The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-03-01

Harry GraysOn all. From the
National Palace, Cathedral and
Opera House looking up toward
Chapultapec, you see something like
the Champs Elvsees.
CITY OF CONTRASTS
Mexico City no longer Is Teno-
chtitlan or Little Paris. 1t is a bus
Ting place of 100000, rapidly
growing modern, but nevertheless
as picturesque and romantic as
the stately cypress trees around
magnificent Chapultapec. It's as
beautiful as Popocatepetl, tower
ing 1872 feet, and snow-capped
TXtaccihuatl. or Sleeping Woman,
which overlooks the valley.
Mexico City Is a place of strik-
ing contrasts: the old and the new,
the rich and the poor, those who
have not enough to eat and those
who have too much You leave the
city, where gally-clad charros
wear sombreros costing 1000 peeos,
and before long you are on the
desert, where the Indians still live In
miserable straw huts. They milk
agave plants with old pumps for
pulque, wrap themselves In serau
pes at night. All they want Is 10
pesos week. (about S2) to live
On and to % to the bullAght.
Mexico City Is a city Of culture,
however, and those who do not
speak Spanish have little difficulty
making themselves understood
The Mexican you approach or
Who waits on you probably speaks
English.
A French star speaking his own
language was appearing In farce
at the Be'las Aries the finest the
ater IN Mexico City. Ninety per
cent OF the audience OF 5000 were
Mexacans, yet 1t was obvious that
they understood the lines perfect
". He didn't, and felt rather
ashamed,
There are so many interesting
trips to be taken that you can't
keep up-to Acapulco, Guadalupe,
the pyramids, Tepotzotlnn, the vol
can0 OF Paricutin, Xochimilco, Cho-
lula. II you want to go IN for
mountain climbing. Popacatepetl
challenges fSSm range so close
that you feel that you can almost
reach out and touch It,
Acapulco, where sallhsh bite
and fight, Is Mexico's Hawaii, All
the miracles are supposed to have
happened in tho quaint Church Of
duadaloupe. The Texas and Cal
ifornia missions were conceived
500 years AGO In Tcpotzotlan's un-
beIievable chapel Of gold, Xochl-
n1llco Is MeXicos Venice, You ride
Vondolas IN the li9ht OF the silverv
moon. Little Cholula has 1895
churches, one for every day In the
year.
There n no gambling IN Mexico
outside Of tho government lottery
and the newest and best-npnointed
rncetrack in the world Practically
everybody sells lottery tickets, It
apparently Is an Observation-Disclosures
venture devoted 10 social welfnre
-hosnitals, etc--that nets more than
ga 0GO 900 n year.
Mexico CITY hos several jai-nlai
frontons, Including the worlds
biggest and best, but thev are shut
down save for occasional matches
because OF the law combining gam
bling to the lottery md the pari.
mvtuel machines Mt the track. Jai
alai n Ike tire horses, II seems; no
bet'''o. no NAV.
There Il no WAGERING on the bull
f)ghtS. which mnIes that ancient
gpenish custom Distinctive among
major sports md is som"thing IN
thu WOW ~ recommendation
SPORTS MINDED
Nowhere on esrth n there MS
much Rrorts ACTIVITY M IN Me"'"o
CIV, m S"ndsv GLOVE there pra
cnno '~osehoIi, INN soccer md 100
softbaii games. This In addition to
go'F te~r'S. ro"ir0. the bullhghts
ard hoxIn0 Mt r'oht,
Nioht lif"? Immediately follow
ing corvte'iS and dinner ~ rlro's
for evaunie. Won dance 10 Everett
Hoa0iend's rnuslc and thot NJ n
Mexican orches'ra. A. sans souci,
you catch AlI"'a Parla. NF"rI.
anA", TIA celohroted rhUnha
dancer, who performed nt Buck
ir0han Palace, She put Cuban
rhvthm IN evening dress.
This Is supposed TO DO the Land