Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-04-22
SOCIAL AND PERSONAL.
MRS. TlloRNToN's MEXlCo "TRIP.

MRS THORNTON $ MEXlCO RIP.
Mrs. w. Il. Thornton will remain as
the guest of her sister, Mrs. }. p. Vic
tory. at Santa Fe during the summer.
Mrs. Thornton speaks in "a very inter
manner of her recent visit to
Mexico. Her description c. the trip to
Jalapa and of that city, neal which her
husbands mining interests are located,
gives a very vivid picture of life in Mex
leo. Mrs. Thornton made the trip to
Jalapa over a mountain trail, in a sedan
chair carried on an Indians back. This
was in March and the weather was very
warm for the season. 1t took four and
u half hours to cover five miles, mostly
up steep mountain paths, and Mrs.
Thornton in her uncomfortable position
had to look oven the ground that she
had covered.
At many places steps had been cut in
the rock and overlooked stupendous
precipices. Every once in a while the
carrier would stop at the edge of such a
precipice to take breath. The sedan
chair, with Mrs. Thornton, would hang
over the precipice and with every move
of the Indian she imagined that she
would slip out of the chair into the
depths below. Jalapa is "A quaint little
city Of 1900. The city band gives fire..
quent concerts on the plaza. The in
terror of the houses, Mrs. Thornton says.
are generally furnished very beautifully
and even extravagantly. People live
mostly in the rear and in the second
story of their houses. The wide CORR
doris are tiled and all the rooms oper
upon the well kept patio. The windows
have inside board shutters. There are
only a few Americans at Jalapa and she
was greeted as the first English speak
ing m who had STAYED at the city
The climate gets very warm
Mrs. Thornton was at Jalapa during tho
dry season but she says it would bt
called a very wet season in Santa Fe,
The rainy season, when there is a con
tinual %downpour of rain, lasts two
months.
The town is all hills and the street.
are as narrow as Burro alley in Santa
Fe. They are not wide enough fol
teams, and the only vehicles in use ar,
two wheeled OK carts. Burros, mule,
and Indians or MeXicans serve a,
beasts of burden. What the burros can
not carry the men carry. One carrier
carried two of Mrs. Thornton's trunk.
at the same time upon his back for
distance of a mile up hill and SCENE
rather to relish it. The streets slope to
wards the center. A gutter is formed
in the center of the street and all tn,
drains from all the houses on the stree
empty into that, producing an awful
smell. The sidewalks are paved will
flat stones and are scarcely wide enough
for two persons. The plaza is withou
trees. A murmuring fountain is sur
rounded by beautiful flower beds, ant
the walks of the plaza are all paved will
flat stones. There is also Il small parl
in front of the cathedral. From tn,
plaza a beautiful view is had of Mt
Orizaba, almost $4,000 feet high. 1t i
an extinct volcano covered all the yea,
with snow.
The biggest day of the week is Sun
day when market is held Vt the plaza
Tropical fruits of all varieties, some in
sipid to the taste. and some very lug
cious are sold as we'll as a little of every
thing imaginable. The bananas, which
are red, are remarkably luscious an(
much better than the best that evel
reach the northern markets, The
strawberries in the beginning of Marcel
were also the finest that Mrs. Thornton
had V seen. Taking all in all Jalapa
is an interesting, picturesque town ant
Mrs. Thornton was loath 10 leave it.
The Jalapa hotel accommodations
are poor but the private boarding
house at which Mrs. Thornton stopped
was an ideal hostelry, the meals be.
ing especially good. The hostess not
only kept the boarding house but was a
school teacher besides, receiving $500 a
month for her services as teacher. All
the floors are tile work, which makes
them very cool, especially on damp
days. All the rooms look out upon i
lovely patio resplendent with fragrant
and snowy flowers.
Ex-Governor Thornton is at the City
of Mexico. His large mining interests al
and around Jalapa keep him so busy
that he will hardly come north this
summer.
Mrs. Keller, of this city, is visiting hel
daughter, Mrs. George L. Wyllys, al
Roswell.
Mr.. Il. Lujan and family of Taos arc
in the city on business. and visiting
friends.
Mrs. Otero gave an informal but very
pleasant luncheon at the executive man
sion last evening to several friends.
Rafael Romero and son, Vincent, of
Mora, have been guests at the Monte.
at Las Vegas Hot Springs. From
there Master Vincent went to Notre
Dame, Ind, to attend the university.
Mrs. Rapp gave a luncheon Wednes.
day at her pretty home. The decora-
tions, consisting of apple blossoms, were
very beautiful. Those who attended
the luncheon were: Mesdames M. A.
Otero, Ilfeld, Arthur S%eligman, Hughes,
Whiteman and Fiske.
Charles X. Stauffer, of South Beth
Pc, a Lehigh Valley railroad
official who has been at Colorado Springs
the past two years for his health, has
decided to make Santa Fe his future
home and will arrive here next week.
He will reside at the Dreamer cottage on
the south side.