MEXICO. 



Ill 



perfectly careless of consequences: and he met the ob- 

 jurgation and vociferous upbraidings of the dark-eyed 

 and dark-haired female whose arrangements he had in- 

 vaded, with the same recklessness with which he braved 

 the sullen scowl of hatred from her swarthy mate. 



The heat of noon brought comparative silence. Mul- 

 titudes had departed ; and those who maintained their 

 stand were dozing : but a little later, the old alguazil, with 

 uplifted staff and voice, might be seen at his unwelcome 

 labours : goading bipeds and quadrupeds ; twitching the 

 hair of the one, and the tails of the other ; and dispensing 

 execrations upon both. Unfortunately, I must allow, 

 that at this hour, there was some reason for his inter- 

 ference ; as the numberless pulquerias in the vicinity of 

 the market, to which many of the males had retired in 

 the morning, while their wives carried on the business, 

 now poured forth their inebriated occupants ; and many 

 a family group which had entered the city in harmony, 

 was seen retiring to their canoe amid violence and lam- 

 entations. 



The shops in Mexico do not make any great figure ; 

 they are in general open, and of small dimensions. Cer- 

 tain quarters are devoted to distinct lines of business. 

 Thus the jewellers have their street ; the sellers of man- 

 gas theirs ; and so forth. Coachmaking is among the 

 most important mechanical trades of the capital ; and, 

 perhaps, the most lucrative after that of the gold and 

 silver smiths ; but no trade can be very bad, if we con- 

 sider the price asked for almost every article. Saddlery, 

 confectionary, millinery, and tailoring flourish. The 

 vender of medicines seems to have a stirring business. 

 The Parian, which I have before named, forms a depos- 

 itory of a great proportion of the home-manufactured 

 goods ; and the hire of the stalls brings in a large revenue 

 to government. This alone can be pleaded in defence 

 of its maintenance, to the destruction of the beauty of 

 the Plaza Mayor. It is also the principal resort of the 

 evangelistas, writers of letters, memorials, and billets- 

 doux, for the unlearned of the city. Many foreign arti- 



