El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-02-15

their Jewels to decorate it Something
like two million dollars worth of or
naments were presented and among
them q Chahce covered with gems val
ued at 100000. This was given by
rich miner who later, falling into IL
nancial distress, begged that his gift
be returned 1t IS said that ne got
back 100000, but I doubt it.
In the Great Plaza.
But let US go down from the tower
and take q walk through the Streets
The cathedral faces the Plaza Major OF
the Plaza de Ia Constitution upon
which faces the national palace, the
new city hall, the Monte de Piedad or
government paWnbrOking shop and
other great buildings. 1t is just 5
o'clock as we come out OF the church
and as we stroll along by the palace we
see that soldiers are massed at one q
the entrances where great crowd mas
gathered We are told that the presi-
dent is coming. We wait a moment and
soon see an automobile fly up The
soldiers present arms and the bugler
gives a blast in way Of salute At tee
same time the people raise their hats
and cry "Vivai ViVai MaderO!" The
automobile opens and little man with
q flat face covered with brown beard
takes off his hat and Salutes as he
goes into the building. This, OF course,
could not happen today.
A walk Through the business Section.
We cross the plaza and 60 up the
Avenida de san Francisco. The sun mas
now set and the electric lights have
sprung out. The street blazes with the
arc lamps which, fastened TO posts
about / ) feet high. run through II from
one end to the other. The lights are
so arranged that each cluster OF IlFe
is not more than % feet distant from
that on the opposite side OF the way
The windows Of the shops are also
Illuminated and the asphalt shines like
polished glass under the electric rays.
Now stop a moment and notice the
people. There are representatives here
Frenchmen, Englishmen and Span
iards, and also many Americans We
see our goods in the stores, and hear
the English language often spoken as
we walk through the streets. There
are many rich MeZicans, and some OF
them come in from the country with
the costume of the old hacendadO, can
sisting of an immense sOmbrerO, loaded
with silver and a suit OF rich cloth
decorated with numerous buttons and
49, - a -. -. - a. = ~ !. -
ing blankets over their shoulders ana
indian women with black rebOsas
wrapped round their heads There are
also girls OF the WelltOdO classes clad
heads, and others wearing high heeied
shoes and Paris hats like those OF our
ladies at home Most Of the women
have powder and paint upon their dark
faces. but not more, / venture, than
you can see any day on the girls who
walk up and down the great white
Built By Americans.
When I was in Mexico City 20 years
ago the new part of the capital lying
on both sides OF the PaseO de Ia Re-
f0rma had Just begun to be- The city
then was only half the size It IS now,
and the greater part OF this region was
covered with SWamps. It's possibilities
were seen by American capitalists, and
they organized a syndicate named the
American Colony company and bOugnE
large tracts of land, which they lald
II,
and put in paVementS and sewers. Iney
also built modern houses. costing all
the way from $4,000 to 100000 apiece
and sold them on time Inc investment
was exceedingly profitable. and I am
told that they made something llke loO
percent dividends on about $6,0Oo-OOO-
This first district was known as the
colonial, and now we have half dozen
different colonies which have sprung
up in that region. One is the COlonla
Roma which named its streets after
the cities Of Mexico, and which repre-
scented a capital of about S4,OO0.OOO, fur
nished by Americans Another colo
mia was laid out by a Kansas City man.
and others by Mexican capitalists
All of these enterprises paid we'll
and today these cOlOnias form the lin
est parts Of the Mexican capital. Ihey
or a little beyond 1t to Chapultepec. and
they have covered a large part OF the
ground 10 the north and south Of the
PaseO de Ia RefOrma.
The streets Of one colony are named
after foreign cities. and you can walk
through Vienna Liverpool. Berlin or
London. Another has streets named
after famous Mexican statesmen. and
anofher near the Plaza de Toros.
might be called the colony Of doctors,
for every street bears name with
Dr.. before it
our ambassador lives, the American
flag flying over his mansion Of stone.
Frank G. Carpenter.