Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-12-07
Geographic News
Bulletins by the
National Geographic Society
About Durango

aUOub Tuu
Durango state, scene of Mexico's
most recent revolution, and Tepe-
huantes, where the rebel leader,
Murgia, was executed. form the sub
ject of the following bulletin from
the Washington, d c.. headquarters
Of The National Geographic Society:
Attention was focused upon Du-
range in 1916 by the march into
that state of General Pershing's ex-
peditionary force. Then, and to
this day. the finding of worn and
weather-beaten carretas, or clumsy
carts, with their solid wooden
wheels, and built without nails or
spikes. recalls the very early COM
mu~nications between Durango City
and New York. In those days 1t
took a year to transport freight be-
tween these points.
"The state Of Durango has an
area about equal to that Of Vir-
ginia, and a population estimated at
about that Of New Hampshire. In
normal mining times more than A.
600 mining properties were operated
in Durango, a number exceeded only
in Chihuahua, to the north, and in
Sonora, to the northeast across a
strip of Chihuahua and Sinaloa.
Most Of the Durango mines were
closed in 1915.
"The name of the little settle
ment, Tepehuantes, recalls n of
the early events in Durango's rec
orded history. 1t wal the tribe which
gave the name to the village which,
with the Tarahumares, arose
against the Spanish settlers four
years before the Plymouth colony
was founded. In that year some 25,-
900 Indians Of these two tribes
marched on Durango City. They
killed missionaries and burned down
churches as they moved. Not more
than 600 white people withstood
this siege, and ven allowing for an
exaggeration in their estimate of
5000 Of their enemy Killed, the
white mans victory was a terrible
lesson to their assailants.
Remnants of these two tribes
row sprinkle the edges of the Sierra
Madre range, which cuts across the
northwest corner of Durango.
"a recent theory that ch~aperones
make for greater liberty among the
Young. on the same principle that
policemen give citizens the freedom
Of city streets by night, finds inter
esting exemplifcatlon among these
tribes. They are homogeneous ano
Jealous of the virtue Of their girls.
1.-TWO Days. Penalty for Chat
at is expressly forbidden for a
woman to talk to any man, otner
than members Of her family, outside
her own home. At the tribal dances
q maid who speaks to a swain IN
ours a penalty Of two days in
rrrson, as does her adinirer.
"Infidelity is punished publicly,
by placing the offending couple IN
stocks, and having an 'executioner,
administer a certain number OF
lashes daily for two Or three weeks.
Each of the victims had to watch
the others punishment, and shortly
before the time for its administer
ing couriers were sent through the
village to summon the inhabitants
that they might profit by the OBJ
Ject lesson.
.Mescal, pulque and aguardiente
are Mexican drinks of wide reputa-
ton, but these tribes had a beyer-
age, tesvino, peculiar to them. les
vino is a beer, of milk and water
hue, tastes like kumyss, made from
maish cora and grass seed.
Tesyino a Staff Of Life
These Indians retain symbols IN
troduced by early missionaries, but
lIlIlo OIL SHIlolldiiily
worship pagan gods before a Chris
tan cross, they pour out libatlons
of tesvino. They feed it to infants
along with their mothers milk to
ward off sickness. They use 1t as a
ilniment, and take 1t internally, for
every Ill. They employ it at orgies
with no thought Of de~bauchery, Tor
such orgies are part of their wor-
ship.
''Three phenomena make the
state of Durango distinctive. one Is
the wild coffee which grows on the
hill slopes, producing a small perry
with a delicious flavor. From these
uncultivated bushes the natives
agther their entire coffee supply.
Near Durango City is an iron
mountain-a mass OF metal nearly
80 per cent pure-nearly a mile
long. about as tall as the m
building in New York, and more
than a thousand feet wide. Min
ing operations here were checked pS
the revolution. noad
concrete buildings, still is beset by
scorpions. This type of lizard is IN
6~igenous to the state and in Duran
go CITY alone its deadly sting causes
from thirty to forty deaths each
year. n,
lone Of the oldest customs OF Du-
range is the funeral ceremony Tor
children. Through the streets
moves a procession that suggests a
fete day. Both men and women
compose the gay crowd, some on
horseback and some on foot. Tnere
is the music of violin and the beating
Of drums. You ask the reason
They are burying an angel, a ma,
tive tells you. You note at n neaa
aioft a bundle swatched in white.
That, your informant explains. is
the child.
"When a babe dies in these parts,
the parents must not weep. 10 go
SO would delay the child's entry, Into
Paradise until it had gathered all
the tears"