Imperial Valley press., 1936-09-20

hustled up waving the last rubber
stamped. dated. numbered and
countersigned paper. our young
American faded. 'G'bye, Taristdp
he said, with a sort of half-mili-
tary wave of his hand. Have a
good timer I leaned out to return
his salute and when l settled back
again l discovered that l had
been labeled for my Mexican stay.
AS his final duty. my guide had
slapped an outsize red-and-green
sticker on. my windshield. Turis-
ia. it said, in scarlet letters four
inches tall thanked him for the
christening, tipped him two pesos
fifty as I had been instructed, and
was on my way.
IN IONTERREY was the first
M city of Importance along
the way to the Mexican capital.
The Gran Hotel Ancira was
named after Senor Ancira. back
in 1909, in the Diaz days, when
that worthy gentleman decided
that Monterrey, his home town.
should have the finest hotel in all
Mexico. He meant it, too. He went
to Paris for his architect, and
when he got him he told him to
go right ahead and to spare no
expense. The architect rolled up
his sleeves and went at it. BY the
time year and a half had passed
he had spent million and a half
pesos, and the peso was the peso
then.
But at that point the Revolu-
ton came along. The dizzy triple
play, Madero to Huerta to = Car
rama, was executed and Black
Jack Pershing ,rattled the saber
on the border and made faces at
Pancho Villas shadow. Senor An
cira lost his money. and anyway
nobody was paying de luxe prices
for hotel accommodations any
more; those who could afford such
things had left Mexico and sailed
away to the secure delights of
Paris and Monte Carlo. Soldiers
stabbed their horses in the great,
chilly rotunda for years in one
revolution after another, and
while the outward and visible por
tions of the hotel aged and grew
gray, the inward and spiritual
parts remained no more than
skeleton. About sixteen years ago,
after the country had settled down
somewhat, the building came into
the present hands and was fin
ished up and opened for bust
ness".
After graphically describing
the journey overland to Mexico
City, capital of the southern re-
public, Mr.. Jackson says about
the city:
IF my experience and observa-
ton is of any use, it takes the
tourist at least twenty-four hours
to adjust himself to Mexico City.
The altitude has something to do
with it, certainly; all the guide
books make point of telling you
not to try to do too much the first
few days. They are right about
that, too; unless you are the ex-
ception you will find that at first
you are easily winded, that you
are tired after walking two or
three blocks, that you are a trifle
headachy. After all, Mexico City
is 7,2O0 feet up and that does
make a difference.
unUT there is more than that
d to it. The tourist who speaks
fluent Spanish may not feel quite
SO lost; but I didn't and I did. And
most newcomers, especially those
who have driven in, feel the same
way. Again and again we met
them, tired and shaken from what
seems to them (most of them not
experienced in any kind of noun
tain driving) a fearsome and
dreadful road, unable to speak
the language of the people. around
them, unaccustomed to the ways
and habits of thought of the
country, reduced to the point of
tears by their helpless state. 1t is
the common experience, indeed !;
and 1t is usually sharpened and
aggravated by the stories that are
told of the thievery and rascality
they will surely encounter in that
strange foreign land, Mexico"
The points of interest, daily life
of the people, their habits and
customs are given considerable
space in Mr.. Jackson's book. Per-
haps the most interesting is his
visit to Xochimilco, near Mexico
City. Regarding this famous spot,
the author says:
When you visit Xochimilco,
popularity called the Floating Gar
dens, you start from Mexico City's
main plaza, the Zocalo, whether
you drive yourself or go by street
car. Xochimilco, of course, is a
public resort; very likely it is diff
ficult to keep clean. Every Sunday
thousands of middle-class families
come down for their half day OF
punting up and down. the ancient