The Seattle Republican. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1???-1915, 1900-07-27
Negroes In Old Mexio.
Medical Record.)

Sir: An article on the American
Negro in a recent issue Of the Medi-
cal Record led me to examine into
the condition of the Mexican Negro.
and [ send you herewith the result
of my inquiries. Bishop Bartolome
de las Casas, seeing the pitiable
treatment the Mexican Indian was
subjected to by the Spaniards, and
moved to compassion, brought about
the introduction Of the African Ne
gro, whom he considered an infe-
rior being and better fitted for hard
work in the mines. Slavery, not only
Of the Negro, but of the Indian like
wise, existed in Mexico until 1913,
when the first national congress at
Chilpancingo, on a motion made by
the Priest-General Morelos. abolish
ed slavery forever.
In no one Of the Spanish-Ameri-
can countries was there ever to be
found proportionally so large num-
Der Of Negroes as in the Southern
states Of the United States. It is to
be noted that the Negro is much less
reproductive than the Mexican In
dian. 1t is utterl y impossible to give
even an approximate estimate Of the
number Of black people in Mexico.
According to a census taken in 1885
there were then six thousand Ne
groes in the republic [ have not
found in any other census any data
with regard to the number Of inhab-
ltants of African descent. In fact,
any black man, if asked his race, will
hardly call himself a Negro, but will
hold himself to be Of dark complex
ion, Yet in an old book by an Eng
lishman, who travelled in Mexico
some one hundred and twenty years
ago, have read that then in the CITY
Of Mexico there were such a great
number Of Negroes lover forty thou
sandy that they were considered
dangerous factor.
| estimate, however, that in this
country there live over ten thou
sand Negroes and numberless indi-
viduals in whose veins some African
blood flows. Those Negroes live
mostly in the state of Vera Cruz, in
the south Of the state Of Morelos,
and in Guerrero They enjoy per-
fectly equal rights with the white
man and the Indian, not only by
law, but practically. No man is
sighted because his skin is black;
even career is open to him. We have
seen black generals chat does not
mean much), black lawyers, con-
gressmen, professional musicians. l
confess never to have met with a
Negro doctor or priest. Yet there
is no doubt that black boy would be
admitted to either profession if he
wished.
The Negro in Mexico lived in gen
eral under a milder rule thain in the
north, and after the abolition of slav-
cry he was not treated or regarded
as an outcast and an inferior being.
All the Negroes in this country are
farmers, many Of them well off. One
hardly ever sees a Negro girl serving
as domestic, or a Negro craftsman
in a workshop Their number in
creases, though more slowly than that
of the Indian, as they are less pro-
life. They are somewhat industri-
Gus, and not remarkably immoral.
No case Of fetishism or cannibalism
among them has ever been known
Their social condition improves Wis
IDLY,
When slavery was abolished in
Mexico, the Negro was certainly not
better prepared for freedom than he
was in the Southern states. Conse-
quently if we try to find a reason for
the difference in their development
and for the different use they made
of their liberty, we must look for it
elsewhere than in the sudden transi-
ton from slavery to liberty and their