The Lehi sun. [volume] (Lehi, Utah) 1913-1949, 1921-08-18


the country, Is approximately the STA
of Harrisburg, III Paso or San Dlen
San Louis Potosi is the size Of SouA
Bend, Ind, while Vera Cruz, the great
est port of the republic and nfth cll
Is smaller than Tampa, llorda, q
Charleston, $. G. Sallna Cruz and
the other Pacific ports are little more
than villages with extensive docks. AZ
a rule the cities of Mexico are mo-
manufacturing centers but derive whist
Importance they possess from benz
the markets for the surrounding agd.
cultural country or mining regions
While Mexico Is largely agricuw
al, and therefore rural, Its country Tia
Is strlklngly different from that with
which farm-bred residents of the Uni
ted States are familiar. Seldom Is an
isolated farmhouse tn he found many
of the tillers of the soil live In little
villages and go back and forth to their
work, usually on the land Of Others
These lnnumerable villages give one
the impression of being standardized
and are difficult to tell apart. They
are made up of low. rectangular fiat
topped huts OF mud bricks or adobe
and are huddled closely together. Be
tween the forbiddlng walls of thes
tomb-like dwellings. the troplc sun
beats down on narrow, dusty street
Great Ranches and Plantations
In addition to these more or less In.
dependent villages of the common PEG
pie there are to be found In parts Of
the country the haciendas or great
ranches Of the landed proprletors. on
which are other groups Of the newt
able fiat-roofed huts, the dwellings Of
the ranch's poems. In the hot county
Of the south are extensive plantations
of bananas, rubber trees, cacaO and
other special tropical products. These
plantations are often operated by for
eigners. and on them small armies Of
day laborers are employed. From the
forest Of southern and southeastern
Mexico comes most Of the chicle from
which the worlds chewing gum Is
made; and from the plantations Of
Yucatan comes practically all the fiber
used In making the miles and miles
Of bundle Irvine with which the huge
wheat crops OF the United States an
tied into bundles.
Aboriginal traits cling to the mas
of the Mexicans who are such a shot
distance in time removed from the
strange mixture of barbarlsm and civ
llization that marked the empire OF
the Aztecs found by Cortez when he
landed on the gulf coast In l5lS-a
civilization with its human sacrifices
In city carefully pollced, and scruP
ulously kept clean by corps Of trained
"white-wings !; with its refined can
nlballsm beside nm Astronomical abb
ity superior to that OF the scholars
who arranged the Julian calendari
with Its institution Of slavery the Onll
one known IN the world which prO
vided that every child should be born
a freeman. They are an artistic PEG
pie, the Mexicans, apt musicians, mod
elers, basket-makers, featherworkcrs
weayers and metal-workers.
Burial Vaults Are Rented.
Poverty brings It's tragedy into thI
deaths as well as into the lives Of
the masses of the Mexlcans. Few arr
able to buy burial plots. and the Gus
tom of merely renting vaults for
| short term of yQars has bacOma gen
erRl. The lease Is often not renewed
and the bones are cast on heap o.
millions of others TO make room f0
time for some other unfortunate.
Mexico abounds In holidays. II"
sides Sunday there In IN equal mum
Der Of saints days and additional holl
and feast days to bring the total t
l31 of the 1856.
Mexico's large unassimilated Indian
population and its even larger popu
latlon In which Indian traits FREEDOM
mate makea a certain degree OF tur
bulence a natural condition In the "
public south Of the Rio Grande. Th'
United States had not so long ago 90
it's frontiers its Indian uprlslngs, ~
stage-coach and train robberles. nl'
its bad men" with a penchnni ~
shooting up towns. Mexico Is 81
In this stage OF development. nnd h'
cause OF the heavy Indian e'@ a
In its population, probably N.i .
there for many yeRr~.