San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-04-14
aLIMPsEs OF MEXICAN LIFE
As Seen by Two Lady Tourists in
Our Sister Republic.

April 13.--The first Impressions
that an American traveller obtains
of Mexico, on entering the Sister
Republic by the way OF Eagle
Pass, are interesting indeed. The
progressive little town of Porfiric
DiaZ, or Piedras Negras, as it was
formerly called, half American and
half Mexican, gives one fore taste
of what will probably be seen in
the queer interior. Here we have
the narrow street with its
low white. washed adobe stores and
houses, the rough, dirty sidewalks,
with its group of typicslly dressed
Mexicans. Any one TO whom
Mexican life in the western quart
ers of San Antonio was something
of revelation, will find new and
stranger sights in this American
lied little town of the Mexican
frontier. What then must be
the interesting attractions that
await us in the far interior, remote
from all American influences
With the fore taste given US by the
strange sights Of Porfirio Diaz, one
can scarcely await the time Of de.
parture to find out what the other
sections of the country will reveal.
ABURRo RIDE.
I could never bestow on the
patient, silly looking little burro
of the Mexicans that sentimental
pity which we hear so often
expressed in regard to the
animal, but on the contrary,
he has been ever source
of ridiculous amusement to me.
To me he has always been
a shaggy haired cross between
jack rabbit and a colt. However,
will confess to having had Gu
riosity as to how this amusing lit
tie beast rides, and accordingly
friends in Eagle Pass arranged
burro excursion into Mexico. The
livery stables were ransacked for
sidesaddles and soon we were off.
We wore no riding habits, but sat
isfied ourselves with common shop.
ping gowns, and in place of the
conventional bonnet, protected
ourselves from the warm April sun
by large brimmed, fiat straw hats.
There was nothing particularly in
teresting or important in our jour-
ney, which extended over a lovely,
wide gravelled highway, to little
stream called Villita river. EX-
cept for our amusing efforts 20
keep the burros at a gait little
hn lauu yt-alIr tho
sion was very tame. Neither did |
find anything particularly sublime
in the sensation of a burro ride.
The gait of the animal allotted to
me was of a maliciously hard, me-
chanical nature and not much I'M
like that of a certain docile heifer
that | was wont to mount and ride
about the yard in the privacy of our
old Arkansas farm.
A STRIKING DIFFERENCE.
AS the traveller leaves the Rio
Grande on the railroad for the
interior, a remarkable difference
in the nature Of the country strikes
the eye. On the Texas side the
train, from the time after it leaves
San Antonio, runs through 7Ol
mile stretch of level, sandy, one
might almost say desert, dry
country, with only a few small
creeks and rivers in the entire Sec
ton. On the Mexican side, how
ever, fine grass.covered prairies,
and rolling gravel hills, that rap
idly grow into diminutive noun
tains, form the landscape. Out Of
the car window one can trace, off
in the distance, the windings OF
numerous irrigation bitches, by
the groves of trees that stud their
banks. In the extensive irrigation
system of the Mexicans, l am told,
lies the secret of the cheerful, pro-
ductive nature of the country on
the Mexican bank, compared with
the barren, dry region of the Texas
side. Then, too, the beautiful billy
or mountainlet scenery OF this por-
ton of the state, is such a relief,
such a pleasing diversion, from the
level stretches OF southwest Texas.
AS the train winds through the
many basin.shaped valleys, just
uuueE d leuS6 Ou OuS Siue, anu
then at the foot of the other,
/ lost track of all time in contem-
plation of the beautiful scenery
and reached my destination al
most before / knew it.
AN ADOBE TOWN.
Before reaching Monclova. how
over, we alighted at the town of
Nava. All that was visible OF the
town of Nava was the railroad sta
lion and a sidetrack on which
stood two box cars. 1t was the
Ease here, as L understand to be
Universally the case with the rail-
Dad towns Of this country, namely
hat railroad siding is named
fter the nearest town, whether
hat place be two OF twenty miles
rom the town. So in the case OF
lava, we had to make mile drive
efore we reached the town. And
nagine what we saw! An &C