Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1890-11-13
QUAINT CUSTOMS OF
MEXICANs.
The Feet Still Used for Pressing Wine
"Chili" Making and Harvesting.


ALBUQUERQUE, N. MO the visitor
from 1.-THE States this is the most inter
esting time of the year in New Mexico.
and the peculiar customs of the people con-
stitute an unfallng source of attraction.
All the principal crops are ripe and are
being garnered, but the process OF irriga-
ton may still be seen in the orchards and
the late gardens. All the houses In the coun-
try and nearly all those in the Mexican
villages are now ornamen.ed with long
strings of RED peppers (''chili'l arranged
in clusters or lunches four CT i've feet long
and half as iarg arcund as mans body
hanging from pegs driven into the adobe
wall, which has just been ne WY plastered
with coat Of mud and looks as neat as
whitewasheo fence The store of Chill
laid by for winter is to the Mexican fami-
y what the pork barrel used to be to the
American pioneer. 1t is the staff of life
but the various dishes compounded from it
are so furioasly hot that one mouthful is
enough to set the uneducated throat on
fire. The gathering and preparing of the
red pepper and drying 1t for winter is
part of the woman 8 work, and the thrifty
Mexican housewife is just as proud of hel
big strings of chill as New England grand
mothers were of their wool and fax.
The grapes are fully ripe, and every vine
yard Is now scene of activity. From the
time the fruit began to ripen more than
north ago, it has been going to market in
considerable quantities for table use-for
the mission grape, which is grown almost
exclusively in the Rio Grand Valley is said
to be the incst table grape in the world
and finds ready market wherever 1t is
known Except in few places like Albu-
querque, where the invasion of American
ideas and machinery has disturbed some
of the established customs of the people,
the process of wine-making in the New
Mexican vineyards today is just the same
as it was in Palestine at the time when
Solomon lived in all his glory. The press
ers take off their shoes and stockings-lf
they wear any-roll up their pantaoons,
and get into the vat, and the man with the
biggest feet can make the most wine. The
Jesuit fathers, whose wines are celebrated,
now use presses altogether, as do several
other large concerns In various parts OF the
territory, but nearly all the country wine
is still made IN the primitive way. The
process is full of interest to the visitor,
and generally does more to make HIM stop
looking on the wine when 1t Is red than
prohibition speech.
The corn is gathered in the field before
husking, hauled to the house, and lad
down in a heap on one side OF the front
door The husking fails to the women
and girls, and in front of every house may
be seen lite group of senoras and senior
itas squatted on the ground gossiplng and
"shucking' corn. All the fodder Is cut
and hauled in stacked on top OF the stables
and cow-sheds, and if .here is more than
these will hold the rest is put on top OF the
house; the first roof being well adapted to
this purpose The wheat, which was
tramped out by the horses and burros Just
after harvest, is now receiving final WIN
moving by being tossed up in the breeze
with wooden paddle preparatory to be-
ing sacked up for the MIL
The weather of that portion OF New
Mexico south of the Glorietta mountains
begins to be almost perfect at this season
of the year and, with the exception OF an
occasional "bustery spell, may be expect
ed to continue so through the winter Inc
season which is known in the north as
winter is hardly worthy of the name IN
this country. In the Rio Grande valley
the whole season through the weather
more nearly resembles that OF Indian
summer" than of winter in the east.
Witt the exception of stormy day now
and then blizzard from the north there
will be no time between this and spring
when healthy man may not SIT down on
the sunny side of the house at all hours
and read his newspaper in comfort. Inc
natives do not use any fuel for heating
purposes as a rule. 1t is warm enough IN
the sun during the day. and when night
comes it is time to sleep. The mild dry
air of this region will make 1t great
winter resort in time for those affected
with lung diseases. The Rio Grand
Wallet Albuquerque is 5000 feet ABOVE
90 vel, and the climate at this alu-
rrnrnr, of lastiny heneft 10 many