Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1930-06-04
Especial to The Herald

CITY, June = As
Father Time moves along the path
OF modernity. as progress in sci
ence, aviation, radio and rapid
motor transportation sweeps Mex
leo along in its course. the land OF
the Mayas, Toitecs, and Aztecs con-
tinues gradually 20 surrender to
civilization, abandoning into the
national scrapb0ok customs and
habits, some that date TO pre-his-
toric days, some that 80 back TO
only a century ago, ana surrender
ing romance and glamour 70 the
Staid conventionality Of the twenti-
eth century.
The latest characteristic Of Mex
leo City TO succumb TO the inevi-
table, not without a sigh Of regret
on the part OF the residents. is
"El Paseo" or "the promenade as
il might be called in English.
There is a long t~horoughfare that
cuts through this city, linking
through a distance Of three miles
.tfF heart OF the city-the Plaza dc
Constitution or the ZOcalo, as il
more commonly known 1917 with
Chapultepec Castle. Chapultepec
Castle-"The Hill of the G%rasshOp-
per" as the word signifies-was once
the home Of Aztec emperors. and
ID Is now the Mexican White House.
The Plaza de ia Constitution IS
the kernel Of the country. the
crawbridge that leads to the seat
OF government. II is a wide square.
The park in the center a brief half
score years ago was thickly wooded
with magnificent trees that one
Mexican executive deemed too pro-
pitious as possible as machine gun
nests. He had all the trees chopped
down. Now the park in the center
az the Zocalo j. an attractive grass
plot dotted with harmless shrub
berry and great green patches OF
grass. well kept.
Shops Invade
The Zocalo Is a square. flanked
on n side by the ancient National
Cathedral. admittedly the largest
Catholic temple or the new world.
The National Palace, seat Of the
Government, occupies one entire
side. and the Municipal Palace or
city hall. a building with native
tile tables as its principal mural
decorations. stretches along snoth-
e. side. The fourth unit Of this
Quadrangle is composed Of buildings
ot colonial design. once private
residences, with their yard and q
half deep walls, but now converted
u house present-day bars. candy
stores. hat shops, and general de-
partment stores.
But in the center of the plaza
still stands a kiosk. a music stand
trat vies with the Cathedral in
tradition and fact as 70 the origin
az Ell Paseo" Six blocks az the
th%oroughfare that leads from Cha
puitepec 10 the Zocalo constitute
(hat is now known as Averfda
Aancisco I. Madero. named after
Nexico's martyred president. a sue
cessful dreamer. illusionist and
sriritualist. father IF the movement.
against the great dictator Porfiri0
Diaz. who was Catapulted into exile
and death in 1911 Avenida Nafero
is n comparatively narrow street. 1t
forms n Of the three sections OF
the thoroughfare between the Zoe
alo and Chapultepec park
Autos Displayed
The other two links Of this thor
oughfare are the Paseo 90 Ia Re-
fcrma. the Mexican Champs Flv-
see. a broad and beautiful avenue:
and Avenida Juarez. the intarme-
diate stretch between the Pasen a.
ia Reforma and Avenida Nadero
Along n side az Avenida Juarez
spreads the Alameda-Nnxico Cftv's
Central Park-and on the other
side BUILDINGS that once were resi-
dences Of the past -arlstocracv now
heve automobile display rooms and
the like. Avenida Juarez is as
broad as the PaseO de "A Refo-ma.
twice the width Of Avenida Ma
dero
"El Paseo" or the promenade. has
been since the middle Of the nine
teenth century until A brief month
or so ago the social hour for the
who's who" and would Be who's
who If Mexico CITY. The P7sra
r-== exactlv what the word iraniias
NE promenade. The American bus
.ness slogan that time is money was
FORGOTTEN bv the rich. near rich
and never-will-be-rich: bv the So
rial lights. the social lights that
nav be. and those that pretend ~
r. but never will he. TIRE 'ure nf
- promenade eclipsing everything
e
This parade Of ieritimates. near
Iegitimates, Observation-Disclosures and