The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-05-19
THE LAND OF THE MONDAY
SUN--MEXICO IN MID WINTER.
From Arena for AprilD
.om Arena for April
Rx 1nsrIcE WALTER CLARK. IL, D.

as we passed GQ6 Ilu0 VI O6uC6E q 40"
miles back near Calera, but the city Is
over eight thousand feet above sea
level. This combination Of low latitude
and high elevation gives Mexico that
magnificent climate which, never cold
and never sultry, seems perpetual May.
In all the Mexican towns of any siz3
there is a Plaza de Armas or Central
Plaza in which the band plays nearly
every night and whittier everyone goes.
Ga one side of this plaza is invariably
the cathedral; on two Of the other sides,
if the to Yn is a state capital, the gov
errors palace and the palace Of the
State legislature and Supreme Court,
and on the fourth side large stores or
handsome private residences. This
was the case at z ~4catecas, where on
the night of January 2, in the open air,
without overcoats or shawls, large
crowds filled the seats ranged around
the SQUARE, and while the band was
playing the young men and maidens
were p~romenading but lii com
pany with each other.
According to the custom of the coun-
try, there was IAN endless chain" of
girls, IN groups of two, three, or four,
p~romenading In n direction, with "a
similar chain of young men going in
the opp 0site direction, while the older
people sat on the benches and seats.
THUS every girl can be seen in success
sion by every young man in the other
chain, and both parties make good use
of their eyes. Where any mutual liking
is eVin2 ed, or any encouragement
shown, the girls home IS ascertained
and then the smiJten youth takes to
playing bear" as il is called. That Is,
he promenades at certain hours back
and forth beneath the narrow balcony
on which, in this delightful climate,
the inamorata sits in front of her apart.
ment. He casts from time to time
amorous chances, for he is not allowed
to call at the house.
If he receives encouragement, or
thinks he does (tor there are vain
youths and feminine fl rts IN Mexico as
elseWhere), he cOntrives in some indi
rect way to transmit a letter. The first
letter Is never noticed; it would be
contrary to the female sense of pro
priety to capitulate sc easily. The
second letter is answered by means of
the same underground route, and in a
non committal way is calculated to
terminate or encourage his suit. If the
courtship proceeds favCrably after 8
proper season of delay and hesitation,
the matter is referred TO papa" II he
approves. the youthful parties are then
permitted to meet in the presence of
some discreet elderly person, but it
would be deemed a great scandal if
they should be seen in public together,
either riding OF walking, until the mar
rage has taken place or at least until
the prelimiuaries have been settled and
the engagement announced. The mar
riage is not valid in law unless cele-
brated before the civil authorities, and
as the women usually insist on being
married By a priest, the hymeneal knot
is thus usually twice tied in Mexico, as
in France, and for the same reason.
In Gaadalajara, there is a double
walk way around the plaza. By tacit
consent, on the outer one of these the
young men aud maidens of the lower
classes, the wearer Of the zerGpes and
re6OSOS, promenade, with their endless
chains going in opposite directions,
while at the same time on the inner
walk, separated from the outer one by
q row of seats, the young people of the
upper classes do the same in their
American or French costumes. In
some other cities, this matter is tacitly
arranged by one class promenading
around n plaza and the other class
around another, and in still other
towns, by one class promenading on
certain nights and the other on certain
other nights.
What class a person belongs to or
shall associate with, is settled in Next
leo. as elsewhere, by a kind of tacit
understanding, for there is no law or
regulation, and in Mexico there is a
total absence of those race distinctions
which exist in the United States. or
the caste requirements of India. All
persons are not only equal before the
law but equal socially-so far as race
is concerned. There are social Unequal
tiles, and they r sharply marked as
above shown, but the social distinctions
arise otfrom race, but from the causes