The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-08-16
The MEXICAN PEON
His Peculiarities and Charac-
teristics.
DID AzTECs CoMEFROM JAPAN
Poverty in MeXicO-Wages and the Cost OF
Living-The slums Of Mexico City
Their Works of Art.

-luelF NOTke Vi AEb
MEXICO CITY, August 9, 1S9l.-[ Special
correspondence of The HERALD. The
bulk of the Indian population Of North
America is in Mexico. Mexico has 100000
whose blood has the bluest of aboriginal
tints, and her metizos, or people who have
come from the intermixture of the whites
and the Indians, are 100000 more. There
are about II, 000,0 900 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 fall, revolutions come
and go, aud to them the Mexico of to-day
practically belongs. The Indians 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 to the
world. The term Mexican as it is gener-
ally used describes only the ruling class,
and the books that have been written about
the country have left out the most interest
ing part of the population.
THE MEXICAN INDIAN.
The Indians of Mexico are not at all like
our savages. 1t is question whether they
come of the same race, and they look more
like the offspring of the Egyptians or the
Japanese than of the Mongolians, who are
IN face and form much like the Indians of
the United States. Mexico is more like the
Orient than the Occident. Its common
people live in nuts like those you see to day
on the banks of the Nile and they are of the
same type as those used by their forefath-
ers 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. The women
carry water from the wells in red jars upon
their heads as they do in all the Mohamme-
dan countries, and the draping of the re-
bosa 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. l see here every day
features that make me think of the Japan
csc, and the skill shown by these Mexican
Indians in pottery aud art work indicates
that they are of mixed Japanese origin.
Some of the pottery of Guadalajara is
beautifully decorated and artistically
shaped, and the most famous of Mexican
sculptors has Japanese features. This
mans name is Panduro and he lives at
Guadalajsra, which, by the way, is q city
of 100000 people and situated in the west
ern part Of the country and Is the centre OF
art and culture in Mexico. 1t is the Athens
Of the republic and the finest art works OF
all kinds of Mexican make are turned out
there.
PANDURo IS WONDER.
He can take piece of black clay and in one
sitting of several hours he will model fol
you bust of yourself which is a perfec
likeness and which will not be more thar
three or four inches high, if you so desire
1t. l have been in his studio. 1t is hut Of
sun burnt bricks, and he squats cross-ieggeC
on the floor just like Japanese, and his
only tools are his hands and little knife
much like case knife or putty knife. HI
has lump OF clay on a board in front o.
him and he works away as he talks turnins
out his wonderful photographs in clay. HI
made remarkable statuette of Emmi
Juch the actress when she was here, anC
his types of Mexican life fairly speak anC
act. He viii, L am told, go to the Chicag
exposition, and if he does p1 edict for hin
that his fame will be international. | speal
of him here, however, as a type of class o
Mexican Indians. He has the features of
Japanese, and the photograph which L tool
of him would not be out of place in any col
lection of pictures from Japan.
MEXICAN JAPANESE ARTS
The similarity of the Mexican and Japan
csc art is found in other articles as well
The Indians of the semi-savage tribes O
the western part of the country max
lacquered tables and bowls, which are boil
beautiful and artistic. They paint thes
with roses and other flowers, and their lac
quer will stand water, and, though not lik
the wonderful work Of the Japanese,
may have come from the same origin. Tn
japanese are fond of flowers, and these In
dians have similar taste for them. Tn
japanese basket work is noted and her
you find the finest of baskets Of all kinds
made of many colors and most ingeniousl
put together. In their love for children
the two people are alike, and / see babie
carried about here on the backs of thei
mothers and sisters just as you will sc
them in Japan. / see them also carried a
you will see them in India, and note tina
the number OF toys for children are a
many in Mexico as they are in Japan
These Mexican Indians do wonders in fire.,
coeing. All the houses Of the better classe
are frescoed instead of being papered, an
a Mexican plasterer at so cents day wi
turn out effects that would do credit t
Italy They have all of the care and hon
esty in their work of the true Japanes
artist, and will labor for weeks on a wa
figure to produce certain effect and the
make the wonderful pictures out of feath
ers that surprised the Spaniards uude
Cortez, and you can buy these same picture
or have them made to order here in Mexic
City to-day. They work like the Japanese
each in his own little dwelling, and whe
they have enough made to start out for
selling trip, many Of the artists take thei
packs On their backs and peddle out thei
wares over the country. l met baske
seller cut in the fields near Mexico City t,
day. He had about fifty baskets on hi
back aud, these the result of q month
work, he was bringing into the city to sci
His leather pantaloons were profusel
patched, but his white sack-like shirt WIS
as clean as falling snow and the cotto
drawers that fell down around his bar
brown feet were clean, and in this cleanl
ness / see another likeness of the Aztecs
the Japanese. These people take freouer
baths, and they are always washing the
clothes. The poorest peon wears cleal
white cottons, and l frequently see DO,
sexes bathing together here as they do mo-
estiy and with no thought of shame
Japan. So far see noting about these II
sians to connect them with our sayaees