San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-01-21

Mexico City, Jan. 2O.-There is
probably no country in the world where
so many small industries are exploited
as in Mexico. Nor is this confined to
any one section, but it is generally
distributed all over the country. There
is hardly a section but what the ma
jority of the individual homes are a
small output factory, producing any
thing from the minor comestibles to
shoes, blankets and pottery.
In the sections where weaving is
the popular home industry some of the
most beautiful and durable blankets,
commonly known as seraphes, are pro-
duced. This work involves the clip
ping of the wool from the sheep, owned
by the weaver: its carding, spinning
and dyeing and, finally its being woven
into beautiful designs, the pattern
varying with the section in which it
is produced. Then the weaver packs
it perhaps two days journey over the
carrying more than two or three.
Some Of these seraphes are of very
complicated designs and take months to
weave, selling for several hundred
pesos. The dyes, which are exceptional
ly brilliant, used in their coloring are
practically all made by the weaver
from native products, though some of
the more willy have learned the facility
with which prepared dyes can be utiliz-
cd.
Shoes Made at Home.
In other sections, such as at Leon,
in the state of Guanajuato, hundreds
of the hovel-like homes are shoe manu-
factories where beautifully made and
finished shoes are turned out by hand.
When finished, these are taken to those
merchants who make a business OF
gathering them. When he has &C
cumulated a sufficient quantity, they
are packed in boxes. assembled by doz-
ems of pairs and shipped to the other
cities.
Each section has its specially. In
one town we may find leather work
ers, another spur makers, another whip
makers, lariat makers, silver workers,
hat makers, rope and a hundred other
specialties, each one distinctive of
that town or district. These may be
called the major industries but for
each of them we find hundreds of
minor industries, the owners of which
offer their stock for sale on the streets
or at the railway stations. Consider
ing the latter as n market, it is safe
to say that one can purchase practi-
cally every article of personal or house
hold use at the various stations in
the course of days journey. So fixed
is this custom and so well known have
the various centers become for the
articles they produce that when an
article is needed it is customary to
suggest waiting until some friend makes
trip through that place and ask him
to make the purchase.
Pottery Is Big Industry.
Probably the most general of the
industries is that of pottery manufac-
ture, each section producing a type
peculiarly its own in point Of coloring.
material and decoration. Some of these
are notably artistic and in form and
decorations bark back to prehistoric
days. The prices are remarkably low.
pieces of considerable size being offer
cd for from one to ten cents each.
while very pretentious pieces can be
bought at from fifteen to thirty cents
each. These are all the product of
home factories, where the owner digs
the clay, secures the mineral pigments,
forms the shapes, burns it and finally.
carries it to market on n burro, or
his own back, in basket or net of his
own manufacture.
Other families specialize in baskets.
straw mats, wooden spoons and bowls.
hair combs, made of peculiar yellow
wood OF surprising hardness; ham