The Washington times., 1902-01-26

1t is a small village, for there are not
more than two hundred houses, and pos
sibly. fifteen hundred persons dwelling in
them.
The buildings are built of tepetate, the
volcanic stone with which the entire val
ley abounds- The roofs are of heavy.
semi-cylindrical redtile. The thickness of
the wails-some OF them are more than
three feet-and the heavy roofs give an
appearance of solidity and substantially
to the buildings. which warrants the be-
lief that they will last for as many years
to come as they have already existed in
the past.
Around each house are plots of ground
of varying size. None is of less than two
acres; none is more than ten. On these
the owners raise the corn and beans and
fresh vegetables for their own use as well
as the small surplus which they send to
market. Back of the houses are the cor
rails, where are kept the domestic animals
and to which the goats and sheep and
cattle are driven nightly from the graz
ing lands outside the village.
Outside the village but not 80 far away
are other fields where in old days cotton
and sugar cane were raised. But IN the
last three hundred years nature seems to
have lowered the temperature OF the VAL
ley of Mexico and now these crops are
soil is made use OF as OF old and cornfields
and orchards have replaced the former
products.
No Change in Many Generations.
Around each of the lots-for all the
land is subdivided into tiny parcels-are
great thick walls of the same tepetate
which is used in constructing the houses.
These walls mark the boundaries which
were laid out generations ago and since
their first stone was put in place there
has been no change.
Inside the houses everything is Of
most primitive sort. The national dishes
of tortillas and friioles, with plenty of
chile and little meat. is the diet, year
in and year out, of the occupants. To be
sure, they have plenty Of fruit to afford
them change, for nature has been good
to them in this way, and there is hardly
a day in the year when they cannot find
fresh strawberries in their gardens, or
green peas, beans, aguacates, lettuce,
green onions. fresh tomatoes, radishes,
cucumbers, the flower of the squash,
which Is great fayorite, and, in fact,
all the summer produce of northern
zones. With these there is no lack of
variety, and with sugar cane, pineapples,
or cocoanuts for dulces after meals, they
all live we'll.
Do as They Please.
As has been said, so far as any prac-
tical interference by the Government is
concerned. these people live absolutely
Independent of all outside restraint. They
recognize the Mexican Government as
they have recognized all the others which
preceded the present one, but as they
do not interfere with il they do not see
why it should interfere with them. And
it does not, save in the collection of the
regular federal tax which the villagers
pay willingly enough.
Aside from this they do about as they
please They have their own priest and
they choose their own village officials.
These are more for ornament and honor
than anything else. for there is little for
them to do. 1t is stated by the priest,
and the fact is borne out by the village
records. that there has not been a crime
of violence in the village for more than
ten years AS for theft. such a thing is
abs olutely unknown and all squabbles
abC1t land are rendered impossible by
the boundary fences with which no one
thinks of meddling.
How these Indians came to the little
village where they have remained all
these hundreds of years is largely mat
ter of legend with them now. All of the
old records OF their life and wanderings
were destroyed by the priests who con-
verted them to Christianity soon after
Cortes began converting the rest of Mex
leo.
Come From the North.
According to the story. as it is told
among the members of the community,