The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1916-03-15

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Mr@@
II happens to be for the reason
that when the Spanish adventurer Mon
tejo sailed from Cuba looking for natives
10 take back as slaves. he CHANGED 60
land on the eastern shore OF Yucatan.
and thus II was discovered. He had HIS
| hands full in getting those slaves. and
gave It up as bad job and left the
work TO his son.
4 City 1000 Years Old.
This young Montejo Wa a real con
querer. He fought the Indians for seven
years all over the place before they be-
came thoroughly subdued and scknowl-
edged him as ruler
Then he picked out a native city built
on the ruins OF an old one for his capi-
| tai, rebuilt IL and renamed il Merida
! This happened some 800 years aso and
| thus II is Merida has been the sit OF
Populous city for at least ZOO years. for
the ruins Of the old city are easily trace
able back to that period II makes St
Augustine. the Oldest city in North Amer
ics, seem as new as Nome.
This Spanish cOnquercr Of TuCstsn
was a pretty wise old guy in his dav
and generation and knew how TO Law
out city to the best advantage and for
the benefit Of future generations To
be sure, he was not restricted in land
and could 80 as far as he liked without
getting into another state or enCrosch-
ing on the water front. He realized. too.
that the prevailing building in thi-
country will always be but one slor,
| high and SO the city. il II became At all
populous, must have lots Of room 10
spread
The location is just far enough back
from the ses-twenty-three miles to
clear the feyeTish swamp land and still
get the ocean winds The land is per
fectly level. and as there are no river
or lakes or Eullies il is the easiest thing
/ in the world to build a city He laid
II out In perfect squares. with q large
plaza in the center taking up the place
OF a block and smaller gardens or plazas
at frequent intervals all around.
The COnqueror's Old Home.
Then as he thought pretty well or
himself, ne built an elaborate home on
one side OF the main plaza and
cathedral on the side adjoining This
mansion Of Monteio's is stW STANDING
and il one OF the most interesting build
inEs IN the city. The architecture and
carvings are peculiar blending Of Span
ish and Indian. The big coat-of-a-ms
over the door snd the two gigantic
figures OF Spanish knights on either
side are pretty well worn by time. as
the limestone from which they are Gu:
is rather soft, but they arc stW i'm
pressive and beautiful
The most remarkable thing about The
house OF MOntejo. however. is that in
this land Of many changes OF property
the Conqueror's descendants not onI,
still own the house but occurv il The
are living there today. since tho
ancestor anihilsted about half the DoDu-
lstion with which this peninsula toemod
and made slaves Of the rest the Monte
| JOS have been content 70 keep pretty
well out OF political strifes 50 their
prosperity has remained uunolested.
Contrary to the general belief in the
| United States, ! find that in Mexico. or
rather in YuCsLan, which I have gone
over thoroughly. the man who has mind
ed his own business has not been inter
| fered with much and his property has
been fairly safe Men or CORPORATIONS
| that have espOused one side or the other
or in the least mixed UP in politics have
had 10 take the consequence and tho
| fortunes OF war. I'm thousands OF ascS.
they have been pretty tough fortune.
too.
simpIest of street Schemes.
The arrangement OF the city i'm rec
ltangulsrt blocks all the same size makes
! II a very easy place to md YOU way
about in. It Is made sull more simple By
clever system Of numbering the streets
All Of them are numbered. None Of them
is named The even numbers run north
and south and odd numbers east and
west. For instance. my hotel Is al Fifty
sixth and SjNty-frst streets To 90 10
the plaza at SNtieth and Fifty-nntn
streets I 90 UP SiNty-hrsi TWO blocks
Fifty-eiEhth and SiNtieth. and then one
block over 10 Fifty-ninth 4 child idiot
or blind man could find his way about
here. not to mention one who knows no
spanish. for the numbers Of each street
are plainly marked on the sides OF the
houses on all four corners at each cross
ing
This same system OF designating the
streets pertains in all the cities and vii
lagos OF Yucstan. Even in little hamlets
where outside OF the cement buildings
around the main square, all the houses
are palm-lesf huts. the streets are lsid
on in SQUARES and numbered in the same
way. 7 saw one Twenty-third street that
was nothing but limestone boulders, but
& straight wall had been built on each
side Of the road OF rocks Some mean
folks might say that Twenty-third street
New York. is not much different nova
days