The Helena independent., 1893-12-29
MAP OF JALISCO.

cans hereabouts believe that there are rich
gold mines in the Yaqui country. though
the Yaquis bring no gold to Guadalajara
There is a tradition, too, that the long lost
city of the Aztec race, old enemies of the
Yaquis, lies hidden among the inaccessi-
BILE mountains of the Yaqui country.
The Yaquis at home go about nearly
naked, but on approaching Guadalajara
they comply with the new law of Mexico
requiring the male peasants on appearing
in any city or town of the republic to wear
trousers. The Yaquis, however, take off
their trousers as soon as they are clear of
the town and journey homeward clad only
in a breech clout.
The scientific world has taken enough in
terest in the Yaquis to send several expe-
ditions into their mountains in search of
antiquities, but every such expedition has
returned baffied from the undertaking.
A business man from the United States
recently made notable attempt to explore
the Yaqui country as an incident of jour
ney on horseback to Topic. The projected
railway to Topic, by the way, will one day
hasten the solution of the Yaqui mystery
The traveller fell in with and Joined two
others shortly after leaving Guadalajara.
One was native of the United States, the
other Hawaiian of white parentage. They
had long been mining in Mexico and the
talk naturally fell upon the stories of gold
in the Yaqui country. The miners believe
in the tradition, and at length persuaded
the newcomer to join them in three days
journey of exploration into the mountains
The travellers approached the Yaqui
country, about so miles out from Guada-
lajara, and there left the trail to Topic in Or
der to take the well worn footpath used by
the Yaquis in going to and from Guadala-
Jara. AS soon as the ira yelers sighted the
first Yaqui village, they saw the inhabitants
men. women and children - fastening
from their homes into the bush. They car
ried their petates, or sleeping mats of woven
grass. and seemed to have other property
of some sort concealed in these fabrics. Ev-
cry Yaqui in sight was nearly naked. A
few looked back, but not one paused to an
swer the cry of the travellers, and none Of
fered the slightest resistance to the invad-
ers of their homes. The Yaquis, in fact,
followed their ancient policy of flying civ
ilized men as though they were bearers of
pestilence.
The village proved to be made up of
about ~ thatched adobe huts. Each had a
single entrance and no window. Within
was a single room dark and bare. There
was no furniture save the earthen arazier
common to peasant homes in nearly all
parts of Mexico and few pieces of rude
earthen pottery wrought by the Yauuis
themselves. The Yaquis keep no domestic
animals, SO no dog barked at the intruders,
The only evidences of agriculture were a
lew patches of beans and corn. Every vcs-
tlge OF food had been carried away in the
exodus of the Yaquis.
The experience of the travellers in this
village was exactly repeated in four or five
others. From one or two the Inhabitants
mad utterly vanished before the strangers
appeared; from the others all fled at the ap-
proach of the intruders. Food, arms and
sught else that might aid explorers III pen-