The Coolidge examiner., 1936-09-18
Gliding Down To

Continued from column 4)
English. Next, we passed through
Valles where Sam Brown, coffee
buyer, has lived for rs years on his
coffee plantation. He now has a
store and is building a small tourist
camp.
The valley of Maltopo shows, for
the first time, the community lands
under the old Indian village system.
The fields, or milpas, mostly corn,
are laid out on almost vertical
mountain sides. The fields are SO
steep, it is said, that men who plant
them support themselves by ropes
tied to trees above the fields.
The town of Tamazumchale, iii
the Montezuma river valley, is
populated with typically primitive
Indians. Bamboo huts, with thatch-
ed roofs, and are very old have been
unchanged for centuries. The
natives wear white pajamas, a rag
ged straw hat and sandals. They
carry unbelievable burdens of pot
terry and wares long distances.
They never walk, just trot, with a
band tied over their heads, secured
D. ho
Leaving Tamazunchale and climb
began, first through tropical vege-
tation, and later, on through pine
and oak forests. The mountains are
virtually covered with vegetation
for 100 miles, which are quite fire.
qunetly overhung with clouds. Il
is necessary to drive cautiously un-
til one gets above and out of them.
1t takes from three to four hours to
drive to Jacala, as one must stop
frequently to enjoy the scenery, for
this is said to be the most scenic
drive on the continent. The grade
is never over six per sent, and the
road is we'll banked. After passing
over an elevation of 5000 feet, we
drop abruptly to $500 feet to Jaraia
where we met Tom Simpson. Mr..
Simpson is an American World War
veteran. and a mining man from
Colorado. We spent the night in
Jacaala and got a real line on
Mexican life. Upon showing Mr..
Simpson the article in Golfers
Weekly on Jumping Down To
Mexico" he said the article was
seven to eight months obsolete. He
served us with a real American
breakfast while he related the
story of being the only white man
residing in this old mining town
where revolutionists had on one
occasion ransacked everything in
the place.
We proceeded on to Mexico City
over the highway at varying eleva-
tions from $500 to $500 feet, 120
miles of winding road.
After passing over the divide at
Kilometer we passed into a semi
arid desert country similar to Ari-
zona's foothiR sections. AS we ap-
preached the outskirts of Mexico
City we passed over what was the
head of Lake Texcoco, which was
drained and is now a strip of plains
land.
Entering Mexico City we observ-
ed the narrow streets. People of all
classes and ages gather about the
open markets, crowding the side
walks and the streets. We soon
learn to sound the horn at every
intersection, and that "transito"
means "one way street" We got to
the Zorolo which is the center of
everything and thence to Paso de
La Reforma. A very wide street
where most of the leading Ameri-
canized hotels are located, for which
we were thankful. Driving in
Mexico City in those one way
streets and the horns footing get
on ones nerves until once you know
police signals and customs. The
first trip driving through the city is
the hardest. You soon become &C
customed to kids jumping on the
running boards asking for tips To-
watch the car while it is parked.
What this international highway
means to Mexicans is unknown, but
already they have become marvel
Ously Americanized in asking good
prices for their goods.
-O-