mexican politeness.—free gifts of houses and other property.—awkward mistakes.—an englishwoman's dilemma, and how she got out of it.—uncle freddy and the governor of acapulco.—the great market; sights and scenes there.—on the canal.—extensive local commerce.—the chinampas, or floating gardens.—an excursion on the lakes.—santa anita, a place of recreation.—experts in diving.—the hill of estrella.—the festival of fire; prescott's description of the fearful ceremony.—fishing in the lakes.—the axolotl.—fish or reptile?—flies' eggs as an article of food.
a gift to fred.
"we have been much impressed and amused," said fred in a letter to his mother, "with the mexican, or, rather, the spanish, forms of politeness. whenever we are introduced to anybody, he immediately says, 'remember that your house is at no. — on —— street,' notwithstanding that we may have told him we are comfortably quartered at the hotel. in one day a dozen or twenty houses were offered to us; and ever since then, if no more than two or three are tendered between sunrise and bed-time, we think it is a very poor day for business. sometimes the form is varied by saying, 'my house and all it contains are yours.' it would be better if they would send us the title-deeds to the establishment, with a bill of sale of the furniture acknowledged and receipted before a notary; but thus far nobody has gone as far as that.
"it is a form of politeness, and nothing more," the youth continued, "and the people who offer us their houses are about as sincere as americans
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are when they say, 'delighted to see you,' or, 'happy to meet you,' to the people they are introduced to in their own country; or as the new york hostess who says to a departing guest, 'must you go so soon?' when she has really been wondering to herself why the visitor tarried so long.
"it seemed very odd until we got used to it and learned the real meaning of the words, to be told on entering the dwelling of a man we had not known five minutes, 'you are in your own house;' or that we were the masters, and he was the humble guest. doctor bronson says they really mean to have us make ourselves at home, and they certainly show great hospitality; but it would be a sad mistake to take them literally and act as though the place belonged to us.
"every time we admire anything—a piece of furniture, a garment, an article of jewellery or bric-à-brac, or anything else of value—we are immediately told that it belongs to us, and, if it is portable, that we can carry it away with us. if we should be so boorish as to accept the offer, the person who made it would not display any annoyance, however much he might feel; he is too polite for that.
"'what would they do under such circumstances?' i hear you ask. i can best answer by telling a story we heard yesterday.
"an english lady who had just arrived, and had not learned the forms of mexican politeness, one day admired a set of jewellery, which included a very costly necklace of diamonds and other precious stones that had belonged to the family for two or three hundred years. she was told that the set of jewellery was hers, and believing they meant what they said, she took it away with her when her call was ended.
"of course the story was at once told to the friend who had made the introduction, and the latter at once went to the guileless stranger and explained the situation. she returned the jewels immediately, with the explanation that, on reaching home, she had found they did not match the dress with which she expected to wear them. she added that she had a fine set of jewellery which she thought would be an appropriate present for one of the young ladies of the family, and she would send it with great pleasure. a polite message was returned declining the offer, and hoping it would be in the power of the family to render the english visitor some distinguished services during her stay in the city. in this way the whole difficulty was bridged over, and the parties were good friends.
"a similar story was told us regarding an american lady who visited mexico several years ago, and, through her ignorance of the local forms of politeness, accepted the offer of a rare and beautiful shawl. mutual friends
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arranged the matter amicably; but the fair american was greatly mortified when she learned the mistake she had made.
"my house and all it contains are yours."
"doctor bronson says there used to be a harmless lunatic in san francisco, and afterwards in new york, who went about the streets dressed in the old continental costume. with his long and snowy hair, and quaint costume, he was a noticeable figure. he was under the belief that he resembled benjamin franklin, and he used to exhibit a photograph representing himself standing at the base of the franklin monument in boston.
"his passage by steamer was paid from san francisco to new york
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by some friends, and during the voyage the vessel spent a day at acapulco. 'uncle freddy,' as he was called, went on shore with other passengers, and was introduced to the governor. the governor made him the usual offer of his house and everything it contained, and when the hour came to go on board the steamer the recipient of the offer refused to accompany the other passengers. he declared that the governor had given him the house, and he was going to remain and enjoy it for the rest of his life. explanations were useless; and after vainly trying to induce him to change his mind, the passengers seized uncle freddy and carried him bodily in their arms to the boat which lay in readiness to take them to the ship. it was necessary to lock him in his room until they had left their anchorage and were steaming outside the harbor.
seeing and being seen.
"of course you will naturally infer that the spanish people are insincere in their politeness, and certainly appearances are against them. but they do not mean anything by it any more than the people of the united states do in their polite ways of speaking. there is this difference, that we do not go as far as the spaniards in saying empty words, and that is about all. doctor bronson says there's a good deal of hollowness in society everywhere; that people could not get along at all together, and there would be no society at all if everybody spoke exactly what he thought at all times.
"think what would happen if mrs. smith should remark to mrs. brown when the latter is leaving the house after a prolonged visit, 'i'm
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glad you're going; you've staid too long,' instead of saying and acting exactly the reverse; and think, too, what would happen if mr. jones, on being introduced to mr. robinson, should say, 'i don't care a straw whether i know you or not,' instead of 'glad to make your acquaintance,' or something of the sort."
the market-place, city of mexico.
one of the attractions of the mexican capital is the market-place. there are several mercados, or markets, in the city, the principal one being the volador, which is close to the national palace, and overlooked, as already mentioned, by one of the windows of the room which was maximilian's favorite apartment. history says it was for a long time the property of the family of cortez, as it happened to be on a portion of the land which he secured at the division of the spoils of conquest. for nearly two hundred years the city paid rent to the heirs of the conqueror, and only in comparatively recent times bought the site, and now owns it in fee simple.
frank and fred visited the market-place several times during their stay in the city; in fact, it was one of their principal sources of amusement. they were never tired of studying the ways of the natives who throng the place and offer their wares for sale, and they realized the force of what they read in one of the descriptions of mexico, that the markets had changed very little since the days of montezuma and the aztec rule.
interior of a house near the market-place.
here is what bernal diaz wrote of the market as he saw it in 1519:
"we were astonished at the crowds of people and the regularity which prevailed, as well as at the vast quantities of merchandise which those who attended us were assiduous in pointing out. each kind had its particular place, which was designated by a sign. the articles consisted of gold, silver, jewels, feathers, mantles, chocolate, skins dressed and undressed, sandals, and great numbers of male and female slaves, some of whom were fastened by the neck, in collars, to long poles. the meat market was stocked with fowls, game, and dogs. vegetables, fruits, articles of food ready-dressed, salt, bread, honey, and sweet pastry made in various ways, were also sold here. other places in the square were appointed to the sale of earthen-ware, wooden household furniture (such as tables and benches), firewood, paper, sweet canes filled with tobacco mixed with liquid amber, copper axes and working tools, and wooden vessels highly painted. numbers of women sold fish and little loaves made of a certain mud which they find in the lakes, and which resembles cheese. the makers of stone blades were busily employed shaping them out of the rough material, and the merchants who dealt in gold had the metal in grains as it came from the mines, in transparent quills, and the gold was
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valued at so many mantles, or so many xiquipils of cocoa, according to the size of the quills. the entire square was enclosed in piazzas, under which great quantities of grain were stored, and where also were shops for various kinds of goods."
mexican bird-sellers.
"the description of the market by bernal diaz," wrote fred in his journal, "would answer very well for to-day, so far as the appearance of the sellers and many of the buyers is concerned. they bring the produce of their farms and gardens to market just as they brought it before columbus discovered america, and the chief difference to-day is that slaves, gold, silver, feathers, and some other things named by diaz are not now offered for sale. the indians bring fowls and vegetables just as of old and in the same way—in baskets carried on their shoulders or on those of their family. since the introduction of the railway some produce comes to mexico by train, and in course of time the old custom may disappear, but it will not do so in a hurry.
view on the canal.
"there is a canal from the lake to the city," wrote the youth, "and it comes directly to the market-place, so that the natives bring their boats
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close to where they sell their wares. much of the dealing takes place on board the boats or close to them, and the crowds that gather around while a bargain is in progress are very interesting. some of the shops and stalls are at the very edge of the canal, so that the prows of the boats stick in among them, and you realize what a serious matter it would be to the market-people if by any accident the lake and the canal should be dried up and disappear. the whole system of local supply would be radically changed, and until a new order of things could be established the inhabitants of the capital might run the risk of starvation.
"the busiest day of the market is on sunday, and the noise of the place is almost deafening. the ordinarily silent mexican becomes very voluble in the market-place when there is a prospect of making something by talk.
"the description we have given of the market of monterey will answer for this one, with the exception that you must multiply everything by ten or twenty, and add several things we did not see there. one part of the market is devoted to the sale of coffins; they are made on the spot, and had a specially sombre appearance to us, as they are all painted black. the shops in which they are made are in a narrow alley, and the workmen
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engaged in the dreary industry seemed as unconcerned as did the makers of furniture or picture-frames.
"we hired a canoe and took a short ride on the canal. its banks are low and marshy; they are devoted to the culture of vegetables, and the gardens had a luxuriant appearance, as though the soil was prolific. the lake, as before said, is brackish and shallow; formerly it contained the famous chinampas, or floating gardens, but when we asked for them we were told they did not now exist, though the name is retained. we will say more about them later on.
"disappointed in one of the objects of our journey, we settled down to an enjoyment of the sights of the canal; but our pleasure was a good deal marred by the number of smells the boatmen stirred up from the bottom.
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residence on the banks of the canal.
"how old the canal is nobody can tell; it was in use long before the conquest, for when cortez came here the boats of the aztecs were plying on its waters, and he observed the activity of the local commerce when he walked along the banks while he was the guest of montezuma. there are little villages near the canal; they are the homes of the people who till the gardens and supply the markets of the city with vegetables, and with grass for horses and other quadrupeds.
sunday diversions at santa anita.
"to see the chinampas it was necessary to go to santa anita, or better still, to the lakes xochimilco and chalco. santa anita is a sort of coney island without its ocean, a place of recreation for the middle and lower classes, especially on sundays and feast days. we went there on a week-day, when it was comparatively quiet; a gentleman who lives here says that on sunday the place is crowded with people, all bent on amusing themselves. the first thing they do on arriving is to deck themselves with wreaths of poppies and other flowers, which are sold for next to nothing and grow here in great abundance. after obtaining a supply of flowers they dance, drink pulque, eat tamals and other mexican delicacies, and have a thoroughly good time as they understand it. there are other villages of the same sort farther along the canal,
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but they are not so well patronized by the sunday excursionists as santa anita.
"we seemed to 'take our lives in our hands' in starting on our journey to the lakes, as we had a scene with the boatmen at the bank of the canal which was anything but agreeable. we had been told that we ought not to pay more than two dollars for a boat for the entire day; the men began by demanding five or six dollars, and as all talked at once, and each tried to persuade us to patronize him, and leave the others to look elsewhere for patronage, we had an active time for a while. the men would not abate their demands, and we walked away; then they reduced their figures, and after ten or fifteen minutes spent in bargaining, we secured a craft. it was about twelve feet long and four wide, flat-bottomed, had an awning over the centre where we could sit in the shade but could not stand erect, and was propelled by means of two boatmen working poles in the bow. they pushed with their poles against the bottom or sides of the canal, and thus sent the craft along, at the same time stirring up the mud and several dozens of vile smells.
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"we met and passed other boats of the same kind, and also small chalupas, or canoes, containing one or two persons, and resembling narrow dugouts more than anything else. then we met cargo-boats of various kinds, some piled high with grass, and others with heaps of baskets or sacks in the centre, and propelled by several men who patiently poled the craft along.
crew of a cargo-boat.
"frank made a sketch of the crew of one of the cargo-boats at their work. while going forward they carried the poles horizontally above their heads; on reaching the bow of the boat, each man fixed his pole in the mud at the bottom, and then rested his shoulder firmly against the upper end; this done, he walked slowly aft, thus propelling the boat; and as one set of men went aft while the other was going forward, the boat made steady progress through the water. doctor bronson said it was a reminder of the navigation of the mississippi before the days of steam-boats.
chinampas, or floating gardens.
"the chinampas as they exist to-day are in the neighborhood of santa anita and along the sides of the canal all the way to the lake. the ground is low and marshy, and in ancient times was probably a part of the lake or of the great body of water that covered most of the valley. the chinampas are masses of vegetation, reeds, and bushes covered with
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soil above, and they are so loosely fastened that they rise and fall with the changes of the height of water. they are said to have been formerly drifted about by the winds and waves, and were then really chinampas; now they are made fast by means of poles, and their owners know where to find them. an excellent description of these marvels is to be found on page 159 of mr. brocklehurst's book, and we take the liberty of copying it:
"'when a tract of vegetation, composed of reeds, water-plants, and bushes interwoven and laced together, becomes so dense that it will bear a superstructure, strips of turf twenty to thirty yards long by two yards wide are cut from some suitable firm place, floated to it down the canal, and laid upon it. this is repeated several times, and thus an island is securely raised two to three feet above the level of the water. a little soil is spread over it, and it becomes a chinampa, or floating garden, on which indian corn, vegetables, and flowers are grown. the gardens vary in size from one to two hundred feet in length, and from twenty to a hundred feet in width, according to the nature of the vegetation which supports them.
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"'the lakes chalco and xochimilco are covered with this sort of vegetation. the lakes have a varying depth of from ten to fifteen feet, and to secure the gardens in their proper places long willow poles are driven through them into the ground below, where they soon take root. the poles also throw out roots into the bed of the floating gardens, and so hold them steady.'
"it is said that thieves pursued by soldiers or the police have been known to dive under these chinampas and come up on the other side. any enterprising citizen of the united states who thinks of coming to mexico for a life of crime would do well to become an expert swimmer and diver before venturing into this country.
peon's house on a chinampa.
"these gardens become firm enough in a few years to support men, dwelling-houses, and even horned cattle and horses, although the water continues to circulate freely beneath them. the government taxes the inhabitants or owners sufficiently to pay the expense of maintaining an inspector and several assistants. the chinampas are separated by narrow canals, and the duties of the inspecting party are to keep the canals free from weeds, and see that the islands are properly fastened so that they cannot drift about with the wind."
we may add to the story of the youth that at the time of the conquest
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there were thousands of these chinampas, and they annually paid a good revenue to the aztec authorities. the valley of mexico appears to have been more densely peopled at that time than it is to-day, as every inch of solid earth was tilled to its fullest capacity, and the necessity arose for utilizing the marshes and also the surface of the lakes. in the days of cortez the floating gardens covered lake tezcoco, but as time has gone on they have disappeared from that brackish sheet, and are now practically confined to the two lakes we have mentioned and the canals leading to them.
cactus growths near the hill of estrella.
our young friends kept a sharp watch for the hill of estrella, and there was a good-natured rivalry between them as to who should be the first to discover it. frank was the fortunate one in this instance, for he caught a glimpse of the conical peak while fred was looking in the wrong
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direction. it is of porphyritic sandstone, and about 500 feet in height; the sides are steep in some places, and here and there it is possible to discover some of the old masonry which converted the hill into a huge teocalli like the pyramid of cheops.
rock inscriptions made by ancient aztecs.
the modern village is at the base of the hill, and there the youths landed and engaged horses to carry them to the summit. the view is quite extensive, and shows a wide area of lakes and valley, and the mountains that engirdle them. but they would hardly have made the ascent of estrella for the view alone; it was rather because the place has an ancient fame, and was at one time the most sacred in mexico.
"we have mentioned elsewhere," said frank, "that the mexicans had ages, or cycles, of fifty-two years, and at the end of each cycle they had an unusual ceremony, the festival of fire, which was not repeated till the end of another cycle. well, this hill was the scene of the ceremony, which was held on the evening that the constellation of the pleiades approached the zenith. according to prescott's history of the conquest of mexico, a procession of priests on that evening led a noble victim, a captive of the
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highest rank, to be sacrificed on the hill of estrella. for five days previous the people had extinguished all their fires in their temples and dwellings, broken their idols, and given themselves up to despair, as they were taught that the world was coming to an end.
"after the pleiades had passed the zenith the victim was slaughtered, and a new fire was kindled by the friction of sticks in his wounded breast. then couriers stood ready with torches, which were lighted at the new fire, and from the hill of estrella it was carried all through the kingdom. for thirteen days following this event there was general festivity everywhere; and the festival of fire may be considered the national carnival of the aztecs."
frank and fred were naturally eager to ascertain what kind of fishes were to be found in the lakes, and they learned in a very practical way. near estrella they saw some men fishing with rod and line, and at their suggestion one of the boatmen obtained some of the fish, which proved to be a species of trout. they were not more than three or four inches long, and in order to cook them the boatman made a charcoal fire in the bottom of his craft. the fish were fried on the coals, and were remarkably fat and juicy. the youths thought they had not in a long time tasted anything so delicious, but the doctor reminded them that they were hungry, and since early in the morning had been out in the open air.
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home scene near the lake.
there are several varieties of fish in the fresh-water lakes of the valley of mexico, but in the salt or brackish lake tezcoco there is only one kind, and some people think he is not entitled to be called a fish. he is shaped like one, but has four legs and a long, eel-like tail. he belongs more properly to the lizard family than to that of the fishes, and is a disgusting object to contemplate. he grows to about ten inches in length. frank thought he should go hungry a long time rather than eat of this reptile, who is called axolotl in the aztec tongue, and ajolote by the spaniards.
"does anybody venture to eat this creature?" fred asked.
"certainly," answered his informant; "the indians eat its flesh, which resembles that of an eel. white men who have got over their prejudice say it is toothsome, and many a stranger has devoured axolotl under the name of fried eel, and enjoyed it too."
"there's a great deal in a name and in prejudice," was the youth's commentary as he changed the subject to something else.
that something was a peculiar article of food even stranger than axolotl. its scientific name is ahuatlea mexicana, and it consists of the eggs of a peculiar fly, which are deposited on the reeds and rushes growing in the shallow places along the borders of the lake. a traveller who visited mexico two and a half centuries ago wrote of this substance as follows:
"the indians gathered much of this and kept it in heaps, and made thereof cakes like unto brick-bats, and they did eat this with as good a stomach as we eat cheese; yea, and they hold opinion that this scum, or fatness, of the water is the cause that such great number of fowl cometh to the lake, which in the winter season is infinite."
custom has not changed in two hundred and fifty years. they sell these "cakes like unto brick-bats" in the markets of mexico to-day, and the indians eat the stuff with good relish. it bears some resemblance to fine fish-roe; and after all, prejudice again being removed, and one being hungry, it is not bad eating. the indians gather these insects by myriads and pound them into paste, which is afterwards wrapped in corn-husks, and forms an article of food second only to the one just mentioned. the laying capacity of the insect, which is about the size of an ordinary fly, is something marvellous, surpassing the abilities of the choicest fowls that ever were reared.
a dead fly.
"you may judge how abundant these insects are," said frank, "when
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i tell you they settle down so thickly on the water that we thought they were shoals, or mud-banks! fortunately for us, they didn't sting, nor did they even settle on the boat."
in one of his letters to the king describing the country he had conquered cortez gave a minute account of the lakes in the neighborhood of tenochtitlan, and naturally mentioned the fact that they had no outlet. he solved the mystery of the disappearance of the waters by gravely declaring that there was a large hole in the bottom of lake tezcoco by which the lake was drained. a century later an engineer was sent from spain to find the hole in the bottom of the lake. he made many surveys, but was unable to discover it, and finally concluded that the surplus water was carried off by evaporation.
