme will bc-waltzcs
alternating with the Mexican rcdowa or.
three-stcp la galopa, u polka and maybe
square dance Or two. At ~ o'clock
supper is served under an arbor of cot
tonwoods, which shades the running
acequia- This midnight lunch consists
usually of chicken, good coffee, some.
bad pastry and such strictly Mexican
dishes as chilis con cone translate lit
orally and you have it-peppcr seasoned
with meat, tomales, portillas and encil-
ladoes, familiar to all our first class
northern restaurants. After supper danc-
ing is resumed till dey, when all seek
sieSta.
l was surprised that among people
SO tenacious to custom in domestic mat
tiers education should have made any
progress yet most of the children read
Spanish-cspecially the girls.--Philaael-
ohia Times.