The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1896-09-02
LIFE IN SOUTHERN MEXICO.
Planters Live In Luxury and Reign over
Many Vassais.

Many vassais.
The stranger in southern Mexico is
astonished at the magnifcence in
which the wealthy planters live. Each
is like king in his own extensive do
main, absolute monarch of all he sur
veys and lord of the lives and destinies
of his retainers, or poems, as the
laborers of rural Mexico are called.
There is no other house within 20 miles
Of Goatzcoalcas except the straw
matched huts of the laborers, all of
which, with the storehouses, chapel and
other buildings necessary to the wants
of the isolated community, are inclosed
within stone walls, high and strong
enough to withstand siege. From sala
to kitchen the proprietor's residence is
a model of elegance and comfort, suited
to the climate and typical of the rural
homes of wealthy Mexicans. The fam
lily altar room, which none of these good
Catholics could dispense with, is not the
least attractive part of the house. Rare
pictures adorn it's walls, and in large
glass case is figure Of the infant Jesus
"a rather large wax doll, with eyes that
open and shut and a mop of yellow curls
upon the head-which the sonora and
her daughters make a religious duty of
dressing beautifully in lace caps and
silken robes, adorned with jewels. On
either side of the sleeping babe stands
figures of Mary and Joseph, with hands
clasped as if in alteration, and twice a
day every member of the family says
his prayers and paternosters before it.
At the far end of the house is the bath,
reached by covered stairway. De-
scending 20 feet or more, you come to a
pool of clear, cool water, about seven
feet deep, fed by spring. Inside the
great casa are two bathrooms with tiled
floors, porcelain tubs and all modern
conveniences," but everybody who can
swim naturally prefers the outside
bath. The hacienda garden is won
der in it's way. In it are rows of cocoa
nut, mangoes and red pear trees, clumps
of oranges and lines, thickets of figs
and pomegranates, while the flower
beds, raised foot from the ground and
bordered with beautiful shells bedded
in mortar, are filled with roses, mar
cissus, tuberoses and other flowers COM
mon enough at home, but here almost
unacceptable as the familiar favor
ties, because grown to such greater per-
lection.
But even this paradise has it's draw
backs. For one thing, there is little
good drinking water in Campeche. and
no such thing as ice to be had for "love
or money" While each family has a
well, the water coming from a depth
enough to keep it moderately cool, the
salt in it renders it unfit to drink.
Therefore, rainwater is kept in tanks
and cooled by evaporation in porous
Jars. But few people in the tropics
| drink any water straight so to speak.
Chocolate is invariably served at break
fast and coffee with dinner, and always
claret or other wines with the food.
| And then there are hundred delicious
! and cooling beverages concocted from
oranges, lines, pineapples and seeds.
The national bread-"tortillas" mot
the tortillas of Mexicol-is made from
cornmeal, which, by the way. is now
selling in Campeche at the rate of $24
a barrel, so that bread is beyond the
reach of the poorer classes. Bananas,
however, are the "staff of life" here
abouts, eked out to be tortillas of
crushed corn, la Mexican. Butter,
brought from New York and Denmark.
costs from 60 cents to 81 a pound;
cheese, so cents; fresh beef, 81 cents.
but happily, fish, the finest in the world.
and luscious fruits of many varieties
are plentiful and cheap.-Philadelphia
Record.
His Fortune.