Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1911-12-01

Mexican village, one that can
be duplicated anywhere In the
northern two-thirds OF the country.
II is typical even in it's legend-ail
mining towns here have the same.
Once upon a time its mines yielded
30 much rich ore that the owner could
pave with silver the street leading
from his house to the church on the
occasion of his daughters marriage.
Panuco. like all Mexican villages. Is
a transplanted bit Of the orient There
is the same small, now adobe house,
with the fat roof and no chimney and
usually no window. Women carry the
same Jars of water on their heads, and
men clad In loose white cotton rudge
lazily behind their little burros or
more likely add their weight to the
already overburdened animals. The
glaring sun beats down from a trop-
zeal sky on the same palm and cac-
tus, and a general air Of emptiness
and silence pervades the streets
The universal building material Is
adobe, which is faced with plaster only
in the better houses. These are al
ways built in the form of a hollow
square-the rooms opening into the
patio In the center. The more pre-
tentious homes have windows, barred
on the outside because the houses are
built snug up to the street. which
gives them the appearance Of cells
In a prison.
There is no patch Of green or any
thing bright to relieve the uniform
dust brown color of house and street.
no spear of grass is in sight, and all
the flowers are kept in the patio. The
particular village can boast OF two
trees, one cottonwood on the out
skirts and one pepper berry.
What One Sees Inside.
To enter one Of these huts II to
stop In on a mud floor, rarely brick
one, to see a few. earthen bowls and
saucers in one corner, little pile OF
charred ashes in another. and rude
altar made Of a couple Of packing
boxes. decorated with a few gaudy
bits Of tinsel and scraps Of ribbon and
empty beer bottles with withered
flowers, an offering to the Virgin OF
Guadalupe, who looks down from
the wall Chairs, bed and table are
Injuries not commonly found. Mexi-
can women are fond Of flowers. and
the patios ara bright with blossoms
throughout the year.
One traveller describes q Mexican
village as sun. silence and adobe.
and this is ones first and last i'm
precision. Whatever life is IA around
the plaza; for away from here one
sees only an occasional water-carrier
OF a peon closely wrapped in his
serape squatting On the ground In the
sun. Pigs and dogs are everywhere
They come from every open doorway
and follow US, yelping and barking. A
dozen dogs are not too many for an
average family. And the pigs--they
sleep in the middle of the street, and
not until our horses feet are almost
on them do they grunt and lazilJ
move q step to the right
But in the evening all IL changed
and the place is full Of life and stir
Everybody comes out to enjoy tbs
music and to stroll around and around
the plaza Men and women do MOI
walk together unless married or en-
gagged. but the men walk three OF
four abreast In the inside of the
promenade and the women on the out
side in the opposite direction Through
the open doors of the pulque shops
may be seen groups Of men drinking
the nauseous beverage.
Each Village Has Band.
These shops. as well as all tn,
stores, are not known by the names
of their owners. but by some sucl
fanciful names as Flowers Of May.
Afternoon in April" and The Sur
prise" No village Is too small d
have its band, and good one. too
that plays at the plaza one or tw'
evenings week throughout the year
The natives are musical. and on.
hears everywhere the tinkle Of tn
guitar or mandolin playing some na
tive air, like the plaintive IL
Golondrina" or possibly the latest I'm
portation from home.
One does not ned to read the sigl
sEsouela para ninas." painted in BIZ
black letters on q low plastere,
building, to know that II IL q schoo
for girls, for the children study q
concert and-well. pulmonary trouble
are not common at this altitude
Primary education il compulsor
throughout the republic, and so ever.
village has two schools. one for boy
and another for girls.
Pay day comes once a month Worl
at the mines stops for the day an
by z o'clock the men and women b
gin to gather around the ONCE an
set up their little stands for the sal
Of dulces, lines, pomegranates. suga
cane and oranges. BY nine o'cloc
the place has taken on holiday al
pect. Groups of senoras. each with
black eyed baby in her lap. SIT on tn
ground and crochet lace or idly goi
sip. Men wrap themselves close 1
their serapes and wait stolidly for I
o'clock. when they win be paid on.
All the people. men. women an
children, come from miles around o
foot, on burros, on ponies and
all sorts Of nondescript wagons. Tn
hasiendada comes In from som