Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1903-09-25
THE HOLLAND PEOPLE.
Strange Contrasts Of Life Presented In
Different Parts of Mexico,

] Strange Contrasts Of Life Presented II
Different Parts of Mexico.
There is no country in the world that
presents more strange contrasts OF
land and people, habits and customs,
heat and cold, than Mexico. The table
lands of the country are mile and Il
half higher than the coast lands, and
between these there are to be found all
garduations of climate. This fact
lends much of the picturesque and
strange to Mexico, and gives it vari-
ETY. in all things possessed by few, If
jany countries in the world. OF all the
Inhabitants of Mexico. the life of the
people of the hot country is the most
interesting. This is, strange to say,
due to the fact that there the people
have ever possessed more of freedom
than in the colder localities. For two
centuries or more the great mass of
people of the uplands were slaves.
They toiled in the mines, with guard
of soldiers set over them; they built
the public roads, they worked the
ranches, farms and haciendas for mas
ters who gave them scarcely more than
the food they ate. The great farms of |
the uplands have ever required sure
help, and so each ranchman had his |
serfs. Many estates possessad hun
dreds of them. Thus all individuality |
was crushed out of the lower class,
and the terrible effect of this condi-
tion of things is still evident.
The people of the hollands Jared
better, because there it was much
easier to make a living and much hard
er to hold very large haciendas. For
this reason the characteristics of the
people are quite dstrinct from those
of their brethren of the upland plateau.
In the hollands many Indians still
claim to hold in right of inheritance
from remote ancestors portions Of land
each in his own individual right. There,
zoo, the Mayor of the village or town
holds office so long as he pleases the
mass of the people. In the uplands it
has been the custom of the rich and
powerful to distribute Offices of all
kinds as part of their prerogative of
birth and wealth. The lower classes
Of the uplands, although they now have
the advantage OF a fairly good public
system of education and are becoming
educated, are, in the main,
q distinctively unambitiOus people.
They were so long In semi slavery that
they feel that the world of the middle
and upper class class people is beyond
,hem. They have, therefore, no in
jerest in anything outside their circle
Of friends and acquaintances- is,
n political way. But not SO in many
not country villages and communities.
There the Indian has ever been more
II less factor In the life of the COM
nunity in which he resided.
On the upiands there are long
tretches of more or less bare lands,
With mountains rising up boldly In the
In many parts during
be dry season the land is almost bar
en- OF vegetation. But in the hot
ountry grow tall and shady trees and
hick underground. Everything grows
lmost without the attention from the
and of man. Aud yet, strange to say,
be peon, or laboring man, is there
nore ambitious and a better worker
han the peon OF the colder uplands.
his is not natural, and is only ex-
lained by the different conditions in 10
hich they have passed the last four
nndred years. Serfdom on the uplands
all ambition in the lower
ass. 7
The lower class of the hot country Tn
sople are fond OF social life, and al S a"
ost any night, or early evening, the KIN
EAR throughout, one may fine groups or
people in little Indian village, ma
athered together and entertaining one ~. ~.
lother in front of some one of the we
buses or on the public square, which co
cry Mexican town, however small, v1s
assesses, with music, songs and Occa- ~,
onally dancing.-Modern Mexico. / me-