The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-04-07
enUxsRss OF JALApA.
Sayings whic,. Have Arisen From Char
aeter isties of the Place.


.Jalapa means "placo of water and
sancis. 4" .Itysls an Indian town at tho time
of the conquest, ana because of los posi-
ton on what for long while was the main
road between VerasCruz and the City of
Mexico II carly becsme place of impor-
tance n II the establishment of the re-
public smade.the capital Of the state
of Vera \ az. Between the years l72O and
1877 a graot annual fair was held here for
the sale of goods brought for years by the
feet from Cadiz, whence it derived the
ma me of .falapa do Ia Feria, frequently ap-
piled to the city in documents Of the last
century.
The civ Is faIneus throughout Mexico
fer the exceeding beauty of its women and
Of its situation. From these, it's pleasing
characteristics, arsse the saying that Jalapa
Is a part If heaven let down to earth, and
the proverb, LAS Jalapenas son halague-
ras'' (bcsvitching, alluring are the women
. of Jalaps). A less pleasing characteristic,
Ats frequent daysof mist and rain, at once
the cause of and very serious drawback
upon the enjoyment Of it's green loveliness,
has given rise.to'yet another saying in ia
lapa Buring. these melancholy days the
.Jalapepo, mufiied In his zarape and smok
ing, disynally muSters, "Ave Maria purisi'
ma, pue venga ell solp' (Holy Virgin, let
the sun shineO
The city isaa curious, OLD fashioned
place--surious even in Mexico, where
. everything seems odd TO the tourist-witl'
narrow, crooked streets, lined with tile
rooted houses, whose pitched roofs project
their caves so far that they seem TO cover
fhe sidewalks like shed, and pending
from these are spouts To carry the rainfall
from the roof In the center of the roadway.
The city has perfect drainage system
based upon and indeed consisting almost
entirely of the facilities so lavishly bestow
ed by nature in the shape of rain and
grade. The streets slope gently from the
sidewalB on either side to the center Of the
roadway, thus. practically forming higl
. Noughssor cutters, and all dirt or refus'
matter is immediately washed beyond th'
city limits by the rains, which fall, at leas
fer a shaot time, almost daily rhroughou
| the entire year. This accounts for th'
scrupulonsly cloar appearance OF the city
which ,iInpresses those who have visitet
other Mexican cities not so oadvantageousl.
located in respect 80 drainage as Jalapa
So abrupt IL the descent of the streets dowI
TIM side Of the hill that no attemp is mad
to use carts or carriages for transportation
VI .SOOQh IcfsuEss n tfdIuNay WhiSi
provides means'sof transportation Z
Costepeo runs through a portion of th
main thonoughfare.an and is the only wheel
ed vehicle to be found within the city linn
it's, and even this requires six mules L
haul it up the steep grades from the rail
road station TO the hotels. All merchan
diseas carried from one part Of the city T.
another by ,cargadOss and packS mules
which latter are. utilized extensively ant
almost to thG exclusion Of the burro ant
the horse.
A walk through the streets Of thscity l
repaid sby many intessting sights Tn
hvandesas, or washerwomen, pursue thei
vocation In the publicstreets at large basin
or troaaSbs,, which have been placed in al
parts of ,ths city for their accommodation
The churches .hre open all through tn
day, and at all hours ayorshipers msy b
found.-4'fNodern Mexico"