Wichita eagle., 1890-01-21
TIE BORDER MEXICANS
CHARACTERISTICS OF the Happy
PEASANTS OF THE SOUTHWEST,

ChAfSAC ERfS tCS OF IRE HAPPY
PEASANTS OF THE SOUTHWEST.
Realizing Rousseau's Definition OF Free
dom-Simpie Lives That Have Great
Deal of Unvarnished Happiness in Them.
Along a zone of our southwest border,
from the Gulf of California 10 Corpus Christi,
On the Texas coast, is found tFps of being
that is almost an anomaly, even ancng our
own Cosmopolitan classes The borsier Mexi-
can, or '-greese<,n has no nation, yet he is
distinctly locsl. He is the evolutsoa Of that
aried and sun kissed belt characterized by
fora and fauna as acrimonious and as shaggy
as himssf and best exemptifsd by the cactus,
the coyote and the buro. You cannot ac-
cuse nature Of making a mistake Ia his crea-
ton, for be is an adaptation that rises saper-
ior to adversely. You win end him picsur-
es7ue and, when better known, not ell bsd.
This Mexican IS far below the natisn,s repre-
sentative, yet be Is not the degraded peon or
sxf Of the land. He is rather what the peon
joyed the freedom Of our government, if not
WiScf al fo,1St tt<sS SSlvAlc- re Is R<Aer9ly
admitted to be the result of a fusion for some
centuries Of the Spaniard with that raild
type of semi civiliKed Iuiian OF the Csrsez
conquests, but Is nearer the Spaniard, whose
beautiful language, further softened int a
dialect, he stiu reEmnx. This may be due to
lsziness, but IN ,uore probably from the liquid
movement Of M.iian speech peculiar TO ssxae
OF the southern tribes, as shown by the pres
ens language a tho RhaS and Mericepss Of
southern Arizona
WAXf NOT THE UNAr1AIEApIK
The AsxicAns are the happiest OF confented
creatures, and, though poverty is their uni
verszd heritage, they have no wants Jean
Jacques Ro0Asean must have boon azneug q
similar peasant class in Italy when he wrote
so trutAfnlly that He only Is iree-vho wants
nothing beyond whAs he can get aud does
harnlessly as he pAeases," TseFe are two
cinsses OF Mexican peasants, thss Kaa,radoes
and the RancheFos. The fofmer afs the
nilder, simpker people found sprinkled along
the snnan canyons and vaHeJsnn lJ$sas plots
of bottom, land adjacent aad irsezked BY
simple or community ditckes caAed acequsas,
which lead from tbs streams, winding along
the bank ia a gradual way tN the streams
lower level viii permit them finally to wan
der over the bottom. They bridge no ar
royas, build no dams, arches or calverts, and
use only nata1eas Level wsser, Co gire the
grade required for their canals b engia-
eernag abihsy they are as far behind the Az
tees, who once inhabited this valleg. as arc
the present Egyptians behind their ancestors
under Menes
A plot Of q few acres supports an entire
faYrrItxr IF q
more. FIRST a crop of melons and cebaaa
tmelons end barley; later crop of frejales
and caiabazas Mexnap beans aud pumpkins,
A little pepper and onions and their commits
sary Is complete. The Rancheros have more
or less castae, ponies, sheep OF 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 '.Grcasern
the synonym for bandit and hos stamped the
race as thieving and treacheroas Tins chnr-
acter IS partly the result Of traditional sen
timent-a spirit Of adventurous resistance to
tyranny. On the Mexican side mon Who
evades their outrageous taxes and customs is
a hero; one killed IN an attempt to do so,
martyr. The government only is the robber
The men are fine hcwsenen, Of the firm vet
easy border seat, always using thaoinsfrun,ent
of torture, the bocada, or Spanish bit, in the
control Of their ponies Many are expert in
tossing the riata and some handle O revolver
well. A Pueblo sesne is very characteristics.
Adobe dwellings matched roofs, arburs be-
neath which are the Stone jars left ung3azed
for cooling water, and the Stone hand min for
grinding the corn for corn cakes, called ''tur-
tilias. F" The conservatism of this people would
compare with that Of India. The agriosatus-
al methods are those described in the Bihle
Hay IS cut with hoe. sometimes a hand knife
or a sickle; q bough whose forks embrace the
proper angle in their piow, and their oxen
are yoked by flashing pole to the base Of tner
horns.
At THE BALL
A fiesta is usually celebrated by "bafle,"
Or dance. Ii it be fall and the night cir be
cool you VIII find this hop inside ''jscal"
hiss been removed from The house
but a row Of sAsillasn tcbairs and boxos3.
placed around the sides Of the room, which is
lighted by few beds al glowing Goals placed
1t intervals ON the freshly swept, hard packed
Earth floor, hy q few candles ceZnsnaed to
or projecting adobe bricks by their
OWN wax, and by tbs star beams that sift
through ehe thascAed roof and ceiling The |
,DdiS vc afss os - stCsc s.flu ATSt NJ
cigarettes. The music win b g1vea from an |
,rchcs1ra composed of couple II guitus, a |
violin, an accordion and one or moro harpa |
There are no hop cards, but the habiess can |
ell you IN advance what the programme viii |
alternating with the Mexican |
'edowa Or three step, Ia galopa, peika and |
maybe q western square dance or two.
There Is no dreccoire or empire gowns, -
'orsaSe bouquets, bone Of the traditional i
,pauish dress suve the nlantila. This i /
oiied disgonaliy; double edged front, placed .
yer she head, tie longer end fa13sng forward
5 carried loosely over the sSsorn as high as
he throas and crosses the otIssr fold on the
cft shoulder, leaving o1ty an oval Of face
-isis,le from brow te chm The women ~
ain Spanish fondness for black ard also
he Indian love Of bright coiors The men
re Indifferent 20 dress except 50 far a. %
aving a bread, hGst fslt se<abrero, and
rarf, or s>xa. Of bright eoiorsd wool or six
bout te-ir vakt To Mexican gI.i dane
" ia instinct. Their ncceutaaxson Is 80 per
set. thar novemezss % yiesding and full Of
Muscular grace, That 70 waltz with ons on an
zrtk foos, where tas friction is scraesainc
1ghffui, not impossible Lei those WAC
ecry dsnci1g q vs-e Of CT viliza;ion, an "a
atnzsl pleasure erecred for saz~at4oa,
,nae and lean Of ts.ss Po-ssc sayag-> tas
. yth1n Of motion Fer tsscy srs poetic.
aers Is peyfesae Of romance Ia the BJues
,and in tine poores. 5aca! = seas2ous s0lt-
esz that our iaugsIage cssaet render. | re-
IA once bszug as "Seise, WHARF IN tie IA
rval b-s-vecn the dances szs-e ons Of las
Dung ladies 20 give Ds q Hexscan =org,
nioa she did - an acccTpsnynner- "a tse
nar. IL was sxr.Dxsseiy seft, toough /
,yilA oniy catch eyoogn az tss Spanish 10
BOW shas i've tnezpe was love When TIE
ecs VA fnissed ne wanted rs to rstsrr