The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-07-16
sPANIsH-AMERICAN HOME LIFE.
Family Customs Which the GringO's
Coming Has Not Changed.
New York Sun.

New York Sun
In the house of a Mexican don 1t implies
is introduced to his hosts wife and daugh-
ters," said a man, from New Mexico.
''Spanish-American hospitality is always
from the States-may have close business
relations with the Mexican rico, and tor
years be courteously entertained at his
house for days or weeks at a time, yet
never once sit at the table with the ladies
OF the family. Among Spanish-Americans
who live in towns or have Travelled in the
East this exclusivenesS is less marked, and
some distinguished families are quite Amer
lean in their manner of entertainment; but
in the small places and on isloated estates
the old customs prevail. The house of the
well-to-do Mexican in its structure suggests
the privacy and seclusion of the household
life within. AS the Spanish-American town
Is built always about a plaza, so the house
of the Mexican grandee is built about a
patio, or courtyard, on which the doors and
windows open. "A great gate, or double
door. closes the patio from the street, and
behind this barrier the daily life of the
household goes on free from intrusion from
the world without. All the old-style Mexi-
can houses are of one story, with thick
and of Indian lighting these structures were
miniature forts, which could make a strong
defense against siege or assault by an I'M
disciplined enemy.
One finds among the old Spanish-Ameri-
can families which owned and ruled New
Mexico prior to the American conquest in
1916 names illustrious in Spanish history. 1t
was the flower of Spanish chivalry, the ad-
venturous and brave, that pushed north
ward up the Rio Grande near the end of the
sixteenth century to wrest valley lands and
mines of gold and silver and turquois from
the Indians and TO occupy them under
grartS from the King of Spain. In the
houses of their descendants are preserved
many heirlooms, such as armor, horse trap
pings, swords and arquebuses that figured
in the onqueSt of the new world. In New
Mexico there are three families of Romeras
not connected by kin, each of which can
trace its ancestry for three centuries in
America and three centuries in Spain. In
the town of Mora is the family of CorteZ,
the men of which are distinguished for their
stature and strength and the women for
their beauty. OF full Spanish descent, they
nave the fair skin and reddish tinted hair
which were characteristics 90 the iron
conqueror of Mexico, and they undoubtedly
are of the same strain as. IL not the lineal
descendants of, the Marquis of the Valley.
In the continual Indian wars that the New
Mexicans had TO wage for nearly three
centuries against Apaches and Navajoes
and tribes of the plains qualities of herOism
have been shown by these descendants of
the conquistadores worthy of their valorous
ancestors.
"A pleasing feature Of Spanish-American
home life is the unfailing respect shown by
children to parents. The Mexican son defers
always TO the father, and the senior, be he
grandfather or great grandfather, holds his
place as the head of the house as long as he
cares to assert il. The marriage of the chill
dren are arranged by the parents. and IL is
a thing almost unheard of for a son or a
daughter TO marry against a parents
litical faith of his father. The daughters of
a Mexican family of any pretensions are
not allowed TO receive masculine company
or to go upon the street except when ac-
companied by a senior member of the fam
lily or a duenna, and they yield implicit
obedience to their chaperon. The inter-
course between Mexican children and par
ents. while markedly affectionate. is at all
times attended by observances of respect
towards seniors not common to American
ever his age and position, would enter up
on no important undertaking without first
consulting his father. nor would he ever
presume to come into his fathers presence
Smoking a cigarette. For him to attempt
the last-named performance would be re-
garded as a gross discourtesy calling for
summary reproof.
"a friend of mine was paying a call to
an estimable old don at his estancia, west
of the Rio Grande, when the grown-up son
where he had imbibed the ideas of Young
! America. walked airily into the room with a
cigarette in his mouth. The father looked
at the youth for a moment in unspeakable
amaZement. then taught him by the collar,
whirled him around, shot him through the
doorway like q stone from a catapult and
Slammed the door after him. When the
young man made his next appearance IL
was in a chastened frame of mind. giving
satisfactory evidence of his disposition TO
conform to old-fashioned Mexican customs
and prejudices.
"Mexicans of a humble class are as hospit-
able. according to their means, as the great
dons. They never turn the stranger from
their doors. and their children are trained
in orthodox notions of fiiial obedience.
People who lived in Santa Fe ten or twelve
years ago will remember old Nicanor Ia
fcya. who had then passed the allotted
human span of seventy years. He lived
In the same house with his son Diego, a
stalwart man past forty. with married
children and grandchildren. Diego had a
weakness for liquor and would drink too
much when he had an opportunity. This
bis father ~disapproved of. and as often as
Diego came home drunk he would axe
him out into the yard and. with a stick
which he kept for the purpose, thrash him
soundly in sight of the whole town. The
son would cry and try to beg off from the
trouncing, but never once thought of resist
ing or trying to run away from his punish
ment.