The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-11-06

Entirely alone, Don Albino could make no head
way with his project of getting rich quickly and.
taking advantage of a passing vessel, went back
to Valladolid. The cotton he had succeeded in
planting before his mozos deserted him was al
lowed to grow wild, and the island once more
was completely abandoned by man.
1t was not until lS4S that CoZumel was again
inhabited. The revolution which caused YucataD
and Campeche to separate had deprived many
citizens of the means of livelihood, and for ma
terial as well as political reasons it became
necessary for them to seek pastures new. The
federal government offered to help them, provid-
ed they would leave the peninsula. But to where
could they be transplanted? Being Yucatecos,
quick to resent the paternalism of the govern
ment. and always suspicious of the party in
Offices bona tides, they were of a spirit difficult
to keep under restraint and more than likely to
soon become unruly again. Therefore to allow
them to migrate to the central states, or even to
the regions bordering on the Gulf of Mexico, was
out of the question; it was imperative that they
be kept apart from the more docile peoples OF the
republic lest they inoculate the latter with the
political restlessness that had been their own I'm.
doing. Finally it was agreed that they should be
taken to Cozumel. This arrangement was duly
consummated and everything necessary to enable
the exiles to make a good start was furnished
gratuitously by the government, After very
many vicissitudes the colony thus launched
gradually settled itself into place, becoming at
the expiration of a decade or so firmly estab-
lished. and Cozumel is today the TERRA" or
homeland of as hardy and Independent a set of
islanders-half farmers, half fshermen-as can
be found anywhere in the Antilles.
The present population of Cozumel number
some fourteen hundred souls. The capital, San
Miguel, is credited with 900 and the village of FL
Cedral has about $50; the remainder are scat
tered among the numerous ranches.
San Miguel is quite a thriving, well-formed
town. 1t has several wide, clean streets; a plaza,
a very presentable little church, one large gen
eral StOra and sevnral small Onas an inn and
municipal Offices and customhouse: ii also boasts
a sort of esplanade running along the entire sea
front, at one end of which is the lighthouse and
at the other a landing jetty. Although most of
the buildings are palm matched cottages, there
are several strongly built stone houses and the
main street has a two-story brick house and a
modern bungalow.
The only regular communication with the out
side world is by government transport, These
steamers call twice each month to leave and
collect mail when en- route with troops and sup
plies to and from Vera Cruz and the military sta
tons of Quintana Roo,
Health conditions in Cozumel are extremely
good, when the tropical climate of the island is
taken into account. The normal rate of mortality
averages IA per 1000. Epidemics are very rare,
indeed. practically unknown.
The great majority of the Cozumei islanders
are poor, so far as possessing a surplus of this
worlds goods is concerned, being satisfied with
a hand-to-mouth existence.
Among the very few articles exported from the
island are aponges, but the quantity is limited
and the quality not very fine. More than one at
tempt has been made by foreigners to fully ex-
plot the sponge business here. but all efforts to
make 1t profitable on a large scale have failed.
There are very many ruins on the island
some of which | saw and to the extent of my
limited time and ability examined--the architec-
tural beauty and general plan of which provide
irrefutable evidence that the early inhabitants
were intelligent and cultured to a degree more
than surprising.