New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-03-29
MEXICAN-AMERICAN TRAITS
LIFE IN THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.
LUXURIOUS METHODS OF TRAVEL-THE
WORLDS rA1R-REruRN OF THE CANNON
CAPTURED IN THE Wharf.-The MONROE

WORLDS FAIR-RETURN OF THE CANNON
CAPTURED IN THE Wharf.-The MONROE
DOCTRINE WITH MEXICAN GLOSS.
tYRoM STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRrbuNE>
Mexico, Feb 12.-There are marked fluctuations
in the current prices Of Mexican curiositles when
a train draws up at a station the seller asks
what he likes and the inexperienced Traveller
is grossly swindled. As the hour for departure
approaches there is break in prices all along
the platform. The vendors then willing to
take whatever they can get for their wares. The
best bargains are those made when the whistle
has been blown and the train is already in motion.
During the last three minutes at the station, opals.
| feather-work, rag figures, Guadalupe bottles,
Guadalaiara pottery. Indian baskets and all other
classes of curiOsites scaled down from one
half to two-thirds in valuation. The same process
takes place during the closing hours of Ray
mond partys sojourn IN the National capital.
When the guests arrive and take possession Of
that palatial barn, the Iturbide, there is a buoy
ant movement in all the shops and prices are
inflated. When the party has rounded out its
ten days of observation of the city and set ont
| for the North. depression reigns and there is
collapse of the opal market. During the inter
val between the departure of one Raymond party
and the arrival of the next tourists profta-
|
ago one of these parties left the city and almost
Immediately Opal Joe heavily discounted his en-
tire stock of treasures and the troop of street
vendors in San Francisco-st. were willing to sell
out at panic prices.
| II is not TO he inferred that the RAYMOND tour
lists are innoccnts abroad at the mercy of ex-
tortioners. The party of ffty-four which has
| left Mexico this week under the direction OF
| Charles Fl Wilson and Frederick T.. Aver, with
the two Truchearts of San Antonio rs interpre-
| tiers, has made large purchases and bagged great
| deal of game, but / doubt if any member of it
| has paid the first price asked, even for IA basket
| of oranges. The conductors and Interpreters have
| not allowed their patrons to be swindled but
| have protected them in every way against over
| charges This is fair illustration of the eX-
| ceent organization OF these parties. The casual
| tourist drifting into Mexican hotel and taken
| in tow by one Of the interpreters is conveyed to
/ shops where his guide gets n commission on every
thing that is sold. The Raymond interpreters,
instead of dividing profits with the sellers, beat
| down the prices and onehalf Of the pur-
chaser's money. For those who desire TO travel
| through Mexico not only in comfort. but even
luXuriousy the Raymond excursions offer superior
| advantages. The berthS in the Pullman vcsi-
bulcd cars are always clean and comfortable, and
| that cannot he said Of Mexican hotel beds The
tourists breakfast and dine in the hotel car,
well rs they would in the best Ncw-York hotel, and
| are spared all the discomfors of diet in Mexico.
| where the cooking is inferior TO that of Cuba or
| of any other country in Spanish America. More
over. these parties are not left at the mercy OF
| railway companies which make n practice of
starting trains at , or o'clock in the morning
| Their trains run TO suit their own convenience,
and all that is most interesting on the Mexican
|
with the least possible discomfort. Perhaps this
tribute 10 the excellent management Of these
excursions will have greater force, coming it
does from who has not travelled in this uXuri-
| Gus way, but has met the parties and observed
| that every one speaks in the highest terms of
the conductors and interpreters and is keenly en-
| loving the Journey.
| The best buyer Of this Raymond party was n
| little lady. whose Spanish restricted 10 the
| two words, dos realcs," meaning two bits or
| twenty-five cents. Whenever she wished to pur
| chase anything az a railway station or a street
| corner she would smilingly ask " Dos reales ?"
| In return she would receive all sorts Of prices
| and figures. which were unntelligible 10 her
| but she would hold her ground and amiably re-
| peat dos reales" until she got what she wanted
| afterward tried the same expedient myself with
| marked success, and recommend it To all
As for opns, which said 10 he very cheap
in this city and in Qucretaro the best thing thai,
| a New-Yorker can do is to save his money and
buy them at Tiflany's when he returns That
house, well the other American jewellers
have agencies i'll the Mexican opal districts and
purchase all the best stones. Those which are
hawked about the hotels and railway stations
are stones with little fire and ordinarily with
flaws and impericctions concealed by the sci
| tngs. Good opas are not cheaper here than in
Newlork, and it is unsafe for any one who is
not a competent judge of these brilliant stones
| to pay the prices asked. There are many curiosi-
ties, especially native pottcres baskets feather
work, rag and wax figures, sweetmcats and ONYX
ornaments, which he purchased reasonably
if the services of hotel interpreters are dispensed
with and one-third of the original price is paid
There is no other country in Spanish America
where SO many characteristic Indian products can
he obtained as in Mexico. Elsewhere the markets
and bazars are filled with European goods of the
chcapes, sort. Here are home manufacturers and
manual arts which supply varied stock Of
Mexican wares The snowy woolcn blankets ar
| zarapes universally worn by men of the
lower classes are made in the country.
and SO also their broad-brimmed hats. whether
of straw or felt. The bright-coored rebosos and
mantas, in which the women delight are also
manufactured here; and also are the pottery
and glass on the tables of the poor and nearly all
the articles in common use. Mexico is not de-
pendent upon Europe for its manufactures, as
Spanish-Amcrica has virtually become
There is other country south of the United
States which send to the Worlds Fair AT
Chicago interesting and varied an exhibit as
Mexico. For this il is fortunate that
special pains have been taken to solicit the CO.
| operation of the Government and mercantile
| classes H. G Payne is the resident commercial
commissioners for the Exposition and he now has as
an associate very bright and capable man, Lieu
tenant Asher c. Baker Of the United States Navy.
L. L.. ~. IL -. u