The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-08-16
THE Poems OF MEXICO
Life, Peeuliarities and Charac-
teristics of the Peasants.
DID AZTEcs COME FROM JAPAna
Works OF Art in Pottery, straw and
Lacquery-Debt slavery of the Poor
The slums of Mexico City.

The United States number only about
80 GOO Indians. Mexico has 4. Csl0. 600 v hose
blood has the bluest Of aboriginal tints.
and her metiZos or people who have come
from the inter-mixture Of the whites and
the Indians are 300, 90 more. There are
about IL 5000 of people in Mexico. and
100000 OF these are pure white. These
and the metizos govern the country. For
them the great mountains vOmit forth
their silver and gold and this rich soil
yields its wonderful harvests. Under
them governments rise and fail, reyolu-
tons come and 90. and 10 them the
Mexico Of today practically belongs. The
Indian, who originally owned the land, IS
only the silent partner whose name is not
on the business sign and who receives
none Of the proceeds. The Indians OF
Mexico are unknown 10 the world. The
term Mexican as it is generally used
describes only the ruling class, and the
books that have been written about the
country have left out the most interesting
parf OF the population.
The MEXICAN IypIAS.
The Indians Of Mexico are not az all like
our savages. IL Is q question whether they
come of the same race, and they look moro
Ike the offspring of the Egyptians or the
japanese than Of the Mongolians, who are
IN face and form much like the Indians of
the [ nited States Mexico Is more like
the Orient than the occident. Its common
people live in huts like those you see TO-
day on the banks Of the Nile, and they are
Of the same type as those used by their
foFefatheTs IN the DAYS of the MonteZumas.
Their dress is not unlike that Of the people
OF India and Egypt, and their customs
and habits are IN many respects the same.
They cultivate the soil in the same way,
using the same forked stick with one
handle for plough. and driving their
oxen with long goads while they merely
scratch the ground with the stick. Their
women carry water from the wells in red
Jars upon their heads as they do IN all the
Mohammedan countries, and the draping
OF the rebosa around the mouth so that
you see but little else than the eyes, may
have come from the Eastern custom Of
yelling the faces OF the women. | see here
every day features that make me think Of
the japanese. and the skill shown by these
Mexican Indians in pottery and art work
indicates that they are OF mixed japanese
origin. Some of the pottery of Guadala-
lara is beautifully decorated and artistic
ally shaped. and the most famous of Next
mans name is Panduro and he lives At
Guadalajars, which, by the way, is a city
of 10000 people situated in the west
ern part of the country and IS
the center of art and culture in
Mexico. Ii Is the Athens of the repub-
lie and the finest art works of all kinds of
Mexican make are turned out there Pam
dura is a wonder. He can take piece of
black clay and in one sitting of several
hours he viii model for you bust of your
self which is a perfect likeness and which
will not be more than three or four inches
high If you SO desire it. / have been in
his studio II is hut Of sun-burnt bricks
| and he s1uats cross-legged on the floor
| Just ike Japanese. and his only tools are
| his hands and little knife, much like a
case knife or a putty knife. He has lump
OF clay on board In front Of him and he
works away as he talks turning ont his
wonderful photographs in clay. He made
q wonderful statuette OF Emma Juch, the
actress. when she was here. and his types
| OF Mexican life fairly speak and act. He
viii, / am told, go 70 the Chicago exposi-
ton and if he does predict for him that
| his fame viii be International l speak OF
him here, however, as q type OF q class of
| the Mexican Indians. He has the feat
ures Of a japanese. and the photograph
| which / took Of him would not he OUT Of
| place in any collection Of pictures from
| Japan.
NExIcAS-JAPAyEsE AIT.
The similarity Of the Mexican and Jap
/ anese art is found in other articles as well.
| The Indians OF the semi-savage tribes Of
| the western parts Of the country make
| lacqaered tables and bowls, which are
I both beautiful and artistic. They paint
/ these with roses and other flowers, and
/ their lacquer viii stand water, and though
/ not like the wonderful work Of the Japan
csc II may have come from the same
| origin. The japanese are fond OF flowers,
/ and these Indians have similar taste for
/ them. The japanese basket work Is noted.
and here you find the finest Of baskets OF
/ all kinds. made OF many colors and most
| ingeni0usly put together. In their love
/ for children the two people are alike, and
/ / see babies carried about here on the
/ backs Of their mothers and sisters Just IS
| you vii see them In Japan. ! see them
/ also carried SIS YOU viii see them in India
/ and I note that the numbers Of toys for
4 children are as many IN Mexico as they
I are in Japan These Mexican Indians do
/ wonders IN fresooing. All the houses Of
/ the better classes are frescoed instead Of
1 beng p3pered, and Mexican piasterer n
/ 80 cents day viii turn out effects that
would do credit 70 Italy. They have all
/ OF the care and honesty IN their work Of
=
weeks on s wax figure 70 produce q
/ certain effect, and they make the
wonderful pictures ont OF feathers
thar surprised the Spaniaras under
I Cortes, and you can buy these same pict-
ures or have them made 20 order here in
Mexico City today. They work Ike the
japanese. each II his own little dwelling,
and when they have enough made 10 start
cut for a selling IMP many Of the artists
take their packs on their backs and peddIs
out their wares over the country. met .
basket seller out ia the fields near Mexico
1 City today. He had about fifty baskets on
his back. and these. the result Of months
work, he was bringing into the city 10 sell
/ His leather panialoOnS were profusely
patched, bat his white, sack like shirt Wa
as clean as falling snow. and the cotton
drawers that fell down around his bars
brogn feet were clean. and u this cleanli-
ness see another likeness OF the Aztecs 70
the japanese These people take frequent
baths and they are always washing their
clothes. The poorest Peon wears clean
white cottons. and / frequently see both
sexes bathing together here As they do
mOdessly and with 10 thought Of shame
N Japan. so far | see nothing about
these Indians TO connect them with our
savages OF the Western reservations They
are different people and they could never
have had the same origin
POVERTY.
As class these Mexican Indians are
perhaps the poorest people on this eonfi-
nent- Three hundred years ago they we're
the richest, and Montszuma gave Corfes
plates Of gold and silver az big rs wagon
wheels. and these people made his soldiers