San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-04-14

as the house itself. Inc streets
were narrow and very crooked fol
lowing very closely the winding:
of a large irrigation ditch. AS we
drove into the square or plaza In
centre of the town we beheld the
only bright colored, cheerful object
in the entire place-a cathedral
with whitewashed front. Il
stood out in very bold relief from
the desolate, dreary structures al
around 1t. l imagine II 1 had Il
live in this forsaken nook and mel
ancholia should depress my spirit:
and it certainly WOULD should
like the faithful communicate
seek in this whitewashed cathedral
for balm, leaving the dark interior
to the devotee, and contenting my
self with the striking, white exter,
nal walls.
In Nava / saw the lower class
Mexican, derogatorily called "pe,
ladO" by his more enlightened
countryman, and "greaser" by the
American, arrayed in his typical
garb. He is low statured indivi,
dual, with a sort of serious, hall
indolent expression OF face, loosely
and airily dressed. A shabby
high crowned straw hat; a loose,
simple white cotton shirt, that he
wears on the outside of his trousers
pair of loose white cotton
breeches; a pair OF sandals, or
quaraches, nothing more than
leather soles fastened by straps
around his foot and ankles; this
makes up his costume. Indeed, it
seems to be the universal costume
of the poorer class, at least in this
section,of the country.
4 MEXICAN MEAL.
1 might say something of the
Mexican meal, for in Nava 1 took
my first one, and as yet l can not
say that 1 have very exalted
opinion Of Mexican fare. However,
1 ought not to judge Mexico
or Mexicans by what L
saw in such an outlandish
place as this. Our meal
came in courses. American canned
sardines with an insipid, dry corn
batter called "tortilla," in place
OF bread, was first served.
Plates were cleared and fried eggs
and more warm "tortillas" were
brought us. Strong coffee was
next put on the table, and then,
what do you zuppose-beans, queer
boiled beans or "frijoles," for desert |!
The beans were right palatable, the
coffee good, and the eggs seemed to
have been poached in grease, one
might say, instead of fried, while
the "tortilla" was simply choking.
Choking is the best can say of it,
for to me it is awful stuff. And
that, they say, takes the place of
bread throughout all Mexico. The
host and hostess would roll a piece
of "tortilIa" into a funnel.shaped
affair, scoop up a quantity OF beans
and eat the tortilla and beans to-
gether. Then they would dip
pieces OF tortilla in small dish of
red pepper sauce, called "chili colo.
RADIO" which was set beside each
plate, and eat the fiery collation.
without even wincing. lam doing
my noblest to learn to eat the tor
tilla, and may possibly, by the
time 1 am through with
Mexico, find myself master
or rather mistress Of the situation.
QUAINT MONCLovA.
Having concluded our affairs at
Nava, we left on the day after our
arrival for Monclova, where we are
at present, seeing the sights Of this
quaint town. This is one of the
Oldest and the fifth largest city in
the state OF Coahuila. 1t is a
quaint old town and is described
in every guide book Of the repub.
lie. Even the railroad folders tell
about it's various points OF interest.
| will refrain from describing it in
detail, as am told that it is but a
miniature of the larger and more
interesting cities and that descrip-
tion of some place like Durango
will include picture OF this quaint
town. So like a hunter who fore
goes a shot at a hare in order not
to spoil a pull at bigger game, l
will pass Monclova by, saying that
it is the first large and really
quaint place that the stranger sees
after leaving the half American
lied town of Porfirio Diaz. From
Monclova we go to Sierra Mojada,
the famous mining camp Of north
ern Mexico. In order to reach that
place we have to make stage ride
of over $50 miles across the barren
Sierra Moiada desert. The horrors
of this trip have been pictured to
me in the most lurid colors, but
/ am satisfied that it cannot pos
sibly be more abject and awful
than the discomforts attendant on
my first attempts TO eat the dry,
insipid "tortilla."
Right here it might not be
amiss to give the object and
route of our journey. First OF all,
tho UuyaD yuhich I hayn frpOupntlV