NOTES ON SOUTHERN MEXICO 



319 



AN OPENED POD OP CACAO ( SLIGHTLY REDUCED) 



Cacao was appreciated by the Mexicans long before the discovery of America. Prescott 

 writes that the Emperor Montezuma was "exceedingly fond of it, . no less than 50 



pitchers being prepared for his own daily consumption ; 2,000 more were allowed for that of 

 his household." Seventy-three per cent of the cacao used by the world comes from tropical 

 America and the West Indies (Ecuador, Brazil, Trinidad, Santo Domingo, and Venezuela) ; 

 23 per cent from Africa (principally Portuguese East Africa), and the rest from Ceylon and 

 the Dutch East Indies. 



market. In making a purchase the neces- 

 sary question is, "Cuanto es cinco?" 

 (How many are five?) The money value 

 of the "cinco" is about y 2 cent, Mexican. 



A drink that is common Here, and one 

 that we found very useful in making long 

 trips where there was little food availa- 

 ble, is "tascalate." It is made of parched 

 corn, ground and mixed with ground 

 cacao and almonds, and is conveniently 

 carried in the form of a powder. It is 

 only necessary to add sugar and a little 

 water to make a pleasant and very nour- 

 ishing drink. 



Soon after passing Santa Rita the as- 

 cent becomes more rapid and the pines 

 and oaks become larger. A broad plateau 

 is soon reached, covered with a moist 

 forest, that reminds one strongly of the 

 forests of our northern States, except 

 that everything is on a larger scale. The 



oaks are more like the species at home, 

 and sweet-gum trees that appear identi- 

 cal with those at home are not uncom- 

 mon. Many of the oaks and pines are 3 

 feet in diameter and very tall. As we 

 crossed the edge of this plateau and de- 

 scended into the humid tropics to Pante- 

 pec, the transition was very abrupt ; tree 

 ferns, Musaceae, and Zingiberaceae sud- 

 denly appeared in abundance. 



The town of Pantepec has an elevation 

 of about 5,000 feet. The inhabitants are 

 Indians, but speak a dialect distinct from 

 the Indians of Tuxtla. We found but 

 two people in the entire town that could 

 speak Spanish, yet they are all devout 

 Catholics. 



Pichucalco, two days by trail from 

 Pantepec, is a rabbling town that pre- 

 sents a very striking appearance from the 

 fact that nearly all the nouses are painted 



