The evening times., 1900-06-12
A VENICE IN MEXICO.
The Canals of XochimiIco That Few
People Visit.

People Visit
(From the Mexican Herald)
Everyone who comes TO the City OF
Mexico has his interest aroused by being
asked II he has been TO the Viga Canal,
while there are very few who viii say,
Go and see Xochimiloo."
Being thus interested by the enquiry,
one goes 10 the Vifa, and 10 see, what?
A sickly bilious loo 'iing stream, having a
depth just sufficient 10 float scow. You
are spotted right away by the canoe men
as slow ball." as our friend at Indianilla
might say; that is. easy 10 catch-per-
haps- How much to -" with sweep
Of the hand indicating anything out be-
yond. What, Dos pesos? so you needn't
work again for a week No, sir; not
here. Not /. But lie dare a V. cuatro
reales, eh?" And hearing q hesitating
"bueno," you follow your man, and for
so cents you may view the city OF down
hill end Of the Viga Canal. in a canopied
canoe. called IN English a sc0w, and that
nothing short OF derrick could overturn.
However, there is no local law that for
bids the timid gentler sex from screaming
a little when they go on board" for the
water is water, though il be thickish, and
the canoe-scow is 3 boat.
II you are fortunate you Will be on the
Viga on Good Friday or some other grand
dia de fiesta, when the ordinary scenes
thereabOut Will change from the CONNER
cial, TO those Of gayety and fun; when the
middle class pour out from the city and
form canoe parties by the hundreds. AL
laughing and singing, with not few hav-
ing quite excellent amateur orchestras
whose catchy, dreamy music floats away,
blending its rhythm with the ripple of
quiet tollity Of these fiesta loving people.
To the tourist, all this Is very fine. and
forms one OF the sights for which he came
and be will snapshot it mentally and
camerally, and in after days develop the
snaps before the family circle at home
But 10 one who becomes a Mexican fix
ture, the Viga is still the uncloan Viga
when tie slow. monotonOus traffic OF the
farmer boatmen again resumes its daily
course 1t Is tnen that the possibility of
something better cleaner, and more enjoy
able further out. suggests itself to one
who may have found thoughts Of past boy
hood days in the sweet realm OF canoe
dom.
Upon enquiry. I was told that the viga
came from way, way out; and different
ones told OF having been scowed to
Xochimilco an Indian town, heaven
knows how many miles away, Of being
blistered by the sun Of midday returning
cold, hungry, cross, and rain wet al mid
night, with a big swear 20 never repeat
that foolish trip again. They had been out
Don't 60" they said. That settled ito
go. But as canoeist. not as a Scowist.
trial or two in chalupa--dugout-
resulted IN a determination 70 have some
thing better, ending with the pleasure OF
owning a lightweight deeked canoe, that
friends say is the daintiest and-but,
really. modesty foTbids boasting How
ever. she has several times made the trip
in from Xocbimilco under sail alone, IN
less than two hours. She affords delight
ful means OF going where aud when one
will, drifting along under the musical dip
of the paddle out IN, Viga's entire length
10 where it divide one way leading TO
Chalco. twenty miles away, and the other
70 Xochimilco, Mexicos Venice, that,
while il may not boast of fine architecture
or its palaces on its grand canal, il may
claim to be a town that is unique and
picturesque to degree; a town u float
ing gardens; gardens Of no particular size
or shape, and with nearly every garden
containing an adobe dwelling, when el
Sonors Casa is not of matched roof and
sides. II presents scenes extremely pretty
| and romantic, rather than Of grand ele-
gance, such as the only Venice and in
| stead Of the snowy gondola. dugouts are
at every mans dOoryard. and the town
people, men, women, and children. are as
much afloat as they are on terra firma. So
much afoat apparently is the very town
| itself. that one feels quite apprehensive
for its safety, should q gale or wind come
up, fearing the town might go adrift and
90 shore and smash itself on the rocks or
some such disaster. But, perhaps one need
not worry. The people do not at any
rate, about this, or anything else, Tor they
| appear as contented, natural ana happy
| as the very flowers that ever border their
| gardens; flowers that sweep your canoe s
| deck as it glides by.
To tie eanoeist this is an ideal canoeing
| ground. where one may go skillming un-
dey the very caves of a matched Villa
Rustiea, rounding, following lovers lanes
canopied and darkened by natures lux
| urious growth where the yellow fruit OF
| the orange trees hang within a paddles
/ length, all with a variety limited only by
nature herself and the countless number
/ of water streets that even extend beyond
| the inhsbitable portion for miles around,
where one finds every eighth, quarter, 81
half acre of ground surrounded by these
| deep. clean waterways; the ground on
| either hand rising from the water abrupt
| ly, often edged By the poplar, and with
every foot furnishing flowers OF vegetables
for the city market.
One could load canoe many times over
with the big. milk-white flowers of the
| calla lily. that seem to have so little mar
| ket value
"A water lane with many turns, constant
| ly affording new scenes and views to the
canoeist, as IL sweeps past doOrsteps. un-
| der bridges, and around corners, leads out
from the town two miles or so to Ell Orc
| de Aqua" the big, deep natural well where
you may look down through forty feet Of
water. and so clear is 1t that one may
| read his name on a card sunken TO the bot
tom.
In leaving the springs other canals, o.
| aceQuias cut across to-SaS rain cana
leading out TO Chabco and other towns
And on the way out while padding along
sitting under the shade of rakish som
brero, the canotst win be charmed at tn
sight ahead of those majestic twins. Pop
| ocatepetil and Ixtacikuatl, whose peaks an
\ vast ax,otr-,r,18ri ~