Evening star., 1938-02-06
United States ''Most F0reign''
Neighb0r Is Tourist Mecca
Mrs. WMoughby Finds
Mexico More Acces-
sibIe to Travellers.
BY JESSIE FAINT EVANS.

Mrs. William F.. WillOughby, native
daughter of old Georgetown, and So
journer in many Old World capitals,
as we'll as in our own, has just re-
turned from her second winter visit
to Mexico, neighbor nation of the
United States to the southwest
Mrs. Willoughby believes this once
tabled Land of Tomorrow" is rapidly
becoming one of Americas most pop
ular tourist meccas of today. This
she attributes to the opening of better
motor roads and improved steamship
and railroad connections.
February Mrs. Willoughby will ad-
dress the international outlook Sec
ton of the Twentieth Century Club,
of which she is a member. Her in
formal talk will be illustrated by travel
souvenirs of her journeyings by motor,
steamship and rail, the three ways by
which 1t is possible to reach Mexico,
once Spain's proudest possession in the
New World
In the WillOughbyS' apartment, at
230l Connecticut avenue. with all
manner of fascinating reminders Of
their Mexican travels still in distract
ing array about and their luggage,
"impedimenta of all journeyings,
since Caesar so fittingly designated it,
not yet returned to its storage space,
we had the feeling that we. too, were
glimpsing MeXico's far horizons and
distant viStas
hao oly Nf i've
perience, which has included residence
in nearly every country Of the world
| with her distinguished husband, an
international expert on systems of
governments, Mrs. Willoughby warned:
BE prepared for country as foreign
as any you can possibly imagine, de-
| spite the fact that it Is right next
door to U.s."
In shape something like the proven
bial horn of plenty, as it narroWs
rapidly from north to south and curves
| down toward the east, Mexico you
learn, stretches through II degrees Of
latitude, which. brings it within three
great zones of climate. depending upon
the elevation at which you find your
self 1t is the altitude rather than
| the latitude which causes the consid-
| cradle variation in climate. This
varies from the ''tierras catlentes," hot
! lands of the coast, to the temperate
lands some $500 to $500 feet above
the sea level, which produce crops Of
| subtropical regions, as well as those of
! temperate climes Above these are
the terra frias," or so-called cold
| lands, which are really not cold at all
in our sense of the word, for they sell
dom have frost.
1T is in the lower portion Of the
cooler regions" We were told, that
the greater part of Mexico's dense
population is centered."
Mexico City, at an elevation of 1000
feet. is usually referred TO as Ell, Cap
ital,' or as Mexico. Its name is in
all probability derived from that of the
! old war god Mexitl, worshipped by the
Aztecs. who founded it as Tenochititlan
cactus on stone" more than a CEN
tury and a half before Columbus
started on his first voyage toward the
Western World.
| located in a bowl as it were, with
lofty mountains for its sides, the scenic
outlook" Mrs. Wfiloughby emphasized.
lis one long to be remembered. The
| snow-covered crests Of the encircling
mountain range with its two famous
volcano reaks holds you enthralled
as they tower msgnificently against a
| nearly always cloudless blue sky. About
the volcanic peaks hovers a charming
legend associated with the thin wreath
| OF smoke and occasional flame which
spirals forth from Popocatepetls still
active depths
| Popocatepetl, so the story goes, was
/ an Aztec chieftain in love with beau
| tiful princess of his race. IXtaccihuatl,
! now fami!iarly referred to as the
Sleeping Woman" Upon her untime-
/ ly death he resolved to ever hold aloft
torch Of fame as the symbol of his
undying love. IXtaccihuatl is an ex-
tinct volcano today.
In Mexico Mrs. Willoughby said she
saw every flower she had ever seen
before anywhere else in the world and
many that were entirely unfamiliar to
her. There were Gala lilies growing
wild, and whole fields carpeted with
what were appropriately called Heaven
ly Blue or Madonna Morning Glories
Plants that have to be carefully nour-
lshed in our local gardens were grow
ing in almost tree-nke luxuriance
Baby's Breath, that exquisite little
white flower which is the delight of
aristocratic Washington floral ar
rangements, is to be seen in profu-
sion everywhere in shades of delicate
pink as well as in the more familiar
| white hue