The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-04-27

our advanced civilization and in this
year OF our Lord 1919 on most of the
haciendss on the plateau they have
hurs of sun dried brick. many OF which
are so low That man cannot stand
upright in them. The rooms are small
and dark. Some OF the houses have no
windows. and their doors are of the
rudest description. The roofs are fiat.
and the houses are. IN fact. little more
than brick boxes. They are very like
the homes Of the fellahin on the banks
of the Nile.
In the mountains about Toluca ere
shanties not more than four feet in
height. and near the railroad on the
way 10 Mexico City YOU may see fam
lilies living in shacks made of old ties
or of boards stuck UP against the side
of n hill! the home being half cave and
half house. Sometimes the ties are set
on end. forming the walls OF the hut
while a thatch of cactus or straw makes
the roof. II you will remember how
long railroad tie is you will know the
height OF such huts. In other places
there are huts built with ridge roofs.
and these roofs are sometimes Of
boards or tiles.
In travelling through the mountain
Gus regions the board roofs are some
times held down by stones placed upon
them. and the tiles are laid in mortar.
In but few of such huts are nails used.
ropes and wythes taking their places.
In the Tropical LowInnds.
Further down In the lowlands the
huts are made of cane and poles. Tho
/ poles are driven into the ground. and
! the cane liz fastened TO them, the house
being finished with n thatch roof made
of cornstalks or cane. Sometimes
! these poles walls are pIastered. but
often YOU can see through between
the canes. The weather is so warm
that no fires are needed, and the cook
ing is often done in the open air
Here In Mexico CITY the most Of the
1 Indians live In tenement houses. whole
families often being crowded into one
room. Many of the larger buildings
lave the poor on the first floor and the
better classes above. On the outskirts
are the homes OF squatters. made of
refuse material, from tin cans to store
boxes, and there are some huts OF
sun dried bricks. so low that the peo-
pie have TO stoop to enter them.
In Mcxicnn Hut.
| wish / could take you into some
I of the poorer huts. such as you oan
| md in almost any part Of the republic
| ! entered one last week whose ground
| floor was not bigger than that OF
Kitchen of two family fiat It had
walls of railroad ties, stood upon end
and ties laid across the top formed the
roof cradle hung from the roof, and
! out of IL baby with a skin as red as
a freshly boiled lobster blinked at me
as ] entered. a frowsy peon woman
was rocking the cradle, and two cop
perfaced children hung around her
I knee.
/ looked for furniture There we're
/ only two stools and mat, which was
| spread upon the ground. The fsther
mother and baby slept on the mat In
another corner were the two stones
! upon which the woman grinds the
| corn of which she makes the tortiIIas
/ or bread. OF the family. Nearby was
a pot OF lime water. in which corn was
| soaking. and just above hung from the
raftcrs was bunch of the red peppers
| used to flavor The food
AS said "bueno dos" or good day
the woman rose and when. i'm my bro
ken Spanish ] told her that her baby
| was pretty. she smiled and said ''gra
! Gas She was beautiful though
1rowsy. she wore white waist loose
at the neck. aud a red flannel skirt,
| which fell 10 within an inch of her.
shapely brown ankles. Her feet we're
bare. and j doubt not that al the
! clothes she possessed were those she
had on and tie blue cotson reboss. or
shawl. which could see hanging from
one Of the projecting railroad ties al
the edge of the roof
Down In tho 1owlands the women
wear less clothing than on the pla tea,I
a common costume being a long Mother
Hubbard nightgown with short sleeves.
This is cut low a tho neck and tied I'm
! with string a the waist AS 10 III,
! children. the less said about their
| clothes the better. a little back RI
Tampico. and near Vera Cruz. YOU NAV
see good sized boys and girls wearing
nothing more than did Adam and Eve
before Eve ate that apple. The babiea
| likewise go naked.
Copyright, 1913, by Frank g. Carpen.
/ ter)