190 
EL PASO AND 
East the style was introduced into Spain by the Moors, 
and by the Spaniards was taken to Mexico. Moorish 
capitals and ornaments are still visible both in the fine 
dwelling and the humble cottage in northern Mexico. 
There is a venerable looking church here, constructed 
of adobe, which the cura, Ramon Ortiz, informed me 
had been built more than two hundred years. 
Window glass is not used here. The ordinary 
dwellings of the poorer class have no windows. The 
larger ones are entered by a large gateway, and have 
a few barred openings on the street. The other three 
sides present externally an unbroken and prison-like 
appearance. To all other parts of the house the light 
is admitted through windows or doors opening on 
the inner area. As the period is short during which 
the weather requires the houses to be closed, the occu- 
pants make them sufficiently warm by covering the 
opening with muslin or white cotton. Fires are but 
little used, except for cooking ; and although it is cold 
enough at times, the people manage to get along 
somehow through the winter without them. 
Until the advent of the Americans after the Texan 
annexation and the Mexican war, the Pasenos were a 
most primitive people. There was no town of any note 
nearer than Chihuahua, in Mexico, three hundred miles 
distant, and San Antonio, on the eastern side, six 
hundred and seventy miles off. Hence they saw few 
strangers, and enjoyed few of the luxuries of their 
civilized brethren. A metate stone on which to grind 
their corn and wheat, and a few articles of coarse 
pottery, constituted the utensils of the poorer classes 
for eating, drinking, and cooking. At present they 
