The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1908-01-30
ON WAY HOME
FROM MEXICO.
Iii Paso. Texas, Jan. q

Iii Paso. Texas, Jan. 20.
Editor Glacier -
After weeks stay in Mexico City
here we are back In Uncle Sans coun
try once more and very glad indeed
to b. here, though there Is much OF
interest to be seen In Mexico. ]
hardly know how or where to begin
to describe the many interesting
places we visited during our short
stay. A person could well put in two
or even three weeks constantly on the
60 aud then not visit all historic
points In and around Mexico City.
To us IL was indeed foreign land.
The people and their mode OF living,
their customs and, language made you
realize at once that You we're In a
strange land.
Mexico City Is very clean city, the
rooIer class being employed In sweep
lug and sprinkling the streets by
hand. The streets are very narrow,
but what an army OF workmen 1t takes
to even then keep the streets OF sity
clean In that manner. You do net
sea large sprinkling carts. Onoe In q
while there is a small one In the out
lying districts, but the greater por-
tion of the whole city Is sprinkled by
men and boys by throwing buckets OF
water, scattering 1t as much as possi-
BILE when emptying the pail. Some
times box wagon carries the water
which is handed out by the pail full.
Other places they dip water from a
sort of stone reservoir or from ditch.
Their markets are great places, too.
baa snnwnin0 In 0at
your days supplies. People there we
met say you buy only cne days pro-
visions at time. You see everything
is In little piles, say three or four
potatoes, five or six tomatoes, a hand
full of nuts, q email pie of boans or
peas and so on. They ask one, two
or five cents for each pile, as the
prices may be. Eggs are never sold
by the dozen, but 80 much an egg.
1t Ia great sight; everything being
found IN these markets--food, flow
ers, pottery. cheap laoes and cotton
piece goods. Their exclusive flower
market is beautiful. II you 60 early
all kinds OF flowers, bunch of per.
baps 20 OF the most beautiful roses
for 81 Mexican money, 30 cents our
money; violets, bunch as large as
you can grasp, for IN cents Mexican.
We visited what they call "the thieves
market, where they claim everything
in It was stolen. We would call 1t
''iunk shop" but II you had any.
thing you want 10 costs next to no.
thing. Then there is the gogstnment
pawn shop. The government loans
money on any article you wish to
pa wn. II not redeemed in so many |
months the articles are sold. Here
you can, II you are good judge, get
diamonds, jewelry, etc., down to fur
niture and dishes at very reasonable
rates. They have some very large
business houses In every line, mostly
French, German or Spanish. They
all CLOSE from u until 3 o'clock to
take theiI afternoon siesta, then open
until In the evening.
We visited some OF their old
churches, some of which we're built
by the Azteu Indians. They are beau.
titully carved and decorated In solid
gold and silver. The chapel of Gaud
alupe they call the Holiest of Holy
shrines in the Catholic world. Here
their peo lie c,me by thousands to
worship and drink from the ever boil.
Ing spring OF pure clear water which
cures all Ills and whoever is In Mexico
and drinks from that fountain is SUE
to return. Tn guide who took us
through told US the very beautiful In
dian legends concerning this much
worshiped Saint Guadalupe. We Wis.
dted Chapultepeo castle built by the
.Aztecs In which every ruler of Mexico
mas lived from Montezuma, Cortez aud
.Maximillian down to President Diaz,
who, people tell you, is virtually king
of the Mexican republic. This sscastie
10. of course, being kept In modern
repair, but they claim ID 10 the old
castle with improvements. In the
grounds we were shown Montezuma'a
bath tub, large stone tank connect
,ed by subterranean passage with the |
castle ;salso the we'll where he drowned
hls wife and many things 60 to show
he was cruel ruler. Still his people
seem to revere his memory and they
seem TO never tire in pointing out
beautiful statuary that was once Max
imiliian's. The national palace is
only open to foreigners on Sundays
eained through consul. A friend
DUtdIu6u Oud tTUui .buo OeEuuH Ouusul,
took us with a few others through,
rur friend speaking Spanish, making
il yery interesting. The furnishings OF
gold aad silver table service and cut
glass with the Mexican coat of arms
on each and every piece Is simply
,Iand beyond description. We were
~ fortunate to be In the city Shrin-
ers' week, to whom and their wives
lsesident Diaz gave public recep-
dion held In thp palace. He received
G hem In "a body, lhis welcome being
@ordsd in Spanish, the high poten-
& ite answering in English, after which
every one passed by and was shaken
hands with by President Diaz with a
ssoed to each in Spanish. You must
i,smave gloves to grasp his majesty's
s4and. Taking it all together our {
week there was one constant round Of
pleasure, ending on Wednesday by
"trip to the ancient pyramids. which
they claim are prehistoric, and on
Wednesday evening grand ball was q
given to the Shriners and their |
friends only and was indeed pretty !
sight, the ladies being beautifully 8
gowned. We we're simply, With many
other, spectators. On Thursday an t
excursion for Shriners and friends to
celebrated as the ahid q
,us pisce of clock which was pre- |
sentee lo Coitez by King Chailes the B