House and Garden 
5 4 
;* S31 h a® 
A 
A MARKET-GARDENER ON THE VIGA CANAL 
ing vegetable matter 
which falls from the 
boats or from the 
piled up masses on 
the shore. To the left 
are the long buildings 
of a distillery; on the 
right an avenue of 
trees half hides the 
Paseo of the Viga and 
the low line of mean 
houses and brightly 
painted pulque shops 
beyond. Under the 
trees the men are un¬ 
loading their market- 
garden boats, or 
squatting on their heels, cigarette in mouth, 
or stretched in the shade enjoying a siesta. 
The women are busy washing their clothes 
—and sometimes their hair—in the murky 
water, or in making tortillas, plentifully 
mixed with chili and pepper; a popular 
form of food which has given rise to the say¬ 
ing that no wolf or vulture will touch a dead 
Mexican, so seasoned is he with these some¬ 
what hot ingredients! The women are gen¬ 
erally dressed in colored cotton and wear a 
shawl draped over their heads which is often 
of a peculiarly soothing shade of indigo blue. 
To see one of these women walking barefoot 
with a great red jar on her shoulders or with a 
little brown baby tied on to her back is a joy 
to anyone whose eye is jaded by the incon¬ 
gruities of the modern world. The really 
THE MARSHES OF XOCHIMILCO 
beautiful scenery of Mexico owes part of its 
charm to the invariable harmony of the 
people who compose the foreground. Here, 
along the banks of the Viga, it is a perpetually 
shifting scene of movement, while afloat on 
the water, the flat-bottomed boats laden with 
grass and vegetables give great variety to the 
whole. After a little while the crowd ceases, 
the houses are left behind, and if we lose in 
animation we gain infinitely in the cleanliness 
of the water and the tranquil beauty of the 
surroundings. A row of willows and poplars 
to the right makes a thin screen which hardly 
obscures the view of the purple hills; to the 
left a high bank rises, shutting out the view. 
There are quantities of water-lily leaves on 
the water, clusters of pale lilac blossoms like 
crocus, and bunches of a green fruit which 
resembles a fig. The 
banks are covered 
with verdure, the sky 
is blue and the green 
trees are reflected 
peacefully in the clear 
water. By and by 
the tiny thatched vil¬ 
lage of Santa Anita 
appears on the left 
bank. Passing up 
the little street and 
leaving the old church 
to the left, the traveler 
finds himself in a sort 
of little plaza, which 
has a landing stage, 
for Santa Anita lies 
ig 7 
