El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-06-22

time mad become aSSimilated and lost
among them. The classes were rather
sharply defined. the aristocracy being
! pure Spaniards, born, in Spain, who
looked with some contempt upon those
! OF their race who happened to have
/ been born in Mexico, and were called
| Creoles. Far below these were the in
dians and the mixed races resulting
from the unrestrained commingling of
indians. Europeans, and the few ne
! groes who had come into the country.
! An imperfect census had been taken in
1906 and, allowing for defects in
the method Of Enumeration, the result
showed a population of about $500. 600.
! Of this number the pure indians were
! estimated at 100000, divided and sub
divided into various tribes, having a
common origin, but differing in Ian
/ guage, customs, and dress. The natives
] of mixed blood were about as numer-
Gus as those of pure blood-indians-
while the natives of pure European
descent amounted at the most to
| 10000 600; probably all told there were
| $4,000 Europeans In Mexico, establish
ed m different parts of the country
These Europeans held the offices ami
| exercised the power of government ali
the rest Of the inhabitants being de-
| prived Of political rights. The social
| life of Mexico naturally separated it.
4
ropean and the American.
Advanced Civilization.
1t must not be supposed, however,
| that none of the factors OF civilization
had been introduced into Mexico. On
| the contrary the interior of the vice
royalty, especially that wonderfully
beautiful and fertile region of the
table land, was at the beginning OF the
Of r6a II
advanced countries of America. The
City of Mexico was famous on account
OF Its wealth, its splendid architecture,
and the elegance of Its society. Numer-
Gus cities. like Queretaro, Guanajuato,
Valladolid (the present Morelia),
Puebla and Zacatecas, among the many
were centers of luxury, culture, and
art. Some of them had a population
even greater than that of today
Schools for the study of the profess
sions and charitable institutions Of all
kinds were founded and endowed with
lavish hand Outwardly the vice roy
atty of Mexico, or New Spain, was a
prosperous and productive colony.
Limited Suffrage.
But this colony was built upon a
false and therefore insecure founda-
ton. Of Its large and growing spopuia-
"
goo at the most were entitled 70 be
classed as citizens. The remainder were
OF value only as they paid taxes
or performed manual labor. Naturally
rich in all resources that make a coun-
try great the wished for commerce
and industry were throttled in very
infancy. Monopolies were established
for the selfish few in Europe; in or
der to increase the wants of the col
onies. they were forbidden TO manu-
facture any article that the mother
country could supply; and they were
even compelled to forego the advan-
tages which they might have derived
from the superior fertility Of their
own soil, and to draw from abroad
necessaries with which nature fur
nished them almost at their own doors
The cultivation of the vine and olive
for both of which the climate of Amer
lea is admirably adapted, was prohib-
tied; and even the growth Of what we
term colonial produce (cacao c1ffee |
and indigo was only tolerated under
ceftcin limitations and in such quanti- !
ties a s the mother country might wish
10 export
Yet Mexico, in the time Of HidaIgo. |
produced an annual agricultural store
equal to s2s.O00,000. which was found !
to exceed. by 100000. the annual |
average of the mines. from which the |
wealth of the country was supposed to |
be principally derived. The priest turn |
ed soldier knew of the great POSSIBLE |
tiles of his country if only she could !
become free to develop her natural re- !
sources.