THE TREASURE CHEST OF MERCURIAL 



MEXICO 



By Frank H. Probert 



UE ES ?" How simple a question, 

 and yet on its answer rested the 

 future of the "treasure-house" of 

 Mexico. "What is it?" 



Eighty long years before the May- 

 flower, with its precious burden of 102 

 souls, hove to off Plymouth Rock ; 23 

 years after the defeat of Montezuma and 

 the Aztecs by Cortez and his cohorts, and 

 early in the history of the dominance of 

 Spain over Mexico, a weary peon rested 

 by the roadside while journeying afoot 

 from Zacatecas to Pachuca. His small 

 camp-fire had died down and the ashes 

 were being scattered by the winds, when 

 he was attracted by bright shining glob- 

 ules of a white metal in the rock on 

 which he had built his fire. "Que es ?" 

 was his question, and the fairy tale of 

 Guanajuato was begun. This was in 

 1554 at La Luz. Rayas, a few years 

 later, discovered the mine which still 

 bears his name, and in 1557 the Rayas 

 and Mellado workings led to the recog- 

 nition of the Veta Madre, the mother 

 lode of Guanajuato, which has yielded 

 untold riches. 



Baron von Humboldt, writing at the 

 close of the eighteenth century, asserted 

 that Guanajuato had yielded one-fifth 

 of the total amount of silver then current 

 in the world. Cecil Rhodes prophesied 

 of Mexico that "from her hidden vaults, 

 her subterranean treasure-houses, will 

 come the gold, silver, copper, and precious 

 stones that will build the empires of to- 

 morrow and make future cities of this 

 world veritable New Jerusalems." The 

 actual mint and government records show 

 a production of gold and silver from the 

 Veta Madre in excess of one billion dol- 

 lars. But we are traveling. too fast; let 

 us halt to get our bearings and locate this 

 Eldorado on the map, then rest awhile 

 and enjoy that which it has to offer. 



The State of Guanajuato is in the 

 south-central part of the Republic of 

 Mexico. The estimated population is 

 1,100,000. It is the most important mer- 

 cantile center in the country, the total 



trade being valued at $67,000,000 per an- 

 num. The leading industries are mining, 

 agriculture, and cattle raising. 



The city of Guanajuato, capital of the 

 State, is picturesquely situated, nestling 

 in a small basin, surrounded on all sides 

 by the Sierra de Guanajuato (see picture, 

 page 2>7)- The Canada de Marfil affords 

 a pass to the city through the cordon of 

 hills from the fertile valley lands of Silao, 

 a station on the line of the Mexican Cen- 

 tral Railroad, 14 miles to the west. The 

 railroad grade from Silao rises rapidly, 

 following the tortuous course of the Rio 

 de Guanajuato to an elevation of 7,000 

 feet, where, poised high in the Cordilleran 

 plateau, is this historic city of 40,000 peo- 

 ple — during these days of unending re- 

 volt and brigandage a wasted shadow of 

 its former greatness. 



the; crowd that meets the train 



A motley crowd greets the train — the 

 halt and blind, old and young, somberly 

 and gayly clad — a fascinating mixture of 

 humanity. Licensed porters (carga- 

 dores) all but snatch the baggage from 

 the bewildered visitor. Scantily clad in 

 calico clothes, with sandaled or bare feet, 

 they will carry anything from a hand-bag 

 to a grand piano on their broad backs for 

 a small fee; but it is well to arrange de- 

 tails before engaging their help. The 

 lordly rancher, with clanking spurs, stiffly 

 embraces his arriving guest, and, with a 

 few pats on the back, the formality of 

 greeting is over. Demure damsels, whose 

 olive - skinned complexions, modestly, 

 though immoderately, plastered with 

 white chalk, make their black snappy eyes 

 and raven hair the darker, gather around 

 in awkward groups ; shapeless sehoras, 

 wrapped in mournful rebosos, old before 

 reaching middle age ; seraped and som- 

 breroed sehors ; what a number of types 

 have come to witness this event of the 

 day, the arrival of the train ! 



Leaving the walled inclosure of the 

 railroad yards, one looks down on the 

 apparently cramped and crowded city be- 



