The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-04-06

for The Times goes where he pless.s,
when he pleases, in search Of odd stories
about this and that.
II AREDO, Tex, April Sin La
- redo you stand on the thresh-
old of all Mexico. From a little
height you can look across the slim
Rio Grande, onto the lights of Nu-
evo Laredo and into the darkness
beyond. There lies the vast and
ancient land of Mexico.
1t is Sunday night in Laredo. The
air is soft. The thermometer at
the corner of the plaza says 80. and
it is a quarter till 9. A light breeze
washes past. Stars twinkle brittle
blue color in the dark sky.
All Laredo is bathed in a sweet
odor of orange blossoms, and it
fades and reappears as you walk
along. The trees are green, and oc-
casional palms rise and sweep out
in tropical grace.
The block-Square plaza is COW
cred with trees. and circular light
ed band stand is in the middle.
Loungers, two by two, lie or sit on
the grass.
THE sidewalks are crowded with
Il walkers. You wander among
them. All skins are dark. You hear
no English spoken. Laredo is so per
cent Mexican, or Spanish Amer
lean. as the transplanted Mexicans
prefer to be called. Laredo is run
by Spanish Americans.
Boys and girls, coatless and hat
less. are everywhere. They stroll,
and talk, and take their time. But
they seem to be more than stroll
ing, here around the plaza. There is
something different here. What is
it?
Gradually it comes to you. There
is something deliberate about the
way they are walking. There is in
tent to it, and purpose. Now you
see. All the girls are walking
around the square in one direction.
And the boys are walking in the
opposite direction.
The girls are in twos, and some
times threes. Row after row, walk
ing along rapidly, like an army on
a broken-step march. They never
stop, nor pause. Just keep going,
around and around the square.
a ND now you notice something
4 N else. The outer edge of the
sidewalk, clear around the plaza, is
lined with young men, standing in a
solid row, like a picket fence. They
stand mostly in silence, watching
the girls as they pass.
1 began to ask questions. And 1
found what it was. It's a custom
as old as Mexico. A Sunday and
Thursday night custom, that the
Mexicans brought over into the
United States with them. They call
it the promenade"
Every town and city in Mexico
has its open, block-square plaza,
with a band stand in the middle,
and cement or gravel walks leading
inward from the four corners. Ev-
cry Sunday night, and in some
places every Thursday night, too,
the young people of the town turn
out for the promenade" around
the plaza.
In the old days, the girls were
always chaperoned. If a boy liked
a girls looks, he would turn and
fall into step with her. and walk
along talking, properly chaperoned.
of course. But now the girls parade
without chaperones.
The purpose of the promenade"
is to let the young men see what
likely-looking girls there are in
town. Many marriage has come
out of the first shy glances in the
plaza.
DUT things are different now. l
- noticed only few boys joining
the girls. After few Sunday nights,
I guess, you know all the feminine
faces in town, and there is no pos
sibility of delightful surprise.
The promenade has become mora
an excuse just to come down town
and stand around.
I stood for a long time watching
the girls faces. But I never saw a
face that would launch a rowboat,
let alone battieship. They were
nices faces, but not what we consid-
er in our country beautiful.
There must have been 500 girls
parading. and as many boys walk
ing, or standing along the walk.
The parading went on for nearly
two hours. Gradually the crowd
thinned out. At 10 o'clock the music
stopped By 10:15 the plaza was
empty and dark.
The boys had seen the girls, and
the girls had seen the boys, and
they'd both had their walks, and it
was all over for another week.