Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-03-27
l WoMexiCdnCities
BY A. w. LEE


with reference to the headgear neces-
sary for participation in the parade, a
third row or outside rim of paraders
Is formed made up of Poems. the men
wearing the big Mexican sombrero
hats and the women bareheaded with
the ever present black or blue shawl
over their shoulders. This third line
OF parade keeps up the march steadily
for the hour and nowhere in all Mex
leo Will one see more clearly the class
distinction or the contrast between
the very rich and the very poor, than
IN this apparently very democratic
meeting place of Mexican people on
the public plaza, on Thursday and
Sunday evenings.
Playing the Bear.
The young people of Mexico enjoy
no social life as do the young people
OF Anglo Saxon countries. Young
men are not permitted to call on
young ladies in their homes and such
thing as young gentleman accom-
panying a young lady to an entertain
ment or social function, is simply I'M
heard Of There are occasional pub
lie balls, at which the young people
meet, but even here under very re-
stricted circumstances. Love making
In Mexico, among the higher classes,
is carried; on under difficulties. 1t is
called playing the bear" When a
young man decides he wants to pay
attention to a girl, he will walk up
and down in front OF her home on the
opposite side of the Street, every even
ing. After the lapse of several weeks
1oHy ct oV,
per window and look at him. If she
does this, it is sufficient encourage
ment for the young man to keep up
his nightly promenade. and he will
then cross the street and walk direct
ly in front of the home of the fair one.
In the course of time, she will speak
to him from an upper window and
after still more time, she will come to
the ground floor window and with
her mother near at hand, will engage
the young man in conversation. To
| fully appreciate the situation, it must
be understood that all street windows
in Mexican cities are heavily barred
and that the young lady is behind the
bars. After one or two years of con-
slant devotion on the part of the
young man, If he is satisfactory to the
family of the girl, he will be invited
into the house and be permitted to
visit the young lady-in the presence
of all the rest of the family. During
all this time he must devote himself
assiduously and exclusively to the one
young lady, for should the latter dis.
cover by any mischance that during
this period he had paid even the most
casual attention to any other girl, the
whole affair would be off so far as girl
number one is concerned In this
portion of Mexico the religious cere
mony at marriage is usually celebrat
ed two or three weeks after the civil
Tor legal ceremony takes place. l was
told of one case where an American
gentleman married Mexican girl.
They attended the theatre after the
civil ceremony had been performed
but before the religious ceremony had
taken place. The bride sat with her
family in box, the groom sat with
gentleman friends in another part OF
1.-THE theatre. When asked if they had
quarreled already, the gentleman re
piled, 20, no." but it would be highly
improper according to Mexican ideas
for us tosappear together in public I'M
til after the religious ceremony is per
formed"
Guadalajara has good hotels and a
branch of the Battle Creek sanitarium
place for a more or less extended 80
journ for a tourist from the north.
Guanajuato.
The city of Guanajuato is totally un
| like any other in Mexico, and the Wis
itor who does not see Guanajuato has
not seen Mexico 1t is city Of 40,
900 people without q railroad and yet
i has one of the finest theatres on the
American continent. 1t is built in q
narrow valley with the houses climb
ing UP on to the steep mountain sides
/. and is said to more nearly resemble
Jerusalem than any other city in the
new world. Here so far as we car
learn can be found the only catacombs
in the new world. High up on hill
in the western part of the city is 9
panteon or cemetery. The bodies Of
i late lamented are placed in stone
vaults or receptacles where they are
Theoretically sealed. The rental fol
these vaults is paid for certain
4 period of time, running from five
years to forever" If at the expira
ton of the time for which the renta
is paid the same. is not renewed, the
vault is opened and the body removed
In the majority of cases, nothing re
mains but the bones-Which are care
fully cleaned and corded up in great
pile in the underground vault or cata
comb to await the resurrection morn
During the past 100 years some fifty
of the bodies removed from the vault
were found to be mummified and these
were stood up along the side of the
wall to stand there, it is assumed II
all their hideous nakedness to await
the revivifying sound of Gabriels
trump. Some time ago, on complaint
of over sensitive tourists, the au
1 thorities placed sheet about eact
mumified form and at present only
the heads and lower parts of the legs
and feet are visible. We visited these
people and found them very quiet ant
i reserved. The fact is they could no
speak English but they gave us
clearly to understand that however
Handsome YOU may be when Twins