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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



A Mexican assigned to a duty, as a 

 rule performs it promptly and with in- 

 tegrity. He handles tools well, but fol- 

 lows precedent, and the uncertainty of 

 action accredited to him is largely trace- 

 able to the observance of "fiestas" fixed 

 by church or state, which too often 

 are debauches, due to an abundance of 

 "pulque" or "aguardiente." 



Of moderate stature and of light build, 

 he exhibits marvelous strength and en- 

 durance, especially as burden-bearer. 

 Living in the land of Mariana, where 

 everything is considered as put off until 

 tomorrow, he moves with speed difficult 

 for a good walker to equal. His quiet 

 demeanor and mild speech give place to 

 wild enthusiasm only at bull-fights, games 

 of pelote, or when the Liberty Bell is 

 sounded on the national anniversary ; 

 for the Mexican is a lover of his coun- 

 try, which until lately has done so little 

 for him. 



On the mountain, the peon trudging 

 over difficult trails continues weaving a 

 hat, stopping only long enough to doff 

 his "sombrero" with a courteous and evi- 

 dently cordial "buenos diets." 



As the civil marriage only is recog- 

 nized legally, while the Catholic Church 

 demands a religious ceremony, the for- 

 malities are often neglected, especially 

 among the poorer classes. 



The affection existing between parents 

 and children, the love of flowers and of 

 music, as manifest in the mountains as 

 in the cities, contrasts with the national 

 pastimes of cock-fighting and the bull- 

 ring, and with the evident insensibility 

 to the suffering of dumb creatures, which 

 prevails. 



Although some domestic animals are 

 possessed by every peon able to own 

 them, kept close to and often within the 

 homes, bringing about an apparent af- 

 fection between them and their own- 

 ers, the latter would seem to show little 

 interest in the suffering caused by long 

 fasts, sharp goads, cruel spurs, or loads 

 which are all the animals can carry, the 

 friction of which is often the cause of 

 sores upon the creature's body. 



MANY CONTRASTS AND EXTREMES 



Some of the striking contrasts, indi- 

 cating extremes or contradictions, have 

 been referred to, and others, which also 

 suggest the peoples' democracy, may be 

 of interest (see page 485). 



A fashionably dressed gentleman pre- 

 cedes or follows on a prominent street 

 of the capital or other large city a san- 

 daled peon clad in linen trousers and 

 blouse, his indispensable companion, the 

 "serape," over one shoulder and his head 

 protected by a wide-brimmed sombrero. 



A passing Indian woman, barefoot and 

 with uncovered head, a child slung in 

 her "rebosa" over her shoulders, sug- 

 gests intimate association with garlic, 

 onions, and pulque, which is balanced by 

 an atmosphere heavily laden with artifi- 

 cial perfumes, which are features of the 

 toilet of milady on her promenade. 



A speeding automobile diverts its 

 course to avoid a drove of sleepy burros 

 laden with lumber, feed, or pottery, or a 

 lumbering traffic wagon moves side by 

 side with lithe "cargadores" carrying on 

 their backs or on litters household goods 

 of every variety. 



A gorgeously appointed funeral trolley 

 car, conveying the remains of one whose 

 family can afford this expense, may 

 reach the burial place simultaneously 

 with three or four peons, packing on 

 their shoulders the body of a comrade 

 in a plainly painted coffin, the use of 

 which is rented and which will be re- 

 turned after the body is given interment. 



Riveters joining the skeleton steel- 

 work of a great opera-house look down 

 upon a building near by being altered, 

 the workmen using scaffolding bound to- 

 gether with ropes in lieu of nails or 

 spikes. 



One-story and possibly single-room 

 adobe houses plastered in colors ad- 

 join large structures of elaborate archi- 

 tecture ; industrial establishments are 

 neighbors to handsome homes, through 

 whose spacious doorways are had 

 glimpses of beautiful patios adorned 

 with flowers and fountains. The wide 

 entrance of a "casa grande" sandwiched 



