, 1906-03-07

10 the Five Mile Beach JOURNAL
After landing in Mexico and visiting
first, localities and towns that are
thoroughly and exclusively Mexican,
and then coming to the city of Mexico,
one is impressed, first of all, with its
cosmopolitan character. In the hotels,
restaurants, shops and principal bust
ness streets the familiar types of faces,
dress and declarative manne of the
American tourist are everywhere in
evidence. While in the lesser cities
and towns of the Mexican republic the
soft Spanish language prevails almost
exclusively, here in the metropolis one
hears English spoken in many places,
especially in prominent centres, such
as San Francisco street.-the BrOadwa
of Mexico ~City-where conversation in
searching tones with all the sharp
twang and varied dialects of Uncle
Sans forceful citizens greet the ear.
Then, too, many of the buildings along
the principal thoroughfares are quite
modern in construction. Even a num-
Der of the shops, though retaining dis
tinctive Mexican features, are, in many
respects, very like our own stores in ar
rangement and methods of business.
OF course the older parts of the city, of
which there are miles upon miles of
narrow streets with dingy store build
ings, all of similar construction, remain
entirely Mexican in character, the
same as they have been for hundreds
of years and are therefore the more in
teresting parts of the city to inquiring
and observing tourists. Here nearly
every corner is a pulque shop, and in
variably close by is a pawn shop, lib
orally ~patronized by the lower classes,
for the average Mexican and Indian
will pawn his last garment, or any
other article h may own, to buy pulque,
which is the national beverage, made
of the sap of the maguey plant, and is
about as intoxicating as beer.
The Mexicans of every class are in
veterate gamblers, and everywhere, on
the streets, on the plazas, in the parks
and ever at church doors, vendors of
lottery tickets stop you and importune
you to buy. These lotteries are licensed
by the government and have drawings,
the smaller daily, the larger or grand
lottery weekly. The government de-
rives an immense revenue from these
lotteries and therefore encourage them
in every way. Once the lottery habit
is formed, the poor deluded victims
will starve rather than miss a drawing,
living in constant hope of winning the
grand prize, which of course they new
er do, or at least not n in many
thousand.
The Mexican people do not believe in
the strenuous life. The merchant
opens his store at eight or eight-thirty
in the morning, keeps open till one,
then closes till three, taking two hours
for midday meal and his quiet siesta,
which is inviolate and must not be dis
turbed under any circumstances. AT
three he again opens his shop till seven
when he closes for the day, after which
he dimes and then spends his evening
in any amusement or entertainment
that suits his fancy.
The principal drive in Mexico City
n of the finest in the worlds from
the Plaza called Zocalo. On one side
of which stands the great cathedral, ON
another the national palace over six
hundred feet in length, through San
Francisco street, which is narrow, but
running straight into the broad avenue,
de Juarez along the Alemeda, IA beauti-
full park thence into the still wider
Paseo de la Reforma, with its many
fine statues and rows of lofty trees
leading up to and around Chapultepec,
the summer palace of President Diaz.
The drive is altogether about four miles
in length. Here every afternoon from
six 10 eight may be seen the finest
turnouts in the way of carriages, horses
and equipment to be found any where.
A continuous procession of carriages Is
formed the entire length of the drive,
which, especially on Sundays and fete
DAVIS. becomes so dense that mounted
police are stationed at short intervals
to keep the carriages in place; for no
one is allowed to turn out or pass an
other or turn back until the end of the