﻿COSTA 
  RICA, 
  LAND 
  OF 
  THE 
  BANANA 
  

  

  211 
  

  

  Photograph 
  by 
  H. 
  Wimmer 
  

  

  TALAMANCA 
  INDIANS 
  BRINGING 
  IN 
  THATCH 
  

  

  more 
  of 
  these 
  Celestials, 
  usually 
  almost 
  

   ignorant 
  of 
  the 
  Spanish 
  language, 
  yet 
  

   driving 
  out 
  competitors 
  by 
  underselling 
  

   and 
  getting 
  rich 
  by 
  the 
  closeness 
  of 
  their 
  

   business 
  methods. 
  Natives 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  

   a 
  friendly 
  feeling 
  for 
  Chinese, 
  but 
  I 
  did 
  

   not 
  observe 
  many 
  cases 
  of 
  intermarriage. 
  

  

  a 
  peon's 
  gala 
  day 
  

  

  The 
  Chinese 
  merchant 
  also 
  furnishes 
  

   the 
  small 
  stock 
  of 
  clothes 
  needed 
  by 
  the 
  

   peon 
  : 
  for 
  the 
  women, 
  a 
  skirt 
  and 
  low-cut 
  

   waist; 
  for 
  the 
  men, 
  shirt 
  and 
  trousers. 
  

   The 
  shirt 
  is 
  often 
  discarded 
  in 
  mining 
  

   and 
  many 
  other 
  branches 
  of 
  labor. 
  Coun- 
  

   try 
  children, 
  of 
  course, 
  dispense 
  with 
  the 
  

   luxury 
  of 
  clothes 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  decade 
  of 
  

   life. 
  

  

  On 
  Sunday 
  the 
  whole 
  family 
  visits 
  the 
  

   nearest 
  village 
  to 
  put 
  in 
  a 
  gala 
  day. 
  Per- 
  

   haps 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  religious 
  festival 
  in 
  the 
  

   morning; 
  at 
  any 
  rate, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  mass 
  to 
  

   be 
  attended. 
  Afternoon 
  is 
  given 
  over 
  to 
  

   visits, 
  which 
  women 
  and 
  children 
  usually 
  

   make 
  alone, 
  while 
  the 
  man 
  of 
  the 
  house 
  

   hangs 
  around 
  the 
  general 
  store 
  or 
  post- 
  

   office, 
  as 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  interest. 
  If 
  lie 
  is 
  

   feeling 
  "flush," 
  he 
  treats 
  himself 
  to 
  a 
  can 
  

   of 
  evaporated 
  milk, 
  a 
  great 
  luxury, 
  which 
  

  

  he 
  drains 
  off 
  through 
  a 
  nail-hole, 
  just 
  as 
  

   if 
  it 
  were 
  champagne. 
  

  

  Too 
  frequently, 
  however, 
  he 
  unearths 
  

   a 
  jug 
  of 
  moonshiners' 
  liquor, 
  a 
  violent 
  

   beverage, 
  which 
  is 
  manufactured 
  in 
  many 
  

   huts 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  activity 
  of 
  govern- 
  

   ment 
  revenue 
  agents. 
  If 
  there 
  is 
  any 
  of 
  

   this 
  stuff 
  in 
  circulation, 
  he 
  usually 
  ends 
  

   the 
  day 
  by 
  indulging 
  in 
  a 
  machete 
  duel 
  

   with 
  his 
  best 
  friend, 
  and 
  both 
  principals 
  

   spend 
  the 
  night 
  in 
  the 
  jail, 
  which 
  even 
  the 
  

   smallest 
  villages 
  maintain 
  for 
  such 
  eventu- 
  

   alities. 
  The 
  duelists 
  awake 
  good 
  friends 
  

   the 
  next 
  morning, 
  but 
  unfit 
  for 
  work 
  for 
  

   another 
  day 
  or 
  two. 
  

  

  Bullfighting 
  is 
  rare 
  in 
  the 
  republic 
  ; 
  the 
  

   only 
  ring, 
  I 
  believe, 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  capital, 
  and 
  

   that 
  is 
  seldom 
  used. 
  Cockfighting 
  flour- 
  

   ishes 
  to 
  a 
  certain 
  extent, 
  but 
  not 
  so 
  much 
  

   as 
  in 
  the 
  more 
  northern 
  republics. 
  Lot- 
  

   teries 
  are 
  popular. 
  

  

  SAN 
  JOSE 
  BOASTS 
  ONK 
  OF 
  THE 
  WORLD'S 
  

   FINEST 
  OPERA 
  HOUSES 
  

  

  The 
  native 
  is 
  an 
  inveterate 
  lover 
  of 
  

   pleasure 
  and 
  never 
  grudges 
  a 
  day 
  missed 
  

   from 
  work, 
  if 
  he 
  can 
  obtain 
  entertain- 
  

   ment 
  by 
  such 
  self-denial. 
  The 
  capital 
  

   contains 
  a 
  monument 
  to 
  this 
  spirit 
  in 
  its 
  

  

  