1894 
Oaxaca 
(Oaxaca) 
The climate is evidently Lower Sonoran (dry). The city is fair sized 
with a very good stone palace, or govermment build j.ng, The town has 
straight streets, mainly one story houses with barred windows, and 
• ' ' ' • • / 
about 30,000 inhabitants. It has several pretty parks or plazas shaded 
with the common ash of the tableland (F, berlaadieri) « Various orna- 
i , . 
mental shrubs, flowers, and some statuary deck these parks and render 
the city more attractive than it would be otherwise. The city was 
reached by railroad about a year ago and has since put up a good 
corrugated-iron market. It also enjoys electric lights and streetcars 
from the plaza to the depot. The two latter institutions can be found 
everywhere in Mexico In towns where there is no apparent warrant for 
them, to judge by the business carried on. 
The valley about the city is full of scattered Zapoteoo Indian 
villages, ^he women frcci these villages within from three to ten miles 
come in every day with supplies of tortillas which they sell and thus 
supply the entire demand. As in most Mexican cities, the main business 
is in the hands of Spaniards, French, or Germansj the native Mexicans 
being found dealing only in a small way. The <xmers of property nearly 
doubled on their rents and values on the arrival of the railroad, but I 
heard one old merchant complain that the ocaaing of the road had hurt 
the city as many people now went direct to Puebla and Mexico for supplies 
in place of buying here. The upper classes here usually dress in civil¬ 
ized fashion though the oharro costume is common, line-tenths of the 
people, however, are Indians dressing in a loose shirt-like blouse that 
hangs free at the bottom and a pair of wide loose drawers made of the 
same unbleached drilling fastened at the waist under the blouse. Broad- 
rimmed, sugar loaf hats of felt or straw (often with a heavy cord) whioh 
often cost more by several times than the rest of the costume. The 
drawers are held in place by a double leather girdle which serves as a 
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