OF THL XX "CENTURY

PERCY F. MARIIN ER.G.S.

¦.¦¦. .. "I give thfe Moats "Ifl
f or f the.; founding ef a. Colltgi in this Colonf\ \j

Gift of the
HONORABLE HIRAM BINGHAM
YALE 1898
1929

harden it and give it various shades of colour. Noteworthy is the skill with which
the characteristics of the different animals are hit off, with the same unconscious
efforts as those displayed by the cave men of palasolithic times. Yet, strange to say,
this sense of plastic art completely dies out in the adult Hottentot, though not in
the Bushman. Nor is the latter as destitute of tribal organization as he is usually
described, wandering about in disorderly hordes, like baboons in search of food — a
point also noticed by Dr. S. Passarge in ' Die Buschmanner der Kalahari.'
The Hottentots are stated to call themselves Khoi Khoin, "Men of men,'' as if
they thought themselves the creme de la creme, or lords of creation. But Dr.
Schultze again tells us that this is not so, the expression being chiefly used in reply
to a question regarding their tribal connections. In the mouth of a pure Nama it
simply means that he is a full-blood native, and not a mongrel or half-breed like
his Bastaard or Grriqua neighbours.
In the long section (over 200 pages) devoted to the mental qualities of the
Namas, there is a valuable collection of sixty-eight national legends, which are all
the more welcome since hitherto the rich Hottentot folklore has been strangely
neglected. This, no doubt, was mainly due to the difficulty of dealing with the
oral texts of a language full of unpronounceable clicks and structural complications,
so that the few tales published by Bleek appear only in translations, which are so
modified and otherwise defective that they .Jail, to, reflect the real spirit of the
originals. This is here thoroughly preserved by\Dr. Schultze's treatment, which
disposes the material in five groups — adventures in the wilderness with cannibals
and wild beasts, sagas of the Hill Damaras, family and pastoral stories, myths of
eponymous heroes and of the olden times, and animal tales. Then each saga is
given in the original text reduced to a uniform system of transcription, and this is
followed by a close translation in which grammatical forms and idioms are explained
within brackets. The folklore is followed by a considerable number of popular
riddles, which are treated in the same way, and serve to further exemplify the
mental character of the people. A few instances may be given. There is a very
little thing which brings big ones — money. What runs after another and never
overtakes it ? A wheel. There is a thing which looks easy to catch, but which
you will never catch — your shadow. What is it you stuff full and then starve ?
Your gun. What is it you see even in the dark, however far or near it be ? Fire.
A wide red gorge is edged all round with white things — the mouth and teeth.
There are several indexes, a very fine large-scale map of the routes followed, and
some splendid photographic reproductions of Bushmen, Namas, and Bechuanas, of
geological formations, characteristic scenery, plants, and animals, altogether 25
plates and 286 illustrations in the text.
, A. H. Keane.
\j \ AMERICA. Mexico.
' Mexico of the Twentieth Century.' By Percy F. Martin. 2 Vols. London :
E. Arnold. 1907. Price 30s. net.
This book is a useful reminder of the great change that has come over Mexico
during the last few years. It is no longer the land of the diligencia and the bandit ;
we can spare them both ; but, alas ! the charro dress, the mantilla, and the high
comb are also becoming obsolete.
The author of this book does his best to show us Mexico up-to-date by passing
in review the Departments of Government, the Army and Navy, the Judicial
System, and the condition of Education and Beligion, and then devotes many pages "," -
to Banking, Insurance, etc., and giveB a full account of the lines of railway. His ^,
| iiim ib aimosr. as Dad as the natural history in the last English book on Mexico,
which taught us that "humming birds do not sing," and that "a raar.»<-° is a
small kind of hippopotamus which lives in swamps."
There is still room for a good all-round book on Mexico.

enthusiasm for his subject is his best excuse for the over-laudation which pervades
his writing. Mexico is certainly a most interesting and charming city, but the
author goes so far as to say (p. 182), " Already sufficient has been effected to evince
that Mexico will be more beautiful than Paris, more admirably planned than Vienna,
and a distinct improvement on Berlin."
The opening sentence of the first volume should prepare us for some want of
historical discrimination, for it states that " during the whole of the three hundred
years during which Mexico was subject to Spanish rule, not one single act of grace,
of consideration, or even of common fairness towards the Colony can be traced."
If the author intends this sweeping assertion to cover merely commercial relations
there is some sort of justification if we judge only by modern standards, but if it
covers the attitude of Spain towards the Indians of America, we may quote Herman
Merivale, who says, " It is truly said by Heeren that ' no European Government did
so much for the aborigines as the Spanish,' and although most writers have coupled
the admission of this fact with the general assertion that the good laws established
by the mother country were absolutely set at nought by the rapacity of the colonists,
yet the state of ease and prosperity in which the Indians lived at the time when
the recent revolutions commenced most distinctly contradicts this position." *
The second volume contains a description of each State in alphabetical order
from Aguas Calientes to Yucatan, and chapters on trade, manufactures, and mining.
It does not add much to] our knowledge of Campeche to bs told, "It has cool and
shady forests stretching away for hundreds of miles, but therein lurk deadly fevers
and noisome insects; it has luxuriant savannahs, verdant lagoons, and many
beautiful lakes, but in them are the haunts of malaria, poisonous reptiles, and
deadly vapours. . . . The rich forests, filled with valuable dye-woods, stretch right
down to the water's edge ; but it is cettiin disease, and frequently death, to penetrate
far beyond their borders, the Indian alone finding safety within their dark and
fever-laden depths. ... No doubt the State of Campeche contains many good and
promising mines — at least, such are suspected to exist — but the climate is so trying,
and the labour available so poor and unreliable, that the industry has been almost
untouched." The climate of Campeche is no worse than that of any other tropical
forest land near the sea-level, and the rich mines would indeed be a revelation.
The description of Chiapas ends with an account of the Buins of Palenque,
"one most important factor in the many attractions of Chiapas must inevitably
be the marvellous — perhaps the most marvellous of all— ruins to be found at
Palenque. Every other prehistoric city in Mexico, and indeed in the world,
must yield pride of place to this, a verdict pronounced and endorsed by every
archaeologist and antiquarian who has ever seen the great ruins of .the universe."
Also in chapter xxviii. it is stated that," In Mexico may be seen, scattered over the
face of the vast territory— which covers some 1,987,201 sq. kilometres of super
ficial area— ruins older by many centuries than those of Galdsea and Syria, of
Karnac and Memphis, and more beautiful than those of the Temple of Ephesus "
etc. It would be difficult to condense more errors into a few sentences, and con
sidering the large number of trustworthy hooks and pamphlets on the subject, the
author might have taken the trouble to consult some of them. However, this book
is a compilation, tempered by a certain amount of personal observation of some
districts, and it fulfils a useful purpose in bringing a good deal of information
within the covers of two volumes, although it still requires much revision and
correction. The illustrations are numerous and good, but we must protest against our old
* Lectures on Colonization and Colonies, delivered at Oxford, 1839-41.

MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
VOLUME I

P/nVi' P S. Cox.

Mexico City. Castle of Chai-ultefec, summer residence of the President.— see p. 185.

MEXICO OF
THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

PERCY F. MARTIN, F.R.G.S.
AUTHOR OF "THROUGH FIVE REPUBLICS OF SOUTH AMERICA,'
'MEXICO'S TREASURE HOUSE," ETC.

IN TWO VOLUMES
VOLUME I.

NEW YOEK
BOTH), MEAD & CO.
LONDON : EDWAED ABNOLD
1907
[All rights reserved]

PREFACE
Quicquid agunt homines, votum, timor, ira voluptas,
gaudia, discursus, nostri est farrago libelli.
Five-and-twenty years ago, who on all the earth would have
invested his money in a Mexican bank ; have trusted his
savings in a Mexican mine ; or have considered it a safe and
prudent thing to go to Mexico at all ? A somewhat similar
question was once asked by Sydney Smith of the United
States of America ; but to-day the answer would in both
cases be the same. Both have triumphed over time ; both
have made a name for themselves in the Old World that
nothing can obliterate ; and both have before them a future
as brilliant as it is certain, and as solid as it has been well
earned. It takes many generations to effect a change in popular
superstitions, and assuredly ignorance of and concerning
countries afar off amounts almost to a superstition in some
people ? In spite of board schools and polytechnics, in the
face of educational establishments of acknowledged world
reputation, knowledge of the greater portion of the Western
Hemisphere is a sealed book to the majority of the present
generation. A prominent Fellow of the Eoyal Geographical
Society, once its President, assured me that he had been
appalled at the ignorance of Cabinet Ministers concerning
simple geographical conditions of the countries concerning
which they were then actively discussing, reminding one of
Butler's lines in " Hudibras " :
" Some force whole regions, in despite
0' geography, to change their site."
V

vi PREFACE
Sir George Taubman Goldie, who is President of the Royal
Geographical Society this year, states that the Foreign Office
alone of the Civil Services of the Crown included geography
among the subjects for the entrance examination of candi
dates. The Foreign Office had made a pass in this subject
compulsory, but at present and henceforth geography ceases
to be a subject which candidates might even voluntarily
select. One would imagine that a knowledge of geography,
even among subordinate members, would be of value in the
Colonial Office, which administers or controls vast regions
contiguous to the possessions of Foreign PowerB, to say
nothing of the Indian Civil Service, the Board of Trade, and
the Post Office. Sir George has called attention to an
extraordinary address which came before his notice as follows :
" Ottawa, Ontario, United States of America " ; but I could
give him a more remarkable instance than this, notably in
connection with a leading Bank, the Manager of which, when
I proffered a request for a letter of credit upon Mexico, called
for the " South American list," and upon my suggesting
mildly that North America would be more useful under the
circumstances, expressed his conviction that " Mexico was in
South America," a delusion which a study of the map alone
dissolved. I much fear that Mexico has hitherto been among the
little-known countries of the earth, and even to-day the
general knowledge concerning it, if one may judge from the
astounding mis-statements which one continually comes
across, is decidedly elementary. It is commonly described as
a " South American Republic," when its position is in North
America ; as a " dangerous country " in which to travel,
whereas it is as safe as either America or Great Britain, so
far as immunity from personal assaults and robberies is
concerned ; as a " risky place for investments," while statistics
prove there is greater solidarity among the banks and similar
institutions, and far more honesty among the people them
selves, than can be found in any country of the Old World.
Another common supposition is that, with the disappear
ance of General Porfirio Diaz, either by reason of his

PREFACE vii
voluntary retirement or other cause, the present condition of
peace and prosperity must come to an end. This fear of
collapse has been so frequently expressed, and always by
individuals who, never having been in the country, can and
do know nothing whatever about it, that the world at large
has come to believe it. There has seldom been perpetuated a
more complete and foundationless error. While it is perfectly
true that the New Mexico — " Mexico of the Twentieth Century "
— owes practically everything to the long-sustained govern
ment of Porfirio Diaz — its regeneration as a Nation, its
rehabilitation as a Power among the countries of the earth,
and a force henceforth to be reckoned with — so thoroughly
has this great Soldier- Statesman done his work, so well has
he laid the foundations, built up the walls, and roofed over the
whole structure, that the fabric stands to-day self-supporting
and indestructible, a living and a lasting monument to the
man who built it — to his strength, his devotion, and his
intelligence. But Mexico is no longer in any need of a
defender, nor is it now dependent upon its architect. He has
built too soundly and permanently for that. Diaz may pass
away ; but, while his name will never perish from record or
recollection, his guiding hand can be dispensed with, and
that without fear of untoward consequences.
It is always difficult to convey by means of figures any idea
of the actual size of countries, but of Mexico it may be said
that it is ten times larger than Great Britain ; it has a coast
line of over 6,000 miles ; 10 volcanoes ; 59 lakes and lagoons ;
a total area of about 750,000 square miles, and, in its
narrowest portion, separates the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
by a distance of only 140 miles. The largest State in the
Republic is Chihuahua, with an area of nearly 90,000 square
miles, and the smallest is that of Tlaxcala, with an area of
2,558 square miles. There are upwards of 40 different tribes
of Indians living in the country who speak as many different
languages ; while in one State alone — namely, that of Oaxaca
— I have the assurance of the Archbishop (Dr. Eulogio
Gillow) that there are no fewer than 75 dialects spoken by
the natives, with most of which his Grace is well acquainted.

viii PREFACE
The result achieved in publishing this unpretentious
account of Mexico should be to prove that the Republic
to-day is a new land, with a strong and stable Government,
increasing revenues, abundant resources, and a people fit and
ready to take their place among the counsellors of the earth.
A few months ago the Republic celebrated the fiftieth
anniversary of the signing of the Mexican Constitution ; and
it is difficult to recall the long train of intervening events,
and to review the attendant difficulties met with without
experiencing something like a feeling of astonishment at what
has actually been accomplished within that period. Having
at enormous sacrifice of life and property freed herself from
the Spanish yoke, the country found that of the Church no
less oppressive and no less cruel. A long and painful
struggle with her own sons, followed by a fierce resistance
to the foreign invader, with the inevitable financial collapse
following upon an exhausted treasury, a depleted people and
a crippled industry, all had to be faced, and were faced with a
courage and a devotion almost heroic. Unlike its many
sister-republics, Mexico is not in the least danger of having
any one of these disasters recur. They have been grappled
with and overcome for all time ; henceforth the Republic's
road is clear. It would be a bold prophet who could say the
same of some South and Central American States, whose
troubles would appear to be of the Lernean monster type
— as soon as one head is struck off, two shoot up in its
place. The good offices of Mexico, in conjunction with the United
States, in settling (for the time being, at any rate) the
differences between Honduras and Nicaragua towards the
close of last year prove conclusively the high moral standing
of that country among the Latin- American people, who viewed
with equanimity and satisfaction as emanating from Mexico
what they would have regarded with suspicion and resent
ment as coming from the United States alone. I regard the
influence which Mexico is able to wield among the turbulent
small republics of South and Central America as of the
utmost consequence and value, and as likely to have far-

PREFACE ix
reaching effect hereafter in settling the innumerable squabbles
arising in this part of the world, such as the United States
could never succeed in quelling, with or without the aid of
the " big stick."
Another evidence of Mexico's advancement in the high
esteem of the rest of the world was found in the anxiety
evinced by European banking houses to secure the placing of
the last loan for the sum of $80,000,000 gold (say £8,000,000),
in November of 1904. Representatives of the houses of
Bleichroder of Berlin and the Banque de Paris et des Pays-
Bas (Paris) conferred at length with the Finance Minister at
Mexico City ; but the terms offered by the New York house of
Speyer and Co. triumphed, and European houses were
disappointed. It seems almost incredible that less than a decade before
that Mexico might have gone the round of the European
capitals with hat in hand and seductive terms in her pocket,
and then would have failed to raise half a million dollars.
And it was a 4 per cent, loan, sold to the underwriting
syndicate at 89 per cent., with no special pledge for the
payment of interest and sinking fund — terms such as any
old-established European Government would have been
pleased to accept.
Let us glance at the Republic of Mexico to-day, and see
what are its claims to be considered a factor in the world's
affairs : A Public Exchequer in the full tide of prosperity,
and a substantial surplus ; its bonds held in every country of
the world, and quoted upon every Stock Exchange ; a solid,
well-drilled, and devoted Army of 26,000 men on a peace
footing, increased at twenty-four hours' notice to 60,000 upon
a war footing ; 20,000 miles of telegraph lines ; 17,000 miles
of railways ; public credit upon a level never attained
previously ; an entire absence of jealousy or contention
among the Government officials, from the highest to the
lowest ; a lack of polemics which can be matched in but few
countries of the world ; and a general peacefulness among all
classes as complete as it is rooted. As a Mexican once
expressed himself: "Progress and peace are nailed to our
vol. i. b

x PREFACE
soil with the rails of our iron roads, and no criminal hand
shall be strong enough to tear them asunder."
What the country has lacked hitherto has been an intelli
gent middle class, and gradually this great desideratum to
the permanent welfare of any nation is growing into existence.
The picture of Mexico to-day is more composite than settled ;
for on the one hand are to be found the latest ideas in
municipal government and social life, and on the other
feudalism of the most pronounced if picturesque type. The
old usurers have given way to modern banks, but the tenacity
with which some State Governments cling to tradition, and
the little desire displayed by the people to escape from it,
strike the stranger as remarkable indeed.
Hitherto a great deterrent to the more complete regenera
tion of Mexico has been the character of the native peons.
Forming as they do fully seven-tenths of the population, they
present a problem not insoluble, but nevertheless difficult.
As a class they are averse to change of any kind, and cling as
affectionately to their modes of living — primitive and not too
cleanly — as they do to their picturesque but unsuitable
costumes. Education is doing its work slowly but surely,
and the forces employed are exerting a modest but still
perfectly discernible influence, which is drawing individuals
upwards to a higher plane.
The gradual development of the country's abundant re
sources, the continually increasing intercourse with the
hustling and bustling strangers from Europe and the United
States, the introduction of luxuries hitherto undreamed of ;
and, above all, the competition for his services in the field, the
factory, and the mine, are telling upon the peon, and making
of him more of a man and less of an animal. I have some
hopes of the Mexican peon, provided he can be kept from the
clutches and baneful influence of the peripatetic Socialist
agitator, who has unfortunately already made himself a
nuisance and a menace in the country.
In a previous work dealing with South American States, I
pointed out the curious anomaly which exists in regard to
names of numerous men and women, South American by birth,

PREFACE xi
possessing the most ordinary English names, such, for instance,
as Williams, Cox, Perry, Thompson, Walker, etc., etc., and
yet being totally unacquainted with the English language.
The bearers of such names as these one would naturally
expect to speak a little English, or at least to understand it ;
but, in spite of the fact that their parents may have only
been settled a few months in the country before giving birth
to their children, and may perhaps themselves retain tender
remembrances of the Old Country, their offspring are to all
intents and purposes Chilians or Argentinos, or other nation
alities, as the case may be, and neither speak nor understand
the Anglo-Saxon tongue.
In Mexico, owing to the large number of Americans and
the few British bearing English names who have come into
the country and have settled there, it is quite usual to find
cognomens of distinctly British origin, such as Williams,
Wilson, Kelly, Knight, etc. ; while in Cuba the names
O'Reilly, O'Gorman, and other Irish appellations are encoun
tered as the names of streets, and some are given to public
buildings. It seems to have been the custom in Mexico for American
residents to adopt the Spanish equivalent to their Christian
names, and one frequently meets with members of the
younger generation who are known as " Santiago," instead of
James; "Guillermo," instead of William; "Juan," instead
of John; and "Enrique," instead of Henry; being addressed
by their Mexican acquaintances as "Don Santiago," "Don
Guillermo," "Don Juan," etc., while they generally sign
their names in the Spanish style. This may be regarded,
perhaps, as a very favourable sign of the merging of Mexican
and Saxon in one friendly and amicable family. When
men begin to call each other by their Christian names it is
generally an indication of something more than ordinary
intercourse. The fusion of nationalities which is going on in
Mexico is, in my opinion, one of the most hopeful signs
of the future prosperity of the country, for it entirely
eliminates any likelihood of that insane jealousy and dislike
which are so characteristic of Bocial and of commercial life in
b— 2

xii PREFACE
the Argentine and Chile. I say little of Brazil in this
connection, because the Brazilians and other foreign nation
alities, the Portuguese perhaps alone excepted, are so totally
opposed to each other in every idea, and custom and every
feeling, that any national fusion is out of the question.
Undoubtedly the Mexican nation of the distant future will
be very largely composed of the best representatives of
many foreign races, a blend which should result in some
really brilliant specimens of mankind. The day will prob
ably come when the Mexicans will speak English, and
the foreigners speak Spanish as well as their own native
tongues. The ready welcome which Mexicans are extending to
American capital, the unrestricted commingling of Mexicans
and Americans upon the same Boards of Directors, joined
in the same management and side by side in many social
and charitable enterprises, form one of the most convincing
signs of future prosperity. There is little of that anti-
foreign jealousy and deep-seated suspicion which so often
strangle success and poison it when achieved, which charac
terise inter - commercial association in the Argentine and
Brazil. The type of American coming into Mexico also shows
marked evidence of improvement, the States now sending
their best instead of their worst specimens, as was formerly
frequently the case. I speak of the real American — the lineal
descendant of the Pilgrim Fathers, and not of the cosmo
politan breed which passes as an "American," the man
with a German nose, a Russian name, and the manners of a
brute. The clean-cut, trim-built, stern-faced young American is a
familiar sight nowadays in all parts of the world. I have
met him in Japan, in Australia, in South and Central
America, in the British, German, and Dutch Colonies, and
occupying positions of responsibility and trust in his own new
over-seas possessions. Always one notices the same inflexible
purpose, the noble earnestness, the indomitable will to
succeed. It is as if he took Fortune by the throat, exclaim-

PREFACE xiii
ing: "No, you shall not avoid me! I will have you hear
me ! You shall yield me of your treasures ! You shall
recognise my worth! Do you heed me?" And Fortune is
caught by the sheer audacity of the pursuer.
Bacon assures us that if a man look sharply and atten
tively he shall see Fortune ; for though she be blind, she is
not invisible. That is the experience of a good many young
fellows who came to Mexico in the early days, and who died
leaving enormous fortunes to their children, or are living
to-day to enjoy the fruits of their daring and their enter
prise. I have approached my task of describing Mexico in the
Twentieth Century with great diffidence and some misgivings.
I have ever in mind Owen's confession : " The more I know I
know, I know the less." Mexico is not an easy country to
know, and still a less easy one to describe. It is not a new
country, and yet it is treated with a lightness and a levity by
some would-be writers that must much distress those who
love it as citizens, and disgust those who have visited it as
guests. Even those who have lived in Mexico all their lives
confess that they do not " know " Mexico. I make the same
admission, but nevertheless I claim some acquaintance with
the country, with the people, with their resources, their hopes,
their ambitions, and their disappointments. Such as they
appeared to me after a fairly lengthy stay in the country,
during which I travelled practically from end to end of the
Republic, I have endeavoured to the best of my ability to
portray. May I add that I have brought to bear, as far as I
can with my naturally insular ideas, tempered though they may
be by a long experience of life and matters in the greater
number of the Latin-American Republics, neither prejudices
nor predilections. I have striven to be fair as well as accurate,
and certainly I have spared no painB to arrive at sane and
sensible conclusions. How far I have succeeded, and how
much I may have failed, I must leave to my critics in Mexico
and out of it.
Several photographs used in this publication have been
supplied by the Percy S. Photo Co., Mexico City ; Mr. Waite,

xiv PREFACE
photographer, Mexico City ; Messrs. Hickman and Todd,
Tehuantepec ; Mr. Frank L. Clark, Mexico City ; Mr.
W. Schlattmann, Mexico City ; and M. Valleto, Mexico
City ; while for others I am indebted to the kindness of
Mr. James W. Purcell, Saltillo ; Mr. W. Morkill, Pu6bla ;
Mr. Walter Morcom, Mexico City; General Juan Quintas y
Arroya, Mexico City ; Mr. Robert P. Elliot, of Oaxaca City ;
and Mr. W. W. Wheatly, of Mexico City. A few are from my
own camera. THE AUTHOR.
September, 1907.

CONTENTS OF VOL. I.

CHAPTER I
PAGES
The Spanish dominion — Military Governors — Royal Auditors — Vice
roys — Religious Brotherhoods — Effect upon natives of brutal
government — First Declaration of Independence — Benito Juarez
— His fight against the Church — His justification — The baneful
influence of the Holy Orders — What the Constitution provides —
Forms of government from 1821 to the present time - 1 — 10
y^ CHAPTER II
The political situation — Post-Diaz possibilities — Reasons why perfect
tranquillity is assured — Popular contentment — Government
strength and preparedness — Labour and prosperity — Attitude of
official classes towards foreigners — Popular suffrage — The Church
and the Constitution — The people can be trusted - 11 — 14
CHAPTER III
Maximilian Empire — Early days at Miramar — Napoleon's ambition
— Carlota of Belgium— Acceptance of Mexican Crown — Arrival
at Veracruz — Reception by people — Troubles and difficulties —
Republic v. Monarchy — Divine right of Kings — Defeat of Maxi
milian — Benito Juarez and the death sentence — Treachery of
Manuel Lopez — Cruelty of Escobedo — Execution of Maxi
milian - - - 15 — 18
CHAPTER IV
Population statistics — Foreigners in Mexico — United States conquests
and annexations — Texan Republic — Relations between the sister
republics — What the Mexicans owe to the Anglo-Saxon races —
Value of American influence in Mexico — Appreciative Mexican
comment — Foreigners and their lack of good taste — A plea for
better behaviour — An American criticism — Foreigners in Mexico
fifty years ago - - - . 19 — 29
xv

xvi CONTENTS OF VOL. I.

CHAPTER V

Government — Legislative chambers — The Cabinet — Judicial powers
— State governments and judiciary — States and their groupings —
Ministerial departments — Ministers and the public — The Federal
District Government — The Army — Rurales de la Federacion —
Their equipment and organisation — Remodelling of the Mexican
Army and Navy Departments - 30 — 40
CHAPTER VI
Distribution of the Mexican Army — Military instruction — The Mexican
officer— The private soldier — Rurales of the States — Their history
— Their organisation — Daily pay — Influence of the Rurales with
the public — Aguascalientes trouble suppressed — The equipment
— Some valuable saddles — The Navy — National Fleet — Training-
ships— Naval schools - • 41 — 50
CHAPTER VII
Porfirio Diaz — Monarchy v. Republic — Birth and early education —
Trained for priesthood — Meeting with Benito Juarez — Military
career — First presidency — Revolt against Santa Ana and Tejado
— Differences with Benito Juarez — Election for first term — His
successful government — Subsequent re-elections as President —
Foreign distinctions — Diaz as an orator — His character and dis
position — Popularity in Mexico — Daily occupations — Madame
Carmen Rubio Diaz - - - 51 — 65
CHAPTER VIII
Vice-President Ramon Corral — The Minister of Education — Jose1
Yves Limantour, Minister of Finance — Guillermo de Landa y
Escandon, Governor of the Federal District — Minister of Justice
— Minister of Fomento — Minister of War and Marine — Minister
of Foreign Affairs — Secretary of Fomento — Sub-Secretary of
Fomento — The late Thomas Braniff — Connection with the Re
public's chief enterprises - 66  73
CHAPTER IX
Judicial power — Supreme Court — Federal Courts — Judges' salaries 
Amparo — Criminal Courts procedure — Spanish system of criminal
jurisprudence — Detention of accused persons — Preliminary pro
ceedings — Criminal cases between 1901 - 1905 — Comisarias 
Belem Prison — First - Aid Law and its absurdities — Federal
District regulations — Jury system — Mexican jurors — Trial by
jury — Pros and cons ... 74  gj

CONTENTS OF VOL. I. xvii
CHAPTER X
PAGES
Police Courts — The law and its interpretation — Trivial arrests-
Detention of accused — Habeas Corpus — Police Courts procedure
— Fines — Treatment of prisoners — Judges as Visiting Justices —
Code Civile — Prison scenes — A Mexican desperado — Saltillo State
Prison — Some foreign inmates — Police statistics — Foot Police —
Mounted Police — Fire Brigade Section — Wages and Allowances
— Different Departments - - - 82—91
CHAPTER XI
Religion in Mexico — The early worshippers — Spanish methods of
conversion — Destruction of Aztec records — First Archbishop —
Early church building — Arrival of Holy Inquisition — Persecution
by priests — Hatred of Benito Juarez — His war on the Church —
Victory established — Defining rights of Church in Mexico —
Separation of State and Church — The Protestant Church —
Indian knowledge of the crucifix — Jewish congregation — Jews as
citizens - .... 92 — 101
CHAPTER XII
Education — Government encouragement and institutions — Federal
District and Territorial establishments — Number of schools and
pupils — State schools — Private schools — Course of studies —
School systems — President Diaz and education — Religious in
struction banned — Priestly influence — National University —
American School — Government support of native talent — Art
students and their work — Art exhibitions 102 — 110
CHAPTER XIII
Early printing — The first press — Rare manuscripts and books —
Printing of the " Constitution of 1857 " — The modern press —
Mexican Herald — The staff and building — Native press — El
Imparcial — Influence of Mexican newspapers — Popular readers
— The old type of journal — Value of advertisement— Intelligent
peons — Self-instruction — Museums — Valuable Aztec collections
— Public libraries — Learned societies - - 111 — 121
CHAPTER XIV
Diplomacy and diplomats — The old school and the new — Ambassa
dors and Ministers — Their different influence — British and
American salaries compared — U.S. innovations — Diplomatic
corps in Mexico City — The British Minister — The American
Ambassador — European and South American representatives —
The former Mexican Minister in London — His successor 122 — 134

xviii CONTENTS OF VOL. I.
CHAPTER XV
PAGES
Consular matters and Downing Street — Improvements introduced —
Long-standing grievances — Mexico City Consulate — Mr. Jerome
— The Vice-Consul — Increase in Consular duties — British Con
sular authority — Important powers conferred — American Con
sular Service — New regulations — Candidates' qualifications —
Consuls' salaries compared — British and American — United
States Consuls in Mexico ----- 135 — 144
CHAPTER XVI
National finance — Budget estimates — Completeness of Government
figures — Monetary reform — History of Foreign Debt — National
Debt appropriations — Reproductive expenditure — Character of
Bonds — Relations with foreign banking-houses — Amortisation
provision — Gradual cancellation of public securities — Table
showing Mexican Government and State Government loans,
interest paid, dates of payment and redemption - - 145 — 151
CHAPTER XVII
Banking — Monopolies discouraged — Government supervision —
Growth of banking — State banks and charters — Agricultural
banks — Opportunities available — Increases of capital — Bank of
Jalisco — Descuento Espanol — Chinese Bank — French capital in
Mexico — American Bank — Banco Internacional 6 Hipotecario —
Banco Agricola 6 Hipotecario — Clearing-house — Continental
shareholders — Combined statement of chartered banks to
February 1907 - - 152 — 162
CHAPTER XVIII
Banco Nacional — Directorate and management — Banco de Londres
y Mexico — Former proprietors — Changes and increases of capital
— United States Banking Co. — Career of President George I. Ham
— Mexican Bank of Commerce and Industry — Career of Mr.
James Walker — Mexico City Banking Co. — Some minor banks
— Private banks — Table showing capitals, issues, dividends, and
present prices of the leading banks of the Republic 163  174
CHAPTER XIX
Life insurance — American methods — Late William H. Beers 
Mexican companies — Strong position — Mutual Life of New York
— Latin- American Co. — Business methods and directorate 
National Life Office — Continental Insurance Co. — Mexican Title
Insurance — Strong directorate — Mexican policies — Little
fraud - - - 175—180

CONTENTS OF VOL. I. xix
CHAPTER XX

PAGES

Mexico City — Origin and present-day aspect— Buildings— Climate-
Amusements — Pas^o de la Reforma— Statuary — Sunday parades
— Equipages — Cavaliers — Horses and motor-cars — Servants'
liveries — Taxes — Rebuilding city— Notable edifices under con
struction — Restrictions as to heights of buildings — Styles of
Architecture - - 181 — 189

CHAPTER XXI
Home life in Mexico — The young Mexican and his career — Strange
customs — Visiting — Divorce — Assimilation of European ideas —
Retention of Mexican customs — Exclusiveness in family life —
The Mexican lady — Shopping formerly and to-day — Playing
" Bear '' — Mexican love-making — Fleecing the foreigner — Mexi
can tradesmen's dodges — A case of " Caveat emptor" — Smoking
— Use of tobacco general — Mexican tobacco - 190 — 197

CHAPTER XXII
Hotel accommodation — Schemes for improvement — Rates, etc. — Rail
way hotels — Establishments in Mexico City — The Sanz — The
Palace— The St. Francis— The Iturbide— The Reforma— The
San Carlos — The Gillow, etc. — Provincial hotels — Charges and
accommodation — Restaurants in Mexico City — Sylvain's —
Chapultepec Cafe — Boarding establishments — Prices of foods —
Drugs, perfumery, etc. — Provisioning the city 198 — 207

CHAPTER XXIII
Mexican domestics — Chinese the best servants — Scarcity of female
help — Strikes among hotel staffs — Servants in Government offices
— Mexicans and Egyptians compared — Types of street vendors —
Seller of dulces — The ice-cream vendor — Street cries — Callings,
costumes and customs retained from generation to generation —
Native courtesy — Extravagance among working classes — Some
near resorts and their attractions - 208 — 216

CHAPTER XXIV
Street nomenclature — Difficulties of identification in Mexico City —
Latter-day improvements — New style of building — Avenidas and
Colonias — Clubland — Jockey Club — American Club — British Club
— Foreign clubs — Native clubs — Casino Nacional — Casino Espafiol
— Some distinguished members — Chinese clubs 217 — 224

xx CONTENTS OF VOL. I.
CHAPTER XXV
PAGES
Hospitals and charitable institutions — Federal and State control —
Mexico City's principal hospitals and charities — The American
hospital — Doctors and physicians — Fees charged — Public places
of amusement — Theatres — Music-halls — Games and pastimes
—Golf— Spanish ball— Bowling— Mexico City teams 225—231
CHAPTER XXVI
Mexican City tramways • — Early concessions — British company
formed — Wernher, Beit and Co.'s interests — System described —
Increased mileage — Track — Plant — Rolling - stock — General
Manager resigns — W. W. Wheatly's services — Some former
officials - - ... 232—236
CHAPTER XXVII
Sport in Mexico — Wild-fowl shooting — Varieties of small game —
Wholesale destruction of ducks — Favourable localities — Tarpon
fishing — Mexican and Florida waters compared — Notable catches
— Big-game — Bear — Deer — Peccary — Wild-cat — Jaguar — Moun
tain lion — A good day's sport — Cock-fighting — Value of birds —
Methods of training .... 237—245
CHAPTER XXVIII
Coaching — The old diligencia — The road to Chapala — Sunset on the
lake — Some superb colourings — Seismic disturbances — Colima
and its eruptions — Popocatapetl — Climbing the volcano — Com
mercial possibilities — Architecture — Some notable buildings —
Churches and the French War — Vandalism in excelsis — Pottery
— Crockery from abroad — Ancient ruins — Palenque — Mitla, —
Cuernavaca ------ 246—257

CHAPTER XXIX
Central Railway — Original construction — Government subsidy — Mile
age — Length of main line, divisions, extensions, etc. — Districts
and cities served — Agricultural centres — Universal traffics — In
creasing ore freights — Merchandise and miscellaneous receipts —
Tampico improvements — Short-line construction — Tuxpan-
Colima extension — Port of Manzanillo — Rolling stock — Govern
ment control of central system — Distribution of capital — Officials
— Vice-President Hudson — The company's future 258—268

CONTENTS OF VOL. I. xxi
CHAPTER XXX
PAGES
Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway— First trunk transconti
nental line — Territory traversed — Traffics in prospect— Operating
divisions — Topolobampo terminus — The Bay — Ocean arrange
ments—Construction — Bridges and tunnels— Rolling stock —
The conception of the scheme— President Arthur E. Stilwell —
A remarkable struggle against powerful opposition — Triumphant
success — Officers of the railway— Financial history — Date of
completion - . . 269 — 277
CHAPTER XXXI
British-owned railways — The Mexican Railway— Track, rolling-stock,
scenery and management — The Southern Railway — Scenic
attractions — Future prospects — The " Merger " lines (the National,
the International and the Interoceanic Railways) — The National
Tehuantepec Railway — Competition with Panama Canal - 278 — 289
CHAPTER XXXII
Some minor railways — The Pan-American — Hidalgo and North-
Eastern — Coahuila Coal Railway — Coahuila and Zacatecas —
Parral and Durango — Mexican Northern — Chihuahua and Pacific
— Jalapa and Cordoba — Tlaxcala Railway — San Rafael and
Atlixto — San Gregorio — Potosi Central — New Mexico and Arizona
— Mapimi Railway — Toluca and Tenango — Some smaller
lines ... . 290—296
CHAPTER XXXIII
Steamship lines — Government support and encouragement — Ameri
can, European and native lines — Ward Line — Mallory Line —
British lines — Royal Mail Steampacket Co. — Revival of British
interests — Mexican-Canadian services — Swedish, Norwegian,
French and German lines — Methods of German competitors —
Presidential trip to Yucatan — Native subsidised lines 297 — 304
CHAPTER XXXIV
Ports and harbours — Improvements on west coast — Tampico —
Rivalry with Veracruz — Progreso — Acapulco — Railway com
munication difficulties — Mazatlan — Government projects —
Tuxpan — Canal enterprise— Coatzaeoalcos — Harbour and port
works — Salina Cruz — Port works and new town — Topolo
bampo — Three transcontinental routes — Mexico's interest in
Panama Canal - ... 305 — 316

xxii CONTENTS OF VOL. I.
CHAPTER XXXV
PAGES
Poet of Manzanillo : Government improvements and expenditure
upon harbours — Colonel E. K. Smoot's contract — Heavy
engineering work — Simple plan cleverly carried out — Massive
masonry — Smoot's work at Galveston — Constructional excel
lence — Breakwater and sea-walls — Prevention against heavy
sea damage — Coaling-station — Permanent and useful under
taking — Scenic beauty of Manzanillo Bay — Perfect safety for
vessels - - - 317—323

LIST OF ILLUSTKATIONS— VOL. I.

MEXICO CITY : CASTLE OF CHAPULTEPEC -
BENITO JUAREZ (1861-1872)
THE CABINET
TYPES OF THE MEXICAN ARMY— I.
TYPES OF THE MEXICAN ARMY — LT.
GENERAL SUBINSPECTOR OF RURALES (GUARDS)
GENERAL JUAN QUINTAS Y ARROYA
GENERAL DON PORFIRIO DIAZ
MADAME DIAZ
THE LATE MR. THOMAS BRANIFF -
MEXICO CITY : PLAZA GUADIOLA
MEXICO CITY : THE CATHEDRAL -
A MEXICAN PEDLAR AND A MEXICAN PEON WOMAN
"MEXICAN HERALD" OFFICE
TYPICAL RESIDENCE, SALTILLO
COLIMA: NATIVE CHILDREN WASHING CLOTHES
CITY OF ZACATECAS : PEON-BOYS -
PATIO OF A MEXICAN HOTEL
MARKET-DAY AT CUERNAVACA
MEXICO CITY : THE BULL-RING
MEXICO CITY : FUENTES, THE FAMOUS MATADOR -
REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNORS OF MEXICO — I.
ON THE ROAD TO MITLA : THE BIG-TREE OF TULE
MITLA: PYRAMID AND SHRINE
MITLA ; WALL OF MOSAICS
FISHING ON LAKE CHAPALA: DRAWING THE NET
NATIVE BOAT ON LAKE CHAPALA -
A MEXICAN HERD OF CATTLE
PORT OF TOPOLOBAMPO : KANSAS CITY, MEXICO AND ORIENT
RAILWAY
SURF-BATHING AT CUYUTLAN
BUENAVISTA STATION, MEXICO CITY : CENTRAL RAILWAY -
INTER-OCEANIC STATION, CITY OF PUEBLA xxiii

frontispiece

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xxiv LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS— VOL. I.

MEXICO CITY TRAMWAYS : TYPE OF MODERN FUNERAL
CAR
MEXICO CITY TRAMWAYS : TYPE OF PASSENGER SHELTER
MEXICO CITY TRAMWAYS : ORDINARY PASSENGER CAR
MEXICO CITY TRAMWAYS : INTERIOR OF PASSENGER CAR
SPORT IN MEXICO : TARPON-FISHING
LOCOMOTIVES : NATIONAL LINES OF MEXICO
BUENA VISTA STATION : MEXICAN RAILWAY
CENTRAL RAILWAY EXTENSION TO COLIMA
BRIDGE ON KANSAS CITY, MEXICO AND ORIENT RAILWAY
MR. ARTHUR E. STLLWELL, PRESIDENT KANSAS CITY,
MEXICO AND ORIENT RAILWAY
KANSAS CITY, MEXICO AND ORIENT RAILWAY -
MR. M. V. WATSON, VICE-PRESIDENT UNITED STATES
AND MEXICAN TRUST CO.
ON THE MEXICAN SOUTHERN RAILWAY
FAIRLIE LOCOMOTIVE : MEXICAN RAILWAY
PORT OF MANZANILLO I GENERAL VIEW OF BREAKWATER
BAY OF MANZANILLO : ENTRANCE TO THE HARBOUR -
PORT OF MANZANILLO : 100-TON STEEL CRANE AT WORK

Plan of Manzanillo Harbour . At end

to face

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318 322

MEXICO
OF THE XXth CENTURY
CHAPTER I
The Spanish dominion — Military Governors — Royal Auditors — Viceroys —
Religious Brotherhoods — Effect upon natives of brutal government —
First Declaration of Independence — Benito Juarez — His fight against
the Church — His justification — The baneful influence of the Holy
Orders — What the Constitution provides — Forms of government from
1821 to the present time.
If the history of the nations be diligently searched, there will
probably be found no more striking evidence of a long, merci
less and purposeless oppression than that of Mexico at the
hands of Spain. During the whole of the three hundred
years during which Mexico was subject to Spanish rule, not
one single act of grace, of consideration, nor even of common
fairness towards that Colony can be traced.
Commencing with the landing of the Spanish in 1521,
when they met the Indians' courteous and kindly if timid
reception with the display of firearms and slaughter, a long
and uninterrupted series of cruel persecutions has character
ised the government of " New Spain," as the country was
called by its conquerors, but never by anyone else. Not only
were the native Indians victimised, reduced to the position of
mere slaves, being bought and sold with the land and com
pelled to work upon it like serfs, but all " Spaniards " born
in America were treated with indignity, being classed as
" Creoles " and ranking socially, and in every other way, with
the low-class Indians of the country. No wonder, then, that
hatred for Spain and for everything Spanish has become, and
will long remain, a tradition in Mexico. Three centuries of
vol. i. 1

2 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
Military Governors, Royal Auditors, Viceroys, Religious
Brotherhoods and the Holy Inquisition have done their work
only too well. The evil occasioned can still be traced in the
natural gloom and sullenness of the Mexicans, their intense
distrust of foreigners, and especially of the Spanish, their
vindictiveness of disposition and their inability until re
cently to conduct a stable self - government. With the
passing of the present generation and the gradual obliteration
of these bitter memories, a different spirit is being manifested,
and will increase as time goes on ; but to-day the impress of
the brutal treatment which the whole nation had so long to
endure remains patent to anyone studying this people.
Although the first Declaration of Mexican Independence
was published as far back as 1813, a Constitution was declared
in 1820 and virtual separation from Spain took place in 1821,
it was not until February 5th, 1857, that the Constitution now
in force in Mexico became un fait accompli. Thus it took
a quarter-of-a-century after the Republic had been established
for the people to agree upon a Constitution, proving the con
tention that the long period of persecution to which they had
been subjected at the hands of Spain, had unfitted the people
for self-government at once.
Certainly no one who has visited the country to-day and
witnessed its evidences of prosperity, cohesion and content
ment would — knowing its past history — credit that but five-
and-twenty years ago the whole of this vast territory was
being torn by internal and apparently unending dissension.
Marvellous, indeed, is the transition which has been effected,
no less for its completeness than for its comparative
rapidity. The new Constitution was not introduced nor accepted finally
without much trouble and bloodshed, and in fact, owing to
the complete overthrow of the Church for which it stipulated,
the bitterest struggle that Mexico has ever gone through was
entered upon by reason of this Constitution of 1857. Pope
Pius IX. declared it " apocrypha," and placed it under ana
thema. The Mexican clergy in a body preached against
it, and boldly incited the people to rebellion. Men fought
each other like wild beasts in the streets and their homes,
and the whole country was set by the ears. Then it was that

Bemto Juarez, President oe the United Si wks ok
Mexico, 1861-1872. Dieu July i8th, 1872.

BENITO JUAREZ 3
Eenito Juarez came into prominence, first as President of the
Supreme Court of Justice and, after being thrown into prison
by his own President (Comonfort) who was afraid of the
Church and its fulminations, emerged more powerful and
more determined than ever, being raised to the Presidency of
the Republic in 1858, he being then fifty-two years of age,
and continuing from that day the work of reformation which
he had set himself to perform, ruat ccelum.
Those who blame the memory of Benito Juarez, mainly on
account of his harshness towards Maximilian, and those
religious thinkers who deplore his attacks upon the power of
the Church and all Church institutions, have but little
conception of the shocking state of affairs which prevailed in
Mexico in the middle days of the last century, mainly, if not
entirely, the fault of the Roman Catholics who were then in
control of the government.
Much controversy has prevailed among historians in regard
to the personality of Benito Juarez, who has been regarded
as no military adventurer, but a prudent and honest lawyer
who had made his way, by the ladder of public service, to the
head of the State. Although many prejudiced writers have
denounced him, the prevailing opinion seems to be that he
was a thoroughly honest man, who wished to rule righteously
and meet his engagements. In regard to England's standing
at the period of the Juarez -Maximilian imbroglio, Lord Russell
wrote to Sir Charles Wyke, Britain's envoy in Mexico at the
time, — "If the Mexican people by a spontaneous movement
place the Austrian archduke (Maximilian) on the throne of
Mexico, there is nothing in the Convention to prevent it. On
the other hand, we could be no parties to a forcible interven
tion to this purpose." Mr. Herbert Paul in his "History of
Modern England " writes in regard to President Juarez very
enthusiastically. " Being," says he, " a very shrewd, capable
man, he soon perceived who his enemies were. He was
prudent and honest, and a painstaking and conscientious
ruler." In view of all that is now known and acknowledged in
regard to the condition of Mexico between 1860 and 1870, and
now that all party-spirit and bitter feelings may be said to
have died out, I believe that the general opinion may be taken
as agreeing with that of Mr. Herbert Paul. 1—2

4 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
Not content with having wrung millions of treasure from
the country at a time when the people were abjectly poor, and
when every penny should have been put back into the land
for their benefit, the various religious orders were constantly
struggling among themselves for fresh possessions, and were
indeed united in but one single enterprise, that of stealing as
much as possible primarily for their own purposes and
secondly for the use of their beloved Church.
The Dominicans, to whose baneful influence the country
owed the dreaded Inquisition, were at constant loggerheadB
with the Carmelites, and the Franciscans with both. It is
impossible to deny that there were many good men and good
women to be found among these numerous religious bodies ;
but what the unfortunate Indians may have gained on the
one hand by being tended in times of sickness and trouble,
they were deprived of on the other, for all of the brotherhoods
alike demanded and insisted upon receiving tithes, while
nearly all the valuable lands throughout the country were
in their hands.
The people hated the Dominicans with a deadly hatred, for
it was, as I have said, to them they owed the terrible persecu
tions inflicted by the Holy Inquisition. The Carmelites, who
had been among the earliest of the "religios" to come to
Mexico, owned over a hundred leagues of the finest land in the
San Luis Potosi district, stretching from the city of that name
to Tampico on the Gulf coast. The Franciscans owned other
vast tracts of land stolen from the Indians or " bequeathed,"
under threats of eternal punishment, by prosperous but sinful
sons of the Church ; their monasteries and churches were
likewise more numerous and more elaborately ornate than
those of any other religious sect.
Finding his country under the thraldom of such a set of
harpies and bloodsuckers, and knowing from the three hundred
years'-old history of his people that nothing remedial was to
be hoped for from Spain, Juarez may be excused for whatever
vindictiveness he may have entertained for, and for all the
bitterness which he displayed towards, the Spanish Govern
ment. No wonder that, from his poor and ignorant youth
upwards, he cherished an intense hatred for the doctrines of
a Church which seemed to him to fatten upon the blood and

FRAMING THE CONSTITUTION 5
substance of its poor dupes. From his one fixed purpose to
destroy root and branch the poisonous and pernicious political
influence of the Church in Mexico, Benito Juarez never for
a moment wavered or diverged. He succeeded in his mission
even more thoroughly than he could ever have hoped for, and
his work will never be rendered nugatory nor his example
forgotten so long as Mexico continues to exist as a free and
independent Republic.
The memory of Juarez is very carefully preserved in Mexico,
and upon the occasion of his 100th birthday (March 21st, 1906),
when I was in the country, the whole Republic celebrated
the event with marked enthusiasm, the day being pro
claimed a public holiday and free entertainments and public
dinners being organised by the Government for the poorer
people. As most Constitutions are supposed— or at least hoped — to
be, that of Mexico was proclaimed to issue "in the name of
God and with the authority of the Mexican people." The
strongest declaration, perhaps, was that " The Mexican people
recognise that the rights of man are the basis and the object
of social institutions. Consequently, they declare that all
the laws and all the authorities of the country must respect
and maintain the guarantees which the present Constitution
establishes." Continuing, the great national document,
which consisted of some 125 articles, pointed out that " the
national sovereignty resides essentially and originally in
the people, and is instituted for its benefit. The people
have at all times the inalienable right to alter or modify the
form of the government."
Herein the sense of the framers of the new Constitution
manifested itself, particularly since they recognised that Con
stitutions grow, and cannot be made to order.
Any Written Constitution would be likely to eliminate the
advantages possessed by the flexible machinery of the Unwritten
Constitution. It would have to be more or less of a com
promise, and, consequently, uncertain in its interpretation and
working. While not preventing change, it would serve to excite
the people and cause them to rush violently to sudden and
unreasonable extremes. It stands to reason that however
carefully and elaborately a Constitution is drawn up by one

6 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
generation, it must prove irksome and unsuitable to a future
generation ; and the United States of America found out very
bitterly what it costs to amend a Written Constitution. In
allowing, therefore, the right to alter and modify the form
of government of Mexico, the framers of the Republic's
first Constitution displayed infinite prescience and good
sense. Proceeding in this matter, the document stated : " The
Mexican people voluntarily constitute themselves a democratic,
federal, representative Republic, composed of States free and
sovereign in all that concerns their internal government, but
united in a federation established according to the principles
of this fundamental law."
Then came some sweeping clauses, aimed principally
against the Roman Catholic Church, to the effect that " no
corporation civil or ecclesiastical, whatever may be its character,
denomination or object, shall have legal capacity to acquire in
proprietorship or administer for itself real estate (landed
property), with the single exception of edifices destined
immediately and directly to the service and object of the
institution. It is exclusively the right of the Federal
authorities to exercise, in the matters of religious worship
and external discipline, the intervention which the law may
designate." The Constitution goes on to abolish slavery, to establish
free education, the free choice by the people of their profes
sion or calling, freedom of speech, liberty of the press,
religious toleration, the right of petition, of association and
of carrying of arms. All titles of nobility were extinguished
and forbidden ; punishment by mutilation, torture or loss of
property was abolished ; corporations were forbidden to ac
quire property for speculative purposes ; imprisonment for
debt was disallowed if of a purely civil character, and special
clauses related to the inviolability of private correspondence
and the home. The death penalty for political offences
was also abolished, but nevertheless this punishment has
since been inflicted, although perhaps under a different
guise. As may be seen, however, the Constitution was framed in a
liberal and broad-minded spirit, and it is this Constitution

FORMS OF GOVERNMENT

which, with some few alterations and modifications, remains
in force to-day.
The Supreme Government is divided into three co-ordinate
branches — Legislative, Executive and Judicial. Under ex
treme provocation the President, with the advice of his
Cabinet and the approval of Congress, or, during its recess,
with the consent of the Congressional Permanent Committee,
may suspend the Constitution.
The following tabulated List of Rulers will enable the reader
to trace the forms of Government of Mexico from the date of
the country's independence of Spain, finally established on
September 27th, 1821. I have intentionally included the dates
and the names of every ruler — Regents, actual and temporary,
Emperors, pretended and appointed, Presidents, nominal and
elected, Dictators, actual and assumed, since they all form
part of the history of Mexico : —

Date.

Names of Rulers.

Nature of Office.

Government.

1821

1822

Gen. Augustin de
Yturbide
Don Juan O'Don
oju
Don Manuel de la
Barcena
Don Isidro Yafiez,
and Don Manuel

\

1822

de Leon
Don Augustin de
Yturbide
Don Isidro Yaiiez
Don Miguel Valen
tin
Count de Casa de
Heras
Brig.-Gen. Nicolas
Bravo

'Regents
/

Regency

1822

1823

Augustin de Ytur
bide

[Emperor

Monarchial

1823

1824

Don Nicolas Bravo
Don Guadalupe
Victoria, Don

Pedro Negrete,
¦with Don J. M.
Michelena and
.Supreme Coun-
: cillors
Provisional
Government
Don Miguel Do-
minquez (as
Deputies) •<
MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY

Date.

Names of Rulers.

Nature of Office.

Government.

1823

1829

Gen. Guadalupe
Victoria

\

1829

Gen . Vicente
Guerrero

1829
Don Jose' Maria
1829
Bocanegra
Don Pedro Valez
1829
Gen. Luis Quin-
tanor
1829
Don Lucas Alaman
1830
1832
Gen. Anastacio
Bustamente
1832
Gen. M e 1 c h i o r
,
1832
1833
Musquiz
Gen. Manuel Go
mez Pedraza
> Presidents
Federal Republic
1833
Don Valentin Go
mez Farias
1833
Gen. Antonio Lo
pez de Santa
Anna
1833
1834
Don Valentin Go
mez Farias
1834
1835
Gen. Antonio Lo
pez de Santa
Anna
1835
1836
Gen. Miguel Bar-
1836
1837
ragan
Don Jose Justo
/
Corro
1837
1839
Gen. Anastacio
Bustamente
1839 1839
Gen. Antonio Lopez
de Santa Anna
Gen. Nicolas Bravo
. (Substitute)
Central Republic
1839
1841
Gen. Anastacio
Bustamente
1841
Don Iavier Echev-
erria
1841
1842
Gen. Antonio Lopez
de Santa Anna
1842
1843
1843
Gen. Nicolas Bravo
Gen. Antonio Lopez
de Santa Anna
. Dictators
Dictatorship
1843
1844
Gen. Valentin Ca-
nalizo
18441844
Gen. Antonio Lopez
de Santa Anna
Gen. Valentin Ca-
nalizo
V Presidents
Central Republic
FORMS OF GOVERNMENT

Date.

Names of Rulers.

Nature of Office.

Government.

1844

1845

Gen. Josd Ignacio N
Herrera

1846

Gen. Mariano Par
edes y Arrillaga

- Presidents

Central Republic

1846

Gen. Nicolas Brave ,
1846
Gen. Mariano Salas
1846
1847
Don. Valentin G.
Farias
1847
Gen. Antonio Lopez
de Santa Anna
1847
Gen. Pedro Maria
Anaya
1847
Gen . Antonio Lopez
de Santa Anna
1847
Don Manuel de la
Pefia y Pefia
1 Presidents
Federal Republic
1847
1848
Gen. Pedro Maria
Anaya
1848
Don Manuel de la
Pefia y Pefia
1848
1851
Gen. Jose Joaquin
de Herrera
1851
1853
Gen. Mariano
Arista
1853
Don Juan B.
Ceballos
1853
Gen. Manuel Maria
Lombardini
1853
1855
Gen. Antonio Lopez
de Santa Anna
- Dictators
Dictatorship
1855
Gen. Romulo Diaz
de la Vega
1855
Gen. Martin Car-
1855
rera
Gen. Juan Alvarez
[-Dictators
Dictatorship
1855
1857
Gen. Ignacio Com
onfort
)
1857
1858
Gen. Ignacio Com
onfort
(-President
1857
1860
Gen. Felix Zuluaga
Gen. Manuel Pez-
uela
Don Jos4 Ignacio
„ Nominal Presi
dents
Dual Republic
Pavon
Gen. Miguel Mir
amon
/
1858
1861
Don Benito Juarez
^President
1861
1872
Don Benito Juarez
1864
Bishop J. B. Or-
i
machea
Gen. Juan N. Al
1 Regents ad
[ interim,
Ante-Monarchial
monte
'
Gen. Mariano Salas
10

MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY

Date.

Names of Rulers.

Nature of Office.

Government.

1864

1867

Maximilian

Emperor

Monarchial

1872

Don Lerdo de
Tejada
Don Lerdo de

1872

1876

-Presidents

Constitutional

Tejada
Republic
1876
Gen. Porfirio Diaz
1876
Gen. Juan N.
Mendez
l(Substitute)
1877
1880
Gen. Porfirio Diaz
1880
1884
Gen. Manuel Gon
zalez
1884
1888
Gen. Porfirio Diaz
1888
1892
Gen. Porfirio Diaz
¦Presidents
Constitutional
1892
1896
Gen. Porfirio Diaz
Republic
1896
1900
Gen. Porfirio Diaz
1900
1904
Gen. Porfirio Diaz
1904
Gen. Porfirio Diaz
CHAPTER II
The poUtical situation — The Post-Diaz possibilities — Reasons why perfect
tranquillity is assured — Popular contentment — Government strength
and preparedness — Labour and prosperity — Attitude of official classes
towards foreigners — Popular suffrage — The Church and the Consti
tution — The People can be trusted.
Madahe de Pompadotjk's well-known expression — "apres
nous le deluge " — would not seem to weigh much with
the present body of politicians in Mexico, whose sole concern
it seems is what is going to happen to them and the Republic
when, in the ordinary course of things, General Porfidio Diaz
takes his well-deserved rest. There are those who prophesy
all sorts of trials and tribulations, and without giving any
definite or tangible reason for their gloomy forebodings, pur
posely close their eyes to the many palpable evidences which
exist why no bouleversement should necessarily occur.
Upon the principle that certain signs precede certain events,
one looks around to discover, if possible, from which particular
direction the disturbing elements foreshadowed are to come —
and one looks in vain. If there is any lurking conspiracy on
foot to make trouble when the Presidency becomes vacant, it
is but fair to say that the most diligent search and the most
exhaustive inquiries have failed to manifest any evidence of
its existence.
On the other hand, there are, as I have said, innumerable
reasons why the country as a whole should accept the new
position, when it is presented, with placidity, since, to put
the matter in a nutshell, it is not worth anyone's while to
create a disturbance. Practically everybody is doing well
and making money, or peacefully enjoying the privilege of
spending what he already has. Whence, then, but from
the ranks of the disaffected, is the threatened trouble to
11

12 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
come ? It would be extremely rash to assert that there are
no disaffected individuals in Mexico, or that the Government
of the day is so ideal and so popular that no protestants exist
or complaints are current. But because this is the case in
Mexico, as it is the case in every country — Monarchial or
Republican — upon the face of the earth, no reason exists, in
my opinion, why the inhabitants to any number should desire
to go back to the bad old times of, say, twenty-five years
ago, and indulge in a revolution which could have for its
object merely the replacing of an individual rather than the
removal of a system, and thus put back the clock some
quarter-of-a-century ; this is to credit the Mexicans with far
less intelligence than they really possess.
It has been said with some truth that fighting is no longer a
profession, at least with Mexicans, who have enjoyed a national
peace so long that if they have not exactly forgotten how to
fight, they have at least lost the taste for fighting. The Army,
consisting of some 30,000 men, is distributed over the face of
the country — well distributed, too, with sufficient troops in
any one particular locality to maintain order there, and
within such easy means of communication as to successfully
handle any organised or concealed uprising — no matter in
what portion of the Republic it originated.
Moreover, railway communication, the Government tele
graph system and the excellent Intelligence Department
maintained by the Government, suffice to prevent anything
approaching a surprise being sprung upon the country, as
was quite possible a couple of decades ago. Perhaps the
greatest reason of all against any organised rising has yet to
be adduced — namely, the indifference of the people, as a
whole, to politics. It is equally the same to the peons, who
form the great bulk of the population, who sits in the
Presidential chair, or who may be the Ministers who form the
Chief Magistrate's Cabinet. They have to pay their taxes
precisely the same, no matter who rules at Chapultepec, and
so long as they are earning sufficient to fill their stomachs
with tortillas and frijoles (and at no previous time were they
so well off for means to obtain these two much coveted
possessions), they are perfectly willing to abstain from risings
and revolts.

PEACEFUL CONDITIONS 13
While Mexico is practically under a Dictatorship to-day, so
mild and so unaggressive is that form of rule and so little are
the people able to distinguish it from the freest of free
Republicanism, that if you told any ordinary peon that he
was being ruled by an autocrat he would probably reply that
he liked autocrats, and felt perfectly satisfied to go on as he
was. You cannot enthuse a peon except where his personal
wants and beloved religion are in jeopardy ; and since, as already
stated, the condition of the labour market is better than it
has ever been before, from the labourers' point of view bien
entendu, and, as a consequence, the larder is always full ;
and since the President's personal inclinations towards the
Church are to leave it alone, and not to either favour or
oppose it, the people have really no cause of grievance upon
which agitators could build any popular cry, and without that
no cause could prosper in a Latin-American country.
Where, then, I again ask, are the recruits to come from ?
What pay that could be offered them would equal what they
are earning by the peaceful pursuit of their various callings ?
And from whose purse or purses are the war funds to spring ?
Assuredly not from the wealthy hacendados, who have to-day
everything to lose and absolutely nothing to gain from a
popular rising, since their estates would be the first to be
devastated and levied upon, their workmen pressed into
service and their crops either destroyed or seized, their cattle
stolen and their houses invaded by a roaming soldiery. Not
from the official classes, who would discountenance anything
likely to interfere with their present emoluments and well-
secured billets. Nor from the wealthy foreign element, who
have so many millions invested in the country, and who
would have so much to lose were any disturbance of the existing
order of things to come to pass. There is no " second-party "
to cause any trouble, and no possibility of it succeeding if
there were one. Thus, the bugbear of revolution may be
dismissed as practically non-existent except in the highly-
imaginative minds of those Cassandras who have been thus
prophesying for the last 10 years and more, in fact every
time that President Diaz has talked of retiring or whenever
he has suffered from a cold in his head.
At the next Presidential election, after General Diaz' regime

14 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
is ended, there will probably be three or more candidates ; but
no one need anticipate any trouble from that. The best and
surest way to maintain tranquillity and contentment among
the people is to give them an opportunity of exercising their
votes at the polls without any sort of interference whatever.
They will not abuse it.
There will be practically two parties in the political arena,
the Liberal Union, which represents the great intellectual
and cultured classes and the more advanced thinkers of the
middle classes — for a decided middle-class, formerly unknown
in Mexico, has of late years come into existence — and the
Conservative or Clerical Party, probably the more numerous
because it admits the whole of the lower classes, who are
staunch supporters of the Church. But even if the Clerical
party does regain some of its lost power in political matters,
the day will never arrive when the nation will consent to
denationalise the property of the Church, nor permit any
recurrence of the absorption of the people's earnings for the
service of Rome. The basic principles of Mexico's Constitu
tion have procured for her people the extinction of the civil
and ecclesiastical mortmain; the inviolateness of personal
property of every kind ; the freedom of human labour and
the prohibition of crushing monopolies ; the abolition of the
" alcabalas " (octrois) and internal customs' dues ; the annual
revision of taxation and its limitations to public requirements ;
and numerous other equal benefits which few so-called " free "
Republics in reality enjoy. With the increased amount of
education now proceeding in all parts of the Republic, the
people are learning, especially the rising generation, to
appreciate the manifold advantages which their Constitution
confers upon them, and concerning which they have for so
many years been either woefully ignorant or astoundingly
indifferent ; and I feel assured that when the time comes for
such demonstration, the people of this Republic will prove
that they can intelligently exercise their ideas and suffrages
and put into execution their desires without undue display of
passion or loss of self-esteem. The country must learn to
depend upon its laws and not merely upon its men ; it must
awake, as it will awake, from its long and peaceful slumber
under the dominance of one powerful but beneficent individual,
who cannot always be with it.

SENOR DON JOSE YVES LIMANTOUR,
M NISTER OF FINANCE.

SENOR DON A. ALDASORO, SUB-SECRET ARIO
DE FOMENTO.

SENOR DON RAMON CORRAL, VICE PRESIDENT
OF THE REPUBLIC AND MINISTER OF THE
INTERIOR.

SENOR DON JUSTINO FERNANDEZ, MINISTER
OF JUSTICE
The Cabinet,

SENOR DON IGNACIO MARISCAL, MINISTER
OF FOREIGN RELATIONS

CHAPTER III
Maximilian Empire — Early days of Miramar — Napoleon's ambition —
Carlota of Belgium — Acceptance of Mexican Crown — Arrival at
Veracruz — Reception by people — Troubles and difficulties — Republic
v. Monarchy — Divine right of Kings — Defeat of Maximilian — Benito
Juarez and the death sentence — Treachery of Manuel Lopez — Cruelty
of Escobedo — Execution of Maximilian.
One of the saddest incidents recorded in the pages of Mexican
history is the execution of the Emperor Maximilian. Apolo
gists have attempted to prove that the removal of this unfor
tunate prince by death was necessary for the welfare of the
State ; but it was in my opinion as unnecessary as was the
act committed by our own people in executing King Charles I.
in 1649 or by that of France in the assassination of King
Louis Seize in 1793.
It is not necessary to believe in the Divine right of kings,
the insistence upon which doctrine in actual practice mainly
led to Charles' death and James II.'s abdication, to sternly
disapprove of the violence offered to those who have merely
blundered in their office without any criminal intent. No
one who is acquainted with the true history — brief and bloody
as it proved to be — of Maximilian can pretend that he com
mitted any criminal act which could be deemed worthy of the
death penalty. This is no place to argue the theories of
Milton and Algernon Sydney and Rousseau any more than
the philosophy of Hobbes upon the subject of Divine Right.
Let those who will debate the matter ; Maximilian himself
certainly cherished no delusions upon the question, and he
was from the first against accepting the proffered throne of
Mexico at all. He, however, was a mere puppet in the hands
of his proud and ambitious wife and the placid instrument in
those of the intriguing Napoleon III., allowing himself to be
15

16 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
used for the aggrandisement of the one and the gratification
of the mad political ambitions of the other. Like older and
better and wiser men, the luckless Austrian prince fell to the
ground, but he also brought down his unwise councillors with
him. It is a sad and sorrowful story, that of the second attempt
at Empire in Mexico, the first, viz. that instituted by
Yturbide, ending in that individual's death at the hands of
his subjects, as did the second also.
Maximilian was born in 1832, and was the younger brother
of the present Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria. He
married the beautiful daughter of King Leopold I. of the
Belgians, Princess Charlotte Am6lie (" Carlota "), and a
sister therefore of the reigning King, Leopold II. , of the
Belgians. He was related by birth and by marriage to half
the reigning Sovereigns of Europe, viz. the Emperor of
Austria (his brother), Queen Victoria of Great Britain (his
cousin), the King of the Belgians (his brother-in-law), the
Queen of Spain (his cousin), the King of Italy, the King of
Sweden and Norway and the Emperor of Germany.
At the time that Napoleon III. offered him the crown of
Mexico, the Archduke Maximilian was living peacefully and
contentedly with his handsome wife at the Castle of Miramar,
on the beautiful Adriatic Sea, a perfectly ideal place and one
which it is easy to understand his reluctance in leaving.
The royal pair had already had some little experience of a
Court, since, for two years, they had been Viceroy and
Vicereine of Lombardy, that troublesome province which
Austria had then under her thraldom, but which, as history
relates, was subsequently made part of the Kingdom of Sar
dinia as the result of Magenta and Solferino.
At the Court of Milan, Maximilian and Charlotte had lived
so extravagantly that the Emperor of Austria found it ex
pedient to remove them, and it was therefore all the more
tempting to be offered a real crown elsewhere, although it was
that of a country absolutely unknown to either of them,
thousands of miles distant and inhabited by a people as
different in their habits, appearance and inclinations as the
opposite poles. However, all arguments against the folly
of accepting the proposals of Louis Napoleon, which were

DEFEAT OF MAXIMILIAN 17
urged both by the Emperor Francis Joseph and other well-
wishers, failed against the expressed desires of his ambitious
and glory-loving wife. So to Mexico went Maximilian, having
previously paid a series of farewell visits to the Courts of
Europe, where he and his newly-made Empress were received
with full royal honours and lavishly entertained. The two
Sovereigns, having left Europe on April 14th, 1864, arrived at
Veracruz on May 29th, and were received with extreme coolness
by the people. Making their way to Mexico City, they
entered their capital in state a few days later, and were
solemnly crowned in the Cathedral, having previously been
anointed with full pontifical ceremony at their Castle of
Miramar, in the presence of the Members of the Mexican
Assembly of Notables.
Troubles commenced almost immediately to accumulate
thickly around the doomed royal house. Neither Maxi
milian nor the Empire was ever recognised by the United
States of America, and fully two-thirds of his own " subjects "
repudiated him and clung tenaciously to the Republic. It
seemed easier for Napoleon to place an Emperor upon the
throne of the country, which he fancied he had subdued, than
to keep him there. Immediately the French troops were
withdrawn, just as might have been expected, Maximilian
found himself surrounded by enemies and almost destitute of
friends. The Empress had gone to Europe to raise both
money and sympathy ; but she failed in both. Maximilian,
after being deserted first by one General and then by another,
finally found himself a prisoner shut up at Querelaro, with at
least 20,000 men arrayed against him, and not five hundred
heart and soul for him.
On May 15th, 1867, the end of his brief and inglorious
Empire came ; for on that day the successful Republican,
General Escobedo, took Queretaro, assisted by the base
treachery of Maximilian's own commanding officer, Colonel
Miguel Lop6z. I am assured by reliable authorities that this
same Lop6"z was literally a second Judas, for he sold his
Emperor for the sum of 20,000 silver pesos, which were
actually presented to him on the day that the town of Quer6-
taro fell to General Escobedo. Furthermore, I am assured
that, in paying over the stipulated amount of blood-money to
vol. i. 2

18 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
him, the deputy to whom was assigned the uncongenial task,
carefully refrained from touching the hand of Colonel Lop6z,
the betrayer. One can readily understand that.
Maximilian formally surrendered himself to General Esco
bedo, by whom he was treated very uncivilly, and even
brutally. In company with his two trusty and devoted
Generals, Mejia and Miramon, he was summoned in due
course to appear before the Court-Martial which had been
hastily convened at the Teatro de Yturbide, at Queretaro.
The ex-Emperor flatly refused, and in his absence both he
and his adherents (who attended the trial) were unanimously
condemned to be shot on the following morning, June 15th
The execution was, as a matter of fact, postponed for three
or four days, during which time heroic efforts were made to
save the life of this unhappy prince ; but all unavailingly.
President Benito Juarez could have saved him, but would not.
Perhaps Porfirio Diaz would have saved him, but could not.
It was with Juarez that the final — the only — appeal lay ; but
the "Indian" President was an obstinate and an unmovable
man, deeply incensed against Maximilian personally, and
nothing that could be said or done or suggested induced him
to swerve for a single moment from his one set purpose.
And so, on the morning of June 19th, 1867, at the foot of a
gentle slope of the Cerro de las Campanas, at Queretaro,
Maximilian of Austria, in the 35th year of his age, was done
to death.
The place where he suffered is visited during the course of
the year by thousands of tourists, and seldom is any expres
sion but one of regret at his execution heard to fall from
their lips. It is a chapter in the life of the country which
ought never to have been written.

CHAPTER IV
Population statistics — Foreigners in Mexico — United States conquests and
annexations — Texan Republic — Relations between the sister republics
— What the Mexicans owe to the Anglo-Saxon races — Value of
American influence in Mexico — Appreciative Mexican comment —
Foreigners and their lack of good taste — A plea for better behaviour
— An American criticism — Foreigners in Mexico fifty years ago.
According to the latest particulars available, and, at the out
set, I must confess that census figures are very difficult to
obtain from the authorities, and, when obtained, are sometimes
unreliable, there were last year (1906) some 65,000 Foreigners
in the Republic of Mexico. The nationalities most numer
ously represented were in the following order, and compare
with the total of 57,082 in 1900, the date of the last census.

Census of

Figures (esti

1900.

mated) 1906.

United States

15,265

17,080

Guatemalan ...

5,804

5,460

Other Americans

3,379

3,695

Spanish 

16,258

16,770

French...

3,976

4,010

British...

2,845

2,900

German

2,565

2,850

Italian ...

2,564

2,700

Other Europeans

1,592

5,785

Chinese and Japanese
Totals 

2,834

3,750

57,082

65,000

It will be observed that while the United States citizens
increased to the number of some 1,700, the British hardly
moved ; while the French, German, and Italian nationalities
fluctuated but very little. On the other hand, "Other
19 2-2

20

MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY

Europeans," which include the greatly increased number of
residents from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Greece, moved
considerably, and on the whole show an augmentation of
close on 4,200. I have taken no note of the thousands of
United States and other tourists who annually come to Mexico,
and of whose movements, except in bulk, the Government
officials show no recognition. No doubt the estimated figures
will be found to be very "rough," when the careful and
systematic Census returns are taken in 1910 and published.
But for a fair and average idea, these returns will serve. The
entire population of Mexico in 1810, when Baron von Hum
boldt visited the country, was little over 6,500,000, so that
within, say, 90 years, it has practically more than doubled
itself, it being in 1900 declared at 13,605,819.
There is very little immigration from Mexico, and with the
exception of the Japanese and Chinese, who come over in great
numbers with the idea of crossing into the United States, and
which they manage to do with or without the cognisance of
the American officials, the emigration into the country is in
considerable. In all probability the Census of 1910 will
show a total population of little under 16,000,000, which
may not be deemed unsatisfactory.
Let us see how Mexico compares with other Spanish-
American Countries in point of population, the area in square
miles being considered.

Name of Country.

Population.

Area in Square
Miles.

Mexico...

13,605,819

767,060

Argentina

4,625,000

1,117,060

Venezuela

2,075,000

599,360

Peru 

4,610,000

713,670

Chile 

3,147,000

307,683 •

Uruguay

965,000

72,153

Bolivia

1,853,000

983,980

Columbia

3,879,000

504,770

Brazil ...

14,334,000

3,218,170

The nearest approach in area, it will be observed, is Peru
with 713,670 square miles against Mexico's 767,060, and yet
the proportion of the latter' s population is 3 to 1. Gigantic

MEXICO AND THE UNITED STATES 21
Brazil, with more than 4 times the area, has barely a million
more population; while Argentina, with 350,000 more area,
has 8,980,819 fewer in population. On the whole, then, while
Mexico's great hope is to increase her population, and she
offers every encouragement with this ulterior object in view,
the Republic stands extremely well in comparison with any
other located in the same part of the world.
Once upon a time Mexico was just one-half as big again as
she is to-day ; there are those who openly express their fear
that in due course of time that remaining half will follow where
the first went — namely to the United States of America — and
become part and parcel of the " Stars and Stripes "; but they
have little reason for their apprehensions.
The United States are credited — rightly or wrongly — with
once having entertained that tender regard for Mexico which
the greedy wolf professed for little Red Riding Hood and her
family connections ; but whatever ideas in this respect may
have prevailed a decade or two ago, it is certain that none
but the most friendly feelings between the two neighbouring
nations exist to-day ; while the community of interests is so
fully recognised by both alike as to render any aggressive
policy upon the part of either wholly improbable.
From first to last Mexico has ceded to America little less
than one million square miles of territory, that is to say more
than one-half of what she formerly possessed. Commencing
with the separation of Texas, Mexico lost 362,487 square
miles. This was in the year 1835, while in February 1848,
by the Guadalupe-Hidalgo Treaty, 522,568 square miles were
given up, and in December 1858, by the Gadsden Treaty,
Mexico abandoned a further 45,535 square miles, or, in all,
some 930,590 square miles passed over to the United States,
forming by no means the least valuable of her possessions.
The boundary line between the two countries is about the
longest frontier in the world, and exceeds 1,833 miles. In
years gone by, its delimitation occasioned much trouble, and
on more than one occasion it looked as if serious contest
would be the outcome. The discovery of valuable mines — or
what were then considered valuable — was the main cause,
and with considerable cunning the interested parties on the
United States side shifted the beacon marks which, other-

22 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
wise, stood in favour of the Mexican claims to the ownership.
The two Governments proceeded in the well-known diplomatic
manner to " settle " the dispute by appointing Commissioners,
as does our own beloved Government whenever it finds itself in
an awkward predicament. First a convention was concluded at
Washington, on July 29th, 1882 ; but it was not until the middle
of 1883 that a preliminary reconnaissance was made by repre
sentatives of the two Governments, acting independently of
one another. Their reports were pigeonholed, as are the
reports of most Commissions all the world over, and nothing
came of that convention. Six years later, namely in
February 1889, another convention were summoned, but
it took exactly seven long years for their Report to be pre
sented, and in April 1896 the boundary question with the
United States became un fait arrange".
Since then its utility has been proved upon several occa
sions, the latest being in May of last year, when a filibustering
pioneer and his friends nearly precipitated a row by summon
ing an American armed force to come across the frontier and
help him suppress a, riot among the workmen at the mines,
which the folly and brutality of his own employees had
fostered. I refer more fully to this incident under the
heading of Chapter LXXL, devoted to the Mining district of
Cananea (Sonora).
Recruits for revolutionary movements have oftentimes been
found in America, as, for instance, when Francisco Javier
Mina raised the banner of revolt against his own King (of
Spain) in 1817, securing the services of 500 Americans to
help him ; while both Benito Juarez and Porfirio Diaz found
sympathy and practical aid in that land of hospitality and
refuge, at the time of their greatest need. The United States
was, with England, about the first nation to recognise Mexico
as an independent country, which event took place in 1825.
The long-brewing trouble between the United States and
Mexico commenced by the former inciting — or at least tacitly
assisting — Texas to revolt against Mexico, much about the
same policy being then pursued as was later on alleged to
have been followed in regard to Colombia and Panama. It is
perfectly true that the Texans had, by separating from the
Republic, established a separate country and a little Republic

y.
s

MEXICO'S LOSS OF TERRITORY 23
of their own. Perhaps, had America not interfered, the Texans'
nine years' separation, brought about under the leadership of
an American named Sam Houston, would have automatically
terminated by the Mexicans retaking this extremely valuable
part of their country. But the United States, as I have said,
assisted Texas, not only to tear itself free of Mexico, but to
become part of the Union States, being incorporated as one
of them in 1844.
Texas alone has an area of some 265,000 square miles and
a present population of over 3,000,000. Its agricultural
possibilities are unbounded.
The same political move was made in regard to California,
which, under express orders from Washington, was incited to
revolt against Mexico in 1846, and did so with good effect, the
inciter again incorporating the severed territory in the Union.
Then followed a series of assaults upon Mexican towns which
the Mexicans were powerless, struggle as they might, to resist.
The well-trained army and navy of the United States, under
the brilliant leadership of Captain (afterwards General)
Fremont, Commodore Stoat, Commodore Montgomery, and
General Winfield Scott, worsted the Mexicans at every turn.
California was lost to them as completely as Texas, and at
length a peace known as the " Guadalupe-Hidalgo Treaty "
was compulsorily signed by the defeated Mexicans, and the
United States, in " exchange " for the trumpery sum of
$15,000,000 (about £3,000,000), annexed more than one-half
of the entire Mexican territory, afterwards holding its hand
upon its heart and proclaiming to the rest of the world :
" You see how honourable we are even at the time of
victory." The country for which the United States paid $15,000,000
was worth then $150,000,000, and the value is to-day almost
incalculable. Whatever other historians may think of this act of annexa
tion, the Americans themselves long ago learned the opinion
of one of their greatest sons — General Ulysses Grant — who
has publicly affirmed that " this was the most unjust and
most unholy war ever waged by a stronger nation against a
weaker one."
All that took place in these stormy times, however, when

24 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
men could not be expected to weigh every word that fell from
their lips nor submit to every political action being examined
through a microscope, has given place to feelings of trust and
friendship between the sister nations. The friendly feeling,
deep and sincere, expressed for the United States of America
by President Diaz cannot be doubted. He has himself fre
quently referred to his sentiments on the subject, notably as
recently as March, 1907, when he publicly observed : "lam
greatly encouraged to receive expressions of approval from
citizens of the United States. I am always glad to see
Americans, glad to give them every assistance in my power,
as we feel we are indebted to the natives of that country in
the past and at the present time for many things." What
reason there is to suppose that the opinions of the President
or the country have undergone any reaction, I cannot see.
Spanish writers have frequently admitted that, but for the
Anglo-Saxon race coming into South and Central America,
and bringing their great resources and intelligence to bear
upon the welfare of the Spanish-Americas, their lands might
still be in the depths of commercial inferiority, and their
finances practically non-existent. In my volume upon South
America (" Through Five Republics "),* I mention, on p. 461,
the following testimony to this effect :
" Underlying the petty native jealousies and not infrequent
outbursts of spiteful criticism levelled against British interests,
there exists in the different States of South America the
knowledge that British brains, British money, and British
esprit de corps have loomed largely in the building-up of
these countries, while, to use the expression of a sympathetic
Spanish newspaper, published in Argentina, and not usually
given to praise of its foreign residents, ' This great civilising
power has left upon us a deep and lasting impression, clearly
recognisable.' "
What the British have done, and are doing, for Argentina,
the Americans have effected for Mexico. It is significant that
while the Spanish influences are gradually but surely dying-
out, and the French were insufficiently long in the country to
have bequeathed any, American — I should perhaps say Anglo-
* "Through Five [Republics of South America (1905)." (William
Heinemann, 21, Bedford Street, London. 21s.)

TO EMULATE ANGLO-SAXONS 25
Saxon — influence is gaining ground every day. In numerous
directions can this be observed, and although it would be
untrue to say that this influence is invariably for the best, on
the whole there can be no doubt that Mexico would hardly
have attained her present recognised supreme position
among Spanish-American nations but for the advantages
which her foreign element has succeeded in introducing, and
that without in any way meddling with the country's internal
politics. In thought, customs and foreign relations the Republic
has undergone an almost complete change ; and although the
transition has been tardily recognised and strenuously objected
to by a certain section of the ultra-conservative element, it
is too late to stem the stream of reform which must continue
to flow until all old and useless forms of government, all
remnants of effete and worn-out social anomalies have been
completely swept away. The effect of the foreign element in
Mexico has been, as all unprejudiced Mexicans readily admit,
much the same as that referred to by Daniel Webster in his
famous speech on Hamilton : " He smote the rock of the
national resources, and abundant streams of revenue gushed
forth ; he touched the dead corpse of Public Credit, and it
sprang upon its feet."
A Mexican writer, Mr. Manuel M. Alegre, has borne willing
witness to the benefits accruing from the country's closer
connection with Anglo-Saxon methods and ideas, and states
that if the Mexicans would preserve their nationality they
must do as the Anglo-Saxons are doing in their countries.
They have shown themselves the ruling-race of the modern
world, and Mexicans must display the same vigilance as they,
the same inexhaustible mental activity, the same energy for
work and love of order and liberty. These are qualities
possessed in a greater or less degree by all peoples, and in
Mexico they but require awakening to life. Mr. Alegre
advises his countrymen that their duty is to free the still
partially-paralysed national mind and stimulate the active
faculties of the Nation, widen its instruction and its social
vision, in order that it may clearly perceive its present
conditions and its possibilities in the near future. This
should be the duty of the country's legislators, its teachers,

26 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
its journalists, its philosophers and its spiritual directors, as
well as all leaders of public and private intellectual agencies.
Abundant evidence is forthcoming in every direction that
this sound advice is being taken to heart, and that Anglo-
Saxons and Mexicans are uniting in their ideas, their
general tendencies and habits of daily life more and more.
Several additional generations may be required, perhaps, to
complete the transformation, but it is proceeding — and in the
proper direction.
Any and every old-established country, I suppose, which
possesses a history, traditions and hoary-headed relics — to all
of which its peoples attach reverence and respect — has had to
undergo the painful ordeal of the scoffs and cheap cynicisms
of the prowling tourist. Many a time my anger has been
aroused by overhearing the crude and senseless criticisms upon
some of our greatest men buried in Westminster Abbey, that
national shrine to which all Britishers pay devotion, during
even divine service. The same thing has occurred at the
Tower of London, at St. Paul's Cathedral and at Holyrood
Palace. I have, on occasions, had to blush for shame at the
same lack of respect paid to the silent denizens of the Pantheon,
in Paris, by a party of English tourists ; and Mexico, with its
incomparable collection of hallowed spots, its unique associa
tions and its intensely romantic surroundings, cannot hope to
escape the common fate in the form of the jeers of the thought
less and the loud-voiced criticisms of the lower-class tourists
who are now swarming over her semi-sacred ground.
If there is anything more objectionable than a Cockney
tripper (and I very much doubt whether you can find it !) it is
the Yankee sight-seer. I really do not know which of the two
is the more intolerable, but both pursue the same methods
of rendering themselves offensive to the inhabitants of
the countries which they periodically afflict with their
presence, and both deserve to be rigorously excluded from
entrance to all holy or hallowed spots unless they can learn to
behave themselves with becoming reverence. Fortunately the
good people of Mexico understand but very little English,
and consequently a great many of the ribald remarks which
fall from them in Churches, galleries or on battle-fields with
almost sacred associations, fail to affect the hearers. But

THE METHODS OF TOURISTS 27
the Mexicans are not fools by any means; and if they
cannot understand the words uttered they can, and do, at
least apprehend the broad significance, the rude gestures and
the coarse laugh which accompany them, and many a time
the careful observer may have seen the sensitive natives
wince at the lack of sympathy and open contempt evinced
by the foreign visitors to their country's most treasured
shrines. The absolute indifference thus shown by some of these
tourists for the susceptibilities of the "poor Indian " — who for
all his rags and tatters carries a proud and patriotic heart, and
a deep reverence for his fatherland — is almost inconceivable.
Is it because some care little for tradition, have no history
of their own, no treasure-house of old associations and few
family pedigrees that they are so prone to scoff at those who
have? That I may not be considered prejudiced or insular in my
remarks, I will quote from an American traveller, Mr. John
C. Van Dyke, who writes as follows upon the eccentricities of
some countrymen in Mexico: " Of course, Mexico is not the
United States ; and that usually breaks the heart of the
average travelling American. He misses his tourist hotel,
his bath, his drive in the park, and his American cocktail
before luncheon. Nothing compensates him for these losses.
He grumbles at everything, and airs his views to clerks and
porters who understand not a word of English. He does not
like the hotel, though it would puzzle him to find a better one
in any town of equal size in the United States. He smiles at
the heavy adobe houses, not realising that they are built for
protection against the heat; for comfort, not looks. He
thinks every Mexican a " greaser," though he cannot match
him in courtesy, kindness or generosity. And everything is
so " slow," with no sense of "business," as though rapidity
were a virtue instead of a nervous manifestation, and as
though buying and selling were the breath of life in one's
nostrils. I have heard similar fault-finding in Europe from
Americans who had passed most of their lives in Kansas
cyclone-cellars or Colorado dugouts. Those who have lived
in Mexico for years have much to say in praise of Mexican
life. There is a great deal to be learned from it, and certainly

28 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
it is not to be sneered at by the average travelling American,
who is too apt to be a shallow-pate."
Mr. Van Dyke evidently feels strongly on the subject of the
conduct of some of his countrymen, and does not hesitate to
pronounce his opinion, an opinion which will be endorsed by
all our right-thinking and reverent-minded Transatlantic
cousins, of whom, I am pleased to remember, I have met many
delightful and cultured specimens in my world-wide travels.
Writing on the subject of foreigners in Mexico some 40 or
50 years ago, Madame Calderon de la Barca, wife of the First
Spanish Minister to Mexico, states that — " Germans of a certain
class do not seem to be sufficiently numerous, and the French
in Mexico, barring some distinguished exceptions, are apt to
be amongst the very worst specimens of that people which ' le
plaisant pays de France ' can furnish forth." Of the British
residents the same candid critic observes — "With very few
exceptions (and these in the case of Englishwomen married to
foreigners) they keep themselves entirely aloof from the
Mexicans, live quietly in their own houses, into which they
have transplanted as much English comfort as possible,
rarely travel, and naturally find Mexico the dullest of cities."
But this has all been changed since then.
Mexico has had in the past, and no doubt will again have in
the future, good cause to complain of the "kindness" of its
friends, who sometimes for a consideration and sometimes
without, come down — principally from the United States —
take a casual look around (their visits varying from twenty-four
hours to a whole week), and then go back to their native
country and write " a book upon Mexico."
The Mexicans themselves complain bitterly about this in
curable propensity upon the part of their powerful neighbours,
declaring that whether the so-called "book" be favourable or
unfavourable, friendly or unfriendly, it is usually so inac
curate as to do the country more harm than good, and by
creating a totally erroneous impression of the Republic and
of its people makes them more enemies than friends.
While in Mexico City and other large cities of the Republic,
English is fairly- well spoken among the better classes, outside
of those places very little is understood of the Anglo-Saxon
tongue. A few words are picked up by mercantile-clerks,

FEW LINGUISTS TO BE FOUND 29
street-vendors and newsboys, while some of the commercial
class in Mexico are learning English for correspondence pur
poses. The President understands very little of the Anglo-
Saxon tongue, or if he does he steadfastly refuses to speak it.
On the other hand, Madame Diaz is a fluent English speaker,
and writes the language with remarkable accuracy. Of the
members of the Cabinet, Sefior Mariscal, Minister of Foreign
Relations, is a very good speaker, while Senor J. Y. Limantour,
the Finance Minister, speaks and writes English as fluently
as French and Spanish. The Governor of the Federal Dis
trict, Don Guillermo Landa y Escandon, who was educated at
the Jesuit College of Stoneyhurst, is another fluent English
speaker, while Senor Aldasoro, Sub-Secretario de Fomento,
can speak English well enough, but prefers, outside Spanish,
to converse in French, of which he is a thorough master.
English is taught in many of the public and a great many
of the private schools, and in all families where private tutors
are charged with the education of the children. On the other
hand, many resident Anglo-Saxons in Mexico are proficient
Spanish scholars, so far as conversation is concerned, but it
is seldom that one is encountered who can write a letter in
accurate Spanish. I have met foreigners who have lived
16 and 18 years in Mexico City, who have hardly been
able to express themselves intelligently in Spanish, and
who, in any other country whose people were less lenient
and courteous than those of Mexico, would have been laughed
at and ridiculed.

CHAPTER V
Government — Legislative chambers — The Cabinet — Judicial powers —
State governments and judiciary — States and their groupings-
Ministerial departments — Ministers and the public — The Federal
District Government — The Army — Rurales de la Federacion — Their
equipment and organisation — Remodelling of the Mexican Army and
Navy Departments.
The President of the Republic, who is the supreme execu
tive power, is elected indirectly by electors chosen by the
people. His term of office is for four years, and, unlike the
Republics of Argentina, Brazil and Chile, he may be re
elected indefinitely. This was not always the case, but the
Constitution was amended on December 20th, 1890, to admit
of this being done. The President must be a Mexican-born,
not less than thirty-five years of age, must not belong to any
religious order, and must be a resident of the country at the
time of his election.
The Cabinet consists of seven Secretaries, all heads of
different Departments — Foreign Affairs; Finance; Public
Works ; Industry and Colonisation ; Interior ; Justice and
Public Instruction ; and War and Navy. All these Ministers
muBt be native-born Mexican citizens, and at least 25
years of age. The President receives a salary of $50,000
(£5,000) per annum, and the Ministers $15,000 (£1,500)
each. The idea that a Republic should provide an example in
simplicity of living on the part of its President is realised by
General Porfirio Diaz, who, except upon those State occasions
which demand some display and pageantry, passes an exceed
ingly plain and unostentatious existence. His town house
(No. 8, Calle Cadena), is one of a long line in a not ultra-
fashionable thoroughfare, containing banks and other com-
30

S-

< f-

LEGISLATIVE AND JUDICIAL 31
mercial institutions ; and he uses his official residences, the
National Palace and the Castle of Chapultepec, but seldom
and only for public functions.
So far from entering, then, into competition with the more
luxurious members of the community, he really offers a
striking contrast to extravagance and ostentation. There are
many sensible people who contend that the Head of a State
should not allow himself to be outdone in wealth by his
subjects, as is the case in the United States of America
particularly ; but President Diaz has his own opinions upon
these matters, and he continues to live the life of a well-to-
do but not an extravagant gentleman. He is nevertheless
believed to be a very rich man, and it is estimated that
his private fortune cannot be far less than £1,000,000.
Certain it is that the President is exceedingly generous and
entertains both frequently and liberally, which could not be
done well out of £5,000 a year.
The Legislative Power consists of two Chambers as in most,
if not all Republics, namely the Senate and the Deputies.
In the first named there sit two Senators for each State and
the Federal District, who are chosen as are the Deputies.
The Deputies are elected every two years in the proportion of
1 Deputy for every 40,000 inhabitants. The Congress holds
two ordinary sessions annually, the first, which may be
extended thirty days, beginning on September 16th and ending
on December 15th, and the second commencing April 1st and
adjourning May 31st. But under certain exigencies this
Session may be continued for a further fifteen days.
The Judicial Power consists of a Supreme Court of Justice,
with 3 Circuit and 32 District Courts. The Supreme Court
is composed of eleven " magistrados " or judges, four deputy-
judges, an Attorney-General and a Public Prosecutor. They
are all appointed for 6 years, and are indirectly elected by
the people, in exactly the same way as are the Senators and
Deputies. The Supreme Court Judges receive $5,475
(£547 10s.) a year, and the District Judges $3,650 (£365) each,
moderate enough salaries in all conscience.
All the above-named officers and regulations apply to the
Federal Government. In regard to the various State Govern
ments the arrangements are as follows : Each State has its

32 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
own Congress, the members of which are called Deputies and
sit for two years ; and a Governor, elected indirectly by the
people, and who, although nominally appointed for four years
only, can be, and frequently is, elected indefinitely. The
judicial power in the greater number of the States is reposed
in a Supreme Court of Justice and inferior courts. Each
State is divided politically, as a rule, into different districts,
each ruled over by a Jefe" Politico, or, as we should call him,
Political Chief, while the French equivalent would be
Preset. There are minor divisions or municipalities, each
having its ayuntamiento, or Town Council and Mayor. Each
State is bound to deliver up, without any preliminaries,
criminals from all States to the authority demanding them.
The various powers in the Federal and State Governments
work admirably together, the Mexican Constitution forbidding
one State to make war upon another or against the Federal
Government (as has been done in Brazil, Colombia, and
other of the less reputable South American Republics), while
no State can conclude any alliance, treaty or league with
another State, issue letters of marque or reprisal, coin money,
issue paper-money, stamps or stamped paper, or decree any
kind of laws which would cause "differences of taxes or
requisites by reason of the source of national or foreign
merchandise, whether those differences be established in
regard to a like production in that locality or on account of
like production from different sources."
The salaries of the State Governors of Mexico are exceedingly
moderate considering the great amount of attention which
they have to pay to the affairs of their respective States, the
small amount of vacation allowed, and the heavy respon
sibilities which their offices carry. The highest salaries are
received by the Governors of Veracruz and Pudbla, amounting
to $12,000 (£1,200), or -0093 per cent, and -0084 per cent, of
the total amount of taxes collected in their States. The
Governor of Tlaxcala receives but $3,000 (£300), or -0145
per cent, of the total taxes collected in his State.
The Federal Government, on the other hand, has almost
unlimited powers, but what it cannot do is " to establish or
decree in the District and Federal Territories the taxes and
laws expressed as regards the States."

TERRITORIAL DIVISIONS

33

The United Mexican States are divided into 1 Federal
District, 27 States, and 3 Territories. These are as follows :

City of Mexico
Aguascalientes Durango Guanajuato
Hidalgo MexicoPuebla
Morelos Queretaro
San Luis Potosi
Tlaxcala
Zacatecas Chihuahua
Coahuila
Nuevo Leon
Sonora
CampecheTabasco Tamaulipas
Veracruz
YucatanColimaChiapas
Guerrero
Jalisco
Michoacan Oaxaca
Sinaloa Tepic
Baja California
Territorio de Quin-
tana Roo

Federal District (1).

Central States (11).

Northern States (4).

Gulf States (5).

Pacific States (7).

Territories (3).

The various Federal Governmental Departments, all of
which have their offices in the City of Mexico, are carried on
with the greatest of precision and decorum. For the most
part, the Ministers are located in large and handsome build
ings, somewhat separated at present owing to there being no

VOL. I.

34 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
central establishment. The Ministers are accessible to the
public who are received in audience, either by special appoint
ment or upon the usual days and at the specified hours, which
are conspicuously posted in the reception-rooms. As a rule
the ante-rooms of the Cabinet Ministers are well filled by
audience-seekers, especially during the sittings of Congress.
So accustomed are the Members of the Government to
consult with the shrewd and level-headed Chief Magistrate,
and to follow his advice, that even comparatively trivial
matters occurring in their departments, and which they are
both competent and authorised to decide for themselves, are
referred to President Diaz, who thus has a complete and
thorough knowledge of everything which goes on in the
Government. Moreover, in spite of his advanced age, which has passed
the allotted span by several years, the President retains a
simply remarkable memory for both faces, facts and figures.
He succeeds, moreover, in imparting a great deal of his own
native shrewdness and faculty of deciding quickly and justly
to his Ministers, one and all of whom are devoted to him and
defer unhesitatingly to bis judgment should any question of
difference of opinion at any time arise. A more united
" family " than General Diaz and his Cabinet does not
exist ; the only changes made from year to year are those
caused by deaths or resignations from ill-health.
The Federal Government, having sway over the whole of
the Federal District, which comprises Mexico City, came into
existence only on July 1st, 1903. Previous to that date, the
various small towns and suburbs surrounding the Capital
were entirely dependent upon their own limited resources,
and consequently but little progress or enterprise was possible.
By introducing the new form of administration, increased
facilities for improvements, by reason of the wide resources
of the Capital itself being available, were at once obtained,
to the great benefit of the large population concerned. The
Federal Exchequer is drawn upon for all general or special
requirements, and the original idea of the greatest good for
the greatest number has fructified amazingly.
The administration of the Federal District is in the hands
of three Federally-appointed officers, the Governor, the Presi-

GOVERNMENT OF FEDERAL DISTRICT 35
dent of the Superior Board of Health, and the Director of
Public Works. Each has his own clearly-defined sphere of
utility, but upon occasion the whole three can form a
" Superior Governing Board," and act in unison. All muni
cipal corporations such as exist in the Argentine and Brazil
and prove such a fruitful source of corruption and obstruc
tion, have been swept away, but aldermen, representing, and
being elected by, the people, still possess some influence in
purely local matters, and exercise their rights of initiative,
watchfulness and veto. Only the President of the Republic
can set aside any such veto passed by the majority ; but up to
the present no such occasion for interference has presented
itself. The administration works uncommonly smoothly, and
is a decided improvement upon the old " ayuntamientos,"
or governing bodies, which formerly had charge of purely
local interests, such form of " parish politics " prevailing for
nearly four hundred years, in fact from the time of the
Conquest. The Federal District of Mexico offers an admir
able object-lesson to our own defective County Councils, and
London might rejoice if she possessed as clean and sensible
a form of local administration, instead of the expensive
incubus at present sitting on her chest.
With so distinguished and capable a soldier at the head of
the Government, it is not to be wondered at that, just as
soon as peace was finally established and the country was
fit for it, General Diaz set about the task of thoroughly
re-organising the Army, and introducing that system and
orderliness which had hitherto been lacking.
A good deal of shuffling of the cards has taken place during
the past five-and-forty years, since, with every change of
President or head of the Government in Mexico, no matter
under what designation it was known, there has invariably
been a change of Secretary of War and Navy. Altogether, there
have been about 80 changes of Secretaries and Acting Secre
taries of War, some of whom have been in office more than
once. It is indispensable that a Mexican Secretary of War
should be a distinguished soldier holding high military rank ;
and for further preservation of the peace he must, of a neces
sity, be a loyal adherent of the Head of the State.
As previously mentioned, the Secretary of War and Navy
3—2

36

MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY

is one of the seven Cabinet Ministers, and the Department
over which he presides is one of the Departments of State.
He has full and undisputed control of the army, the navy,
the national guard, the merchant marine, military legislation,
administration of all the military schools, military justice,
privateer commissions, naval academies, military hospitals,
forts, fortifications, barracks, arms and ammunition, factories,
arsenals, military stores, warehouses and depots. Thus, it
will be seen, how vast and widespread are the Minister's
responsibilities, and how necessary it becomes to appoint an
experienced and thoroughly responsible man.
Since the end of the protracted internal and foreign warB,
the Government have set themselves to the accomplishment
of two tasks, first to reduce the standing army, and secondly,
to thoroughly reorganise and improve it. The Army is
divided into three sections — the Active, the Reserve and the
Second Reserve.
For purposes of comparison, I append the number of the
officers and men comprising the Mexican Forces in the pre-
peace and the post-peace times :

The Permanent Army of Mexico.

1867.

1897.

Rank and file 
Officers :
Major-Generals 
Brigadier-GeneralsColonels )
Lieutenant-Colonels > 
Majors )
Commissioned Officers from rank of Captain
to Ensign 

37,133 1173
1,0412,335

26,011 8
54
955
2,379

The considerable reduction effected in all branches except
that of Commissioned officers holding rank between that of
Captain and Ensign, and which was actually increased by 44,
will be observed. The various divisions of the Army are as
follows : '28 battalions, 4 skeleton battalions, 2 companies
of District troops, 1 section of scouts, the auxili-
Infantry -. < ary troop of Sonora (18 officers and 219 men),
and the Yucatan guard (21 officers and 401
' men) .

I

THE PERMANENT ARMY 37
(14 Regiments and 4 skeleton regiments, Federal
Auxiliary Corps (15 officers and 298 troopers),
and the Sonora Auxiliaries (62 troopers).
2 Regiments of mounted, 1 regiment of horse,
1 regiment of mountain, 1 troop with rapid-
firing guns, 1 train, 1 battery and 3 sections
Artillery : { of garrison, 1 company of mitrailleuse. Also,
1 battalion of sappers and miners, 1 pack of
Engineers, 1 troop of transport, 1 signal corps
section, 1 hospital corps.
The numbers of both officers and men may be summed up
as follows : —
8 Generals of Division, 54 Generals of Brigade, 955
officers from the rank of major, lieutenant - colonel and
colonel, of whom 450 are " en deposito," that is not on
active service ; 2,379 officers from Captain down to Ensign,
of whom 527 are " en deposito " ; 26,141 rank and file, of whom
16,423 belong to the infantry, 6,554 to the cavalry, 1,776 to
the artillery, and the remainder to the various special services
of the Army. There are about 6,820 horses and 2,550 mules
for hauling and pack-carrying.
The pay of a General of Division on active service is $16.44
(say 33/-) per diem ; a General of Brigade $12.33 (say 25/-),
and a Brigade General the same. A Colonel of infantry re
ceives $7.00 (14/-) ; a lieutenant - colonel $4.80 (9/6) ; a
Major $4.25 (say 8/6) ; first Captain $3.20 (6/6) ; second
Captain $2.90 (5/10) ; first Lieutenant $2.55 (5/-) and second
Lieutenant $2.35 (4/9). The pay in the Cavalry is somewhat
better, and also in the Artillery. A Colonel of Cavalry or
Artillery receives $7.60 (say 15/6) daily ; a Lieutenant-Colonel
$5.12 (10/8) ; a Major $4.45 (8/9) ; first Captain $3.65 (7/3) ;
second Captain $3.15 (6/3) ; first Lieutenant $2.65 (5/3) ; and
second Lieutenant $2.45 (4/9).
The regulation arms adopted comprise the Mauser pattern
rifle of 1901, 7 mm. calibre, Colt's mitrailleuse, the Bauge
7*9 cm. calibre, the Krupp and the Mondragon cannons, the
latter being the invention of a Mexican Officer of Artillery,
Colonel Manuel Mondragon, and who is at present military
attache" to the Mexican Legation in Paris. The cavalry are
provided with carbines of the Mauser pattern, the mountain

38

MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY

batteries having guns of the Gruson pattern, and the Reserves
the Mauser rifle of 1893. Ammunition is made in the country
by German machinery, imported some 5 years ago.
The following shows the Mexican Army's strength when on
a peace footing : —

Divisions.

Officers.

Men.

Horses.

Pack
Animals.

Minister of War and President's

Guard ...
384
101
66
—
Administration ...
1,066
675
49
—
Infantry ...
900
15,796
—
907
Cavalry ...
575
6,800
6,569
588
Artillery ... ... 
161
1,585
352
1,024
Engineers 
63
725
19
286
Hospital Service
154
290
13
51
Invalid Corps ... 
10
39
—
—
Totals 
3,313
26,011
7,068
2,856
In war-time, the effective strength of the Army is given
as being : Officers 3,500, infantry 120,000, cavalry 20,000,
artillery 6,000.
It was in October of 1900 that Congress authorised the
President to reorganise the Army. Among the improvements
introduced was the formation of a Second Reserve, consisting
of volunteers organised into corps of officers forming the
nucleus of a volunteer-army. The First Reserve had already
been some years in existence, being composed of retired
officers of the regular army, of both the Federal and the other
States, rural and city police, frontier-customs and maritime
guards, and all other armed bodies supported by the State.
In the event of the State calling upon its reserves at a time
of emergency, there could be put into the field an additional
force of 4,333 officers and 86,000 men.
Unlike our Volunteer officers at home, often snubbed and
insulted by the cheap press and insolently ignored by officers
of the Regular Army, the Volunteers of Mexico are highly
esteemed, shown every kind of courtesy and honour, and their
uniform, instead of being sneered at, is saluted with precisely
the same distinction as that of the officers of the Regular Army.
The individuals comprising the Second Reserve are much
General Sub-Inspf.ctor

>E los Cuerpos Rurales (chief of the
Rurales).

THE RURALES 39
of the same social class as form the bulk of our Volunteer
forces, i.e. young men of the commercial and professional
classes, the idea being that such recruits have a real and
actual interest in preserving order and maintaining the stability
of the State, apart from all considerations of patriotism.
In writing of the Mexican forces, it would be impossible to
avoid mention of that splendid body of men, known as " los
Rurales de la Federacion," the " Rural Police," who have not
inaptly been termed " Mexico's Pride." All picked men,
they are alike renowned for their fine appearance, their good
conduct and their splendid horsemanship. They ride coal-
black animals, and are attired in elaborate and expensive
uniforms, consisting of ooze-leather jacket and vest, richly
embroidered and trimmed with silver galoon ; trousers of
steel-gray army cloth, and long leather leggings of doeskin,
known as chaparreras. The hat is of gray felt of the immense
size peculiar to Mexicans, and forming the most important
portion of the charro dress. This hat is also richly trimmed
with silver embroidery and ornaments. The horses are just
as handsomely trapped, the saddles being richly wrought and
the headstalls mounted in silver, and the stirrups being of
the heavy wooden type, resembling a French sabot, and the
inevitable hanging fringes of stripped leather. The hacka-
more and martingale are of a brilliant red colour, the saddle-
blanket of the same hue, while the troopers wear a silk tie
or scarf of exactly the same bright shade. They carry
a Mauser rifle, the case hanging straight down like a sheath or
socket on the right side of the saddle. There are some 2,000
of these troops, divided into 10 corps numbering 200 each.
They are commanded by a Colonel, a major, 3 first corporals
and 12 second corporals. The corps are stationed at various
points throughout the Republic, but they are quite a separate
body from the rurales of the States, who form a distinct
organisation of their own and are no less valuable factors in
maintaining order within their prescribed jurisdictions. I give
particulars of these troops in the following Chapter.
Towards the end of last year the whole of the Military and
Naval Department was remodelled, so as to render still more
efficient its administration. Over a twelvemonth had been
devoted to the consideration of this matter, and under the

40 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
new regime the Department of War consists of nineteen
sections and subsections, the duties of which are carefully
detailed and defined, thus preventing any overlapping or
neglect occurring in any one of them. In point of celerity,
the work of the Mexican War Office may compare favourably
with that of any similar European Government department ;
while there is a commendable absence of that red-tape which
renders association with most Governments, our own not
excepted, so trying and discouraging.

CHAPTER VI

Distribution of the Mexican Army — Military instruction— The Mexican
officer— The private soldier— Rurales of the States— Their history—
Their organisation— Daily pay— Influence of the Rurales with the
public — Aguascalientes trouble suppressed — The equipment— Some
valuable saddles — The Navy— National Fleet— Training ships— Naval
schools.
The Mexican Army is distributed throughout the Republic
according to the different military zones into which the
country is divided, and of which there are 10. At the time
of writing the commands are in the hands of the following
Generals : —

Zone 1.
2. 3.

5.6.
7.

9.
10.

General Luis E. Torres, Hermosillo (Sonora).
Jose" Maria de la Vega, Chihuahua.
Ramon Teran, Monterrey (Nuevo Leon).
Joaquin Z. Kerlegand, Guadalajara
(Jalisco).
Juan A. Hernandez, San Luis Potosi.
Emiliano Lojero, Guanajuato.
Manuel M. Plata, Pu6bla.
Lorenzo Garcia, Oaxaca.
Julian Jaramillo, Juchitan (Oaxaca).
Ignacio A. Bravo, Quintana Roo.

The various Regiments are stationed as follows :
The Federal District :— 1st, 3rd, 5th, 14th, 21st and 24th
Infantry ; Gendarmes del Ejercito, 1st, 4th, 6th and
9th Cavalry ; 2 Regiments Artillery and several smaller
detachments of Rurales.
Michoacan : — 2nd Infantry.
Sonora :— 4th, 12th, 19th and 20th Infantry ; 5th and 13th
Cavalry. 41

42 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
Pu6bla : — 7th and 15th Infantry ; 4th Regiment ; 4th
Squadron of Cavalry.
Oaxaca : — 8th and 25th Infantry ; 10th Cavalry.
Veracruz : — 13th, 17th and 26th Infantry.
Nuevo Leon : — 9th and 23rd Infantry ; 12th Cavalry.
Jalisco : — 16th Infantry ; 9th Cavalry.
Quintana Roo : — 10th Infantry ; 2 Regional Battalions.
Sinaloa : — 11th Infantry.
San Luis Potosi : — 22nd Infantry.
Chihuahua : — 18th Infantry.
Guanajuato : 2nd and 3rd Cavalry.
Tamaulipas: — 3rd and 4th Squadrons Infantry; 3rd
Squadron Cavalry.
Tepic : — 1st " cuadro " of battalion.
Campeche : — 2nd " cuadro " of battalion.
Mexico : — 11th and 14th Cavalry.
Coahuila : — 7th Cavalry, and 1st Squadron Cavalry.
Zacatecas : — 2nd " cuadro " of Regiment.
Each corps has its full complement of surgeons, and a full
equipment of ambulances and appliances. There is also a
good band to each corps, to say nothing of a number of
" pets " in the shape of numerous dogs of a nondescript
breed, which invariably accompany the respective regiments
on the march.
The course of military instruction followed in the Mexican
Army is a very thorough and efficient one. The Officers'
"Sandhurst" is at the Castle of Chapultepec, the summer
residence of the President of the Republic, which is more
fully described elsewhere. Here practically all the officers
are graduated, and a set of very fine young fellows they are,
not over-tall, but well set up, smart and extremely careful of
their behaviour in public. Loud talking, swagger or brawl
ing are seldom or never heard among them, affording thus
an admirable example and a striking contrast to some of the
German and Russian officers whom one meets abroad, to say
nothing of the young bloods in our own fair land. The
literary instruction to which the Mexican officers must sub
scribe is a great deal fuller than that in force with Sandhurst
cadets. Their examinations upon general subjects are also

MILITARY SCHOOLS AND BARRACKS 43
more severe, especially in reference to foreign languages.
There are very few commissioned officers in the Mexican
Army who are unable to converse easily in several foreign
languages, English, French, German and Italian being com
monly acquired.
The quarters assigned to the officers at the Chapultepec
and other military schools as well as in barracks are of a
high class as a rule, and those among the latter which are
old are being gradually remodelled or entirely rebuilt. At
Tlalpam, for instance, the greater portion of the lower story
of the main building of the new barracks which are being
constructed will be entirely devoted to the quarters for the
officers of the troops stationed there. The apartments are
airy, spacious and comfortably furnished. They are close to
the guard-room, the court-house, the armoury, general store
rooms and the reception-room for guests and visitors. On an
upper floor is a good library, containing a number of books
in the English language, the general assembly-room, the flag-
rooms of the different officers as well as the wardrobe or
uniform room.
The barracks at Tlalpam will cost between £55,000 and
£60,000. The facade of the building will be 830 feet, and it
will be of two stories in height. The flanking buildings will
each have a length of 60 feet, and the central portion will be
130 feet, or a total length of 250 feet. The main portions of
the building will be of basaltic stone and brick. Each man
will have a bed instead of a stretcher, and will have a mini
mum of 25 cubic feet of air-space.
All the barracks in Mexico contain schools where the
elements of instruction are implanted among the rank and
file. They go through the usual course of learning to read
and write, and are grounded in geography, arithmetic and
history. Although he is far from prepossessing in outward appear
ance, the Mexican private is a brave and stubborn fighter.
He is, as a rule, recruited from the lowest and roughest classes
of the community, and can hardly be expected to evince any
great interest in his personal appearance, in his carriage or
in his dress. He slouches along with but little evidence of the
martial warrior spirit supposed to be burning within him, but

44 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
he is an indefatigable campaigner, and can endure more
physical fatigue than many a hardened European veteran.
He can live upon less and march farther under a tropical sun
in one day than many a Northern or Western man could do in
two. When away from barracks, the Mexican private is as
merry as a sandboy, and is, on the whole, admirably conducted.
He smokes furiously all day, even when on the march, and
his discipline does not preclude him from dragging along out
of line of formation and even whistling snatches of gay song.
Singing in the ranks likewise is not only encouraged but
compulsory in some German regiments, whose hoarse, mono
tonous, and tuneless voices have frequently inspired one with
profound melancholy when sojourning in a German military
town. The Mexican private is merely an Indian, and is much
like a naughty child on occasions, and it is as such that he is
disciplined and corrected by his officers. A Mexican officer
informed me that upon a fair average 40 per cent, of the
troopers and privates in the Mexican Army are first-rate shots,
while some are excellent marksmen.
Scarcely a visitor comes to Mexico but fails to be impressed
by the splendid body of men known as the States Rurales —
half police and half soldiers. Both in regard to personal
appearance and uniform they present an exceptionally pic
turesque aspect, although their attire is simplicity itself,
consisting of a plain gray cloth jacket and tight-fitting
trousers, a gray sombrero with cord, and a bright-red neck-tie.
Nothing gaudy in this — and yet, thus costumed, the Rurales
are more conspicuous than many a gay popinjay of a soldier
such as one sees strutting about in Italy or Spain.
The Rurales were formed at a time when the whole country
more or less was overrun by bandits and robbers, and it was to
exterminate these pests, root and branch, with orders to shoot
" on sight " and never to give quarter, that they were trained
and maintained. State after State has been cleared of the
Mexican banditti by these useful but unscrupulous police, who
naturally are feared by the more ruffianly element, and never
fail to overawe them at any sight of trouble. Thanks to these
troops, or rather " gendarmes," since their status is entirely
different to that of the ordinary army-soldier, the whole
Republic is now (if I except some parts of Sonora, near the

THE STATE RURALES 45
American border, and Quintana Roo) as free from danger of
highway robbers as Great Britain itself.
To be perfectly frank, the Rurales of Mexico do not possess
the highest reputation for strict probity and morality. As a
matter of fact, many of them have "had a past," but upon
the principle of "set a thief to catch a thief," they are
found eminently useful and reliable. They love their
exciting work of man-hunting, and never fail to secure
their victims — as often as not in a condition which will
effectually preclude them giving any more trouble to anybody
in this world. General Santa Ana, one of the greatest
brutes who ever lived, and who waged war with all the
savagery of a Cumberland, inaugurated this famous force
which bore the nickname of "Cuerados," partly on account
of their costume, which was that of the ranchero, or cattle-
herders. When their Chief died, finding their occupation
gone, they took to the road on their own account, and many
a thrilling story of " hold-ups " could be related concerning
their daring escapades and prowess when hard-pressed by
regular troops. They made their headquarters in the Malinche
Mountains, near Puebla, whence they frequently swooped down
upon all and sundry, killing without mercy all who opposed
them, and bearing back with them into captivity (with the view
to heavy ransom) any prosperous citizen or stranger who was
unlucky enough to fall in their way.
Robin Hood and his Little John were angels of kindness
and consideration compared to these Cuerados — or, as they
came to be known later on, " Plateados," on account of the
heavily-plated silver and gold ornamentation of their costumes
and horse apparel — it being considered hopeless to expect
anything like mercy from them. Their relations with the
mountain peasantry were extremely friendly, as are those of
the mountain robbers of Italy and Spain to-day. Their
hiding-places were kept inviolate, and a peon would rather
lose his life than betray one of the Cuerados. If he did, he
would have been killed, anyhow. It is sad to relate that in
those " bad old days of Mexico," now for ever departed, the
Government Officials of certain States were not unsympathetic
to these highwaymen, and even shared with them their plunder,
although in what precise proportion I am not prepared to say.

46 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
Finding it impossible to suppress them and to obtain con
victions against the few who did fall into their hands, the
authorities at length adopted the sensible and shrewd sug
gestion of Comonfort, the Mexican President, to turn them
into regular troops, but upon a special footing. The idea
proved to be more successful than was ever anticipated, and
the Plateados, given the option of being shot down to a man
(when they could be caught !) or becoming paid servants of
the State, unanimously accepted the Government's offer, and
have remained their picked rural troops ever since.
They number in all some 4,000, are engaged for a term of
5 years (subject to renewal), and are quartered anywhere that
the Government of the Republic may elect ; they are moved
about the country very much like chessmen, without any
previous warning and wherever trouble, either political,
agrarian or labour, is likely to occur. Thus, in July of last
year, when some peon rising was threatened at Aguascalientes,
a body of 250 of the Rurales made their sudden appearance
one afternoon, camped quietly near the Railway Station, and
thereafter not another word of any trouble was even whispered.
The mere knowledge that the Rurales were on-hand was
sufficient, and the American and European residents, against
whom open threats had been uttered, to be executed on
July 4th, slept quietly and peacefully in their beds — if ever
they had known any disquietude, which one may doubt, since
their confidence in the Government of Mexico to deal with any
threatened trouble could never have seriously wavered.
It was while I was at Aguascalientes (in July 1906) that I
met a young Lieutenant of the Rurales, in charge of the troop
arrived there, and to whom I am indebted for the information
concerning the history of his regiment. According to my
informant, the Government provides the men with uniform,
arms, and a horse, as well as a daily wage amounting to
10 reals (a real is 12£c), but 25 centavos (say 6d.) a day is
withheld by the Government as " caution money " for the
value of the horse and equipment. When the men leave the
regiment, or are dismissed, the money thus withheld is
returned to them in full. The men must provide their own
food, and forage for their horses; but since living — as the
Mexican lower classes live — costs practically nothing, and free

General Juan muintas y Arroya, General Brigadier of the Mexican
Army.

EXPENSIVE SADDLERY 47
pasturage for the animals can be obtained for the asking, the
Rurale can save nearly all his pay if he is provident. His
daily rations would consist of tortillas, or flat flour-cakes made
of cooked maize, with hot peppers and chilies ; frigoles, a mess
of dark brown beans, very nourishing and rather tasty ; an
occasional — very occasional — piece of meat, and the inevitable
pulque. Perhaps the greatest expenditure is upon cigarettes,
of which the Mexicans smoke an enormous number in a day ;
but inasmuch as these same cigarettes can be purchased at
3 centavos for 40 (say about one halfpenny), even this outlay
cannot be termed ruinous.
The Rurale's equipment consists of a carbine, two revolvers
in his holsters and one in his hip pocket, and a machete, or
"Bowie" knife, the terrible weapon which plays such a
prominent part in all heated discussions among the low-class
Mexicans. The horses, which are invariably fine-looking and
serviceable animals, capable of much endurance and long
travel, have first-class housings and trappings, the saddles,
bridles and stirrups being of the finest leather, and often
handsomely embroidered in gold thread. Steel stirrups are
seldom seen in Mexico except among foreign riders, who
prefer them to the heavy leather or wooden native stirrups.
The young officer to whom I have referred, informed me
that his Colonel possessed a saddle which cost no less than
$12,000 (say £1,200), while another of his military friends
owned one which was valued at $10,000 (say £1,000). Upon
both of these sumptuous saddles the arms of the Republic and
the Regiment were stamped in solid gold, and, in fact, it was,
he assured me, difficult to see any of the leather at all owing
to the richness of the gold ornamentation. These saddles
were not show-articles only, but were in frequent use by their
owners. Bearing in mind that every dollar of unproductive expendi
ture handicaps a nation, and convinced of the uselessness of
maintaining a large navy, the Mexican Government, unlike the
South American Republics of Argentina, Brazil and Chile, has
expended little or nothing upon a sea-force, reserving its
strength and enterprise for the Army. The past few years
have successfully demonstrated the ridiculous waste of money
upon naval armaments incurred by the Southern States I

48 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
have mentioned, which build expensive battleships one day to
sell them at a heavy loss the next, only to repeat the absurdity
shortly afterwards.
Mexico is so unlike any of the South American Republics in
regard to its government that it is not in the least surprising
to find it declining to emulate the mad policy pursued by
Argentina, Brazil and Chile in their passion for building
navies. Mexico has no desire to be regarded as a maritime
power, being perfectly satisfied to have her vast foreign trade
handled by steamship lines flying foreign colours. However
the Mexican may excel as a soldier, he does not shine as a
sailor, any more than do the members of other Latin-
American races ; and the Mexican Government has the sense
to know it. We witness to-day the absurd spectacle of the
Argentine and Brazil straining every financial nerve to build
huge war-vessels, when neither of them has the men to supply
their necessary crews. The Argentinos and the Brazilians
absolutely refuse to join the naval service, except under
seductive bribes in the way of high wageB. They object not
alone to the ordinary low rate of pay, but to the discipline, and
especially to the loss of liberty which service under the flag at
sea entails. Such ships as are in commission are not half-
manned ; nevertheless Brazil proposes to expend another
$50,000,000 in acquiring new warships. How much better
would it be were these Republics to follow the example of
Mexico and turn their attention to the development of their
great territories, instead of devoting their attention to costly
naval armament.
The Mexican Navy is a very modest affair, sufficient to
maintain the dignity of a nation and to protect its coast-line
of some 5,518 miles upon emergencies. There are the gun
boat Democrat, first-class, 450 tons, 600 h.p., 4 guns ; the gun
boat Libertad, first-class, 430 tons, 400 h.p., 5 guns ; the
training-ship Zaragoza, 1,200 tons, 1,300 h.p., 8 guns; the
transport Oaxaca; the sailing-ship Yucatan; 2 schooners;
2 combined gunboats and transports, Tampico and Veracruz;
and 2 gunboats now being built in Italy. The personnel of
the Navy consists of 130 officers and 293 men.
The Zaragoza has a length of 65 metres ; beam, 10 metres ;
depth, 5-55 metres ; maximum draft, 4-30 metres ; displace-

THE NAVY 49
ment, 1,226 tons ; engine power, 1,250 h.p. ; speed, 13 knots.
The ship is of steel, with sailing rig, her armament consisting
of 2 Canet cannon of 12 centimetres and 36 calibres, 4 Canet
cannon of 12 centimetres and 43 calibres, 2 quick-firing
Nordenfeldt cannon of 57 millimetres, and 2 Hotchkiss guns
of 37 millimetres.
Yucatan, sailing training-ship, has a length of 48 metres
53 centimetres ; beam, 8 metres, 75 centimetres ; depth,
3 metres, 76 centimetres ; displacement 650 tons. This vessel
has an iron hull and shipping vessel tackle. Her armament is
the same as the Zaragoza, as well as the same speed and
power. The Transport Oaxaca has a length of 58 metres ; beam
3 metres, 50 centimetres ; depth 3 metres 70 centimetres ;
speed 7 knots ; tonnage 1,000 tons. This vessel has a sloop
rigging, its hull is all steel, and it has accommodation for 300
tons of cargo, 200 head of cattle and 500 men.
The five gunboats belonging to the Mexican Navy are all
new, with the exception of one, the former comprising the
Bravo, the Morelos, the Tampico and the Veracruz. The fifth,
the Democrata, was the first gunboat purchased. She has a
length of 42 metres ; beam, 7 metres ; depth, 2-40 metres ;
displacement, 450 tons ; engine power, 600 h.p. ; speed, 10
miles. The Veracruz and Tampico are sister ships, and were con
structed at Elizabeth Port, N.J. (U.S.A.). They have a
length of 200 ft. ; beam, 32 ft. 16 in. ; depth, 15 ft. 8 in. ;
displacement, 1,000 tons ; engine power, 2,200 h.p. ; speed,
16 miles. They both have steel hulls, and each carries two
4-in. quick-firing Bethlem guns, and six 57 mm. automatic
quick-firing guns.
The Morelos and Bravo, also sister ships, were built and
equipped in Italy. They have a length of 17 m. 20 c. ; beam,
10 m. 32 c. ; depth, 5 m. ; engine power, 2,500 h.p. ; speed,
16 miles; displacement, 1,210 tons. They have steel hulls,
and carry two 4-in. quick-firing Bethlem guns ; six 57 mm.
and 50 calibres Schneider-Canet quick-firing guns. They
have accommodation for 250 marines.
The National Arsenal is at Veracruz, on the Island of San
Juan de Ulua, and the National Docks are at Guaymas,
vol. i. 4

50 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
Sonora. At Veracruz there is also a small floating dock
which can accommodate a vessel of 1,500 tons. The Arsenal
at Veracruz was constructed in 1892, and has some of the
most modern machinery worked by compressed air. The
docks at Guaymas were inaugurated in 1897.
An excellently-equipped naval school is situated at Vera
cruz, which was also inaugurated in 1897, its progress having
been as remarkable as it is commendable. A target-shooting
practice department is now attached to this school, and cadets
receive a thoroughly sound and efficient training, including a
severe scientific course of instruction, after which they are
sent for a term of practice on the two training-shipB Yucatan
and Zaragoza.

CHAPTER VII
Porfirio Diaz — Monarchy v. Republic — Birth and early education — Trained
for priesthood — Meeting with Benito Jaurez — Military career — First
presidency — Revolt against Santa Ana and Tejada — Differences with
Benito Jaurez — Election for first term — His successful government —
Subsequent re-elections as President — Foreign distinctions — Diaz as
orator — His character and disposition — Popularity in Mexico — Daily
occupations — Madame Carmen Rubio Diaz.
Perhaps no more deserving commentary could be bestowed
upon Porfirio Diaz than the recalling of Ovid's beautiful
words to be found in that Poet's " Metamorphoses " — " Os
homini sublime dedit ccelumque tueri Jussit ; et erectos ad
sidera tollere vultus " (" God gave man an upright counte
nance to survey the heavens, and look upward to the stars ").
Upright and erect have been his life, his deeds and his aspira
tions ; and no praise too high could be awarded to a man who
has lived as he has lived, and who has fulfilled as he has
fulfilled, the sacred and onerous trust imposed upon him.
Even the most rabid of anti-Republicans would admit that
no more admirable representative of the Presidential chair
has yet come forward to occupy it than the present Chief
Magistrate of the United States of Mexico. It may be urged
that Republics are and must be subject to corruption on the
part of their officials from the highest to the lowest ; that
under such regimes there is actually less liberty, since no
hereditary monarch dares to act as arbitrarily as do some
Presidents of Republics ; that in Republics snobbery of birth
becomes snobbery of wealth — an even more repellent form,
especially when masquerading under the cloak of liberty. All
this may be true — and indeed is true of some Republics,
especially of the Republics of South America, but it is
certainly untrue as applied to Mexico, and will continue to
51 4—2

52 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
be inapplicable so long at least as the present Head of the
Executive lives.
I have no intention of setting forth here the career of
General Porfirio Diaz, firstly because I have not anything
like the space at my command that would be requisite for the
telling of such an eventful and remarkable career ; and
secondly because it has already been told by other authors,
and far better than I could ever hope to do. I may, however,
briefly summarise the principal events which have dis
tinguished this really great man, one who haB been the
architect of his own fortunes, and who thoroughly realises
the poet's ideal of — " a man of soul and body, formed for
deeds of high resolve."
Porfirio Diaz was born in the city of Oaxaca, in the State
of that name, on the 15th day of September, 1830. The house
in which he first saw the light exists no longer, having been
pulled down and a fine public school erected on the site. It
was, however, situated in the Calle La Soledad, No. 10. Diaz'
father was one Jose' Faustino Diaz, of Austrian descent,
his ancestors having come over to Mexico with the first
Spanish Conquerors. He died about 3 years after Porfirio
was born. The mother, who was of Mixtecan origin, was
Dona Petrona Maria, a lady of great force of character, many
and estimable virtues, extremely religious, and resolved to
bring up her son as a priest. Unfortunately, however, or
perhaps I should say fortunately, the youth himself had other
views ; and, shortly after he had reached the age of 17,
Porfirio broke away from his priestly guardians and entered
upon the career of a law student. Financial restrictions
prevented him from making any great headway, although he
struggled bravely for some time against adversity, eking out a
small pittance by himself taking pupils and accepting from
his good friend the Governor of Oaxaca the position of
Librarian. In due course he graduated, and then entered the
employment of Benito Juarez, one of Mexico's greatest
lawyers and most worthy sons, thus forming an alliance
which practically lasted all the years that the latter
lived. But young Diaz was cut out for a soldier, and a soldier he
became upon the first opportunity. This occurred when the

CAREER OF PORFIRIO DIAZ 53
people at length revolted against the tyrant and usurper
General Santa Ana, and, under the leadership of the plucky
Herrera, Diaz joined the standard of rebellion. How justified
was Diaz in not only opposing but fighting against Santa
Ana, may be gathered from the list of horrible atrocities
committed by that individual at the Alamo, Refugio, Victoria,
and Goliad, where he ordered all prisoners taken in battle to be
shot. He likewise caused many innocent people daily to be
executed, and on entering the town of Zitacuaro entirely
unopposed he set it on fire, sacked it, and put the inhabitants
to the sword without any distinction of age or sex. His
brutal soldiery took a number of prominent men of the town,
tied them to the tails of their horses and dragged them
through the streets until their bodies were battered, bruised,
and disfigured beyond recognition. Women and little children
were treated in a precisely similar manner.
The revolution proving successful, Diaz was appointed
Chief (Jef6 Politico) of the town of Ixtlan, and in this
capacity he continuously drilled the half-clothed local Indians,
and succeeded in making quite respectable soldiers of them in
time. The opportunity to put their discipline to the test
came soon, that is when one Garcia attempted to become
President, and in fact succeeded for one hour. Diaz led his
Indians against him, with the result that he fled. For his
services the young soldier was promoted Captain of the
National Guard. Having suppressed the rebellion which broke
out at Jamiltepec, Diaz, who had been seriously wounded,
enjoyed a brief spell of inactivity. During the next few years,
however, he served in many exciting affairs, such as the
Cabas attack upon the defence of Oaxaca (Diaz' native town)
in February 1858 ; the engagement at the Hacienda de las
Jicaras, in the month of April of the same year ; the
successful action at Mixtequilla, June 1st ; the capture of
Tehuantepec in November 1859 ; the defeat of Cabas at
Mitla, January 1860; the victory over Marquez at Mexico
City, in June 1861 ; a further success over the same in
dividual two months later, August 1861 ; his check to the
French at the siege of Puebla in the spring of 1862 ; and his
brilliant share in the great victory of the Cinco de Mayo (5th

54 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
of May). It is perhaps one of the most famous in the year's
events, for not only does it celebrate the defeat of the French
at the hands of the Mexican patriot-party under the leadership
of General Ignacio Zaragoza, but it always brings to memory
the great services rendered by General Porfirio Diaz and
General Felix Berriozabal, who was for some years Minister
of War. The battle then fought is known as the " Battle of
Puebla," the French having been defeated before the gates of
that place on May 5th, 1862, the event being further com
memorated by a fine equestrian statue to Zaragoza erected in
Puebla City. General Diaz secured another equally brilliant
victory at Puebla on April 2nd, 1867.
Further military successes achieved by Porfirio Diaz in
cluded his feats at the siege of Puebla by the French General
Forey (January 1863) ; the capture of Tasco, the rescue of
Oaxaca and his rapid improvement of the Mexican army, all
of which transpired in the same year; a continuation of
skilful manoeuvres against the foreign enemy during 1864
and until the end of 1865, when he found himself shut up
with his remnant of men in Oaxaca, with no less brilliant a
foe to encounter and oppose than Marshal Bazaine.
For many months Diaz confronted this doughty soldier,
and it was only after the most stubborn resistance, and when
both he and his brave troops were actually dying of starvation,
that Oaxaca capitulated and Diaz made an almost miraculous
escape, a reward of $10,000 being offered for his capture, a
reward which was never claimed.
In the same year, namely September 1865, the now
seasoned soldier, who had been shut up in Pu6bla, again
made his escape, and with the few troops he could secure
besieged and captured the garrison of Tehuicingo. He defeated
Maximilian's troops, and having secured the necessary horses
and men he next turned his attention to Vioso, whom he also
put to rout. Gradually he got together quite a respectable
following, and in the end Vioso, formerly his opponent,
became his ally, and these two fine soldiers together were
responsible for quite a number of brilliant and successful
achievements. January 1866 Baw the commencement of
the end, so far as the Imperial regime in Mexico was con
cerned. The French troops were withdrawn, and the luckless

General Don Porfirio Diaz, President of the United States of
Mexico.

DIAZ AND BENITO JUAREZ 55
Maximilian left to ihis fate. This, a year afterwards (1867),
took the form of his execution. Bazaine, who had learned
at Oaxaca in 1865 to respect his brilliant young opponent,
offered the Presidency of the newly-declared Republic to
Diaz; but as the latter did not recognise the right of the
French Government and its representative to make any such
offer he even declined to reply, more especially as the legally-
appointed, and by Diaz and other patriots the loyally-acknow
ledged, President, Benito Juarez, was still wandering about the
country. Fighting continued through the first half of the
year of 1867, until the long-exiled President returned to
Mexico City in the month of July.
Instead of seeking some reward and promotion for his
invaluable services, Diaz determined to retire, and actually
did so. For about two years he lived in peaceful seclusion in
his native city of Oaxaca ; but the new elections for President
occasioned fresh outbreaks on the part of the discontents.
Diaz himself was the innocent cause of these to some extent,
since it was his followers who would have set him up as
President against Benito Juarez. The latter, who was and
always will be known as the " Indian President," who had
been the Head of the State since 1857, was permitted to
again return to office, and Diaz served him loyally until his
famous " Pronouncement " of November 1871, pointing out
the complaints of the nation respecting the non-fulfilment of
the promised reforms under the Constitution of 1857.
In 1872 Juarez died, but none of the expected troubles
connected with the succession presented themselves. Lerdo
de Tejada, who was the proper successor, was duly elected,
but it was not long before he showed his incapacity as a
ruler and a diplomat. Among others who revolted against
de Tejada'B rule was Porfirio Diaz, and with good reason.
Revolution stalked through the land, and it seemed as if
Mexico would yet again become one great battlefield. In
1876, Diaz came from North America, whither he had been
forced to fly by the persecution of de Tejada, with a small
body of followers which soon increased to an incipient army ;
but although he and they made a gallant fight for it the odds
were too seriously against them, and once again Diaz had to
fly. This time he went to New Orleans, but shortly came

56 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
back and landed at Veracruz. Thence, after numerous
adventures, which in telling would alone form an interesting
and exciting narrative, he made his way to Oaxaca, where he
was always sure of a hearty welcome, and a following from
among his fellow-townsmen. Speedily he found himself at the
head of some 4,000 loyal followers, and he made a splendid
resistance at Tecoac against General Alatorre, who with about
5,000 men had been sent against him by de Tejada. So
pronounced was this victory (November 1876) that Diaz
found himself master of the situation. Lerdo de Tejada
fled to the United States as soon as he heard that Diaz was
on his way to Mexico City.
Here he arrived in triumph on November 23rd, 1876, and
assumed the Presidency provisionally on December 1st, 1876.
In the month of April following (1877) he was elected to that
position by a large majority, and from this date forward may
be reckoned a new and intelligent regime in Mexico, and the
commencement of its regeneration.
After almost a half-century of fighting, rebellion and
foreign invasion, the country began to breathe freely. Those
who regarded Porfirio Diaz as a makeshift only, soon found
out their error. Having seen for himself the horrors of revo
lution, and having recognised the necessity for a thoroughly
firm and unrelenting hand to guide the future destinies of the
country, he speedily made manifest his ability and strength of
purpose. Almost before they knew what was happening, the
professional discontents found themselves in the grip of their
masterful opponent, and their capacity for causing further
trouble was promptly put an end to. Diaz recognised with the
poet Schiller that " nought but firmness gains the prize," and
to that great strength which he then displayed, and which
he has since never lacked when occasion required, may be
attributed his own pronounced success as a ruler and the
country's immense prosperity to-day.
It has been said that the best peacemakers are those who
have made war. Those who deteBt powder the most are those
who have smelled it. To them more than any others are
known the horrors and hardships of war, and what it entails
upon the innocent and the guilty alike. Even while profiting,
maybe, by the ephemeral advantages which military success

PORFIRIO DIAZ AS PRESIDENT 57
may have brought with it, the tragedy of empty homes and
nameless graves, of fleeting popularity and temporary triumphs,
are well enough known and acknowledged by the heroes of
war. General Sherman, who once declared that " the main
thing is to first deal as hard blows at the enemy's forces as
possible, and then cause so much suffering to the inhabitants
of the country that they will long for peace and press their
Government to make it," likewise admitted that " war is
hell." Both President Roosevelt, at San Juan, and President
Diaz at Miahuatlan, acquired that conviction, and even such
confirmed fighters as Hannibal, Marlborough, Napoleon and
Grant knew and deplored the horrors of war which they
themselves so largely helped to perpetrate.
Perhaps the most brilliant trait displayed by Diaz has been
his ability to recognise even in his opponents good points
and virtues, capable and worthy of development. Thus, to all
except the most pronounced irreconcilables, he has displayed
a generosity and a willingness to let bygones be bygones ; with
the consequence that, as was the case with Vioso in 1865, his
enemies became his friends and his opponents his most loyal
supporters. Gradually, almost imperceptibly, he bound
together the formerly-antagonistic States, and by judicious
appointments, sympathetic investigation and unswerving
justice he brought about order where there had been wild
chaos, prosperity where there had been disaster, and hope
where there had reigned nothing but blank despair.
In 1880, his term of office having expired, Diaz made way
for his successor, Manuel Gonzalez, who, however, retro
gressed as much as his predecessor had progressed. Diaz
was not, however, lost to the public service, inasmuch as he
served in Gonzalez's Cabinet from December 1st, 1880, till
November 30th, 1881, as Secretary of Fomento (Industries,
etc.), as well as acting as Governor of his native State of
Oaxaca (from December 1st, 1881, till November 30th, 1884), and
as Senator for Morelos.
In 1884 (December 1st) Porfirio Diaz was re-elected Presi
dent of the Republic, and from that time onwards he has
been re-elected upon the termination of his legal period, the
present term being his fifth. He has said more than once
that it is to be his last ; but the whole nation with one voice —

58 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
I might say the whole of the civilised world who recognise his
many merits and his value to the cause of peace — trust that
it will not so prove to be. Diaz has not inaptly been dubbed
the Washington and the Lincoln of his country ; but to many
who have studied the histories and characters of these great
men Diaz seems to have been rather superior to either of
them. Assuredly he has proved himself both a brilliant
soldier, a true patriot and a clever statesman, having united
a shattered nation at a moment when probably no one who
knew anything of the people composing it would have believed
such an eventuality as within the bounds of any man's
capacity. It took him a long time and many a painful act
upon his part before he accomplished the task ; but he did it,
and he lives to see the result of his resolution,
It would be almost impossible to think of Mexico con
tinuing on the path of progress deprived of the long-existing
counsel and guidance of Porfirio Diaz. That he is fully
entitled to that peace of retirement for which he pines, and
which he has so nobly earned, no one will for a moment
question ; but while he may well argue that, having set the
feet of his people on the path of progress and seen them lifted
out of the region of doubt into the more solid realm of actual
prosperity, he may now confidently retire from the field, I
believe that the unanimous call of his people to remain
with them so long as Providence grants him health, strength,
and life, will not be disregarded. Porfirio Diaz cannot and
never will be forgotten. He belongs to the nation, and the
nation are glad to think that their welfare is due to him.
To give any idea of the numerous timely and tactful acts per
formed by President Diaz a separate and substantial volume
would be requisite, consisting not only of a daily but an
hourly record of his life. Nothing that can in any way con
duce to the public welfare, to the happiness of an individual,
or to the satisfaction of a friend, is overlooked by this re
markably humane man, and possessed as he fortunately is of
an extraordinary vitality and great bodily endurance, his
entire day is on occasions filled with engagements of a nature
which means work for him, but pleasure or profit to others.
Any great constructional or commercial undertaking, such,
for instance, as the opening of the Drainage Works of the

HONOURS AND DISTINCTIONS 59
Valley of Mexico in March 1900, the inauguration of Vera
cruz Port works in March 1902, the inauguration of the
industrial plants at Guanajuato in October 1903, or the
inauguration of the Isthmian Railway at Tehuantepec in
January 1907, is certain of his support and encouragement,
as well as of his personal attendance and official participation
in the accompanying ceremonies.
Among other decorations which the President wears,
including crosses, medals, ribbons, and " cordones," are the
following :
Foreign. — Great Britain, the Order of the Bath ; France,
Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour; Spain, Cross
of Isabel the Catholic, of Carlos III., and Cross of
Military Merit ; Portugal, Decoration of the Tomb and
the Sword of Valour, Loyalty and Merit ; Italy, Cross
of San Maurecio and Cross of San Lazaro ; Belgium,
the Order of Leopold II. ; Prussia, Order of the Red
Eagle ; Austria, Order of St. Stephen ; Norway and
Sweden, Sword of Honour ; Japan, Order of the
Chrysanthemum ; Venezuela, Decoration of the
Libertador.
Mexican. — Decorations respecting the Battle of Pachuca;
the Battle of Aeultzrigo ; the Battle of Pu6bla
(April 2nd, 1867); the Battle of Pu6bla (May 5th,
1862) ; Siege of Pue'bla (1862) ; the War of the Inter
vention (1865) ; three Decorations for " Constancy,"
from the States of Guerrero, Chihuahua, Oaxaca, and
many others from Associations, Societies, etc.
That General Porfirio Diaz iB as eloquent and earnest an
orator as he is a brave and skilful soldier is proved by the
splendid speech which he made to the Representatives of the
Circuto Nacional Porfiriota, when, in June 1903, they called
upon him to serve another term as Chief Magistrate. The
President in replying said : —
" In all the years of my life which I have had the honour
to devote to the service of our country, I have endeavoured
to make up for the deficiencies of my intelligence by hard
work. I made a compact with myself that I would push
forward the progress of the country, notwithstanding my
fatigue, and the fear lest the falling-off of my physical and

60 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
mental faculties should become apparent at a more or less
immediate future. I made this solemn declaration three
years ago on an occasion similar to the one which now con
strains me to repeat it, for then, as now, the people spoke ;
and when one speaks to the people on matters so grave as
that which you now propound to me, one ought to tell the
whole truth.
" Nevertheless, if, after the solemn declaration which I now
repeat, all my compatriots — that is to say, the Mexican people,
clearly defined — were to insist in imposing upon me their
sovereign will, in the form and at the time indicated by law,
I would bow to it with respect, rising superior to my fatigue,
juBt as our people rose superior to their fatigue when I called
upon them to put forth extraordinary efforts in maintaining a
war in which no quarter was given us, in which we were desti
tute of food, of money and of arms, save those which we took
from the enemy, and in which our only prospect, after an
obscure and tragic death, was to be stigmatised as ' bandits.' "
(Here the President alludes to the iniquitous law of October
3rd, 1865, under which all Republican chiefs caught in arms
were summarily shot as " bandits.")
" Such was the tremendous six-year war, during which the
Mexican people dyed with their blood the red of our flag into
a richer hue, and waved it again and again victoriously over
the heads of a foreign army, accustomed to conquer and
deservedly acclaimed in the military world.
" To the will of that people, of whose abnegation and valour
I was so often witness, I bow respectfully, not without once
more proclaiming that any one of my fellow-citizens possessed
of patriotism, good intentions and integrity, and less-tired
than I, would serve the people better, if they would impart to
him the same unlimited confidence and powerful moral co
operation that they have accorded to me since the days, when,
by order of the great Juarez, I began to reorganise and govern
the States which we recovered one after the other from the
invader. " In fine, Messieurs Delegates, the honour which you confer
upon me at this moment is as great as it is unmerited.
In this light I appreciate it and will treasure it while I
live.

THE PRESIDENT'S PERSONALITY 61
" It is a fact, as you are well aware, that I gave to my country
my earliest and best years. That fact is a guarantee to the
National Convention that I would never commit the gross
impropriety of withholding from my country my last years —
the years which I never thought to attain — when I first
consecrated my life to the fatherland."
The entire absence of pretence or sophistry in this declama
tion is characteristic of the man, who is sincerity itself, both
in his acts and words. How forcibly do such words as his
compare with the blatant and false utterances of such men as
the ex- President Battle y Ordonez of Uruguay or the reign
ing President Cypriano Castro of Venezuela, who cannot
speak but what is false and boastful ! History would never
record the fact of either of these worthies being asked by one
entire nation to accept a second term of office, nor could
the mind grasp the possibility of their refusing it if they
were. Not the least important factor in the love and veneration
with which General Porfirio Diaz is regarded by the ignorant
but impressionable natives, and especially the Huichols, is the
strain of Mixtec blood in his veins. His whole imposing
bearing and physique suggest this, while it may also account
in a measure for his strength of character, striking person
ality and benevolence of heart. No one can see and speak
to the President of Mexico and remain unmoved by his mar
vellous vitality and earnestness of manner. He iB moderately
tall, I may say exceptionally tall for a Mexican, extremely
dignified and graceful in his carriage and all his movements,
and in spite of his seventy - seven years he still shows as
much energy and enthusiasm as a man of one-half his age.
His hair is quite white, and worn closely cropped and brushed
straight up on his well-shaped head, leaving his broad, intel
lectual forehead well exposed. Beyond a snow-white drooping
moustache, General Diaz' face is clean-shaved. His eyes are
perhaps the most striking part of his physiognomy. Black,
bright and full of intelligence, they look straight into your
very soul, unblinking yet not unkindly. I doubt whether the
most pronounced disciple of Ananias could tell, or at any rate
could persist in, a lie with those searching eyes upon him.
The great sagacity of his mind has been abundantly proved

62 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
by the unexampled period of his presidential reign. General
Diaz is not only a great man and a clever man, but he is a
good man, a true man and a gentleman. I regard the fact
that I have known him and spoken to him as one of the
greatest pleasures of my life, and a circumstance which will
linger agreeably in my memory when many other experiences
will have passed into oblivion.
The iron-hand which General Diaz has occasionally made
felt among the turbulent and the troublesome has been
supposed to have earned him hatred in certain parts of
the Republic, and the quidnuncs will confidently assure
you that, although popular enough in the Capital, the
President " dare not visit " those districts where his hand
has lain heavily. In Yucatan, Veracruz and Oaxaca, I
was informed, his presence among the Indians would
be fraught with great personal danger to himself — yet have
I seen him fearlessly moving about in both of the first
named, and I believe that he contemplates a brief visit to the
last — his birthplace — very shortly. So much, then, for the
gossips. The remarkable hold which General Diaz possesses upon
the Government officials, from the highest to the lowest, the
celerity with which news of any national importance reaches
him, and the promptitude with which, owing to this splendid
" intelligence department," the Government is enabled to
act, have frequently occasioned surprise, not unmixed with
admiration, among the uninitiated. As a matter of fact, the
whole origin and explanation of this system of well-organised
activity may be found in the one great factor — " freemasonry."
Some twenty years ago General Diaz became a Scottish Rite
Mason, and he has since risen to high degrees in the craft.
Moreover, he has, by moral persuasion and irresistible argu
ment, induced practically the whole of the Governing classes
to follow his example, and while this meant leaving the fold
of their Church — for, as is well known, no Catholic can
remain a follower of Rome and be a mason at the same time
— they have almost to a man accepted the President's advice,
the Vice-President, Governors and Jef^B of nearly all the
States being brethren of the craft. That they are better and
more useful citizens, as well as better officials, for this, cannot

THE PRESIDENT'S SUCCESSOR 63
be doubted ; for a good mason can never be anything but a
good citizen.
Kings, Princes, and Presidents are accustomed to seeing
their deaths discounted and their successors nominated,
which, however painful to them individually, must be recog
nised as inevitable in a world which is ever changing. Thus,
it is with no disrespect to the illustrious Head of the State in
Mexico that frequent discussions take place as to who shall
be his successor. The choice at one time lay between
M. Jos6 Y. Limantour, the distinguished and clever Minister
of Finance, and General Bernardo Reyes, formerly Minister
of War, and now Governor of the State of Nu6vo Leon. I
am not so sure whether the gallant General is still considered
to be in the field ; but there is little doubt that M. Limantour
would be the favourite candidate in the event of a Presidential
election becoming necessary, or that his candidature would
be strongly supported by General Porfirio Diaz. So long as
the latter can be induced to remain in the Presidency, no one
would ask or desire a better occupant ; but his Excellency is
no longer a young man, and naturally feels that the time has
come when he may reasonably look for a peaceful retirement,
earned after nearly thirty years' service as the Head of the
State. General Diaz, although seventy-seven years of age, is remark
ably vigorous and even youthful both in his daily work and
his recreations. He is in his Cabinet frequently sixteen hours
a day ; he can outwalk most of his companions ; he eats and
sleeps well ; his eyesight is almost, and his hearing is well-
nigh, as perfect as ever, while the sturdy grip of his powerful
hand shows that in physical strength at least he has lost but
little of his former splendid bodily vigour. His sensible
motto, " Little politics and much administration," has borne
abundant fruit ; and when the time does come for him to
relinquish the helm of State there is not one single living
soul, in Mexico or out of it, who will not regret the fact, but,
at the same time, admit that General Diaz has lived up to
Mrs. Norton's axiom — " They serve God well who serve His
creatures." The position of the wife of the President of any Republic is
anything but a sinecure, since everyone, even those who may

64 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
have absolutely no personal acquaintance with her, consider
that lady as the necessary go-between in matters requiring
" persuasion " or " family influence." It is to her, as a rule,
that other women apply, tearfully it may be, flatteringly it must
be, for remissions of judicial sentences, the granting of
valuable concessions, and the conferring of enviable appoint
ments. In a word, the President's wife is regarded as the
power behind the throne, and, as a matter of fact, she very
often is. Not so, however, is or ever has been Madame
Carmen Romero Rubio Diaz. Possessed of many natural
charms and sterling virtues, not the least of these has been
her rigid abstention from interfering with or attempting to influ
ence in any way the public actions of President Porfirio Diaz,
much as she may have felt inclined on those occasions, not
rare either according to all accounts, when subjected to
the importunities of her female — and even male — acquaint
ances. Senorita Carmen was one of the three pretty and accom
plished daughters of Don Manuel Romero Rubio, at one time
a political opponent of Porfirio Diaz and an ardent supporter
of his great rival, President Lerdo de Tejada. The young girl
always admired the heroic figure and romantic fame of
General Diaz, notwithstanding the disparity of age between
them ; and unlike with most young ladies addicted to hero
worship, what was so fondly hoped for by her actually occurred.
Senorita Carmen met General Diaz, and promptly fell very
earnestly in love with him, and he with her. They have now
been married over five and twenty years, and the romance of
their early days has continued and the mutual affection
between them has become intensified. Madame Diaz is the
President's second wife, he having had two daughters and one
son by his first mate, all of whom have long since grown-up
and are well married ; but no children were born to him by
his second marriage. Madame Diaz is a remarkably pretty
and graceful woman, as sympathetic as she looks and perfectly
fitted both by temperament and education to fill the high and
difficult position which she occupies. The lady is, moreover,
a splendid housekeeper and even an accomplished cook, while
she speaks two or three languages, and especially English,
with almost a perfect accent and as fluently as her own. Her

MADAME DIAZ 65
mfluence socially is naturally very great, and, being endowed
with much natural tact, a remarkably even temper, and no
little sense of humour, Madame Diaz succeeds very often in
healing family jars, social squabbles, and even more serious
troubles which may come under her notice and within her
particular province.

vol. i.

CHAPTER VIII
Vice-President Ramon Corral — The Minister of Education — Jose1 Yves
Limantour, Minister of Finance — Guillermo de Landa y Escandon,
Governor of the Federal District — Minister of Justice — Minister of
Fomento — Minister of War and Marine — Minister of Foreign Affairs —
Secretary of Fomento — Sub- Secretary of Fomento — The late Thomas
Braniff — Connection with the Republic's chief enterprises.
Senor Don Ramon Corral, Vice-President of Mexico, is
entirely unlike most vice-presidents of Republics, who are
usually colourless and somewhat useless individuals, without
any particular or pronounced opinions of their own and wholly
subservient to the greater power of the President, whose foil
they are expected to be. Senor Corral is, however, a strong
and a telling personality, and as active as he is shrewd. He
occupies the double position of Vice-President and Minister of
the Interior, and to his highly-important duties he brings to
bear his undoubted talents and a vigorous spirit. Formerly
Governor of Sonora, and Governor of the Federal District of
Mexico City in 1901, Senor Corral joined the Cabinet in
December 1904, and has since proved a living but not over
powering factor in the affairs of the Republic. His presence
at the St. Louis Exhibition (Louisiana Purchase) was generally
voted a success on account of his great influence with the more
intelligent and thoughtful part of the community. Unques
tionably Senor Ramon Corral is a powerful and beneficent
force in Mexico. The post of Vice-President was newly created
by Congress in June 1904, and Senor Ramon Corral is the
first occupant of it.
Senor Justo Sierra, Minister of Education, holds the Port
folio of Public Instruction and the Fine Arts. The office was
created as recently as July 1905, and M. Sierra is the first occu
pant. Up to that time educational interests had formed a sub-
66

]

rfftvr;

Madame Carmen (" Carmelita") Rubio Diaz, Wife of the President of
the Republic. — seep. 64.

THE MINISTERS 67
department under the jurisdiction of the Minister of Justice,
of which M. Sierra held the Secretaryship. M. Sierra speaks
French fluently and understands a little English.
M. Jose Yves Limantour, the Minister of Finance, is the
best known of all the President's Cabinet among European
financiers, principally on account of the potent influence
which he has always exercised over the country's finances,
but due also to his several visits to Europe. The present
prosperous condition of the Republic is unquestionably greatly
due to the brilliant Minister who has rescued it from the
danger of bankruptcy, which at one time threatened it, to
raise it high among the financially-sound countries of the
world. Speaking of M. Limantour, a keen Mexican critic
observed : "I consider him one of the most remarkable and
most capable Ministers of the age. If one analyses the works
of the different statisticians of Europe and America and
estimates their accomplishments from a practical and effica
cious point of view, one sees that Limantour is not alone their
equal but in many instances their superior. I do not make
this statement because Limantour and I are both Mexicans,
or from natural sentiment of race, which we all naturally
feel every time that a son of Latin-America becomes eminent
in any of the branches of human activity ; I believe sincerely
that Limantour is a genius, and one of the most brilliant
financiers that ever lived."
I am disposed to endorse this praise, extravagant though it
may appear to those who know neither the Minister nor of
what he has succeeded in accomplishing for the national
finances of Mexico. To those who do know, these terms of
commendation will appear little more than the truth.
Senor Limantour was born of French parents in the city of
Mexico in 1853, and is therefore in his fifty-fifth year. He
was sent to the best schools and colleges and still further
benefited by a long European tour while still a lad, his
parents being very wealthy and sparing nothing upon their
son's education. He studied law at the School of Juris
prudence, Mexico City, graduated four years afterwards and
then devoted considerable time to political economy, in which
he has become a pastmaster. He was sent by his Govern
ment upon more than one important mission to Europe, and
5—2

68 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
in every case scored successfully. He entered political life in
1893, when he was appointed Sub-Secretario de Hacienda.
His chief, Senor Romero, soon found out his great shrewd
ness and ability, and when he was appointed American
Minister to Washington, Senor Limantour was promoted to
the office of Secretario which he has since retained.
Senor Don Guillermo de Landa y Escandon, Governor of
the Federal District of Mexico, is one of the most popular of
the higher officials with Americans and British, principally
because of his warm-hearted sympathies with the Anglo-Saxon
races and partly because he speaks English with remarkable
fluency and frequency. Don Guillermo has travelled con
siderably both in Great Britain and the United States, in both
of which countries he has many warm personal friends. It
may be mentioned that he attended the Coronation of his
present Majesty in August, 1903, as the Representative of the
United States of Mexico. He was educated in this country,
at Stoneyhurst Jesuit College, and began his political life in
1879 as Deputy for the State of Morelos. In 1900 he became
President of the Ayumiento (Municipality), equivalent to
our Lord Mayor of London, and subsequently Governor of the
Federal District. Don Guillermo has done more for the benefit
of the City in the few years he has been in office than all his
predecessors had been able to effect collectively. There is
practically no limit to the improvements which he has intro
duced, such as cleaning of streets and public vehicles,
removal of long-standing nuisances and obsolete restrictions,
stamping out of drink and vice where they had been rampant,
provision for the poor, amelioration of the condition of
prisoners awaiting trial, and numerous other humane and
necessary matters. Don Guillermo de Landa y Escandon
was one of the initiators of the National Railway.
Senor Justino Fernandez, Minister of Justice, is considered
one of the ablest as he certainly is one of the most intel
lectual men in the Republic. He was a strong opponent of
General Santa Ana, and suffered under his dominion for the
courage of his opinions. For many years he was in private
practice as a lawyer, but rendered the Government of his
day eminent services as occasion presented itself, eventually
winning both wealth and honour for himself. For several

NEW MINISTER OF FOMENTO 69
years he was Governor of the State of Hidalgo, but was after
wards elected to Congress. As Director of the National School
of Jurisprudence, and afterwards as Minister of Justice, he
has found his true vocation. Born in 1828 he has never left
the Republic, and has given up the greater part of his life to
its services.
Senor Lie. Olegario Molina, formerly Governor of the State
of Yucatan, was last March appointed Minister of Fomento —
the post having been vacant since the death of Senor Bias
Escontria — and consequently as one of the President's Cabinet.
The Department of Fomento is an exceedingly important one,
and upon its proper administration depends the development
of new industries and the vast resources of the country. That
Senor Molina will bring to bear upon his duties a good deal
of intelligence and discrimination, may be regarded as certain.
He was born in 1843 in the village of Bolonchenticul, which
was formerly in the State of Yucatan but afterwards deter
mined to be within the State limits of Campeche. Among his
Government appointments have been those of Secretary of
State of Yucatan (afterwards its Governor), Deputy to Con
gress for his State and finally Minister of Fomento. Senor
Molina has been identified with all the projects, commercial
and industrial, which have carried the State of Yucatan to its
present successful position. He was first elected Governor in
1901, and although his removal will be a distinct loss to
Yucatan, it is just as great a gain to the Republic at
large. General Manuel Gonzalez Cosio, Minister of War and
Marine, has devoted practically the whole of his life to the
services of the Republic. He has fought through many of
Mexico's great wars, always with distinction and success.
Senor Ignacio Mariscal, Minister of Foreign Relations, was
at one time Secretary of the Mexican Legation at Washington,
before the Legation was raised to an Embassy. He married
an American lady, who died in December 1903, after thirty-
six years' married life. One of the daughters is married to
Senor Julio Limantour, brother of the Finance Minister.
Senor Leandro Fernandez, Secretary of Public Com
munications and Works, was appointed to fill the place of
Senor Leal, in December 1900, after the latter's services of

70 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
something like 40 years, during 10 of which he had been a
Cabinet Minister. Senor Fernandez, who is a brother of the
Governor of Durango, was born in that State about 56 years
ago. His tastes lay strongly in the direction of physical
science, and his subsequent career as a civil engineer has been
brilliant. He has studied in the workshops and academies of
the United States, and naturally he speaks English fairly well.
He formerly served as Governor of Durango and made a great
feature of the education question in that State.
Sub-Secretario de Fomento Signor A. Aldasoro is a gentle
man of great tact and a singularly sympathetic nature, which
have called forth due recognition from all who have come
into contact with him. Senor Aldasoro has a quick and keen
power of discernment, is rapid in his judgments, and very
seldom makes a mistake. Many Mexican, and a large
number of foreign, owners of schemes and projects have
received from this patient and intelligent Minister much
encouragement, and always his kindly sympathy ; and it may
be said that no one is denied a hearing by Senor Aldasoro,
whose spacious ante-rooms are daily crowded with callers,
many of whom wait as late as 10 o'clock at night to obtain an
audience. Senor Aldasoro speaks English and French, and is
a ripe scholar.
In one of the " Books of Horace," Ode XXX., the celebrated
Latin elegiac poet says : — "I have completed a monument more
lasting than brass, more sublime than the regal elevations of
the pyramids, which neither the wasting shower, the un
availing north wind nor an innumerable succession of years
and the flight of seasons shall be able to demolish."
In spite of the forgetfulness of humanity at large, especially
in this period of haste, bustle and hurry, there are a
certain number of men to whose lives these lines might
apply, men who have, in their time, left so deep an impress
of their personalities and their usefulness upon their sur
roundings as to have veritably raised monuments to them
selves more lasting than the brasses which record their
achievements. I think such a man was Mr. Thomas Braniff, of Mexico,
who, unfortunately, died in the midst of his busy useful life,
but not before he had contributed vastly to the welfare of the

The late Mr. Thomas Braniff, one of the earliest pioneers of
Mexico, and first president of the London Bank of Mexico
and South America.

THE LATE MR. THOMAS BRANIFF 71
community and amassed an enormous fortune by sheer hard,
conscientious and reproductive work.
Mr. Thomas Braniff was an American by birth, having been
born on Staten Island, New York, hiB parents being of Irish
descent. Although quite comfortably situated at home, his
strong character and wide ambitions proved too unrestrained
to enable him to remain very long in the somewhat
restricted circles of New York of 60 years ago ; and the ever-
attractive gold craze of the early 50's drew him to the
Californian fields, as it drew thousands of others. There,
however, the crude, half-savage and wholly licentious existence
proved rather more than he anticipated or could endure, and
abandoning the fields in disgust without having lingered to
make a fortune he accepted an engagement with the famous
railway engineer Meiggs — whose splendid achievements
throughout North and South America are too well recognised
to need much comment — helping him to construct some of
the first of the South American railroads.
Provided with some years' experience under this dis
tinguished engineer, Mr. Braniff next took service with
Mr. Geo. Crowley, acting with Superintendent Buchanan in
connection with the construction of the first railway in Mexico,
namely the Mexican, between the City of Mexico and Vera
Cruz. Some of the extreme difficulties which beset the paths
of those who were engaged upon this stupendous undertaking,
and the many attendant disappointments, are referred to in
my chapters upon Mexican railways. But the indomitable
pluck and perseverance which were displayed by all those
who were responsible for the undertakings eventually carried
them in triumph to completion.
When the Mexican Railway line was completely finished,
namely in 1873, Mr. Thomas Braniff was about to accept an
offer to construct a railroad for the Government of Russia,
when the Directors of the Mexican Railway very wisely
offered him the General Management. Liking the country,
and foreseeing, if but dimly, some of its brilliant future
promise, besides having a distinct aptitude for railway
management, Mr. Braniff accepted the offer, and finally
settled down permanently in Mexico City. His opportunities
then came fast, and were readily recognised and aB promptly

72 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
adopted. The London Bank of Mexico and South America
was being organized by a group of British and Mexican
financiers, and his many English friends at once sought and
received the co-operation of Thomas Braniff. He was unani
mously elected its first President, a position which he held
for five and twenty years, in fact until the day of his death.
About the same time that he helped to found this — the oldest
and still one of the most respected banks in the Republic —
Mr. Braniff invested a substantial amount of money in the
erection of the San Lorenzo cotton mill at Orizaba, here,
again, displaying his keen appreciation of the requirements of
the Republic, and a surprisingly acute knowledge of the pre
vailing conditions. This mill is now absorbed by the Cam
pania Industrial de Orizaba, employing some 4,000 opera
tives, and paying a regular dividend of 12£ % upon a capital
of £800,000. The foundation of the successful San Rafael
Paper-works Company, and fully half a dozen other enter
prises, followed, and so uniformly fortunate was he in all his
undertakings, so shrewd in his management, that he came to
be looked upon as the " Mexican Midas," and was sought for
either as co-operator or adviser in practically every new com
mercial enterprise which was launched.
Mr. Thomas Braniff died in January 1905. Thus I never
had the privilege of knowing him. But I have met his son,
Mr. Oscar J. Braniff, who, in character and commercial recti
tude, is said to closely resemble his father. But those who
did know him, worked with him, and were witnesses of his
everyday life, assert that his great power consisted in his
quick and accurate perceptions, his knowledge of men, and hiB
ability to hold the scales of justice and judgment evenly
between different and conflicting interests. Here came to his
help his great tact, discretion and keen sense of fairness, so
generally recognised, indeed, as to result in his acting as
arbitrator in numerous commercial disputes.
An incident not wholly unconnected with this phase of his
character is worth relating. Upon a certain official occasion
Mr. Braniff met the President of the Republic, his close and
valued friend of many years, and upon greeting him as
"Mr. President," General Porfirio Diaz, with his ready wit
and good-nature, responded — " Now I wonder, Mr. Braniff,
who is after all more of a President — you or I?"

DEATH OF MR. BRANIFF 73
It was Mr. Thomas Braniff who, driving himself in a
double-seated buggy, and with a passport made out to him in
his capacity of Superintendent of Construction for the
Mexican Railway, secretly conveyed the Empress Carlota
from Cordoba to Veracruz, early in the year 1867, when de
parting from Mexico on her ill-fated journey to Europe,
destined, poor lady ! never to return.
Probably the demise of no resident of Mexico has given rise
to more general expressions of regret and sorrow than that of
Mr. Thomas Braniff. Although a multi-millionaire, he made
such excellent use of his money that he was much beloved by
the poor, and as highly esteemed by the wealthy and official
classes. His charities, if quietly and unobtrusively pursued,
were both large and discriminating, and his death revealed
their widespread nature in a manner but little suspected
during his lifetime.

CHAPTER IX
Judicial power — Supreme Court — Federal Courts— Judges' salaries —
Amparo — Criminal Courts procedure — Spanish system of Criminal
Jurisprudence — Detention of accused persons — Preliminary proceed
ings — Criminal cases between 1901-1905 — Comisarias — Belem
Prison — First Aid Law and its absurdities — Federal District regula
tions — Jury system — Mexican jurors — Trial by jury — Pros and cons.
The judicial power of the Republic, as already briefly pointed
out, is vested in the Supreme Court of Justice, the District
Courts, the Circuit Courts and the Police or Minor Courts.
There are three Circuit Courts and thirty- two District Courts,
as well as many Police Courts and Alcaldes.
The Supreme Court of Justice is composed of eleven justices,
or " magistrados," four alternate " magistrados," an Attorney
General and a Public Prosecutor. The term for which they
are elected is six years, and their election is indirectly by
popular vote, in the same manner as with Senators and Deputies.
The qualifications are not as severe as with us or as in the
United States, but sufficiently strict nevertheless. Knowledge
of the laws of the Republic, according to the opinions of the
electors, a minimum age of thirty- six years, and Mexican
citizenship in the full exercise of their rights, are the main
essentials. The Supreme Court naturally has unlimited jurisdiction,
and the last word in all cases except that of the capital punish
ment, there being one final appeal — that for clemency — to the
President of the Republic. The Supreme Court has also
original jurisdiction in all cases arising between two States,
and in those wherein the Union is involved or to which it is a
party. This Court is called upon to decide all controversies
arising among the Federal Courts, between the Federal and
the State Courts, or between the Courts of two or more States.
74

THE LAW OF "AMPARO" 75
The salaries attached to Supreme Court judgeships will be
found set forth upon page 81.
The Federal Courts have jurisdiction —
(a) In all cases which arise from the enforcement and
application of the Federal laws, except when such application
affects only private interests, when the ordinary Courts of
the Federal District, of the States and of the Territories are
deemed competent to assume jurisdiction :
(b) Over Admiralty cases :
(c) Over cases to which the Federation is a party :
(d) Over cases between one or more States :
(e) Over cases arising between one State and an individual,
or individuals, or between one or more individuals in two or
more States :
(/) Over civil or criminal cases arising from Treaties con
cluded with Foreign Powers ;
(g) Over cases affecting diplomatic and consular agents.
The jurisdiction of the Federal Courts extends likewise to
all cases arising out of (1) laws or acts of any authority
infringing upon individual rights ; (2) laws or acts of the
Federal authority violating or limiting the sovereignty of
the States ; (3) laws or acts of the latter encroaching upon
the Federal authority.
The salaries of the District and Circuit Judges are given also
on page 31.
There is a law of protection in Mexico known as " amparo,"
an original kind of law of appeal, entirely unlike anything met
with in other countries. It has for its main object the defence
of the individual against any abuse of power as the outcome
of a trial by any of the Courts of first instance. Convicted
prisoners may demand " amparo " against the decisions of
every one of the Courts except the final one — Supreme Court
— providing the appellant pleads either injustice, abuse of
power or incompetency of the tribunal. Needless to say no
prisoner once convicted omits to plead one or all of these, and
consequently few cases are settled in the first Court, but are
appealed from Court to Court until the last is reached, thus
providing fine fat fees for the lawyers and much sickness of
heart for their clients. In all cases where " amparo " is
pleaded, and the consequence of carrying out the sentence —

76 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
such as that of death— would be irreparable, the Court passing
it must withhold its execution until the appeal has been heard
and finally decided.
The proceedings in the Mexican Criminal Courts are some
what similar to those of the French Courts. The Courts are
composed of Judges of Instruction, who institute the pro
ceedings, refer them to the public prosecutor and to the
defendant (through his counsel or direct), and finally bring
the case before the jury who decide the guilt or innocence of
the party accused. Once the jury have returned a verdict of
guilty the same judge as their spokesman passes the sentence,
from which appeal can be made.
The jury is composed of nine persons (thirty are sum
moned), native or foreign, who must have some occupation,
education or independent means. The jury are selected from
the official lists kept, and are picked out specially to try
special cases. That the " calling " of jurors in Mexico iB
defective and needs revision is clear from the fact that a
citizen, native or foreign, may be called upon to serve upon
a jury thirty times in the course of three months. Imagine
the awful outcry that would go up to the heavens were a free-
born Britisher to be summoned even as much as twice within
one year ! Moreover, there are no fees for jurymen in Mexico,
nor reward of any kind but the consciousness of having done
their duty. This may be consoling, but it is not remunerative.
In all criminal cases, the Constitution guarantees that the
accused shall not be detained more than three days (unless
the crime alleged against him should demand it), before being
examined and confronted with his accusers. He is to be
acquainted with the names and number of his accusers, and
he is to be confronted with the witnesses who testify against
him. He is to be allowed to call any and every one he needs
to his assistance, and to be in consultation with his advocate
as often and as long as necessary ; and, in the event of his
having no means to engage counsel for his defence, he can
choose from a list of the Court's counsel any one he wishes to
act as his advocate, the Court paying the necessary fees. All
these regulations are eminently fair and reasonable, and
unlike the customs of many countries — our own included —
a prisoner is given every opportunity and rendered every aid

PROCEDURE IN THE COURTS 77
to prove his innocence if he can, and is not presumed to be
guilty as a commencement.
Under the system of criminal jurisprudence which prevails
in the Federal District of Mexico, all the preliminary proceed
ings in a criminal trial, such as the examination of the accused
and the taking of testimony, are held before a judge of the
first instance, whom we should regard as a " magistrate."
This official proceeds without a jury, and when he has com
pleted the case, so far as he can, it is remitted to a higher
court, and when the trial eventually takes place before a jury,
the evidence is all read over again, as it is contained in the
record. The prosecuting counsel then presents the charges,
defending counsel is heard, and the witnesses of both parties
are examined and cross-examined. The jury then renders its
verdict, judging the accused either innocent or guilty, and
following substantially the same practice as in vogue under
the common law of England and the United States of America.
Outside the Federal District of Mexico, however, the old
Spanish system of criminal jurisprudence still obtains. As
in most Spanish-American countries, testimony is taken down
in writing, and, after being read over to the witness, it is
signed by him in proof that his statements have been correctly
recorded. While this process is extremely tedious and cumber
some, it undoubtedly gives a degree of certainty to the cor
rectness of the statements which cannot be secured by a
stenographic report, and at the same time it renders it im
possible for the judge or counsel on either side to put into
the mouth of a witness language different from that which he
has actually used.
Some idea of the work which the Federal and District Courts
have to perform may be gleaned from the figures which I
have obtained dealing with the number of cases filed during
five years. The data relates to actions tried between the years
1901 and 1905 inclusive, and may be regarded as normal and
therefore typical of the condition of criminal and civil law
business in the Republic of Mexico.
During this period the District Courts handled 21,120
cases, of which 16,999 were completed and 4,097 adjourned
or appealed. The Supreme Court received for revision from
June 1st 1900 until June 30th 1905, 3,479 criminal cases,

78 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
which, added to the above-named figures, give a total number
of cases outstanding of 6,396. Out of these 3,031 habeas corpus
proceedings were disposed of, leaving, therefore, but 3,903 for
further consideration.
At present, the various Courts are distributed somewhat
widely over the city ; but when the handsome new Palace of
Justice building is completed, practically all the Courts will
be found under one roof, which must of a necessity contribute
to the carrying on of the Federal District's amount of legal
business in a much more expeditious and satisfactory manner.
While some districts and towns contribute very considerably
more cases than others, depending greatly upon the character
of the population to be found there, some few cities and towns
are almost immune from crime or litigation. For instance,
Pachuca, the capital of the State of Hidalgo, a great mining
town and the centre of an immense peon population, had
not one single criminal case to try for the whole month of
December 1905, and, as a community, it is almost free from
crime. The Attorney Perez, who lives near Pachuca, attributes
this condition of affairs to the increase of wages paid in the
district, the spread of education and the firm hand with which
the authorities deal with lawlessness when detected.
Until the present year, it must be admitted that the police-
courts, or Comisarios, throughout Mexico City and other cities
in the Republic were found to be far from satisfactory from
many points of view. The Government readily recognised
that some improvement must be made, and they have now
inaugurated a new system which will serve to place Mexico
in line with the other civilized countries of the world. The
different Comisarios, with hardly an exception, were not
originally intended as prisons, but have been adapted to such
use, and badly adapted at that. As a consequence, they have
lacked sufficient accommodation, sanitary appliances and con
veniences, and being situated some distance from the Correc
tional Courts the prisoners have had to undergo the additional
and undeserved humiliation of being marched through the
public thoroughfares in the full light of day.
One entirely new stone-built Correctional Court has already
been erected, adjoining the Carcel General (the General
Prison), and has been found to thoroughly answer the require-

POLICE REGULATIONS 79
ments. The Government has lately allotted the sum of
$200,000 (£20,000) to the erection of a Comisaria upon a
somewhat similar plan, and no doubt others will follow in
due course, the idea being to establish a Correctional Court
in conjunction with each Comisaria, as is the case in London
and other large English cities. The great central prison,
Bele"m, at present receives all the prisoners who have under
gone preliminary, but not final, examination, and as this
gaol is situated at the extreme end of the City both incon
venient and unnecessary suffering to the unfortunate accused
result from the journeys to and from the Correctional Courts.
Several prisoners have taken the favourable opportunity to
escape and have remained at large, the number of Police
escorting the gang usually being fewer than the requirements
demand. It is to the eternal credit of the Governor of the Federal
District of Mexico (Don Guillermo de Landa y Escandon) that
one of the most senseless and barbarous customs of Spanish-
American countries has been abolished. I refer to the law
(Art. 696, Penal Code) which forbids immediate and un
official aid being given to injured or sick persons. If a man
or a woman be run over, knocked down or faint in the street,
the Penal Code referred to ordains that he or she must remain
precisely where he or she fell, no matter even if in danger of
further injury from passing vehicles, until a policeman can
be found. And in what country was a policeman ever found
when he was most urgently wanted? If the injury sustained
be serious or fatal, the afflicted sufferer must be left on the
identical spot until a judge can be found and prevailed upon
to come to the scene and authorise the removal to the hospital
or the dead-house.
This unnecessary and inhumane law prevails all through
Spanish America to-day, and its abrogation is invariably de
feated when it comes up periodically for discussion before
Congress. The idea seems to prevail that if a wounded person
is touched or moved before the arrival of the authorities, the
necessary evidence to prosecute an official enquiry may be
missing. Thus, human life and human suffering must be
sacrificed so that the law of the land may have no doubts
to trouble its mind when it begins to ask questions. Men

80 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
may bleed slowly to death or die of asphyxiation — as they
have done to my personal knowledge upon several occasions
in Buenos Aires and in Valparaiso — when perhaps a prompt
application of some simple remedy, or the uplifting of the
patient's head to a more comfortable position, would have
saved his life. All credit then to Don Guillermo de Landa y
Escandon for having abolished such legalised barbarism in
the wide district over which he has jurisdiction.
No one country is in a position to cast stones at another
in regard to particular laws, their administration or their
failure. We are somewhat prone to pass hurried judgments
upon the acts of our neighbours, and to call attention to the
motes in their eyes while disregardful of the beams in our
own. All the world cried shame on Great Britain when the
two notorious child-torturers — Mrs. Penruddock and Mrs.
Montague — were allowed to go practically scot-free. Great
Britain and every other nation denounced France for the
atrocious persecution of Captain Dreyfus. The entire universe
has called for vengeance against Bloody Russia for her
criminal conduct towards the unfortunate Jews. The lynch
ing of luckless negroes in America has sickened and disgusted
every other Christian country. And thus we all have our
sins to answer for, and should rather concern ourselves with
lessening, and atoning for, these, than with denouncing the
backslidings of our neighbours.
Mexico has in times gone by received, and I think merited,
much adverse comment on account of the defective Jury
system in that country, and the many abuses to which it has
lent itself. The native power has exhausted its vocabulary of
epithets in connection with the numerous miscarriages of
justice occurring from time to time, and has called for the
abolition of Juries in toto. The same demand has been made
in other countries, and will no doubt continue to be made
when any particularly flagrant case comes before the public,
which, in its indignation, forthwith attacks the entire judicial
institution, oblivious of the fact that the whole fabric of
society would go with it, were trial by jury really to be
abolished. It is not alone in Mexico that controversy has raged over
the pros and cons of the jury system. While some declare

TRIAL BY JURY 81
that nine or twelve ordinary men are more likely to arrive at
the truth than a single judge, and that the system has
generally worked well, others will be found as certain that an
innocent man would in nine cases out of ten prefer to be tried
by a judge rather than by a jury, as he would be appealing
to a higher order of intelligence. Undoubtedly a jury of
average men, and the jurors empanelled in Mexico are culled
from an intelligent and honourable class of citizens, are better
able to form a correct opinion as to facts connected with daily
life of the working and commercial classes than a judge, who
has only an academic knowledge ; while a jury also are likely
to be freer from class prejudice and less precipitate in arriving
at a decision. On the other hand, there is always the danger
of some of the jurymen in a limited community like that of
Mexico — either in the cities or the towns — being known to the
accused or the plaintiff ; and unfortunately " trial by news
paper " is very common in Mexico, both by the native and the
foreign press, which, of course, has great weight upon the
jurymen selected from the public readers of the journals,
whereas a judge would probably be entirely uninfluenced by
such publications. Certainly facts come out before a jury
which would be overlooked by a judge, while on the other
hand the latter is likely to be less affected by emotionalism
than would a jury. The whole question bristles with diffi
culties and contradictions, but since trial by jury is an institu
tion time-honoured, and in force in practically every civilised
country in the world, and inasmuch as sufficient proof of its
evils has not been adduced, it will probably continue in force
both in Mexico and elsewhere until, by some other means —
" Truth shall e'er come uppermost
And Justice Bhall be done.''

CHAPTER X
Police Courts — The law and its interpretation— Trivial arrests — Detention
of accused— Habeas Corpus — Police Courts procedure — Fines-
Treatment of prisoners — Judges as Visiting Justices — Code Civile —
Prison scenes — A Mexican desperado — Saltillo State Prison — Some
foreign inmates — Police statistics — Foot Police — Mounted Police —
Fire Brigade Section — Wages and Allowances — Different Depart
ments.
The Mexican Constitution originally promulgated February
5th, 1857, and since amended, stipulates that " arrest, except
for offences meriting corporal punishment, is prohibited," as
is also " detention without trial for a longer period than three
days (72 hours), unless justified as prescribed by law."
My observations and inquiries lead to the conclusion that
neither of these stipulations is always scrupulously adhered
to. Arrests, as a matter of fact, are far too common, and are
carried out upon the smallest provocation. My note-book
shows me that on January 16th of last year a considerable
number of cyclists were arrested in Mexico City by the police
for riding without lights. They were taken into custody,
marched to the Comisaria, and there were either fined or de
tained if they could not find the money.
On February 2nd of the same year two native women
were arrested in the public park, known as the Alameda, in
Mexico City, for sitting on the grass. Walking on the sward
is strictly forbidden, and although tbe grass plots are
entirely unenclosed and unprotected by any wires, the
regulation is presumably known to the public and must be
observed. It will be seen that in regard to both these offences the
usual method with Governments or Municipalities would be
to summon the transgressor to appear before the Court and
82

r.
f.

LIBERTY OF THE SUBJECT 83
answer to the charge. In Mexico, however, the offender is
arrested publicly, and submitted to what in our opinion would
be the indignity of being marched through the streets to the
Comisaria. It is only fair to say, however, that the Mexicans
themselves attach little or no importance to this procedure,
and it entails no subsequent stain upon their character.
Noisy disputes, brawling, spitting, and such like offences, are
often followed by arrest, even if the brawling is not serious
or the committal personally witnessed by the officer who effects
the arrest.
The detention of an accused person in prison without trial
is, as I have said, sometimes resorted to to-day, although a
great improvement in this manifestly unfair treatment of the
accused is noticeable, compared with what it used to be. A
Canadian resident in Mexico City, now one of the wealthiest
and most respected members of the community, informed me
that Borne sixteen years ago, while he was acting as engine-
driver on the Central Railway, he had the misfortune to run
over and kill a Mexican. He was at once arrested, and put
into a filthy prison which contained 1,500 other inmates,
kept there for 3 days strictly " incomunicado," and not even
allowed to see a lawyer. Subsequently, he was removed to a
cell containing but 20 others ; but it was 10 full days —
namely 240 hours instead of but 72 — -before he was put upon
any sort of trial. As the affair was a pure accident, he was
subsequently acquitted.
Another man accused of a similar " offence " was detained
for 18 months before being brought to trial ; and when I
visited the Penitentiary at Saltillo, in the State of Coahuila,
a prisoner implored me to represent to the Governor of the
State the fact that " he had been in the gaol for 8 months
and had never been brought to trial." In this latter case I
subsequently discovered that the man was a confirmed scamp,
utterly thriftless and refused to do a stroke of work. His
detention, therefore, appeared justified.
No doubt the Mexican supreme authorities are mostly
unaware of these illegal detentions, and whenever they are
brought to their official knowledge the matters are at once
carefully inquired into, and relief apportioned. The habeas
corpus Act is in force here as in all civilised countries, and
6—2

84 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
has been in our own land since 1679. It is, of course, no new
principle of Common Law, as, in 1215, the Magna Charta
declared that " no free man shall be taken or imprisoned . . .
unless by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of
the land."
The foreign Ministers accredited to Mexico have many cases
of this kind to look into, and never once has their intervention
been objected to or denied by the Mexican authorities. Now
and again an ignorant judge or a too zealous officer will give
rise to a scandal of this sort, as happens sometimes in Merry
England {vide the Cass case), and frequently, I am sorry to
say, in Germany.
In the police courtB, or, as they are called, " Juzgados," all
small offences are tried and decided, such as aBsaults, petty
larceny, street-disturbances and street-accident cases. Sen
tences of imprisonment or fines are inflicted here, the longest
term being twelve months and the highest fine $50 (say £5).
For an ordinary assault, or a threat to commit an assault,
which has been the subject of a police complaint, the accused
is fined a minimum of $20.00 (£2) or 8 days' imprison
ment. It generally means, however, that if he has been
arrested previously (the custom of issuing a summons to
appear, as in England, does not obtain in Mexico), he has to
pass at least one night in durance vile, unless allowed out
on bail — not a difficult matter to arrange — and let me add
that confinement in Mexican prisons, even in the best of
them, is very unpleasant indeed.
Should the offence have been committed on a Saturday, it
is almost certain that the accused will have to pass Sunday
in prison as well as Saturday night. As an Inspector observed
to me while I was attending a Court — " Saturday night is a
bad one to select for committing an assault. I would certainly
suggest some other." The prisoners are permitted to smoke
while in custody, and also to receive their food from outside.
But as they are always searched and have all their belong
ings taken from them when they enter the gaol, unless their
friends from the outside attend to these small, but to them
important, matters, the privilege permitted becomes an
empty one.
It is an extremely easy matter to get into a Mexican prison

TRIVIAL ARRESTS 85
— as an inmate — but far more difficult to get out of it.
Subjects of foreign powers imagine that if they meet with any
trouble of this kind it is a very simple matter to send for
their Consul (or Ambassador) and be released. This is a very
great error to fall into, and I think I may be doing some of
my readers a service by pointing out that both the Legation
and the Consular Corps interfere only with the greatest
reluctance, and only when they are convinced that a mis
carriage of justice has been committed. Foreigners living in
or visiting Mexico must conform to the rules and regulations
of the country, and not offend innocently or intentionally
against the law. Arrest, as we have seen, is far too readily
resorted to in Mexico, and where proceedings by summons
would follow in England. Even the victim of a street accident
is " arrested," as well as all witnesses of the occurrence.
They are subsequently released, as a rule, after a preliminary
inquiry, but the memory of being marched through the streets
by a gendarme remains, and the indignity is not very readily
effaced. Foreigners should recollect that these customs
prevail, and they can avoid tasting of them by conducting
themselves with decorum and discretion, especially by absent
ing themselves from crowds, either as spectators or partici
pants. Every three months the judges of the Criminal Courts in
the Federal District of Mexico pay visits to the prisoners
awaiting trial or sentence, and, accompanied by their clerks,
interview each man or woman with a view of finding out
whether they have any complaints to make — and usually they
have several — with regard to the food provided and the treat
ment meted out to them, at the same time informing them
as to the status of their various cases. The intercourse
between the judges and the prisoners is quite friendly, and
devoid of all formality. Prisoners not actually sentenced
(and even some of those who have been) are permitted to
receive visits from their friends and their food from without.
Only those who are committed upon the capital charge, and
who are designated as rigurosamente incomunicado, are de
prived of these privileges.
The Civil procedure is conceived under the same spirit as
the Criminal, except that each particular State has its own

86 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
code and its own legislation. Properly speaking, therefore,
there is no " Code Civil " in Mexico, or, as it is commonly
called, " Code Napoleon "; but, then, the local laws of the
Republic of Mexico do not need so much simplification as did
the laws of France when Napoleon took them in hand, between
1804 and 1810, and unified them. Where the various States
differ in their main laws the variance is not striking, and
rather presents itself in the form of application than in the
doctrine. So little " rigorous " is the system, however, in other cases
that the prisoners are permitted to wear their own clothes,
and, if desired, to keep pets — such as dogs and birds. A
pathetic spectacle was presented by a mournful-looking
mongrel keeping strict and faithful watch outside the cell of
a particularly bad character, one of the few to be confined
behind the bars. He could see what was proceeding outside
in the courtyard, but he was himself invisible, since he had
coiled himself up in the remotest and darkest corner of the
apartment. This unhappy man was likewise awaiting death
by shooting, his appeal for clemency having been rejected. I
pictured the grief of the poor hound, probably the only thing
that loved and was loved by him in the whole world, when
the dread sentence should have been carried out, and the
friendless dog was cast out to find another master. The
memory of Bill Sikes and the faithful brute he owned came
vividly before me.
The prison at Saltillo, in the State of Coahuila, affords
further evidence of the humane treatment to which even the
worst and most hardened criminals are subject. The building
itself is an old one, and has done service as a penitentiary
since the time of the Spanish occupation. It contains some
400 cells, if one may employ the term to apartments which,
if small (about 10 ft. x 6 ft.), are extremely light, airy, and
clean. The doors, composed of a stout framework and strong
but slender iron bars, admit plenty of air, possibly too much
for the prisoners' liking during the cold winter months, when
night temperature often falls considerably below zero. Each
cell contains a small camp-bedstead with the necessary
blankets and sheets, a chair and the usual iron utensils. The
walls are whitewashed, while the floors are of brick, kept

PRISONS AND PRISONERS 87
scrupulously clean. The food, which I had the opportunity
of tasting, is both plentiful and thoroughly wholesome — the
best of meat served in liberal portions, cakes made of maize,
and good, strong coffee. The prisoners have three meals
daily, one at least of which consists of meat.
Each inmate is compelled to bathe in an open-air bath
twice during the week, and daily if he so desires. Occupation
for the prisoners is not compulsory, but the great majority
prefer to put in their time at some kind of work, and the busy
hum of the loom, blanket-weaving machines, the carpenters'
saws and the boot- and shoe-making departments can be heard
from early till late. The prisoners receive at the end of their
term of incarceration two-thirds of the payment for their work.
This encourages industry and also helps to provide for their
families, who would otherwise probably starve during the
imprisonment of the wage-earner.
The prison contains some desperately bad characters, and it
is somewhat surprising to the visitor to find these malefactors
walking about the yards and patio of the building entirely
at will. One gigantic Mexican was pointed out to me as
being under sentence of death, his crime having been the
murder of three other prisoners in the very same yard and
the very same spot upon which I stood. This herculean
ruffian was entirely free to go about the building and to
do as he liked, the warders, of whom there were but two to
guard a score of prisoners, being unarmed but for a revolver
apiece. The judge, who accompanied me on my visit of inspection,
informed me that five men had been shot within the gaol walls
during the past four months, all for murder in the first degree,
and three remained under the capital sentence pending appeal
for clemency to the President. One of these was a German.
A fine-looking and most intelligent young American, named
Walker, was awaiting his trial upon the charge of having
committed an offence precisely similar to that for which
young Edalji was sentenced in England some year or so ago,
and finally released by the Home Secretary, namely cattle-
maiming. A middle-aged Englishman of good appearance,
described to me as a positive " genius " as a carpenter, and who
was industriously working at his bench when I saw him, was

88

MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY

undergoing his second sentence in the same penitentiary for
robbery. Altogether, there were but three foreigners among
the prison population of 340, which may be considered a very
small average. At times the proportion has been as high as
8 or 10 per cent. I visited most of the prisons in the Republic,
and found in every instance that the authorities were not only
willing but pleased to show me everything that I expressed
any desire to see. The conclusion I arrived at was that, on
the whole, the Prison System of Mexico is of a much more
lenient and humane nature than that of any other country in
the Old or New World.

CLASSES AND NUMBER OF MEN FORMING THE FOOT AND
MOUNTED POLICE AND FIREMEN OF THE CITY OF
MEXICO, THEIR WAGES AND NUMBER OF HORSES.
Foot Police of Mexico City.

1 Infantry Colonel (chief of the
police) ...
1 Second in command
6 First Deputies, each one
1 Officer 
2 Second Deputies, each one
Office expenses per month, $40.00
Forage for two horses ...
8 Officers of the Company
Clothing and equipment per
month, $15 each man
8 Second Deputies ...
1 Assistant ...
Clothing for the assistant and
equipment per month, $15-00
72 Officers, each one
Clothing and equipment for each
one per month, $15.00
80 First Policemen 
1800 Second Policemen
70 Extra-PolicemenOffice expenses to the Officer per
month, each one, $8.00
Lanterns and fuel for the same
per month, $350.00 
Forage for 81 horses 
Office expenses per month, $80.00

Per Day. Per Tear. Total.
$7.00 $2555.00
5.00 1825.00
2.20 4818.00
3.30 1204.00
1.70 1241.00 480.00
0.30 219.00
3.30 9636.00
1440.00
1.70 4964.00
2.75 1003.75 180.00
2.65 69642.00 12960.00
1.80 52560.00
1.50 985500.00
0.75 16425.00 768.00
4200.00
0.30 8869.50 960.00
 $1.181450.75

COST OF POLICE MAINTENANCE

89

Mounted Police.

Brought forward
1 Colonel
1 Officer 
2 Second Deputies 
Office expenses per month, $20.00
Forage for two horses ...
4 Officers of the Company
Clothing and equipment per
month each one, $15.00
4 Second Assistant Deputies
1 Assistant ...
Clothing for the Assistant and
equipment per month, $15.00
21 Officers 
Clothing and equipment for the
same per month, $15.00 each
one
41 Sub-Officers (one of them bugle
major) ...
360 Policemen
1 Marshal 
1 Harness-maker ...
1 Armourer ...
Office expenses per month, $8.00
to each Officer of the Com
pany 
General expenses per month,
$80.00 
Forage for 427 horses 

Per Day.

Per Year. Total.

$1.181450.75

$7.60

$2774.00

5.00

1825.00

1.70

1241.00

240.00

0.30

219.00

3.30

4818.00

720.00

1.70

2482.00

2.75

1003.75

180.00
2.65
20312.25
1.50 1.251.651.65
1.00
0.30
3780.00
22447.50
164250.00 602.25
602.25
365.00
384.00
960.00
48727.50
Firemen Fobce.
1 First Commander (chief of the
Company) 
5.00
1825.00
1 Second Commander
3.30
1204.00
5 Officers ...
2.65
4836.25
Clothing and equipment for the
Commanders and Officers per
month, $15.00 each 
1260.00
6 Sergeants...
1.75
3832.50
70 Firemen 
1.50
38325.00
1 Veterinary, $18.00 per month ...
216.00
1 Teacher of Gymnastics ...
255.60
Office expenses to the First and
Second Commanders, $5.00 per
month each
120.00
Lighting for quarters per month,
$60.00 
720.00
Rent for quarters per month,
$100.00 
1200.00
Supplies and keeping quarters
per month, $15.00 
180.00
Forage for 4 horses
0.50
730.00
Forage for 20 horses 
0.30
2190.00
$277933.50
$56894.75
90

MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY

Police of the Municipalities of the Federal District.

Per Day.

Per Year. Total.

Brought forward .

$1.516279.00

4 First Commanders

.. $3.30

$4818.00

8 Second Commanders ...

.. 2.50

7300.00

7 Officers 

.. 1.65

4215.75

30 First Police 

.. 1.25

13687.50

350 Second Police 

.. 1.00

127750.00 $157771.25

Total

$1.674050.25

Last June Colonel Felix Diaz, Inspector-General of Police,
raised the pay of the gendarmes to $1.70 (say 3s. 4d.) per day.
The standard of the men now being enlisted is altogether
a superior one, and the whole force under Colonel Diaz has
been raised to a high state of perfection.
The requirements for entering either one of these services are
the following : —
To know how to read and write, to know the city well, to
have two good references for good conduct, to have good
health (subjection to previous examination by the Physician
of the Police Station), to be at least T64 metres in height,
and not to be over forty years of age.
The foot police are divided into three sections — the street
service covering a duty of eight hours, divided into the three
sections or shifts so as to give periodical rest to the force;
the mounted police, who are employed in the suburbs of the
city ; the police of the twelve Municipalities of the Federal
District, who render the same services as those of the city.
The Capital is divided into eight Police Districts under the
control of one Commissary, with a salary of $6.60 a day — or
$2409.00 a year, living in the same house where the station
is situated, and the station being open day and night. The
Commissaries of Police are considered by law as agents of the
Judicial authorities, taking down in writing the first declara
tions of the accused, having full power to effect arrests and
generally to help the Judicial authorities in the preservation
of public order.

MORALE OF THE POLICE FORCE 91
Each State has a similarly constituted Force, of course,
upon a much reduced scale, and each City, Town and Village
is correspondingly policed. The general conduct of the men
is excellent ; and while, as in most — I may say all — countries,
excessive zeal or occasional negligence of duty is not unknown,
the Mexican Police can, as a whole, be regarded as a thoroughly
capable, orderly and efficient force.

CHAPTER XI
Religion in Mexico— The early worshippers — Spanish methods of con
version — Destruction of Aztec records — First Archbishop — Early
church building — Arrival of Holy Inquisition — Persecution by priests
— Hatred of Benito Juarez— His war on the Church— Victory estab
lished — Denning rights of Church in Mexico — Separation of State and
Church— The Protestant Church— Indian knowledge of the crucifix-
Jewish congregation — Jews as citizens.
When Macaulay declared that the Roman Catholic Church
would still exist in undiminished vigour when some traveller
from New Zealand should, in the midst of a vast solitude,
take his stand on a broken arch of London Bridge to sketch
the ruins of St. Paul's, he knew the marvellous strength and
tenacity of that institution.
In no Catholic country has a more determined attempt
been made to break the power of the priests and Bubjugate
the Church itself than in Mexico, not without having received
extreme provocation, I am compelled to admit ; but still with
only indifferent success.
The first President who ruled over Mexico to strike a blow
at the power of the Church was Benito Juarez, a man whose
memory is deeply revered to-day — even by some of the most
devoted adherents to Rome itself. Juarez had to go through
a long and sanguinary tussle with the priests of this country,
who hated and opposed him with all their great influence ;
but he triumphed in the end, and finallyseparated the Church
from the State, reducing the former to a position which was
little better than that of a nonentity in the eyes of the law.
What Juarez commenced, Porfirio Diaz continued ; and the
Catholic Church, so far as the law of the land is concerned,
remains unacknowledged and unsupported in Mexico.
President Benito Juarez, by his unending warfare against
92

Photo P. S. Cox

Mexico City.— The Cathedral built on the site of the Teocali of the Aztecs and the Zocalo.

CHURCH AND STATE 93
the Church's pernicious influence, succeeded in completely
crushing it in Mexico before he had finished. The covet-
ousness of the religious brotherhoods — the Franciscans, the
Dominicans and the Jesuits, who owned nearly all the finest
land in the country — brought about their own downfall, and
that of the Church. The brotherhoods were banished, the
Jesuits being finally expelled in 1856, and all the remaining
orders by the end of 1860, the last to go being the Sisters of
Charity, in 1874. There is no doubt that the Republic would
never have succeeded in advancing to its present condition of
progress and prosperity had these doubtless well-meaning but
decidedly dangerous orders been allowed to remain.
But the hold which the Church has upon the affections of
the common people is in no way shaken, and there are
probably more places of religious worship in the Republic of
Mexico than in any Roman Catholic country of the world —
not excepting either Spain or Italy. One great fact has been
here unmistakeably demonstrated, that the power of the
Church over men's religious thoughts and the morality of
their lives can be, as it should be, absolutely independent of
and apart from the grasp of political power, which, unfor
tunately, the Church of Rome has ever striven for, and secured
only at the cost of the safety and well-being of millions of
human beings and the sacrifice of her own great good name
and much of her moral influence.
It is about thirty years since the State and the Church of
Mexico were forcibly divorced. Probably the supremacy of
the latter over the thinking and intelligent part of the popu
lation will never be re-established, but, as I have said, the
influence wielded over the minds and actions of the poorer
classes of the community remains as strong as ever.
In the year 1904 the Pope sent over a special delegate in
the person of Monsignor Serafini, Archbishop of Spoleto,
Italy, to see what could be done to renew the old associations
between Church and State, and, if possible, re-establish diplo
matic relations in Mexico ; for the Church of Rome will never
admit that its influence is dead, though it may have some
what waned. There are prelates in Rome to-day — his present
Holiness is not, however, among them — who still cherish the
belief that England will return to the fold, and the reception

94 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURA
of an English Princess (Ena of Battenberg) into the Church
last year certainly lent colour to the idea. Monsignor Serafini
was only following in the footsteps of his predecessors, the
Archbishop Averardi and Monsignor Ricardo Sanz de Samper ;
but, like them, he entirely failed in his purpose. Even the
bribe of creating a Mexican Cardinal did not prove any attrac
tion, and President Diaz made it clearly understood that under
no circumstances or conditions would the Mexican Govern
ment again enter into diplomatic relations with the Papal
States, or officially recognise any Church dignitary.
The advanced Liberal thought of the country is almost
fanatically opposed to the influence of the Church, an objec
tion which has even assumed locally such forms as preventing
the ringing of the church bells ; while it is strictly against the
law all over the Republic for a religious procession to pass
through the streets. In March of 1906 a venturesome priest
decided to defy the ordinance, and led a religious procession
through the town ; but he was promptly arrested by order of
the Mayor, and taken in full vestments to prison. He was
subsequently released, however, by a number of his flock, who
returned with him in triumph to his church. But he led no
more processions, and the lesson thus roughly administered
was taken to heart by other ambitious clerics, who appreciated
the fact that the Government would permit no infraction of
the law.
For the rest, the position of the Catholic Church in Mexico
is not such as its best friends could desire. The most perfect
harmony between the various heads does not seem to prevail,
and to such an extent had friction extended towards the be
ginning of 1905, that the Pontiff found it desirable to employ
Monsignor Serafini, above mentioned, to put matters straight.
Being a man of great charm of manner and strength of
character, the Prelate succeeded, at least in part, in restoring
harmony among the more truculent of the clergy, some of
whom threatened, at one time, to emulate the example of the
French bishops, Monsignori Le Nordez and Geay, in connec
tion with which act they were deprived of their sees.
Questions of ecclesiastical policy are continually arising,
and are as continuously being referred to the resident
Apostolic Delegate to Mexico, Monsignor Rudolfi, who has

FOUNDATION OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH 95
jurisdiction over the entire Republic. The Government views
such an appointment with indifference. The Delegate is not
recognised in either a political or an ecclesiastical character,
and thus his power for evil can be absolutely nil. On the
other hand, it is quite possible to appreciate how beneficial
the presence of such a prelate might prove, in the mainte
nance of order and harmony among the clergy, who certainly
require a strong hand to control them, occasionally to uphold
the dignity of the venerable Church, and to secure in the
eyes of the more devout among the populace the respect and
reverence which have ever been the mainstay of the Ancient
Faith. Probably when all is said that can be said on the question
of disunion among a certain section of the Catholic priest
hood in Mexico, it does not amount to anything of conse
quence when compared with the continual and bitter warfare
prevalent in Great Britain and the United States of America
among the priests of the various denominations, who all call
themselves " Christians," but decline, as do the Catholics,
to recognise any one supreme Head to whom, as the last
resource, they would consent to submit.
The Catholic religion was first founded in Mexico in 1517,
the year that Yucatan was discovered by the wealthy Cuban
merchant Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba. As is not un
usual, the arrival of the "religion" was simultaneous with
the merciless slaughter of numerous unfortunate natives who,
knowing nothing about the "love of Christ," declined to
believe in it on the simple word of a Spaniard, and suffered
death as a consequence. The amiable de Cordoba celebrated
his advent into Mexico as the champion of the Cross by
putting to the sword some score of natives — in " the name
of God." This "victory" of 110 armed men over a handful
of poor, ignorant savages was celebrated by the erection of a
chapel to " Our Lady of Succour," and this was probably the
first Christian church established in Mexico.
In 1518, the Pope (Leo X.) created the first Bishop, Father
Julian Garc6s, who had come over from Cuba with the above-
mentioned de Cordoba. He was made Bishop of Yucatan.
As a matter of fact, however, the new prelate never took
possession of this particular see, for the Spaniards themselves

96 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
abandoned Yucatan almost as soon as they arrived there,
finding more attractive lands in Mexico itself. Some seven
years later, Leo's successor (Pope Clement VII.) established
a new bishopric, to which he appointed the same cleric
(Father Garces), giving him the title of "Bishop of Pu6bla,
Yucatan, Chiapas and Oaxaca," a sufficiently wide diocese in
all conscience, rather like that of the Anglican Bishop of the
Falkland Islands of to-day, whose diocese embraces practically
the whole of South America.
The first actual Bishop of Mexico, enjoying the title of
"Protector of the Indians," was Father Juan de Zumarraga.
He arrived in the country in 1528 or 1529, and his first act
of " protection " took the form of ruthlessly destroying all the
most sacred pictures of the natives, as well as their most
ancient writings, so that to this fanatic the world at large is
indebted for the loss of what would have proved invaluable
evidences of the primitive customs and habits of one of the
most interesting races on the face of the earth.
Zumarraga showed so much zeal in reforming the heathen
that Rome soon created him a full Archbishop, while still
later on (1571) he became Primate of New Spain. For nearly
300 years the Catholic Church in Mexico remained in much
the same condition, for it was not until 1863 that the Pope
(Pius IX.) divided it into three separate archdioceses — namely
the eastern, or that of Mexico ; the central, that of Michoacan ;
and the western, that of Guadalajara. All the Bishops of
Mexico, of whom there are some eighteen, are suffragan
to these three Archbishops.
The same year which witnessed the ennoblement of the
vandal Zumarraga suitably saw the installation of the Holy
Inquisition. The first Inquisitor-General was Don Pedro
Moya de Contr6ras, who came from Guatemala with the
reputation of being the finest burner of heretics in the
employment of the Church ! He speedily put his abilities
to the test by organising an auto-da-fe facing the Church of
San Diego in Mexico City, where to-day stands a beautiful
public park known as the Alameda. " To the glory of God "
some twenty- seven heretics were burned here as a commence
ment ; but no one will ever know how many other unfortunates
followed before the Spaniard was bundled out of the country

THE ARCHBISHOP OF MEXICO 97
to make way for a less brutal and more enlightened form
of Government. In 1820 the abominable Inquisition was
abolished for ever by law ; the last public auto-da-fe' had
taken place five years previously, namely on November 26th,
1815. To-day there are some 8,765 churches and chapels, with
over 1,350 vicarages, in Mexico subject to the Roman Catholic
control, or, say, a total of 10,115. Their united wealth is
probably incalculable, and must aggregate many millions of
dollars in value, land, buildings and church ornaments
included. The present head of the Catholic Church in the Republic
is Monsignor Prosp6ro Maria Alarcon, Archbishop of Mexico,
an exceedingly high-minded, liberal and enlightened cleric,
although of humble Indian origin. To him many wise and
necessary improvements are due, not the least of which has
been the practical abandonment of senseless and often offen
sive demonstrations during the celebration of Holy Week,
when, especially in the country churches, the most outlandish
scenes have been witnessed. These have taken the form of
charades and caricatures of the Saviour, Judas, Roman
soldiers and Jews. For the last five years the Archbishop,
by means of a pastoral letter issued annually about three
weeks before the celebration of Easter, has forbidden these
exhibitions, and counselled his clergy to refuse the offices
of the Church to all who disobeyed his injunctions. " For no
reason or circumstance whatever," wrote his Grace, " will the
curas and vicars or other priests tolerate any representation
in the churches or atrios in which there are dancers or imita
tors of the enemies and executioners of Christ, especially
during the hours in which are celebrated the divine offices
or other religious exercises, or whenever the faithful practise
any act of piety."
Naturally, the wild excesses which are perpetrated in some
ultra-religious countries during Holy Week appeal with great
force to the ignorant and superstitious peasantry, notably to
the Russians, who probably commit more atrocities upon one
another during the days consecrated to the commemoration
of the passion and death of Jesus Christ than at any other
period of their crime-laden lives. The lower-class Mexicans
vol. i. 7

98 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
are not as vicious or as besotted as the Russian peasantry. I
don't know any other nationalfcy that is ; but it takes very
little to inflame their weak minds to acts of excess and
violence, so that the timely advice of the Archbishop, issued
at each recurring period of the year which is likely to draw
out the people's worst qualities, is to be commended.
The attachment to the symbol of the cross is very prevalent
among the Mexicans, and in no country of the world, embrac
ing all the Roman Catholic lands of South America, Austria-
Hungary, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Belgium, have I noticed
so many shrines, crucifixes and holy images as in Mexico.
No mine or factory is without its shrine, to which the utmost
devotion of the faithful is paid at all hours of the day ; while
at street-corners and at cross-roads may be found the crucifix
in all forms, sizes and materials.
The crucifix was undoubtedly known — but not as a sacred
emblem — to the ancient Toltecs and Aztecs, as it was known
to the ancient Egyptians and Gauls. The Phoenician ruins
of Gigantica are in the form of a cross, while the ancient Druids
used the symbol in their religious ceremonies ; upon the
monuments of Upper and Lower Egypt, thousands of years
before Jesus of Nazareth came into the world, it was sculp
tured ; it was known as Thor's hammer before it became
Christ's gibbet ; in Iceland to this day it is used as a magic
sign in connection with the wind storms, and it may be found
engraved upon the open palm of Buddha in many an Indian
temple and in the famous Elephant Caves near Bombay. The
Brahmins carried the crucifix thousands of years ago, while
the worshippers of Vishnu believe in its virtues as strongly
as do the most pious Catholics. The origin of the cross,
while undoubtedly phallic, is common to no particular country
or people, for was it not also — the crux ansata — the sign of
Venus, and did it not appear beside Baal and Astarte ?
When the pious Christian niggers of Jamaica were accused
of still secretly worshipping Ojo, and of offering up sacrifices
to that dread deity of their forefathers, the greatest indigna
tion was expressed at home, and the statement was denounced
as a " falsehood and a libel." Nevertheless it was true enough
then and is true enough still ; and if anyone were sufficiently
interested and had the pluck to penetrate into certain little-

ANCIENT RELIGIOUS PRACTICES 99
frequented fastnesses up in the Blue Mountains of that Island,
he would be able to verify it for himself.
At one time it was believed that some of the lesser-known
Mexican tribes indulged in living sacrifices at certain periods
of the year, offering up lambs, kids, and chickens, but some
times only flowers. In conversation with those whom I may
regard as competent authorities, I failed on any occasion to
find any substantiation of this statement. I think it may be
taken as accurate that since the days of Moctezuma, when,
as we know, the Aztecs offered up human sacrifices upon their
altars, and dating from the time of the Spanish Conquest, no
living sacrifices have taken place except, perhaps, in very rare
instances. The old Mexican religion has had its creed and
its cult, its heaven and its pantheon, as well as its temples,
altars, and priesthood, its mythology and worship. It is
quite certain that any attempt to revive living sacrifices would
be sternly repressed by the Government, which, while it
absolutely refrains from interfering with religion qua religion,
could not countenance such proceedings as these. Moreover,
it is incontestable that were any such practices in vogue, the
Government would have known of them. My opinion is that
no such occurrences have taken place for nearly four hundred
years, nor are they likely ever to do so again.
The well-known writer Bancroft has devoted no fewer than
500 pages of a volume to the study of the religion of the
Pacific Coast tribes ; while nearly every monument in Mexico
of the olden days — sculptured slab, decorated wall or vase —
displays some manifestation of the spirit world, reminding one
at every step of the ancient Egyptians and their religious
memorials. The Protestants established their first place of worship in
Mexico in 1868, calling it " The Church of Jesus in Mexico."
As a matter of fact, as many Roman Catholics as Protestants
were found among the first adherents, there being, as I have
previously intimated, a good deal of unrest and discontent
among a section of the Romanists in Mexico, who manifested
their feelings by joining the new church — as they themselves
expressed it — ' ' as a spontaneous movement for greater liberty of
conscience, a purer worship and a better Church organization."
Apparently there was no lack of money for the new move-
7—2

100 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
ment, since, not only was a pastor engaged and brought from
America (the Rev. Henry C. Riley, of the Protestant Episcopal
Church of the United States), but some former Roman Catholic
church buildings were acquired at the price of $50,000 (say
£5,000) and " converted "; while nearly $100,000 (£10,000)
was expended upon missions. The first congregations
numbered more than 3,000 worshippers, and the movement
spread rapidly. Mr. Riley became the first Protestant Bishop
of the Valley of Mexico, as he was the last. The American
Bishops recognised the Guerpo Ecclesiastico, being composed
of the clergy and lay-readers, as the ecclesiastical authority of
the Mexican Church. To-day the Guerpo Ecclesiastico has
made way for a Synod, composed of the clergy and lay repre
sentatives from the different congregations. It has a body of
canons as the governing body, and officers for the performance
of baptism, confirmation, communion, marriage, burial, and
the conduct of morning and evening prayer. There are only
about two ordained priests and seven deacons, and no mission
aries, since the Mexican Episcopal Church has now abandoned
its Mission in this country.
Besides the Episcopal Church in Mexico the Protestants
have the Presbyterian Church, a very prosperous and well-
supported body, possessing many church buildings, schools
(Sunday, day and boarding), missions and communicants.
There is also the Methodist Episcopal Church, which has
existed since 1873, with three mission conferences held in
Mexico City. There are over 140 congregations, 45 churches,
38 parsonages, 1 theological school, 6 high schools, and over
50 day schools. In the various establishments owned and con
trolled by the Methodist Episcopal Church there are engaged
more than 30 missionaries, 50 native preachers, and 60 teachers.
The Church further claims nearly 3,000 regular members, more
than 12,000 adherents and probationers, 70 Sunday Schools,
with nearly 3,000 scholars, and, in other schools managed by
it, an additional 3,300 pupils. The value of its property, par
sonage and other buildings may be placed at £140,000.
The Baptists have a strong organisation, or rather two
organisations, each working independently of the other, viz. :
the American Baptist Home Missionary Society and the
Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.

RELIGIOUS BODIES 101
The latest available statistics respecting the work done in
Mexico by the Protestant Church show that there are 210
foreign missionaries, of whom 130 are women ; 547 native
workers of both sexes ; 21,000 communicants ; 17 adherents,
non-communicants; 435 substations, 148 day schools, with
7,075 pupils; 18 higher institutions, with 2,220 pupils; and
4 hospitals and dispensaries.
The Jewish community in Mexico is at present numerically
but small. As is usual with this remarkable people, wherever
members are to be found, they enjoy the esteem and respect
of their neighbours, and live among them in perfect amity and
contentment. It is said that a Hebrew never actually loses
his identity, no matter among what people he may live — and
this is true ; for a Jew, while recollecting that patriotism and
loyalty to a country under whose flag he abides are of primary
importance, is content and proud to remain a Jew and to be
known as such.
The number of Hebrews in Mexico are insufficient at present
to possess a suitable house of worship ; but probably at no
distant date a handsome synagogue will be found which will
be worthy of the congregation and the city in which they
will worship.
The Jewish community, which, though small in itself, is
well represented in the commercial and banking classes, faith
fully adheres to all the great festivals of the year as they
occur — the New Year, the Day of Atonement, the Passover,
Tabernacles, Pentecost, and the minor feasts. There is at
present no resident Jewish minister here, and the services of
such ordained priests as may happen to pass through the city
from time to time are eagerly availed of, and are as readily
tendered, for the loyalty existing between the various
members of the community and their charity to one another
is too well known to need emphasis.
The English Protestant Church is in much about the same
position as the Jewish, since, up till now, the number of
regular attendants at Divine service on Sundays and festivals
has not warranted the erection of a suitable Church building,
the services at present being conducted in a hall or large
assembly-room quite inadequate to their celebration.

CHAPTER XII
Education — Government encouragement and institutions — Federal District
and Territorial establishments — Number of schools and pupils — State
schools — Private schools — Course of studies — School systems — President
Diaz and education — Religious instruction banned — Priestly influence
— National University — American School — Government support of
native talent — Art students and their work — Art exhibitions.
Education commenced very early in Mexico. When HerSan
Cort6s took the City, on 23rd August, 1521, a course of educa
tion, of a kind, was already in vogue ; while, in 1522, so active
were the new Conquerors, that the City contained school-
houses sufficient to hold 1,000 pupils. Eight years later was
founded the College of San Juan de Letran, while in 1840 the
College of San Nicolas de Hidalgo was founded at Patzcuaro,
and King Charles V. of Spain became its patron. In 1553 the
University of Mexico was opened, eighty-three years before
Harvard College, Cambridge, U.S.A., came into existence,
and by the end of the 16th century there had been established
seven seats of higher education. With the expulsion of the
Jesuits, and after the Franciscans had had public and private
education practically in their hands, a pause in the en
thusiasm took place ; but nevertheless, when Baron Alexander
von Humboldt visited Mexico in 1803, he was so astonished
at the development of higher education in the City of Mexico
that he wrote : "No city in the new world, not even except
ing the U.S.A., has scientific establishments as grand and
solid as those of the Mexican capital."
After the Revolution of 1821, a further attempt to improve
the education of the country was made, and the short-lived
Emperor Yturbide, in March 1823, declared : " The first aim
of Government must be the organisation of a system of public
instruction," a sentiment which was endorsed a little later by
102

SCHOOLS OF THE REPUBLIC 103
Don Lucas Alaman, who, on many occasions, publicly stated,
" Without education no liberty."
Dr. Samuel Johnson once observed : " Much may be made
of a Scotsman if he be caught young." The same may
certainly be said of the Mexican, or, indeed, of any Spanish-
American ; for where education has been tried, it has been
found almost invariably successful among the Latin-American
race, a fact which is regarded as one of the most hopeful
factors in the gradual improvement amongst the South and
Central American Republics of to-day. No one has been
more alive to the advantages of education than President
Porfirio Diaz, and I may go further and say that, since the
consummation of Independence, no statesman in Mexico has
done more — and few as much — to promote the cause of
education. In 1822 an organised scheme of education was tried in
Mexico, when the System associated with the name of Joseph
Lancaster received a very full and fair trial. When Lan
caster met with a violent death in the streets of New York
in 1838, his family went to reside in Mexico, and that may,
perhaps, to some extent explain the enthusiasm with which
his methods were taken up by the country of his family's
adoption. Anyhow, the Government of that day gave the
reform movement its moral and material support, with the
result that to-day we see some 557 primary schools supported
by the Federal Government in the Federal District and Terri
tories, attended by 60,000 pupils, which are alone controlled
by the Federal Government. Independently of these, how
ever, including both State and Municipal institutions, there
are in the Republic of Mexico about 9,500 primary, secondary
and professional schools, as well as 2,750 institutions supported
by the clergy, associations and of a private nature, or, say, a
total of some 12,250 schools. The Government also supports
many other excellent institutions, among which may be men
tioned the School of Jurisprudence, the School of Medicine,
the School of Agriculture and Veterinary Instruction, the
School of Engineers, the School of Fine Arts, the School of
Arts and Trades for men, and a similar institution for women,
the School of Commerce and Administration, a National
Conservatoire of Music, the Preparatory School, a School for

104 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
the Blind, a School for Deaf Mutes, several reformatory
schools, Naval and Military Schools, in addition to 22 Public
Museums and 61 Libraries, containing from 500 to 180,000
volumes each. The last school census taken was in 1902,
and according to the figures then published, it seems that
the Federal District educated 54,052 children, and in the
Territories 15,700. At that time the Government had
498 schools, of which 337 were in the Federal District,
103 in the Territory of Tepic, 45 in the Territory of Lower
California, and 13 in the Territory of Quintana Roo.
" Education is our foremost interest," said the President of
the Republic in an interview upon the subject not long ago,
" and we regard it as the foundation of our prosperity, and
the basis of our very existence. For this reason we are doing
all that we can to strengthen its activity and increase its
power." Through the influence of General Porfirio Diaz,
schools have been established for boys and girls in every
community of the Republic, while upon his initiative has
been created a Department of Public Instruction, presided
over by its own Minister. President Diaz, in many of his acts
and ideas, reminds one forcibly of our own good King, Alfred
the Great, who was one of the wisest, best, and greatest of
English monarchs. The President shows in this, as in so
many public acts, that he is also a great leader and born ruler
of men. Personally, he has made a very complete study of
education as carried on in other countries, and he admits
that he has learned a good deal even from Japan. The grades
of schools, the general plans of study, the courses in which
subjects are divided, the method of teaching employed have
all been determined upon by him after mature deliberation
with other authorities. In order to show that the system is
thoroughly carried out, it may be mentioned that in 1903,
8,000 parents or guardians were fined for neglect, after being
admonished once, in sending to schools the minors for whose
education they were responsible.
The school system of Mexico is, I should say, unique, and
it has had its own peculiar developments. It is neither
Spanish nor American, but Mexican. Beginning with the
primary, the pupils are passed into the grammar and high
schools, and are finally sent to preparatory and professional

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION TABOOED 105
schools. The general plan for obligatory elementary educa
tion in Mexico comprises civic instruction, the national lan
guage, arithmetic, natural science and the history of Mexico,
practical geometry, drawing, singing, gymnastics and military
drill, and, for girls, embroidery and sewing. The study of
English is compulsory in certain grades, and upon this point
the President of the Republic has publicly said : " Now that
we are teaching English in the public schools of Mexico, the
people of the U.S.A. should reciprocate by teaching Spanish
in their schools." I have yet to learn that the U.S.A. has
taken the hint. Certainly no one would believe it from the
little amount of Spanish spoken by Americans. In addition
to her system of elementary schools, Mexico has a system of
higher and superior schools.
As is the case in the Argentine Republic and almost all
other Roman Catholic countries of to-day, while much atten
tion is given to mixed education, no attention whatever is
devoted to that dealing with religion ; in fact, the giving of
religious education is forbidden. Possibly the Mexican
Government has seen from experience the ill-effect of educa
tion under the priests, from which infliction in the early days
the whole Republic suffered, an experience which convinced
the authorities that as there is not, and never can be, any
possibility of unanimity in regard to religious instruction, the
State should not attempt to provide it. The feeling in Mexico
against the Church's interference in any form of govern
ment is intense, and those who know the previous history
of the country under the priests' domination will not wonder
at it.
Although religion is not taught, moral precepts are ; and
temperance is one of the main virtues inculcated in the
minds of young Mexicans. This teaching is obligatory in the
primary schools of the Federal District and the Territories of
the Republic, and every means is used to engage only teachers
who are total abstainers. Temperance Societies are organised
in all the more advanced schools, into which pupils are invited
to enroll themselves, without undue pressure, while prizes
and decorations are used as incentives to temperance. The
earnest efforts towards teaching temperance made by the
Governors of the States of Chihuahua (Senor Creel) and

106 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
Zacatecas (Senor Pankhurst) are referred to more fully in
another portion of this work, under the respective States.
Another excellent innovation is teaching pupils how to keep
books and accounts, which has of late been introduced into
some of the schools. A special department, with all the
conveniences of a modern office, is reserved, and here book
keeping is taught under the direction of special teachers.
I visited a very large number of the schools in Mexico, both
Government and private, and in one and all I was deeply
impressed with the happy, clean, and contented appearance of
the children. There was no evidence of physical force or other
than moral influence used in inducing them to attend, or to
carry on their studies. They came merrily to school and
departed as merrily thence, just as happy as children of that
age should be. The school work appeared to be admirably
arranged, and both teachers and pupils apparently entered
into it with eagerness and intelligence. This phase was not
peculiar to one State, but was to be observed in all alike.
While I was in the Republic the Federal Government
decided upon spending a further sum of $3,500,000 (£350,000)
upon the erection of new school buildings, the classes being
divided as follows : First class, which comprises primary, ele
mentary, and superior educational courses ; second, primary
elemental schools in the City of Mexico, and in the country-
seats of municipalities ; third class, primary elemental courses
in rural towns.
One of the most important events so far as Mexico is
concerned will be the establishment of a National University,
founded to celebrate the first Centennial of the Independence
of Mexico, to be held in 1910. It is somewhat remarkable
that so progressive a country as Mexico should have hitherto
been without a University, and there can be no question that,
in spite of the admirable system of education already existing,
the want of such an institution, especially by the upper classes,
has been greatly felt. One consequence has been that many
intelligent young Mexicans have had to go to the United States
of America or to Europe in order to complete their education ;
while others, although doubtless inclined to do so, have been
loth to leave their own country and their people, so that their
"finishing" has been impossible. No doubt the proposed

A NATIONAL UNIVERSITY 107
University will be found equally useful to the great middle-
class of the Republic, as it will enable them to give their
children a first-class education at a comparatively small cost,
and without the necessity of sending them out of the country
for the purpose. The Mexicans are so patriotic, and the
Government is so liberal in these matters, that I fully expect
to see the National University of the City of Mexico amply
endowed by the time the Centenary comes round. Once
established, all the various faculties will be found welded
together in this one great University.
In the general system of education, mention ought to be
made of the many night-schools, which have been established
in pursuance of the Government's solicitude for the working-
classes. These schools are of two classes; the supplementary,
of which the purpose is to supply primary instruction to those
who have not been able to acquire it ; and complementary,
intended to afford grown-up persons, already provided with
the grounding in knowledge, an opportunity to improve
themselves, and add to their stock of information. The
supplementary night-schools of Mexico City were attended
last year by 3,692 pupils, and the complementary schools by
448 pupilB. The educational advance in this direction has
already been marked.
Education in Mexico is entirely free, the Primary, Normal
and Professional alike receiving everything — instruction, books,
etc. — without a penny of cost to them. I question whether this
policy is altogether a wise one. At one time such a system
was no doubt necessary enough ; but to-day, when general
prosperity has established itself throughout the length and
breadth of the Republic, self-respecting citizens could have no
objection to contributing a moderate amount to the National
schools for the education of their children ; and by inviting
the students of the professional classes to pay something
towards their instruction, more would be available for the
very poor. True democratic government should essay to
teach a spirit of independence ; and while grounding all in
the elementary studies, leave professional instruction — in the
absence of special cases such as I have referred to elsewhere —
to individual enterprise.
Curiously enough not a single school in Mexico City has

108 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
hitherto been provided with a playground. It seems remark
able that, with thousands of little children going to school
every day of the year, no sort of recreation-yard should have
been provided for their amusement. This was the old Spanish
idea, but the Mexican Government, in all the new school-
houses being built, is wisely providing suitable ground for
recreation and exercise purposes.
Those who have attempted to educate working-men in
England and upon the Continent of Europe have confessed
that higher education among them has generally proved a
failure, and that it is difficult to keep a man at labour after
he has once had the benefits of instruction. The effect upon
the Mexican peon, however, has been far from unsatisfactory ;
and I do not know of a single case where a peon, having
received a free education, has proved ungrateful or worthless,
failed to return to his trade, or evinced feelings of discontent.
In the old Spanish days it was deemed a very great offence to
educate a Mexican peon ; but this anomaly disappeared when
the Mexicans were emancipated from Spanish rule. It is
contended by those Mexicans who have studied the question
in their own country that labour is advanced by higher
education among the peon working-classes, and produces the
best type of worker and citizen.
One of the best foreign educational establishments in
Mexico is the American School, which has at present some
400 pupils, including those in the kindergarten, from the first
to the eighth grade, and the high-school. One of the difficulties
with which the Government has had to contend up till now is
that among private schools throughout their jurisdiction, while
wishing to have their pupils recognised by the official authori
ties, the proprietors have not been willing to carry out the
full programme of studies as laid down by the Department of
Education. The Government has, therefore, introduced a
system of rigid inspection of all schools within their sphere,
and the inspectors of the Territories and Federal District are
very zealous in carrying out their duties.
It is not only in connection with general education, however,
that the Mexican Government has manifested its keen desire
to improve the condition of the people. It is extremely liberal
in its instructing or paying for the instruction abroad of all

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT OF TALENT 109
citizens who display ability or inclination to enter upon an
artistic career. As an instance of this I may mention the case
of Sefior Ricardo Castro, who, having early in life displayed
a strong musical talent, was sent to Italy in 1902, for a four
years' stay, in order to study at the expense of the Government.
He has since abundantly justified this action, by becoming a
celebrated composer. A similar case was that of Senorita
Elena Marin, a clever young soprano. In the month of
November last year Sefior Castro came back to Mexico to
produce a grand opera written by him, which proved a great
success. At about the same time the House of Deputies
granted a pension to the famous Jalisco historian and writer,
Dr. Augustin Riv6ra, a distinguished savant, and the oldest
literary man in the Republic still at active work. Among
distinguished Mexican poets and literarii who have been
favoured by the Government may be mentioned Juan de
Dios Peza, the Longfellow of Mexico ; Jos6 Peon y Contreras,
Alfredo Chavero, Pefiafiel, Juan A. Mat6as, Luis Gonzalez
Obregon, Enrique Granados, and the Librarian of the
Augustin Library, Senor Vigil. The arts, law and medicine,
music, drawing and painting, have no less generously been
encouraged by this most discriminating and discerning
Government, which needs no supplication or prompting to
help its sons or daughters to make the most of any natural
talent which they may possess.
The performances of the Government bands and orchestras,
which are liberally endowed, are a constant source of delight
to residents and foreigners living in Mexico, and one is
astonished to hear the apparently uneducated men who form
the members of the bands, performing Wagner, Beethoven,
Chopin, Bach and other difficult composers in almost a flaw
less manner. In Mexico City alone there are eleven Govern
ment bands, composed of some of the best talent in the
Republic. The wages paid to the musicians vary in pro
portion to the time they have served, the extent of their
talent, the interest which they take in their work and the
instrument they play. The lowest remuneration, however,
is $20 (£2) a month and expenses.
In all such matters as art-exhibitions the Government is
equally liberal, and President Diaz himself seldom fails to

110 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
grace with his presence any notable or worthy exhibition of a
native character. General Diaz towards the end of last year,
for instance, paid quite an unexpected visit to the studio of a
poor artist, Senor Gedovius, who had previously seen better
days, but whom poverty and misfortune had reduced to
practical beggary. Entirely unsolicited, the good-hearted
President visited Gedovius, bought one of his pictures, and,
by the attention which he thus directed to him, succeeded
in raising him again from poverty to practical prosperity.
Mexican art students have upon occasions displayed great
ability at various exhibitions, and among the better-known
native artists I may mention Senor Leandro Izaguirre, who has
displayed marked talent in copying such masters as Velasquez
and his Goya studies, which he made while in Rome ; Senor
Alfredo Ramos Martinez, a successful painter of pastels, his
work being altogether excellent, and showing great command
of colour ; and Senor Alberto Fuster, who has studied in
Rome, Florence and Milan, and has painted several successful
pictures, such as " Sappho," " The Greek Artist," ete. Another
successful painter of pastels is Sefior Gonzalo Bringas ; while
Sefiores Juan Telles Toledo is a distinguished portrait painter ;
Francisco Goitia, who is yet quite a boy ; Ignacio R. Rosas,
and several others display more or less talent.
Sculpture is also well represented by such artists as Sefiores
Fidencio Nava, Enrique Guerra, Arnulfo Dominguez and
Gonzalo Bringas, already mentioned in connection with
painting. At an exhibition of work by Mexican artists, held
in the month of November last year, there were 219 pictures
entered, all being the work of young and promising men who
had been pensioned and sent abroad by the Government for
the purpose of improving their studies.

CHAPTER XIII
Early printing — The first press — Rose manuscripts and books — Printing
of the " Constitution of 1857 " — The modern press — Mexican Herald
— The staff and building — Native press — El Imparcial — Influence of
Mexican newspapers — Popular readers — The old type of journal —
Value of advertisement — Intelligent Peons — Self-instruction — ¦
Museums — Valuable Aztec collections — Public libraries — Learned
societies.
The first press introduced into Mexico was that brought over by
the Viceroy Mendoza, in January 1536, at the request of Arch
bishop Zumarraga, the vandal who ruthlessly destroyed all the
written archives of the interesting Aztec race, and by whose act
of sacrilege the present generation is deprived of any real know
ledge of that marvellous people. The first book ever printed
in Mexico was the Escala Esperitual para Llegar al Cielo, and
it appeared in 1537. No one living ever seems to have actu
ally seen a copy of this book, but it is claimed that one exists
somewhere in the private collection of a Mr. C. F. Giinther, of
Chicago ; probably if it did bibliographers would know some
thing of it.
There are still many valuable old tomes printed from the
press of Don Juan Pablos — or Pablo — who seems to have had
the monopoly between the years 1546 and 1559. Some of
these are to be seen in the Government Library at Zacatecas,
and the courteous custodian of that well-conducted, generously-
maintained institution entertained me for some hours dis
playing his treasures for my delectation. Antiquarians would
revel in some of these priceless old books, mostly in excellent
condition. There are two enormous volumes of sacred music,
used by the choirs of the Mexico Cathedral in the seventeenth
century, on view at the National Museum, as fresh and un-
soiled as on the day they left the hands of the pious friars
111

112 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
who so beautifully and devotedly emblazoned them. Every
particle of the colouring, the gold-leaf and the faintest lines
of shading, are in perfect condition. Scattered about the
country, mainly in the hands of private collectors, are several
valuable and interesting early editions, such as the Doctrina
Cristiana (a translation) of 1548, Father Molino's Vocabulario
(1555), Father Alonso de la Veracruz, Recognitio Summularum
(1554), and Dialogo Doctrina Cristiana, in the Torascan
language of Michoacan, by Father Matorino Gilberti (1559).
Another great printer of Mexico's early days was Antonio
de Espinoso, a rival of Juan Pablo, — and who flourished
from the year 1559 to 1575. His speciality was Latin
grammars, and several well-preserved specimens of his handi
craft still exist. His magnum opus, however, was the Vocabulario
en lengua Mexicana y Castellana, issued from his press about
1571. The author was Father Aburo de Molino, the writer
also of the Vocabulario issued in 1555. Juan Pablo's business
eventually was purchased by Pedro Ocharto, who published
a large number of volumes, mostly now unobtainable, but a
fine specimen of his binding is to be seen at the Public
Library at Washington, D.C. I saw it there in December of
1905, and ascertained that this volume, the Cedulario, was
considered the greatest treasure among many hundreds of
priceless books, manuscripts, and historical documents in the
Library. The Spanish fathers, who were great scholars and students
whatever else they may have been, fostered learning and the
publication of religious works sedulously among themselves,
while keeping the people themselves in the grossest ignorance.
Such learned men as Vasco de Puga, Sahagun, the historian,
and Enrico Martinez, the engineer, have all added something to
the great store of ancient tomes, as witness the latter's famous
Reportorio de los Tiempos y Historia Natural de Esta Nueva
Espana; while the Fathers Juan de la Anunciacion, Alonso
de Molino and Juan Bautista seemed to have been indefatig
able chroniclers of passing events ; the latter's Confessiones
and Adventencias being issued by Melchor Ocharte, the printer,
in 1599 and 1600 respectively. Copies of these works probably
exist still in some hidden cloister of Catholic Spain.
Perhaps one of the finest testimonials to the excellence of

THE PRESS 113
their workmanship offered to any firm is that which exists
to-day in Mexico in the form of the original printing-press,
made by Richard Hoe and Co. of New York in 1856. This
was the identical machine, standing in the office of El
Siglo XIX. (Nineteenth Century), upon which was printed the
famous " Constitution of 1857." What is more, the pressman
who helped to set up the type and personally printed-off the
copies of this historical document, still lives and still works his
machine. The press runs every day, and is yet in remarkably
good order. It modestly bears the following steel-plate : —
" On this press were printed the first 8,000 copies of the
' Constitution of Feb. 5, 1857,' the ' copy ' being an autograph
from Citizen Consti. Here, also, were printed the telegraphic
news relative to the routing of the French at Pu6bla, May 5th,
1862." The venerable operator of this celebrated press is Carlos
Ramirez, who thinks very little of modern printing machinery
in spite of its rapidity, his opinion being that "the work done
on the old style of press was infinitely superior." To an old
man who "has rendered some service to the State," even this
foolish utterance may be forgiven.
In this age of luxury and elegance, it is but right, perhaps,
that the Press should have its show of display. When some
of the magnificent buildings in Fleet Street were opened some
years ago, it was considered that the acme of extravagance in
construction and equipment had been reached. Those who
so imagined had had no opportunity probably of inspecting
the superb structures of El Mercurio in Valparaiso and Santiago
(Chile), La Prensa in Buenos Aires (Argentina), and the
colossal edifices devoted to the use of the weapon which is
mightier than the sword in New York, Philadelphia, and
Chicago. Here, however, massiveness rather than magnifi
cence and quantity rather than quality are apparent. None
of the North American Press possess such beautiful homes
as those I have mentioned in South America, and, indeed,
many might consider the provision of elegant bedroom-suites,
elaborately-equipped libraries, concert-halls and bath-rooms
rather superfluous addenda to a newspaper office. I think so,
too. But all these exist at Valparaiso, Santiago and Buenos
Aires, and are at least much appreciated by the fortunate
vol. i. 8

114 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
patrons of the newspapers who are privileged to make use of
them. In Mexico City the Mexican Herald has also constructed for
itself a lordly home, in striking contrast to the ramshackle
barrack-like building in which I found it on my first arrival
in the Republic. The building is admirably situated on the
west side of the Alameda, the largest and most beautiful
public park of the City. The building has been remodelled
from an old structure, forming a portion of the ancient
San Diego Church. Above the modern-equipped composing-
rooms rises the venerable belfry towers of the church, and
mingled with the prosaic click of the linotype-machine comes,
at every quarter of the hour, the mellow chime of the ancient
bells. More than this. Immediately facing the Herald's hand
some front entrance is the identical piece of ground whereon
the hateful Inquisition held its auto-da-fd, and the actual scene
where sixteen English sailors, who fell into the hands of the
priests, where burned alive in 1780. Just round the corner
is the street along which Hernando Cort6s and his beaten
troops ran for their lives on the "Noche Triste," and leading
to the old tree— still perfectly preserved — where the valiant
Spaniard sat down and wept !
All the editorial rooms are large, airy and admirably
furnished, the work of one and all engaged upon the staff
being carried on apparently under very cheerful surroundings.
The room occupied by Mr. Frederick R. Guernsey, the Editor-
in-Chief, is more suggestive of an apartment in a private
palace than an editorial sanctum, the windows opening on to
a beautifully-kept conservatory, and being lined from floor to
ceiling with loaded-up bookshelves.
The room occupied by Mr. Paul Hudson, the Manager of
the paper, is scarcely less attractive with its luxurious rugs,
easy-chairs, and heavy tapestries on the walls and at the
window. The Herald's Club Room is an elegant hall, occupy
ing half of the 70-feet frontage of the building, overlooking
the Alameda, and furnished with oak tables and all the
conveniences for holding conversaziones, meetings and public
or private entertainments.
So much for the Herald's building. As for the Herald

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Typical residence in the City of Saltillo, Coahiula.
The hou.se of Mr. William C. Pukceli..
THE PRESS AND EDUCATION 115
itself, it may be said that although its circulation is probably
one-tenth part as large as that of the principal Mexico daily —
El Imparcial — it has more influence than any Spanish paper,
since it is the organ of the American and English population,
who represent the capital and enterprise of the Republic.
What the Herald says " goes," and its good word is as much
esteemed as its adverse criticisms are dreaded. Mr. Frederick
Guernsey's able and fluent pen has earned for the paper a
high place among the literary journals of the world, while
Mr. Louis C. Simonds (the Associate-editor) is well and
favourably known as a financial and commercial writer of
great influence. The Daily Record is an evening — the only
evening — newspaper, and is issued in Mexico City every day of
the week except Sunday. It is bright, cheerful and generally
well-liked. Modern Mexico is a high-class and beautifully-
produced monthly, printed in New York, but with head offices
in Mexico City, and London offices at 150 Strand, W.C. It is
edited by Mr. Paul Hudson, and often contains some valuable
topical articles, especially devoted to mining and agriculture.
A great and important factor in the growing education of the
lower-class people of Mexico has been and is the native press,
and it is interesting for the traveller to observe how many
apparently " ignorant " men and women one meets reading the
daily papers. Considering that some 10 or 15 years ago it was
the exception to find a Mexican of the peon-class sufficiently
educated to read at all, or to sign his name, the progress made
in this direction is certainly both remarkable and encouraging.
The Fourth Estate in Mexico is large and influential, per
fectly free — almost too much so on occasions — to express its
opinions of things and individuals, but on the whole well and
fairly conducted. In the City of Mexico there are several
Spanish dailies, the greatest of which is El Imparcial, which
corresponds to the Daily Mail of England, Le Journal of
France, or Der Tageblatt of Germany. It is the official organ
of the Government, and enjoys a circulation of over 80,000
a day. The editor is Sefior Rafael Reyes Spindola, an
eminent lawyer by profession, and a Member of Congress.
There is an afternoon paper belonging to the same proprietary
and under the same editorship, El Mundo, having a circula-
lation of some 35,000. The next most important daily is
8—2

116 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
El Popular, with a circulation of some 50,000, and edited by
Don Francisco Montes de Oca. This publication also has an
afternoon edition, El Argos, which is popular with the masses.
The Church organs are many, and are widely read. El Tiempo
(The Times) is edited by the very popular Sefior Victoriano
Agueros. El Pais (The Country) is edited by Don Sanchez
Santos, and has a very wide popularity among Catholics.
La Patria is an anti-foreign paper, and sometimes very bitter
in its attacks, especially upon Americans. El Diario del Hogar
{The Fireside Daily, which is rather a misnomer, since there
is no "fireside " in Mexico), is a harmless but respectable sheet,
and Sucdsos (Events) is largely read for its illustrations and
humour. Corr'eo Espaiiol (Spanish Mail) is a juvenile paper,
with an extremely able editorial staff ; and financial interests
are represented with more or less fidelity by Financiero
Mexicana (Mexican Finance). There are two bi-weekly papers
named La Tribuna (The Tribune), a staunch and somewhat
severe Catholic organ, and Paladin (the Paladin), a supporter
of Liberal and therefore anti-clerical ideas.
Of the weeklies the most important are Artes y Letras
(Art and Literature), a critical publication, very well illustrated,
and edited by a keen connoisseur, Sefior Ernesto Chasero.
El Mundo Ilustrado, published from the offices of El Imparcial
and El Mundo, is also very well printed and illustrated.
El Semanario Literario (Literary Weekly) comes from the
offices of El Tiempo, and is a sister publication to El Tiempo
Ilustrado. La Revista Literaria (The Literary Review) is edited
by Sefior Heriberto Barron, a local poet of some eminence.
" Comic " journalism is represented by the grotesquely-
named Colmillo Publico (The Public Tooth, or Tusk), edited by
an arch-opponent of President Diaz, Senor Fernandez Perez,
and Ahuizote Jacobin (Liberal Old Disturber). Neither of
these prints can be termed clever, but both contrive to be
extremely offensive to their opponents. Of class-organs there
are several enjoying good circulations, such as El Heraldo
Agricola (The Agricultural Herald) ; El Tercer Imperio (The
Third Empire) ; El Boletin Judicial (The Judicial Bulletin) ; El
Diario Oficial de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos (Official Daily
of the United Mexican States) ; El Toro (The Bull) ; and El
Gaceta (The Gazette).

AN EDUCATED PEON 117
There are a good many old residents of Mexico who do not
consider that the tone of the native press has improved of
recent years. The stately old Monitor Republieano formerly
published editorials and special articles of great worth, and
in the purest Spanish ; whereas the tendency of latter-day
journalism in the Republic is to flippancy, personalities, and
frivolity. No wonder that the passing regime regret the
change. The literary quality of the contemporary press, I
am assured by several competent critics, has deteriorated,
occasioned, no doubt, by the shallowness of the age in which
we live nowadays and the bad example which is set us all by
the cheap and gaudy press ofi the United States, which, what
ever else it may be, is certainly not " literature." That it is
widely read cannot be gainsaid ; but has it anything like the
influence upon public opinion which the Monitor Republieano
enjoyed in its day ? The better informed Mexicans will tell
you "No."
Advertising in Mexico pays uncommonly well, for Mexicans
are avid readers of all announcements, pictorial and other
wise. A few years ago it would have been difficult to find
half - a - dozen peons who could either read or write ; but
to-day, so rapid and so widespread have been the results of
the splendid educational regime instituted by the State Govern
ments, that an illiterate Mexican would be an exception. In
this connection I may mention a case which came under my
own notice at Guadalajara. A tall and rather unprepossessing
peon cargador rather astonished me by informing me in good
English that my train was an hour late. It was not the
latter intelligence that occasioned the surprise, however, since
that is almost a daily occurrence ; it was the precise method
and correct English in which the man addressed me. I inquired
where he had learned to speak our language, upon which he
informed me that it was at school (a Government free estab
lishment), and he proceeded to bring from concealment
beneath his much- soiled blouse, carefully wrapped in a paper
cover, an English and Spanish manual, which, he stated, he
carefully studied every spare moment that he had. Further
more, so I was informed, this very diligent peon received a
letter in English every week from some American friends at
El Paso (carriage-cleaners on the Mexican Railway), which

118 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
document he carefully copied out and answered in the same
language. I do not know whether this hardworking and humble fellow,
probably still in his teens, may be accepted as a type of the
rising generation of the Mexican peon-class ; but this at least
is certain, that a nation which can produce such intelligent
and spontaneously enterprising young men has a great and
brilliant future before it ; and it would be as well if those who
so persistently think and speak of the native peon as nothing
but an " ignorant Indian savage " were to remember that
education is rapidly effecting an alteration among these people
which, a few years ago, would have been deemed impracticable
and impossible.
Loiterers at the various railway stations — and it is astonish
ing to find how many derive amusement from watching the
coming and going of trains — may be seen reading over and
over again the coloured announcements and public advertise
ments adorning the walls of the station-building. Any scrap
of printed paper will be picked up and read, and those who
are sufficiently wealthy to buy for a centavo a copy of a local
newspaper will peruse every word, from the title to the imprint.
Where a number of people are congregated together, such as
on the public plazas, parks and other rendezvous, it is cus
tomary to distribute handbills setting forth any theatrical
entertainment or other amusement, new brands of tobacco,
etc. Instead of casting away such free literature, as so many
European recipients would do, the Mexicans besiege the dis
tributer for more copies, following him about as closely and
persistently as the rats followed the Piper of Hamelin. Not
only are the slips carefully read and re-read, but they are
afterwards carefully folded up and carried away.
Although far from large as museums go, the Mus6o
Nacional in Mexico City contains a very representative and
decidedly interesting collection of things wholly Mexican.
Probably no finer collection of Aztec and Toltec figures can be
found anywhere, and our own American collection in the
British Museum is poor in comparison. At one time this
collection was housed in a side apartment of the National
University, but it soon outgrew its quarters, and then found
accommodation in the fine block of buildings east of the

NATIONAL MUSEUM 119
Zocola, or large public square of the City. This year a great
portion of the antiquities and objects of natural history will
be again moved into the magnificent new National Museum
building, approaching completion on the Avenida Juarez.
The archaeology will be on the ground-floor, as will also some
of the historical departments ; while the upper floor — there
are but two — will be devoted to the pictures and portraits of a
long succession of viceroys. Yet another hall will contain
the pictures of the Mexican Presidents from General Guada
lupe Victoria to General Porfirio Diaz. To enumerate all, or
even the greater part, of the treasures to be found in the
National Museum would necessitate a good-sized volume.
The most attractive, no doubt, is the huge sacrificial-stone
which was found by accident buried in a ditch near the
Cathedral, and upon which thousands of unfortunate victims
must have been offered up to sacrifice by the Aztec priests,
their method of execution being to throw their victims flat
upon the stone, rip out their hearts with long knives made of
glass, and then throw the bodies, still living and palpitating,
over the side, to fall among the worshippers below. No less
interesting is the large Calendar-stone, which has puzzled all
the archaeologists of the world to translate ; several weird-
looking idols, such as Huitzilopochtli, a hideous god of war ;
two serpents' heads, of colossal proportions ; a feathered
serpent, very cleverly carved and most naturally coiled;
Chacmoi, the god of fire, a gigantic head of a human being —
whether of man or woman I cannot say — and hundreds of
other grotesque figures, many in a perfect state of preservation,
and others less so. One could readily pass days of delightful
investigation into the meaning and origin of these curiously-
carved effigies, but while many translations of the inscriptions
accompany them, I should say that most of them, at any rate,
are mere conjecture, and founded upon but little genuine
authority. To the minds of the sentimental and romantically inclined,
the most touching exhibits at this Museum are undoubtedly
the collection of things at one time belonging to the Emperor
Maximilian and Empress Carlota. Here is their enormous
and unwieldy State Coach, with its plate-glass windows,
heavily-embossed panels, its gold-encrusted roof and brass-

120 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
mounted wheels. The whole conveyance is rich, but outre in
the extreme, and nowadays looks uncommonly trashy. The
whole of the Imperial harness and horse-trappings — rose-
coloured silk and gold mountings with the Imperial Crown in
solid gold, the identical liveries worn by the Imperial lacqueys
and their arms and sticks of office, are still preserved. Pictures
hang upon the walls showing the various grades of domestics
who were in the Emperor's service, and numerous other evi
dences of the reckless extravagance to which the Imperial pair
proceeded during their short but eventful occupancy of the
Throne of Mexico. Some very excellent oil-paintings of both
Maximilian and Carlota hang in the Art Gallery. They
show their majesties in their pristine glory, he in the tight-
waisted short coat and distended-hip trousers of the early
'forties, and she in the voluminous white-satin hooped skirts
of the same period. The Empress must have been a very
beautiful girl, and she is said to be a still very lovely old
woman. But those tresses, then dark as a raven's wing, are
now white as the undriven snow ; the beautiful, bold brown
eyes, which look out of the portrait so confidently and withal
with so much happiness, now glint with madness, and are
continually bedewed with tears.
Alas ! poor Carlota, hapless woman and distracted wife ;
better for you had death claimed you years ago, for your life
has been one of the saddest of known tragedies. Death hath
so many doors to let out life — but none for you ! There exist
many excellently-produced photographs of the two famous
paintings referred to, and which are considered the best like
nesses of the Imperial pair ever taken.
The Technological Industrial Museum has a suitable and
commodious building, but recently erected, on the Calle
Betlemitas. It is a Government enterprise, as are all the
Museums, Libraries and other educational establishments,
all being under the control of the Department of Fomento.
Here may be seen models of all the vegetables, minerals,
animals and raw materials indigenous to the country, with a
great deal of accompanying descriptive data.
The finest library in Mexico is that in the capital, known as
the San Agustin, or Biblioteca Nacional. The building itself
was formerly the church of San Agustin, and is a magnificent

LIBRARIES AND SOCIETIES 121
specimen of architecture with its many columns and basso-
relievos and other ornamental features, all executed in the
most perfect taste. Beautifully modelled Ionic columns
support the arches of the old church choir, the main features
of the vast central hall of the building being the many slender
columns, rich cornices and bold arches. The library contains
nearly 500,000 volumes, and among them are many priceless
works, such as cannot be found even in Europe. There are
many valuable private libraries to be found in Mexico, and
Mexicans are great readers, booksellers and printers thriving
more than any other traders, while professors are numerous
throughout the Republic.
It would be rather difficult to compute the precise money
worth of the different libraries in the Republic, but some of
them are of great value, and quite unique. Altogether there
are about 125 libraries in the Republic, the most favoured
States being the Federal District with 24, Tamaulipas with 12,
Tabasco and Veracruz with 10 each, Yucat&n with 9, Michoacan,
Coahuila and Guanaxuato with 6 each, and Morelos with 5.
Learned Societies are gradually becoming more numerous,
there being, to-day, perhaps some forty-five or fifty. Among
these may be found medical, engineering, agricultural,
geographical, geological, natural, historical, linguistic and
artistic societies, the majority of which are located in the
Federal District.

CHAPTER XIV
Diplomacy and diplomats — The old school and the new — Ambassadors
and Ministers — Their different influence — British and American
salaries compared — U.S. innovations — Diplomatic corps in Mexico
City — The British Minister — The American Ambassador — European
and South American representatives — The former Mexican Minister
in London — His successor.
It has always seemed somewhat remarkable to me that the
Anglo-Saxon race should have held, and should still hold, in
such light esteem that great body of public servants known as
diplomatists. I think the average Briton, as well as the
average American, deep down in his heart entertains but the
scantiest respect for the diplomat, and usually classes him
either among the stage-type of individual, who is depicted as
a pompous, platitudinous and pedantic ass, or else as a
scheming, sinister and wholly saturnine official with all the
evil attributes of Heinrich Heine's gentlemanly devil : —
" A diplomatist, too, well skilled in debate,
And talks quite glibly of Church and State."
It was Richard Cobden, the fetish of the Free Traders in
Great Britain, who openly questioned the utility of diplo
matists, for this very much out-of-date politician, seconded, of
course, by his faithful Achates, John Bright, observed on one
occasion : " If you go back two or three hundred years when
there were no newspapers ; when there was scarcely such a
thing as international postal communication ; when affairs of
State turned upon a great intrigue, or a caprice of a mistress,
or a pope's bull or a marriage, was it not of a great deal more
consequence at that time to have ministers at foreign courts
than it is in these constitutional times, when affairs of State
are discussed in the public newspapers and in the legislative
122

Native Children washing clothes in the river.

Photo. 11 iulcld Scott.

Peox Boys carrying milk to the city.

UTILITY OF THE DIPLOMAT 123
assemblies ? Under these circumstances, are not the functions
of an ambassador less important now than they were two or
three hundred years ago ?"
When this startling conundrum was put by Richard Cobden,
there were no doubt many other Englishmen, members of the
Manchester School, who agreed with him, as they agreed with
practically everything that he said and did ; but while to-day
opinion has fortunately changed in so many matters of
moment it has by no means wholly veered round in the
direction of approval of foreign diplomats. In the U.S.A. the
same feeling is prevalent, and, as the public newspapers amply
prove, the American diplomatic service is not stamped with
the seal of public approval. Scarcely an appointment takes
place but it is cavilled at, either on account of the individual
selected or the amount of remuneration which he receives.
It is true that an able advocate for the defence has presented
himself in the person of the Hon. J. W. Foster, who may be
regarded as a type of the plain-dealing, common-sense Anglo-
Saxon, who says things clearly and without prejudice, who
hates duplicity, shams, and subterfuge, and who, moreover,
does not hesitate to condemn where he finds cause. Mr.
Foster, in his able work, The Practice of Diplomacy, which
may be regarded as a complement to his other work, A
Century of American Diplomacy, unhesitatingly pronounces
for the diplomat and the diplomatic service. According to
him, no other department in the U.S. Government is con
ducted with so small an expenditure, and no other can
show greater results for officials employed nor expenses in
curred. Perhaps the same can be said on the whole for the
British Diplomatic Service.
Mr. Foster points out, that the diplomatic representative is
pre-eminently a peacemaker, and if he can, through his
efforts, postpone a great war or shorten it by a single day, he
will save to the public treasury much more than the cost to
the country of its diplomatic establishment for an entire year,
without taking into account the loss of life and the destruction
of property.
No doubt wars have been occasioned as well as saved by
the good or ill will, the patience or the malevolence of a
particular Minister, and as our own history shows, the

124 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
character of the diplomat most in favour with the reigning
sovereign has had far-reaching effect upon important current
events. In Spain, for instance, the unexpected marriage of
Queen Isabella was admittedly brought about by the violent
and arbitrary interference of the French Ambassador ; and in
1848, when Lord Palmerston instructed Sir Henry Bulwer to
represent to the Spanish Minister that the Government would
be well advised to adopt a more liberal policy and a more con
stitutional form of Government, the Minister was promptly
presented by General Navraez with his passports. A British
Envoy has been more than once sent away from Washington
in disgrace, notably in connection with a too zealous recruiting
for Her Majesty's service during the Crimean War of 1855.
Sir Henry Wotton's caustic observation, " An ambassador is
an honest man sent to lie abroad for the commonwealth," is
perhaps rather too severe a criticism of an indispensable
public servant. The type of diplomat sent abroad to-day is
at least very different, both in character and social position,
from what he once was. He does not merely represent the
monarch apart from the country at large, nor is he any longer
selected as a particular favour to himself nor as an act of
grace towards the sovereign's favourite, nor "pitchforked"
into the post to keep him out of further trouble.
His Majesty the King has himself been pronounced the
" first diplomat in Europe," and M. Cambon, the French
Ambassador to Great Britain, at the anniversary dinner of the
Newspaper Press Fund, held in London in the month of May
last, gracefully observed that " King Edward inspired through
out the world admiration for his high qualities and credit for
the services which he has rendered and every day renders to
the great cause of peace." " He is," declared the Ambassador,
"the first diplomat in Europe, and it is a great honour for us
diplomats to have him for our model, for we recognise in him
all the gifts which are too often wanting in ourselves, amenity
of disposition, clearness of ideas, and that supreme tact of
which he offers the most perfect example."
International intercourse and domestic government have
undergone as complete a change as have members of the
diplomatic corps themselves, and, whether it be a monarchial
or a republican form of Government, the type of man selected

AMBASSADORS AND MINISTERS 125
to represent it abroad is an immense improvement upon that
of former days ; but then as now, as Guicciardini succinctly ob
served : — " Gli ambasciadori sono Vocchio e I'orecchio degli stati."
The difference between ambassadors and ministers is,
perhaps, not as clearly understood as it should be. Both
high functionaries are accredited plenipotentiaries, the
difference existing being one of person rather than of power.
The ambassador nominally represents the person of his
Sovereign or his President, while the minister represents
the Government. An ambassador can demand an interview
with the ruler of the country to which he is accredited, while
the minister has to wait until one be accorded to him. The
privilege of having free access at any time to the ruler of the
country is, then, the principal difference between an ambas
sador and a minister, and, generally speaking, matters of
state can be transacted more expeditiously by an Ambassador
than by a Minister for this reason. In all matters of social
functions, to which so many diplomats of the old school
attached the greatest importance, thinking, indeed, more of
their gold braid and their plumed hats than of the object
with which they were sent by their Sovereign, ambassadors
take preference over ministers, and where there happen to be
two or more ambassadors in a country, they are given prece
dence in accordance with the dates of their appointment.
In Mexico the American Ambassador ranks first among all
members of the diplomatic corps, for the simple reason that
he alone is an ambassador, all the rest being ministers.
The wives of ambassadors enjoy the same privileges as are
accorded to their husbands, but the sons and daughters of
ambassadors have no privileges of the kind. This point has
been settled for all time both in republic and monarchial
countries, although the question is still occasionally raised,
especially where an ambassador is a widower, and his daughter
has to act as lady of the house. A case of this kind was
brought up in connection with Count Miinster, who for many
years was German Ambassador in London, and afterwards in
Paris. The whole time that he was at the Court of St. James's
it was a moot question whether his daughter, the Countess
Marie Miinster, should take rank as ambassadress ; but the
consensus of opinion of diplomats was against the claim, and,

126 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
strangely enough, the late Queen Victoria always declined to
decide — as she alone could have done — the matter. Nowa
days, it is understood that the daughters of ambassadors have
no official rank, and this was instanced in the case of the
daughter of the former American Ambassador to Mexico,
General Powel Clayton, the lady now being married to the
Hon. Arthur Grant-Duff, British Minister to Cuba.
The Diplomatic Corps in the City of Mexico is a large one,
but probably at no time has it ever been fully represented,
nearly one-half of its members being absent on leave, for
some reason or other. As a matter of fact, out of forty-seven
duly accredited representatives, some twenty are absent at the
present time. The members of the diplomatic corps, almost
without exception, have their residence in the south and
south-east portions of Mexico City, most of the buildings used
for the purpose having at some time been the residences of
wealthy Mexican families. It seems, however, an extra
ordinary oversight upon the part of the British Government
that it should have neglected to purchase, or at least to have
rented, a suitable residence for its diplomatic representative.
The present British Minister to Mexico, upon his arrival at
the city in August of last year, had to hunt about for some
weeks for a suitable house, the efforts of several of the Legation
officers for weeks previous to his arrival having proved fruitless.
In the meantime he was compelled to find lodging where
and how he could, most of the hotels being full. Finally he
selected a handsome residence in the Avenida de Paris. Fortu
nately, Mr. Reginald T. Tower is a man of independent means,
and he has been enabled to make the British Legation fully
equal in appearance and elegance to that of the United States
or any other foreign Legation. The British Minister is allowed,
in addition to his salary of £2,500, the "princely" sum of
£600 a year for the rent and maintenance of an establishment
which, if difficult in most countries, is impossible in Mexico.
Shortly before Mr. Tower came to Mexico the British
Government had an exceptionally favourable opportunity of
purchasing a fine residence in the best locality of Mexico City,
but this chance was lost on account of the proverbially slow
methods of Downing Street. The house was first offered at
£10,000 ($100,000 Mex.), but before the Home Government

AMERICAN DIPLOMATIC SERVICE 127
could make up its mind to send a definite reply (this even
tually came by mail, as it would seem a cablegram was
deemed too expensive) the owner of the house had accepted
a cash offer, which amounted to £7,500 ($75,000 Mex.), at
which price the British Government might have had it also,
had it acted smartly in the matter. This house is to-day
worth exactly £17,000 ($170,000 Mex.).
In both the diplomatic and the consular services, the
U.S. Government has introduced new features. In regard to
the diplomatic service, probably the most salient feature has
been the rearrangement for the collection and dissemination
of news. Up till now the diplomatic service of the U.S.A.
has not been as efficient as might be desired in this respect,
a fact which was quoted as a reason for the disinclination of
Congress to increase the budget for the diplomatic corps. As
it has been found necessary to keep down the cost of main
taining the intelligence service as low as possible, a scheme
has been adopted for establishing exchange agencies. For
the whole Continent of Europe London is made the exchange,
and at that Embassy information is received from all the
various embassies and legations of the U.S.A. on the Conti
nent, while each one is also informed of the events which
transpire in other capitals. The information is collated and
forwarded to the State Department at Washington. Informa
tion of a general character, intended to be sent to all lega
tions and embassies by the State Department, is first cabled
to London, and thence disseminated among the various lega
tions and embassies on the Continent. It has been found
that by following this system a great amount in cable tolls is
saved. Similar exchange agencies have been established by
the legations and embassies in Asia, and in the various
Latin-American nations. The above idea is not, of course,
an original one, but it is undoubtedly to be commended as
the most intelligent system to be followed.
The U.S.A. pays its Ambassadors and Ministers less
generously than does Great Britain. The former receive
$17,500 (gold) (£3,500) and $7,500 (£1,500) respectively;
but they receive no allowance for house-rent or entertain
ment. European Governments generally own or lease official
residences for their diplomatic representatives, and addi-

128

MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY

tionally make them allowances for the purpose of suitably
entertaining. While the U.S.A. pays its ambassadors to
France, Germany, Great Britain, Russia and Mexico $17,500
(£3,500) a year, and those to Brazil, Italy, Austria and Hungary
$12,000 (£2,500) a year, the salaries and allowances of Euro
pean countries to their ambassadors are as follows : —
Great Britain :

At Paris ...

... £9,000

At Berlin

... £8,000

At St. Petersburg

... £7,800

At Rome

... £7,000

At Vienna

... £8,000

The British Government owns residences in all places
except St. Petersburg, where it has taken a long lease on the
premises occupied by the Embassy.
Germany :

At Paris...
At London
At St. Petersburg
At Rome
At Vienna

£6,000 £7,500
£7,500 £5,000
£6,000

The German Government owns residences in all cases.
France :
All ambassadors are paid at the rate of £1,600 a year, with
the following allowances for entertainment and expenses : —

At Berlin
At London
At Rome
At St. Petersburg
At Vienna

£4,000 £6,400 £3,200
£6,400 £5,200

The French Government owns residences at Berlin and
St. Petersburg, and has a long lease of the house in London.
Atjstro-Hungary :
All ambassadors are paid £1,000 a year, with allowances as
follows : —

At Berlin
At Paris ...
At London
At St. Petersburg

£5,200 £6,000
£5,600
£6,000

FOREIGN EMBASSIES 129
The Austro-Hungarian Government owns residences at
Paris, Berlin, and St. Petersburg, and has a long lease of the
house in London.
Italy:All ambassadors are paid £800 a year, with allowances as
follows :

At Vienna

.. £3,600

At London

.. £3,600

At Berlin

.. £3,600

At St. Petersburg

.. £3,600

At Paris

.. £3,800

Where the Italian Government does not possess its own
residence, the ambassador receives an adequate allowance for
house-rent. The Russian Government owns and maintains embassies
at Rome, Paris, Berlin, London and Vienna, at a cost in each
instance of from £6,400 to £8,000.

Russia :
At Paris . . .
At Berlin
At Vienna
At London
At Rome

£8,000
£8,000
£8,000£8,000
£6,400

The British Representative at Mexico City, as before stated,
is Mr. Reginald T. Tower, C.V.O., Envoy Extraordinary, who
succeeded Sir George Greville in that post. Sir George
retired on June 11th, 1905, and received his knighthood on the
occasion of the King's birthday of that year. Mr. Tower was
born in 1860, and had been Minister Resident at Munich and
Stuttgart up till 1905. He was second Secretary of the
British Embassy at Washington in 1896, and Secretary to
the Alaskan Boundary Commission in 1905. Mr. Tower
came to Mexico from Siam, where he was seriously ill, his
life, at one time, being despaired of.
No happier selection could have been made than that of
Mr. Tower, who has proved himself one of the most popular
representatives of Great Britain who have yet been in Mexico.
One of his first public acts was to present to General Diaz, on
behalf of His Majesty the King, the Grand Cross of the Bath.
vol. i. 9

130 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
He has always taken the keenest interest in all matters
appertaining to Britishers in Mexico, and by his kindly
sympathy and generous help he has conduced greatly to
increase the scope and utility of British charities ; nor is it
only among British subjects that Mr. Tower has established
a firm popularity. By Americans and Mexicans he is equally
highly esteemed. He has shown no less intelligent energy
in furthering British trade and commerce, personally visiting
every part of the Republic for the purpose of making himself
acquainted with prevalent conditions. These efforts upon
Mr. Tower's part must necessarily result hereafter in benefit
to British interests generally throughout Mexico.
The United States of America is to be congratulated upon
the happy choice made in her diplomatic representative.
Mr. David E. Thompson, the Ambassador Extraordinary
and Minister Plenipotentiary, only arrived in Mexico in the
month of March last year, but speedily gained the esteem
and good-will of his own countrymen and that of all foreigners.
Although of humble origin, Mr. David Thompson is a fine
specimen of his country, and shows both vigour, shrewdness,
and discernment in all his actions. His wife is a lady of
great charm, and the American Embassy at the Colonia
Roma has become the centre of much whole-hearted
hospitality of late months.
The German Legation is represented by Baron von
Wangenheim, a diplomat of the " old school," who believes
more in the fortiter in re than the suaviter in modo. He is a
notable specimen of the German militant, stern, strict, and
thoroughly in earnest, a man of good character and but little
humour. Baroness von Wangenheim is a lady much given
to social entertainment and travel, very popular among her
own class, but little known outside of it. The Legation is at
Calle la de Arquitedos.
The Italian Minister, Count Ce^are Romizzi-Segni, pre
sented his credentials as recently as last February. He has
been First Secretary of Legation in London, Copenhagen,
Belgrade and Berne, and Charge" d'Affaires at Munich. Italy
has been represented in Mexico City since 1864.
Brazil is represented by Sefior Alfredo Moraes y Gomez
Ferreira as Minister Plenipotentiary. He has been in the

Patio of a Mexican Hotel.

Market Day ix Mexico.

NOTABLE DIPLOMATS 131
diplomatic service since 1885. There are but very few
Brazilians in Mexico. Sefior Ferreira's duties are not
destined to prove very arduous.
Guatemala and Mexico are far from being friends at present,
owing to the Government of the first-named Republic shield
ing General Jose' Maria Lima, who is more than suspected of
participation in the assassination of General Manuel Lisandro
Barilias in Mexico' City in the month of April last. Nominally,
Guatemala is " represented " by Sefior Manuel Giron ; but
as he is a personal friend of President Manuel Estrada
Cabrera of Guatemala, and is anything but persona grata at
Mexico City, he finds it convenient to be absent, and is likely
to remain so.
Dr. Manuel Delgado occupies the difficult post of Salvadoran
Minister, having been accepted as late as last April after the
tri-cornered war between Guatemala, Honduras, and Salvador,
in which Mexico at one time was threatened to be dragged.
Dr. Delgado is an able and finished diplomat, and should help
to keep things from becoming further entangled. He has
himself been Minister of Foreign Relations, and has been
representative of his country at the Pan-American Congresses
held at Rio de Janeiro and Mexico City.
The French Legation, formerly represented by the Charge"
d'Affaires, Count Peretti de la Rocca, and who retired last
April, is now in the hands of M. Georges Chivot. He has
been three years in Rome and some time at Washington as
third Secretary, being an official of the French Academy, and
having held an important post in the political branch of the
French Foreign Office. He occupied the responsible position
of Editor of the Department of Politics previously to being
sent to Mexico City.
Austria-Hungary sent Baron Jules de Forster as her
Charg6 d'Affaires ad interim in December of 1905, there
being no Minister appointed until last March, when Baron
Karl von Giskra, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Pleni
potentiary, arrived. This gentleman is likely to prove a great
acquisition to Mexican diplomatic circles, as he has already
evinced a strong desire to strengthen the friendly relations
already existing between his own country and Mexico, and will
leave no stone unturned to accomplish his object. Baron
9—2

132 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
Maximilien de Pelrino has for long acted as Chancellor, and
the Legation is at 1,814 Avenida Congr6so.
The Belgian Minister, who is also a comparatively newly-
appointed representative, is M. Charles Constantin Wauters,
a polished and accomplished gentleman with a complete
knowledge of English. M. Wauters is Envoy Extraordinary
and Minister Plenipotentiary, his appointment dating from
February 6th, 1906. The Legation is at present in the former
building of the British Legation. M. Wauters is a bachelor.
Spain was until recently "represented" in the country
which once was her most valuable over-seas possession by
the Marquis de Prat de NantouiUet, as Envoy Extraordinary
and Minister Plenipotentiary. He was but seldom to be
found, however, in Mexico City, the Legation being in the
hands of the Charge" d'Affaires and first Secretary, Senor Jos6
Romero Durmet. Last March, Sefior Bernardo J. de Cologan
y Cologan presented his credentials, to the great gratification
of the large Spanish colony to be found scattered throughout
the Republic of Mexico. He has had a very distinguished
career, and nearly lost his life in China during the Boxer riots
of 1894. Minister Cologan has been in Tangier, Lisbon,
Washington and Pekin, as well as Charge d'Affaires at Bogata,
Colombia. There are two honorary Attaches, MM. Hipolito
Adalid and Jose" de la Horga. The Legation is at 420 Calle
de Dinamorea.
The other principal Diplomatic Representatives at Mexico
City are as follows : Bolivia, Sefior Fernando E. Guachala ;
Cuba, General Carlos Garcia Velez ; Chile, Senor Joaquin
Walker Martinez ; China, Liang Hsun ; Ecuador, Sefior
Felipe Luis Carbo ; Honduras, Dr. Baltazar Estupinian ;
Nicaragua, Sefior Luis F. Corea ; the Netherlands, Jonkheer
B. de Merees von Swindesen ; Persia, Morteza Khan Mom-
tazel Molk ; Peru, Sefior Manuel Alvarez Calderon ; Portugal,
el Vicomte de Alte. Several of these diplomats live perma
nently abroad, and seldom come anywhere near Mexico.
Russia is represented by a Charge" d'Affaires, M. J. de Thai,
who, besides being an extremely able diplomatist, is an accom
plished linguist and a brilliant musician. Like most of his
countrymen, M. de Thai is a very cultured and delightful
companion. He is a bachelor.

MEXICAN MINISTER TO GREAT BRITAIN 133
Japan is usually very happy in the choice of her diplomatic
representatives abroad, and no more striking instance of this
could have been found in the selection of her late Minister to
Mexico. M. Koichi Soughimoura is a man of great culture
and considerable experience, having represented his country
in various parts of the world, including several English-
speaking communities. Both the late Minister and his
charming wife, Madame Soughimoura, speak our language
very well ; but unfortunately the climate of Mexico City did
not suit the latter, who was but seldom well in so extreme an
altitude ; consequently they were compelled to leave Mexico
towards the end of last year. With all classes of society
M. and Madame Soughimoura were genuinely and deservedly
popular. Of late months the number of Japanese arriving in
Mexico, to work principally on the railways being constructed
on the Pacific side, has materially increased, and the duties of
the Legation have become correspondingly heavier. In a
year or two the settlement promises to become even larger,
as many of the Japanese labourers, who come over on contract,
prefer to remain as permanent residents. The new Japanese
Minister, Baron Minozi Arakawa, arrived in Mexico last
November from London, where he had for some time acted as
Consul-General ; he has been in the Consular Service of his
country for altogether twenty years. He is not only a
diplomat but a soldier and an engineer of repute, having
graduated at the Engineering College of Tokio, and served
under Marshal Oyama, as well as being engaged in the
diplomatic and consular service at Tien-Tsen and Wei-hai-
wei. Baron Arakawa is accredited both to Mexico and Peru,
but makes his residence in the former country.
The President of Mexico last May filled the vacant position
of Minister to Great Britain by appointing Senor Miguel
Covarrubias Minister to the Court of St. James. General
Pedro Rincon Gallado resigned the position of Minister, which
he had filled since 1899, on account of ill-health, returning to
Mexico in the month of November last accompanied by his
wife, his son Manuel, Mrs. Refugia Terreros V. de Rincon
Gallado, her daughter Maria and Sefiorita Maria Luzarraga.
The new Mexican Minister has hitherto been Minister of
Mexico to the South American countries on the Pacific, with

134 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
headquarters at Santiago de Chile. Sefior Covarrubias is
fifty-one years of age, but has had considerable experience
in the diplomatic service, covering a period of twenty-seven
years. His first appointment was as third Secretary at
Washington, then second Secretary in Italy, Great Britain
and the United States. He has also filled the position of first
Secretary and Charge* d'Affaires in the U.S.A., first Secretary
in Belgium, first Secretary and Charge" d'Affaires in Germany
and Russia, and Minister to the Pacific Slope countries of
South America.
Sefior Ing. Miguel de Beistegui, first Secretary of the
Legation in London, and who has been acting as Charge"
d'Affaires since the departure of General Rincon Gallado, has
been appointed to the position vacated by Sefior Covarrubias,
and will leave London shortly to take up his new position.
Senor de Beistegui began his diplomatic career in 1884 as an
attache" of the Legation in France, of which he was soon made
Chancellor. Later on he served as second Secretary in Belgium,
then as third Secretary in France, returning to Belgium as
first Secretary, then second Secretary to the Netherlands,
from which country he was transferred to London as first
Secretary. It was hoped that the vacant position in London
might have been filled by Don Guillermo de Landa y Escandon,
Governor of the Federal District of Mexico, who is a thoroughly
accomplished English scholar, and exceedingly popular with
English residents in Mexico.

CHAPTER XV
Consular matters and Downing Street — Improvements introduced — Long
standing grievances — Mexico-City Consulate — Mr. Jerome — The Vice-
Consul — Increase in Consular duties — British Consular Authority —
Important powers conferred — American Consular Service — New
Regulations — Candidates' qualifications — Consuls' salaries compared
— British and American — United States Consuls in Mexico.
A prominent feature in the reviews of my last book, " Through
Five Republics of South America," was the almost unanimous
attention drawn by the critics to the " Conclusion," in which I
commented unreservedly upon the prevailing condition of the
British Consular Service abroad. In every instance my criti
cisms were endorsed or pronounced timely and justified. It is,
therefore, with no small amount of satisfaction that I am
enabled chronicle the improvement which has taken place
in the Service since I last wrote, a cause for congratulation,
indeed, when one considers the vast influences which a
properly-organized Consular System can have upon the trade
and industry of a country, especially like that of Great
Britain. By common consent of the people of this country it was
recognised that foreign affairs should be based upon a national
basis, and it is due to the present Government to add that they
have recognised their responsibility in the matter a great deal
more fully than did their predecessors in office. I pay Sir
Henry Campbell-Bannerman's Government the merited com
pliment of saying that they took the earliest opportunity of
showing their desire to improve the Consular Service, which
they unmistakeably have done. It is perfectly true that the
late Government had taken the matter in hand previously, but
in so half-hearted, shilly-shallying a way as to rob their policy
135

136 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
of all value. The more active development which synchronised
with the advent to power of Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman's
Government has been maintained up to the present, with the
long-needed but still far from complete amelioration throughout
the Service. The principal changes so far effected by the intro
duction of the new system may be epitomised as follows :
(1) The posts of Commercial Agent in Switzerland, United
States, Russia and Central America have been
abolished.
(2) The present Commercial Agent in Russia has been
made a Commercial Attache'.
(3) The three Commercial Attaches in Vienna, Berlin,
and Madrid have had their headquarters transferred
to London.
(4) The current commercial business of the Diplomatic
missions is carried on under the superintendence of
a specially- selected member of the Diplomatic Staff,
who is designated Secretary-in-charge of commercial
matters, and who receives an allowance varying
according to the importance of the post.
(5) No change is made in Tokio, Pekin or Constantinople,
while Sir H. Austin-Lee remains in Paris as Com
mercial Attache.
These changes came into force on the 1st April last, and
are shortly, as I understand, to be followed by several others
of equal or even greater importance. One necessary recom
mendation has not, however, been adopted, and the old system
of nomination by the Foreign Office still continues, with the
result that, occasionally, an appointment is given to an
entirely wrong man. Also, the increase in the number of
Consular Agents' attaches is still insufficient; while it is
necessary that there should be an alteration in the method of
their reporting.
So far as Mexico is concerned the permanent officers at the
Foreign Office have, for some reason or other known only to
themselves, had a rooted objection to both a Legation and a
Consulate General in the City of Mexico. In 1904 it was
decided to abolish the latter post altogether, and establish in

BRITISH CONSUL 137
its place a Vice-Consulate in Veracruz attached to the
Legation at Mexico City. This disastrous step was only
averted by the strenuous opposition of the British community
in Mexico, and the intercession of powerful influences at
home. Energetic action of this kind does sometimes prove effective,
as was shown by the compulsory reversal of President
Roosevelt's decision to send a full-blooded negro to Mexico
City as the Minister of the United States of America. The
negro-baiting American population formed themselves into a
solid body of vigorous and undaunted resistants, refused
absolutely to recognise the " black gentleman from Wash
ington," and thus ended the question.
The long-enduring position of uncertainty as to the British
representation in Mexico was set at rest when Mr. Reginald
T. Tower's appointment was notified, and the London Gazette
published the reappointment of Mr. Lucien Joseph Jerome as
His Majesty's Consul for the United States of Mexico, in April of
last year (1906). Mr. Jerome had been some years in Mexico
when his post was threatened by the same influences for evil
which have ever acted — and still act — as a bane to British
interests abroad. Mr. Jerome, in the midst of his earnest and
useful work, was sent away to Hayti, where a man of far less
importance and experience could have done all that it was
necessary to do.
The Consular affairs in Mexico City are more numerous and
considerably more important to the British community than
the Foreign Office have any idea of, although it is their manifest
duty to make themselves acquainted with the prevailing
conditions. Mr. Jerome has to deal with something like 700
to 1,000 letters of enquiry alone every year, to say nothing of
the numerous shipping and other commercial documents
requiring certification, etc. Day by day, as the business
community expands and British interests — as I am glad to
say is the case — spread throughout the Republic, the Consular
duties increase. To such an extent is this the case that
Mr. Jerome's offices have long since become congested with
official correspondence, and his ante-room is frequently six
and seven deep with callers. Little of this does Downing

138 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
Street know, and still less, probably, does Downing Street
care. One day, perhaps, the fact may be borne home to
officialdom ; but at present it is somewhat of a struggle for
existence, for not only does the Foreign Office still object to
maintain a Legation and a Consulate with that liberality which
a country like Great Britain can well afford, but it objects to
a Consulate-General at all. The British Consul receives £800
per annum, out of which he must pay the Vice-Consul £150.
The present Vice-Consul is Mr. George Kennedy, a very
popular official. Under the old system there were two
distinct and independent Consulates in Mexico, one at the
City of Mexico and the other at Veracruz. While the amount
of British business and commerce is literally more than ten or
twelve times as extensive in the City as it is at the Port, it
was seriously contemplated to abolish the Mexico City
Consulate and, as I have said, retain the Veracruz Office as
an appendage of the Legation at the Capital. The Veracruz
Consul formerly had jurisdiction over the States of Veracruz,
Chiapas, Tabasco and Yucatan, while the Mexico City Consul
ruled over the remainder of the Republic. Now Mr. Jerome is
the Superintending Consul of the British nation for the whole
of Mexico, with a Vice-Consul both in the City and at Vera
cruz. Mr. Lucien J. Jerome has had a wide experience as British
representative abroad. In Cuba, during the American-
Spanish war, he rendered such valuable services to his own
and other Nations, whose trusted exponent he became at a
period of great international tension and uncertainty, that
not only were his services officially recorded and acknow
ledged in the form of a special letter from the British Govern
ment, written by the late Marquis of Salisbury, but the United
States Government sent him, through its Minister, a most
cordial and appreciative recognition of his diplomatic services,
which effected so much to consolidate the good feeling between
Great Britain and America.
The necessity for selecting only experienced and thoroughly
capable men for the Consular Service is apparent when the
serious and important duties performed by its representatives
are considered. Especially is this the case at large ports such

CONSULAR DUTIES AND POWERS 139
as those of Veracruz and Tampico in Mexico or Buenos Aires,
Santos and Pernambuco in South America. The shipping at
Tampico has increased enormously of late months, and will
continue to increase even more rapidly as the new lines of
railway are constructed, bringing the port into communication
with Mexico City within 8-10 hours. As many as 15
British vessels (14 steamers and 1 yacht) have been lying
in Tampico Port in one day, while the daily average through
out the year is from 8-9 vessels. The Consul's — or Vice-
Consul's — duties are to attend to every one of these British
bottoms, and in many cases he has to act as judge or arbi
trator in the numerous disputes arising between the captains
and their crews, or between the captains and the Port autho
rities. Upon one occasion a British trading vessel arrived at
Tampico with her captain dead-drunk, and in delirium. The
Vice-Consul found it necessary to remove him to the hospital,
where he was confined in a padded room ; but while away
attending to this unpleasant duty word was brought to
him that, profiting by the captain's absence and no doubt
influenced by his example, both the First Mate and the
Second Mate had become violently intoxicated, had been
arrested in the streets by the police and conveyed by them to
prison. The Consul has sometimes to call a naval court to try
rebellious or drunken naval officers, and he has the power to
cancel the culprit's certificate and even order him to be im
prisoned if necessary. These and other powers are the
Consul's or Vice-Consul's ; hence the importance of securing
for the service men who are gifted with cool heads, calm
judgments, and unflinching firmness of purpose, such as, I
am proud to say, distinguish the greater part of the British
Consular body all over the world. The exceptions are very
few, and those few have, as a rule, little rope given to them,
being removed as soon as the attention of the Foreign Office
has been drawn to them and their failings by members of the
British community under their jurisdiction. But I know of
only a few such drastic methods being found necessary within
recent times.

140 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
While dealing with this matter in " Through Five Republics
of South America " (see page 464) I wrote as follows : — "All
this suggests that the Consular Service should be organised
in a more intelligent and useful manner, and one of the most
important innovations should be the employment of travelling
Inspectors of Consuls, that is to say officials appointed by the
Government, whose duty it should be to visit all our Consular
stations at some time or other during the year (unexpectedly
for preference), and who should personally inquire among the
commercial community how far the particular local Consul
carries out his duties to their satisfaction, and to the credit of
his Government at home."
It will be regretted that the British Government has to a
limited extent only taken this counsel into consideration,
inasmuch as by paragraph 4 of the new system, previously
quoted, the current commercial business of the diplomatic
corps (and that also conducted at Downing Street) is to be
carried on under the superintendence of a specially-selected
member of the Diplomatic Staff. This, however, does not go
far enough ; and until some travelling-inspector system is
introduced and our Consuls abroad are kept up to the mark,
by means of a sort of Damocletian Sword held over their
heads by the ever-present possibility of a Government in
spector bearing down upon them, a completely satisfactory
system is hardly to be expected, and the shirkers, of whom
there are some, and the incompetents, of whom there are
more, will still flourish undetected.
It is a remarkable fact that, with all its defects, the British
Consular Service should so long have been deemed abroad
" the best in the world." So it was once pronounced on the
floor of the House at Washington. These American critics,
not usually prone to admit the superiority of anything
British, were, however, entirely mistaken in their estimate
of the value of our Consular Service, which, in spite of the
strict service regulations observed and the many able men
who adopt the Consular Service as a life career, was and still
is sadly lacking in many important essentials.
The U.S. Government has not been remiss in setting its own
house in order, and in removing the stigma which long was

AMERICAN CONSULAR REFORM 141
cast upon it regarding the inadequacy and insufficiency of its
Consular Service, a service which had not undeservedly been
denounced as " the refuge for the old and incapable political
hangers-on." Speaking on this subject not long ago, Mr.
Secretary Root observed, " We now have a very indifferent
Consular Service. In it we have some very excellent men,
some indifferent men, and some poor men. It is just like a
country law-office would be if a big city practice were dumped
into it. The time has come when we must reorganise it, for
American money is being invested abroad, and there is grow
ing up a great demand for good American Consuls to push
American trade. This American commerce is now pushing
through every crack and cranny throughout the world. There
have been sporadic and unsystematic increases in the salaries
of some Consuls, but mainly because the Consul affected has
had some good friend in Congress."
This was plain, honest, straightforward speaking, thoroughly
characteristic of Mr. Secretary Root, and being addressed to
America's shrewd statesmen, who knew that he was speaking
truthfully, it was but natural that the result should have been
all that he anticipated ; and this has found expression in the
most practical form. For with the dawn of January 1st of this
year, there began an entirely new order of things in connec
tion with American consulates. With it was swept away the
old, bad and vicious system which has grown up from genera
tion to generation, and the clean broom of reform swept
mercilessly from every corner the refuse which had there
accumulated. I unhesitatingly pronounce the American con
sular reform, as it is to-day, to be an excellent one, destined
to bring forth great results to the country which has had the
pluck and enterprise to introduce it. It was not a light
undertaking upon which to enter, either from a political or a
financial point of view, and it is little wonder that the scheme
met at first with bitter antagonism in certain quarters.
The regulations which govern examinations for persons
desiring to enter the U.S. consular service contain many
notable features. The subjects upon which written exam
inations are held include one modern language besides
English, preferably French, Spanish or German ; the natural,

142

MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY

individual and commercial resources of the U.S. ; political
economy; the elements of international, commercial and
maritime law ; commercial arithmetic ; modern history of
Europe, of Latin- America and the Far East. To composition,
to grammar, punctuation, orthography and caligraphy the
closest attention in the examinations is also given. No appli
cant is considered under 21 years old nor over 50, and the
Board of Examiners reserves the right to have the applicant
submit to medical examination in case there is any doubt as
to his physical qualification. The names of candidates who
pass examinations successfully remain on the list for two
years, and if they be not selected within that time they are
dropped. Although the U.S.A. Government has raised the consular
remunerations in proportion to the improved qualifications of
candidates, they are far from being excessive, but compare
extremely well with the majority of British consular salaries.
There are but two American consulates (London and Paris)
worth more than $15,000 (£3,000) a year to the incumbents ;
10 consulates pay more than $6,000 (£1,200), and 23 more
than $5,000 (£1,000). There are several consuls who find
it hard, residing as they do in expensive places, to make both
ends meet. Singapore, for instance, is one of the badly-paid
posts, and yet it is one of the greatest importance. In ports
where the consul has to consort with wealthy merchants
$250 (£50) a month is considered poor pay. The following
list of U.S.A. consulates, together with their salaries, may be
found of interest : —

Post.

Salary.

English
Equivalent

$

£

London

17,157

(3,431)

Paris 

16,143

(3,228)

Berlin

8,950

(1,790)

Havana

8,142

(1,628)

Hongkong . . .

7,428

(1,485)

Hamburg

7,049

(1,409)

Mexico

6,630

(1,326)

Shanghai

6,595

(1,319)

San Domingo

6,496

(1,299)

Ottawa

6,284

(1,256)

Cairo 

6,214

(1,242)

Constantinople

6,019

(1,203)

Post.

Salary.

Montreal

5,851

Capetown

5,810

Calcutta

5,729

Vienna

5,709

Bremen

5,555

Dawson City

5,457

Rio de Janeirc

5,312

Yokohama . .

5,203

Barcelona

5,050

Mouravia |
(Liberia) j '

5,048

Frankfort

5,928

English
Equivalent. £
(1,170)(1,162) (1,145)(1,142)
(1,111)(1,091)(1,062)(1,040)(1,010)(1,009) (1,185)

Photo by C. B. Haiti.

Mexico City — The Bull ring. Planiing the kanderilias by the banherilleros. — see p. 245.

BRITISH CONSULAR SALARIES

143

For the sake of comparison the following list of British
Consulates, with their attendant emoluments, is given : —

Post.

Rank.

Salary. £
1,000

American
Equivalent $
(5,000)

Budapest

Consul-general

,,

Consul

Unpaid

Trieste 

,,

600

(3,000)

Fiume

,,

300

(1,500)

„

Vice-consul

Unpaid

Antwerp ...

Consul-general

1,300

(6,500)

Rio de Janeiro ...

5,

1,100

(5,500)

,, ...

Vice-consul

450

(2,250)

Bahia

»>

600

(1,200)

Para

,)

600

(1,200)

Pernambuco

,,

600

(1,200)

Santos

,,

600

(1,200)

Rio Grande do Sul

,,

400

(2,000)

Valparaiso

Consul-general

900

(4,500)

,,

Vice-consul

400

(2,000)

Canton ...

Consul-general

1,200

(6,000)

,, ... ...

Vice-consul

600

(3,000)

Mukden 

Consul-general

900

(4,500)

Paris

Consul

800

(4,000)

,, ... ...

Vice-consul

400

(2,000)

Dantzig ...

Consul

600

(3,000)

Hamburg

Consul-general

1,350

(6,750)

,, ...

Vice-consul

400

(2,000)

Athens ...

„

250

(1,250)

Guatemala City...

Consul

600

(3,000)

Kobe 

v

1,000

(5,000)

Mouravial (Liberia) J

Vice-consul

600

(3,000)

Consul

800

(4,000)

Christiania

„

600

(3,000)

Panama ...

,,

800

(4,000)

,,

Vice-consul

400

(2,000)

Callao 

Consul-general

850

(4,250)

,, ... ...

Vice-consul

400

(2,000)

Bucharest

Consul

700

(3,500)

Mexico City

,,

800

(4,000)

,, ...

Vice-consul

150*

(750)

Mr. Alfred L. M. Gottschalk, the American Consul-General
at Mexico, and who was appomted only last year, is a good
specimen of the active and enterprising New York business
man. He is about 37 years of age, having been born in 1870.
He entered the Consular Service in 1902, his first post having
been at San Juan del Norte, where he remained until the
middle of 1903. He then went to Callao, in Peru, his rank
* This salary is paid out of the Consul's salary of £800.

144 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
there being Consul-General. Mr. Gottschalk has seen a good
deal of South America and its trade, and this experience,
combined with his great natural shrewdness and acumen,
renders him very fit to fulfil the important position which he
now occupies. Apart from this, however, Mr. Gottschalk has
acted as one of the New York Herald's Special Correspondents
in various parts of the world, thus gaining a unique amount
of foreign experience. He is very much esteemed in Mexico
City, and out of it.
The German Consul, Dr. F. C. Rieloff, is the first to be
appointed under the remunerative system, and his appoint
ment is due to the new aggressive German Colonial policy
initiated by the Minister of the Colonies, Herr Dernburg.
Dr. Rieloff has secured about the finest consular offices in
Mexico City, at 18 Zuleta, but his official residence is at
3d. Denmark, No. 420.
The American Consular Body in Mexico is altogether an
able one. Besides the Consul-General, Mr. Alfred M. L.
Gottschalk, the U.S. possess in Mr. George H. Murphy a
very active and zealous official, enjoying the title of Consul-
at-Large. He is one of the five American consuls who are
members of a department of the consular service brought into
being with the beginning of this year. These consuls per
form the duties of mspectors of consulates, and they report
direct to the Department of State. They cover the whole
world, each being assigned a special territory for the perform
ance of his duty. The special field assigned to Mr. Murphy
is North America, which, of course, includes Mexico.
Consul-General Hanna, who is located at Monterey, in the
State of Nueva Leon, is yet another keen, shrewd and enter
prising representative of the U.S.A. General Hanna has
several vice-consuls under him, and his field is an exceptionally
wide one.

CHAPTER XVI
National finance — Budget estimates — Completeness of Government
figures — Monetary reform — History of Foreign Debt — National Debt
appropriations — Reproductive expenditure — Character of bonds —
Relations with foreign banking-houses — Amortisation provision —
Gradual cancellation of public securities — Table showing Mexican
Government and State Government loans, interest paid, dates of
payment and redemption.
It has been a fruitful source of complaint among foreign
investors in Spanish-American countries that the annual
Budget-accounts are invariably from two to three, and some
times four, years in arrear. These critics do not always take
into consideration the fact that the countries referred to are, for
the most part, but poorly supplied with the means of internal
communication, apart from the fact that Spanish-Americans
are not in the habit of hurrying themselves even on their
account, and are less inclined to do so in relation to their
foreign creditors.
This reproach, however, cannot be applied to Mexico. The
accounts, for instance, to June 30th, 1905, and the Budget for
the year to 1906-1907, were both presented to Congress in
December of 1905, and the Budget for 1907-1908 is very
up-to-date. There was no undue delay in completing the
accounts for the whole of the Republic, bearing in mind the
physical characteristics and in some districts still meagre
means of communication.
The accounts in question show how exceedingly stable is
the financial condition of Mexico. The recent currency
reform is mainly responsible for this encouraging state of
affairs. The able handling of the country's finances by Sefior
J. Y. Limantour is also a very great factor. Many hot
debates in financial circles took place when this monetary
vol. i. 145 10

146 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
reform was first mooted, but Sefior Limantour, the astute
Finance Minister, adhered strictly to his original ideas, and
has lived to see them carried out to the most successful issue.
The minor inconveniences which the change of monetary
system occasioned proved to be very small compared with the
immense benefits which they brought in their train. The
fortunate rise in the value of silver also had its effect, and
abridged the difference between the market value of the white
metal currency and the international value fixed by the
monetary law. The fear that the new system might result in
a complete or partial paralysation of the national industries,
proved entirely unfounded. Import duties now constitute
nearly 45 per cent, of the Mexican revenue, the proportion
having risen materially since the revision devised to shelter
native producers from the intensified competition of foreign
goods which entered the Republic more freely with a stable
exchange. A further object achieved by the new tariff has been to foster
the importation of articles which were formerly excluded by the
excessive duties. It is abundantly clear that the increased
arrivals of such goods balance to a very great extent the
diminution in imports on which duties have been enlarged
with protective objects. The total volume of inward trade has
remained practically unaffected. A decrease in the estimated
produce of the modified taxes levied on mining properties has
been less in proportion than the reduction in the rate, because
the Finance Minister calculated — and calculated correctly —
that an area larger by 15 per cent, would contribute. And
this has been the case.
I have previously referred to the beneficial effect which the
currency reform introduced by the Mexican Government
towards the end of 1904, and which became law in May 1905,
has had upon the commercial prosperity of the country ; but
I fear that there are a great many who do not quite appreciate
or understand what this reform really amounted to. The Bill
for the Reform of the Currency Laws provided that the dollar
(piso) will in future contain 24*4388 grammes of fine silver
and 2'6342 grammes of copper, equivalent to 75 centigrammes
of fine gold. With the ratio thus legally established, and the
silver coinage protected against the fluctuations of silver bullion,

CURRENCY REFORM 147
Mexico has a currency system which is the best that is prac
ticable under present circumstances. It was impossible for
her to adopt the gold standard in its fullness, as it exists in
this country, for instance. Nevertheless, Mexico is, for all
practical purposes, on a gold-basis, because there is now a
fixed ratio guaranteed by law between her silver currency and
gold. The coinage and issue of money are reserved to the
Government, and the new law authorises the Government to
prevent or impose a tax on the importation of Mexican dollars.
Under the old system, whenever silver rose above the legal
parity, i.e. when the silver in the silver peso came to be worth
more than 75 centigrammes of pure gold, a stream of Mexican
pesos left the country. By means of the new arrangement
gold is coined, and enters more and more freely into circula
tion. The result of this currency reform has been to benefit
enormously all foreign-conducted enterprises, such as the rail
ways, whose troubles had previously been due entirely to the
currency and exchange difficulties and depreciation. If these
have not been entirely removed by the reforms, which give
something like a fixed gold standard to the Mexican dollar,
they have been at least materially relieved. Already the
profits of the leading railways of Mexico have been largely
augmented, and commercial development throughout the
country has resulted from the new currency reform.
The change which has come over the financial condition of
Mexico during the past decade is, indeed, remarkable ; but I
venture to assert that it is not a transient but a permanent
change. Not only is foreign capital abundant, but native
capital can be raised to-day with very little difficulty for
innumerable varieties of investment ; whereas less than a
quarter of a century ago not a single Mexican would have
ventured his money in any foreign-controlled or foreign-
associated enterprise.
The history of Mexico's Foreign Debt commenced as far
back as 1825, shortly after the country had wrenched itself
free from the Spanish yoke, and was fairly launched upon the
troublous sea of independence. Two loans, both of which
were raised in London, and bearing interest at 5 per cent.,
were the first successful feats in borrowing. Unfortunately,
the promptness with which the loans were raised was not
10—2

148 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
reflected in the method of paying the interest when due, and
shortly before the date when the first instalments were pay
able, notice of default was given. The public finances
remained in an unsatisfactory condition for several years, and
in 1851, after the war with the U.S.A., the two loans referred
to were converted into a new issue, interest at the same time
being reduced from 5 to 3 per cent. Once again, however, the
country was unable to meet its obligations, and it was not
until some thirty odd years afterwards, namely in 1883,
that a further attempt was made at adjustment of the Foreign
Debt. Conversion took place in 1885 in silver, and in 1888,
under the rigime of the present President of the Republic and
the Minister of Finance, Sefior Dublan, the Government of
Mexico entered into a fresh arrangement, the gold bonds, bear
ing interest at 6 per cent., being issued, and since that date
religiously receiving the full amount of interest, until their
conversion in 1899.
Under the short-lived and disastrous Government of the
Emperor Maximilian were issued what were known as the
" Petit Bleu " bonds (printed upon blue paper) of a face value
of 500 francs each. These were never recognised by the Re
publican Government, and consequently they were never met.
As already stated, in June 1899 the foreign gold debt was
converted. With the assistance of the great banking-house of
J. S. Morgan (London), J. P. Morgan (New York), the Dresden
Bank, the Deutsche Bank, and S. Bleichroder (Berlin), the
whole Foreign Debt of the Republic of Mexico was converted
— namely, the 6 per cent, loans of 1888, 1890 and 1893, and
the 6 per cent, loan for the Tehuantepec Railway — into a
Consolidated 5 per cent. External Gold Loan, repayable within
a period of 45 years at par, by means of semi-annual drawings,
which may be increased after 1909 (the first having taken
place in June 1900), or by purchase in the open market, if
they fall below par. The principal and interest upon this
Loan are payable simultaneously in London, Berlin, New
York and Amsterdam.
The National Debt of Mexico to-day may be roughly placed
at some $375,000,000 (say £37,500,000), of which $144,000,000
(£14,400,000) represents moneys which have been advanced to
Railway enterprises or expended upon actual construction ;

THE PUBLIC DEBT 149
$26,000,000 (£2,600,000), the cost of the Veracruz Port
Works ; $21,000,000 (£2,100,000), the cost of Salina Cruz and
Coatzacoalcos Port and Harbour Works ; $4,000,000 (£400,000)
upon Manzanillo Port Works ; $3,000,000 (£300,000) at Tam
pico ; and about $10,000,000 (£1,000,000) upon various water
and drainage works. The vast works in connection with the
Valley of Mexico drainage cost $16,000,000 (£1,600,000) ; the
sewerage and waterworks in the same district another
$6,000,000 (£600,000) ; public buildings and improvements in
the Federal District, $8,000,000 (£800,000) ; or, say, approxi
mately $240,000,000 (£24,000,000) out of the whole amount
of $375,000,000 (£37,500,000) has been expended upon neces
sary or reproductive work. No frittering away of the public
money upon useless " avenidas," as has been done by the
Brazilian Federal Government at Rio de Janeiro, or upon
magnificent but useless residences for the Ministers and their
junior officials, as has been done by the Buenos Aires State
Government at La Plata, Argentina. A goodly part of the
National Debt still remains in cash on hand, while a part has
also been expended from time to time upon the acquisition of
shares in the National, Interoceanic and Central Railways.
The first surplus in Mexico's financial history occurred in the
fiscal year of 1895-1896, when it was proudly announced that
the revenue of the Federal Government had exceeded the
expenditure by $5,451,347 (about £545,134). Year by year
the budgetary statement has improved, and this in spite of the
dismal forebodings which were freely indulged in when the
farseeing Finance Minister, on May 12th, 1896, abolished by
public decree the alcabales to take effect in the month of July
1897, followed a few years afterwards by the abolition of the
Free Zone institution, thus eliminating the last vestige of the
vicious system of economic inequalities.
The public debt is represented by bonds of different rates
of interest and payable either in gold or in silver, according
to designation. The portion payable in foreign gold is repre
sented by the value which it would attain were the foreign
rate of exchange at par, the supposed value of $5.00 per pound
sterling being the most approximate basis for calculation.
The floating debt, which is a non-interest-bearing debt as op
posed to the Mexican debt (silver) and the Foreign Debt

150 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
(gold), which are interest-bearing, is made up of credits which
the parties interested have failed to collect or have converted
into other bonds according to the different Laws which govern
the public debt. It is said that the Treasury Department has
not to-day a single short-time bond among its floating debt,
either interest-bearing or not, issued since July 1st, 1894, in
payment of any claim. In regard to the uncollected or un
claimed amounts of interest either on the gold or silver debts,
the respective amounts are deposited in the banking-houses
in charge of such debts, those of the silver debt being placed
in the National Bank and those of the gold bonds of 1888,
1890 and 1893 being deposited with the house of S. Bleich-
roder, of Berlin.
It may be pointed out that the whole of the securities of
the Public Debt of Mexico have special provision made for
their amortisation. The whole of the Foreign Debt above
referred to, as well as the Interior 5 per cent. Redeemable
Debt, are now being paid off gradually by means of the fixed
annual sum comprising both interest and sinking fund. The
amount of the 3 per cent. Interior Cons. Debt is being reduced
year by year, owing to the fact that vacant lands purchased
from the Government are paid for in the bonds of the said
Debt, and in addition during the financial year 1904-1905 the
sum of $126,350 in 3 per cent, bonds was amortised, such
bonds being placed on deposit for the purposes of exchange
for claims previous to June 1896, but which lapsed on
June 30th, 1905, the creditors having failed to make applica
tion for the same within the statutory limits of time. Apart
from the amounts thus redeemed, amortisations of the Debt
occasionally ensue by reason of special occurrences, such as,
for instance, took place in 1904-1905, when the last loan was
raised by the Mexican Government for $40,000,000 gold, and
when a portion of the proceeds was devoted to the conversion
and redemption of certain classes of securities, such as
Treasury Bills, etc. This class of amortisation is exceptional,
however. During the past financial year, apart from the
refundment of Treasury bonds issued in 1903 and 1904, a
clearing-off has taken place of Veracruz and Pacific Railway
subvention bonds, Mexican Southern Railway subvention
bonds and special certificates of the Tehuantepec National
Railway and Port Works.

A

Photo by C. a. ll'ailc.
Mexico City — The Bull ring. Fuentes, the famous
Matador or Espadk. — see p. 245.

GOVERNMENT ISSUES 151
To arrive at the true amount of amortisation effected, it is
necessary to deduct from the gross amount of $55,654,499,
representing all classes of securities cancelled, the amounts re
paid out of the $40,000,000 4 per cent, loan of 1904-5, thus :
$
Total amortisation of Public Debt  55,654,499
Less value of securities paid off from proceeds of
1904-5 Loan  52,091,651

Leaving a balance representing normal amortisation
for the year 1904-1905  $3,562,848
The following list which I have prepared shows the precise
number of Mexican Government and State Government
Issues up to date, together with the amounts, the interest
payable and the dates fixed for redemption : —

Name of Loan.

Interest.
Per Cent.

Payable.

Total Issue
(Dollars).

Redeemable.

Mexican Gov. Ex.
Gold

5

Quarterly

110,000,000

July 1st, 1945

Mexican Gov. Gold
Krinn o

4

Half-yearly

40,000,000

Annual Drawings

_1_>U11 '_.!.£>
Mexican Gov. Red.

5

„

100,000,000

Half-yearly Draw

Intern. Silver

ings

Mexican Gov. Cons.

3

, >

45,000,000

No provision for

Intern. Silver

Redemption
Veracruz and Pac.
41
,,
7,000,000
*Optional price to
Ry.
1924
State of Jalisco
6
, ,
1,500,000
One-tenth annually
Gold
from 1918
State of Jalisco
6
>>
840,000
December 31st, 1933
Silver
State of Veracruz
5
Quarterly
4,551,000
*April 21st, 1927
Silver
State of Coahuila
Gold
City of Saltillo
6
Half-yearly
752,000
April 1st, 1940
6
, »
235,000
December 1st, 1929
Gold
State of Morelos
6
,5
182,000
One-tenth yearly
Silver
from 1907
State of Chihuahua
5
,J
600,000
July 1st, 1925
Silver
State of San Luis
6
,,
2,500,000t
January 1st, 1934
Potosi Silver
State of Tamauli
5
Quarterly
2,500,000
*July 1st, 1924
pas Silver
City of Cordoba
6
Half-yearly
829,300
December 31st, 1922
Silver
* Guaranteed as to Principal and Interest by the Mexican Government.
f Total Issue, £250,000, interest payable in London. Listed on the London
Stock Exchange.
CHAPTER XVII
Banking — Monopolies discouraged — Government supervision — Growth of
banking — State banks and charters — Agricultural banks — Oppor
tunities available — Increases of capital — Bank of Jalisco — Descuento
Espanol — Chinese Bank — French capital in Mexico — American Bank
— Banco Internacional 6 Hypotecario — Banco Agricola e' Hipotecario
— Clearing-house — Continental shareholders — Combined statement of
chartered banks to February 1907.
I have on previous occasions referred to the fact that the
Mexican Government is sternly opposed to monopolies of any
kind or in any guise. They have been tried over and over
again, both with and without Government aid ; but always with
the selfsame result — failure. The nearest approach to any
monopoly in Mexico is the Mexican Light and Power Co., a
huge Canadian enterprise of which the management is at
times deemed somewhat autocratic ; but the services rendered
to the public being unmistakeably good, little is thought about
any lack of competition.
An instance of the Government's good intentions in breaking
down and keeping down any growth of monopolies is found
in the banking laws. Here we have measures expressly
designed to afford the whole country absolutely free banking
outside of the Federal District, in which the most important
chartered banks of the Republic are located. The same
policy which directs the pitting of one railway against another
is favoured in establishing one bank against another, rivalry
and honest competition being freely encouraged ; and thus the
growth of industries is fostered. New banks are continually
being established, but it is certain that no others will receive
Government charters, the Finance Minister, M. Limantour,
having arrived at the conclusion that there are now sufficient of
these — thirty-four in number — for all practical purposes, as,
indeed, is the case. 152

BANKING LAWS 153
The Banking Laws deal with three kinds of banks — the
Banks of Issue, the Banks of Mortgages and the Banks of
Agriculture. The underlying principles of the laws are two
fold, Government supervision and banking freedom both in
regard to organisation and management. While at first
glance the two conditions may appear to be incompatible, in
truth they are perfectly harmonious. Banks of issue and
discount have been established in all the States and Territories
of the Republic, with the exception of the Federal District,
where the concessions of existing banks have been and will be
respected. The banks of issue and discount are the only
ones authorised to issue bills payable at sight or to bearer.
The rules and regulations covering these issues are as
follows : —
(a) The issue of notes must never be in excess of three
times the capital stock actually paid up, nor may it — plus the
sum total of deposits payable on demand or at more than
three days' call — be more than twice the holdings of the bank
in specie and in gold and silver bullion.
(b) Loan and discount transactions must not be entered
upon for a longer period than six months, nor with fewer
than two responsible signatures, unless a collateral security be
provided. (c) No transaction secured by mortgage can be entered upon.
These simple but complete provisions eliminate to a great
extent the dangers which usually attend operations on the
part of banks of issue, while affording these institutions every
opportunity to carry out the usual demands of commerce and
industry. With more particular reference to the principle
preventing the banks from tying-up their capital for lengthy
periods, it may be observed that whenever banks of issue have
become insolvent, whether in countries where the system of
banking monopoly prevails or where the institutions may be
founded without restriction as to number or capital, such
catastrophes have almost invariably been occasioned by the
fact that Governments or individuals have owed them money
for long periods, either by virtue of the original terms of the
loan or because the borrowers were unable to pay within the
stipulated time. As in the case of some of the South and
Central A*merican State Governments — and in one particular

154 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
case at least, within my knowledge, of a Federal Government
— when they are unable to repay the amount of their
borrowings, the Governments do not hesitate to release the
lending banks from their obligations to redeem their note
issues on demand, which therefore become legal tender. The
Mexican Banking Laws have sought to avoid these pitfalls
and subterfuges, and insist upon the carrying-on of honest
finance. They have laid down sensible and strict regulations
based upon scientific principles to regulate the circulation,
and have taken every precaution incumbent upon them to see
that the redemption of notes proceeds unhindered. In order
to prevent the undue multiplication of banks of issue, the laws
grant exemption from taxation only to those institutions
which were first established in each of the States and the
Federal Territories.
A little more than a dozen years ago the number of
banking institutions did not exceed three, the oldest of which
had been established in 1864. Even this was practically but
a branch of a British banking firm having correspondents in
the various Latin-American countries. For nearly twenty
years this bank had the field to itself, but in 1882 the
National Bank (Banco Nacional de Mexico) was founded.
Then, up to the end of 1889, the number of banks was
limited to six. In 1893 there were three Banks in Mexico
City and eight otherB in various portions of the Republic, dis
tributed among the twenty-seven States and three Territories
— clearly insufficient. The Mexicans, however, were a long
time being educated to the use of a bank, and even the
wealthiest among them preferred to hoard their savings and
capital in strong-rooms of their own to entrusting them
to strange keeping. It was equally difficult to popularise
cheques. Vales, or bills, were in circulation among merchants
and their customers, but silver was the principal medium
employed, for this the people had understood all their lives, and
loved the handling of the heavy, clumsy, but easily countable
pesos. Banks now exist in every single State of the Republic,
and in many of them several competitive institutions are to
be found.
There is no doubt that this condition of things has come
about mainly on account of the enterprise of Americans, in

AGRICULTURAL BANKS 155
whose hands many of the most successful banks are to-day.
It is they who have introduced modern methods of accounting,
and adopted an entirely new system of commercial trading.
There are at present five Chartered Banks in the City of
Mexico, two of which are banks of issue, and over sixty State
banks for the rest of the Republic, including branches of the
principal City institutions, such as the Banco Nacional and
the Banco de Londres y Mexico. Of the twenty-seven States,
twenty-three have banks located within their boundaries, and
these have branches in several adjoining States. Whereas prob
ably $500,000 represented the amount of the deposits a decade
ago, to-day the combined deposits of the banks, native and
foreign, exceed $55,000,000 (Mex.), of which some $25,000,000,
or more, may be said to be American. The only British bank
is the International and Mortgage Bank of Mexico (Banco
Internacional y Hipotecario), although at one time the Bank
of London and Mexico (Banco de Londres y Mexico) was
under British control, but has since passed into the hands
of some very capable French owners. The total circulation
of all the banks may be put at $180,000,000 (Mex.), which
is largely issued on the basis of capitalisation of about
$186,000,000. It would take a bold prophet to foretell, or
even to hint at, the figures during the next ten years, more
especially when the expansion of the Republic's internal as
well as its foreign commerce is taken into consideration.
Of the advantages accruing to most countries from a
sufficiency of well-conducted Agricultural banks, it is almost
superfluous to write. In our own country, I believe that one
of the greatest — if not the principal — of the causes for the
continued depression in agriculture is the extreme difficulty
which our farmers find in financing their holdings. The
same was found in Egypt, before an intelligent and enter
prising Government consented to assist the agricultural classes
in the only practical manner possible, namely by establish
ing, or at least encouraging, agricultural banks. Other
nations have found such institutions not only a great factor
in the prosperity of their peoples, but indispensable to it.
In Mexico, as in most other places, the prevalent banking
system, while it serves to secure credit to the average trader,
is insufficient to supply the wants of agriculture for several

156 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
reasons — among others, because loans are generally needed
for a considerable length of time, on occasions extending over
some years, depending greatly upon the nature of the crops —
cotton, sugar, tobacco, coffee, etc., etc., and thus incurring
exceptional risks ; because the planter as a rule has no
security to offer, such as bankers demand or care to recognise ;
and because the borrower's capital and resources are all sunk
in the property itself. Agricultural banks are only legitimate
so long as they do not press the borrower too much, or act as
usurers and oppressors. While no bank could well stand
the strain of lending money for several years upon a risky
business, such as agriculture undoubtedly is, judicious selec
tion and moderate advances are seldom found to be mis
placed or unproductive. Worked upon the Raffeisen System,
agricultural banks have proved eminently successful on the
Continent of Europe ; why therefore should a somewhat
similar attempt conducted with a due regard to the purely
local conditions not prove successful here or elsewhere?
Agricultural banks are not necessarily competitors with other
banks, but, on the contrary, often bring them additional
business by breaking new ground which the ordinary banker
would otherwise not reach. Moreover, at the present time
the ordinary banking houses are doing as much business
as they can possibly cope with, and have neither the desire
nor the necessity to go outside the ordinary channels. Agricul
tural banks as carried on in Europe are little else than
co-operative societies, and strictly limited in number of
members, all of whom are intimately acquainted with each
other, and are thus enabled to do a very much safer kind of
business, lending money where the ordinary bank would never
venture to do so. In Mexico the same conditions could not
be expected to exist, since the majority of the borrowers
would be poor, but none the less honest and industrious,
people, whose " co-operation " could only be confined to a
faithful observance of the conditions under which the advances
are made, and a recognition of the fact that in agriculture
one cannot expect to obtain credit as easily as in trades where
no such element of uncertainty exists.
Some alterations to capital or to name take place from time
to time in regard to some of the State Banks. Thus, the

BANK SHARES' PREMIUMS 157
Banco de Saltillo has lately changed its name to the " Com-
pania Bancaria de Saltillo, S.A.," while the Banco Mercantil
de Yucatan, towards the end of last year, raised its capital from
$6,000,000 to $8,000,000. Previously to this, for the year
1905, of the 32 banks established in the Republic, 9
increased their capital during the 12 months, and in every
case the new emission of shares was made at a price well
above par. I give below in parallel columns the number
of new shares issued, the price at which they were sold, and
the amounts realised :

National

.. $6,000,000.00

$340.00

#20,400,000.00

London and Mexico

6,500,000.00

195.00

12,675,000.00

Central

.. 11,000,000.00

120.00

13,200,000.00

State of Mexico

1,500,000.00

115.00

1,725,000.00

Guanajuato ...

.. 2,000,000.00

110.00

2,200,000.00

Hidalgo

500,000.00

115.00

575,000.00

Jalisco...

3,000,000.00

115.00

3,450,000.00

Mercantile of Yucat

in 2,000,000.00

150.00

3,000,000.00

Sonora

500,000.00

134.10

670,950.00

Totals ...

.. $33,000,000.00

$57,895,950.00

The last few months of 1906 were disturbed by adverse
rumours regarding the condition of the Banco de Jalisco,
concerning which grave rumours were in circulation. Follow
ing upon the announcement, made in July 1905, that the
Bank intended to increase its capital stock from $3,000,000
to $6,000,000, at which time the shares were quoted at $162,
continual dissatisfaction had prevailed, which culminated
towards the end of last year in the rumours to which I have
referred. The stock fell to $108, principally owing to the
bank not paying any dividend for the last six months of the
year. That there had been some foundation for the adverse
rumours was proved by the fact that the bank had lost
$350,000 upon its year's trading. The chief Bank Inspector
of the Treasury Department reported that the doubtful
accounts reached $800,000. It is satisfactory to be able
to say, however, that since then the Bank's position has
become much sounder, and to-day it is doing a much safer
business. The Banco Mercantil de Cananea, S.A., has increased its
capital to $120,000, and at the same time has altered its name

158 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
to the "Mercantil Banking Co. of Cananea, S.A." The
Descuento Espafiol has greatly enlarged its scope of late, its
main object being to loan money on merchandise at short
terms. Its capital of $9,000,000 earns 10 per cent., and it
recently made a new issue of shares at a premium of 25 per
cent., all the surplus being devoted to a reserve and provision
fund. Besides the Banco Aleman, the Germans have estab
lished a second institution known as the Banco Germanico
de la America del Sud, and it promises to do well. The
Mercantile Bank, an American institution, does an immense
exchange business ; in one week, for instance, the bank sold
over $300,000 worth of exchange on New York alone. The
American Bank, which carries on business without a Govern
ment charter, is another successful institution, which may be
gauged from the fact that while in 1903 the total operations
were little over $3,325,172, leaving nett profits of $80,859,
in 1905 the balance amounted to $5,539,596, leaving nett
profits of $322,875.
The American Bank, early in the present year, acquired
the control and estates of the Compania Bancaria de Obras y
Bienes Raiees, at the same time raising its capital to
$10,600,000. French capital in Mexico is attracting much attention,
there being already two chartered banks controlled by Paris.
French money is largely represented both in the Nacional and
the Londres y Mexico, in the proportion of from $16,000,000
to $18,000,000 in the first, out of a total capital of
$26,000,000; and fully $14,000,000 in the second, out of
$21,500,000. A large block of Banco Central shares are also
held in Paris. A new French bank with a capital of
$30,000,000 of exclusively French capital, and with a strictly
French organisation, is about to be (or has just been) estab
lished in Mexico City, one of its principal branches being to
facilitate loans on agricultural holdings, on a basis of 5 per
cent, interest.
That banking in Mexico has not been uniformly successful
is proved by the collapse of the Catholic Bank and the Inter
national Bank and Trust Co. of America, the failure of which
latter was connected with the collapse of a New York institution
as far back as 1903. The creditors of the latter concern have

SEXOR DOX FRAXCISCO GOS7.WEZ DE
COSIO, GOVERNOR OF i jl'ERET AK<>.

SEXOR DOX TEODORO A. DEHF.sA,
GOVERNOR OF VERACRUZ.

SENOR INGENIERO DON JOSE M. FM'INOSA
Y CUEVAS, GOVERNOR OF SAN LUIS I'OTOSI.

SENOR DON GL'ILIETCMO DE LANDA V
ESCANDON, GOVERNOR OF THE FEDERAL
DISTRICT OF MEXICO.

SENOR CORONEL DON MIGUEL AHUMADA, SENOR LIC Dn\ ESTABAN FERNANDEZ,
GOVERNOR OF JALISCO. GOVERNOR OF DURANGO.
Representative Governors ok Mexico.— I.

SOME NOTABLE BANKS 159
so far only received 25 per cent., but it is hoped that a further
distribution of a like amount may be made eventually.
The advent of the Bank of Montreal towards the middle of
last year created a great deal of interest, especially among
British circles, the idea being to replace the services of the
Banco de Londres y Mexico, which had formerly been under
British control. The huge capital and resources of the
Montreal institution render it of great importance in Mexican
foreign commercial circles. The Bank of Montreal in its
statement for the half year ended April 30th, shows net profits
of $982,858, and, after the payment of dividends, a balance of
$422,689 was carried forward. The general statement shows
deposits, bearing interest, of $97,627,703 compared with
$99,059,070 at the end of the last fiscal year, and deposits not
bearing interest at $33,253,427 compared with $30,842,380 at
the end of last year. The current loans stand at $104,522,334
against $101,814,453 at the end of last year. The call loans
in Great Britain and the United States stand at $27,025,937
compared with $29,784,242 at the end of last year.
The Chinese residents have a bank of their own, with
headquarters in Mexico City, and branches in New York and
Hongkong. The capital is $1,000,000 (£100,000), but the
business it does is not strictly banking, being more of a sale
and barter character. Apparently, however, it suffices for
the needs of the numerous Chinese residents. There was
also an attempt, I do not know whether made with success,
to establish a bank for the Grafi Liga Mexicana, who are the
Socialists of the Republic. It might be a good thing if it
were established, since the Mexican Government would then
have a certain amount of control over the funds of that
society, which has of late given it a great deal of anxiety, and
put it to great trouble and expense in looking after some of
its members.
Mr. H. L. Perkins has been instrumental in organising the
London Commercial Banking Co., S.A., to operate in Mexico
City with a capital of $1,000,000, the bank engaging in a
general business, as well as financing railway construction
and other projects. Mr. Perkins is President of the Railway
Consolidated Construction Co. of London, New York and
Kansas City, and is also President of the new Bank.

160 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
The Banco Internacional e" Hipotecario de Mexico, S.A.,
stands very high in well-reputed bank circles. It is one of
the thirty-four chartered banks of the Republic, and carries
on the usual banking business, allowing interest at the rate
of 3 per cent, upon daily balances exceeding $1,000, and
4 per cent, upon deposits over six months. The bonds stand
well with the European markets, being, as they are, guaranteed
by first mortgage on real estate worth double their face value.
This institution, with the Banco Agricola e Hipotecario
(Agricultural and Mortgage Bank) makes it part of its
business to loan out money upon landed securities. Un
doubtedly there is a call, as I have said, for some such institu
tion conducted upon similar lines. During the past two or
three years a large number of International Mortgage Bank
bonds, and the bonds of the Agricultural and Mortgage Bank,
have been sold in Europe for investment, since they offer a
perfectly safe return of 6 per cent. A very large amount of
these securities are held by the clergy of Mexico, a sufficient
indication of their stability. Additionally, according to
Mexican law, these bonds are deemed Trust Securities, and
are held on behalf of orphans and wards.
Early in January 1906, eleven of the leading banks and
six prominent private banking firms of Mexico City established
a Clearing House. The banks included in the association are
the Banco Nacional, Banco de Londres y Mexico, Banco
Central, Banco Agricola 4 Hipotecario, the Banco Interna
cional 6 Hipotecario de Mexico, the American Bank, the
German Transatlantic Bank, the Descuento Espanol, the
International Banking Corporation, the Mexico Banking Co.,
and Messrs. Hugo Scherer, Junior, and Co., as well as the
important financial houses of Lavie et Cie ; Sommer, Her
mann and Co., Ibafiez and Prieto ; Bermejillo and Co. ;
and H. Scherer and Co. The establishment of this clearing
house naturally tends to simplify the transaction of business,
and acts as a salutary check on the status of a great variety
of institutions of credit. The necessity of such an institution
was long felt, and its advent was greeted with satisfaction by
business and commercial people throughout the Republic.
An evidence of the great prosperity of banks in the Republic
of Mexico is found in the fact that last year the two principal

CHARTERED BANKS 161
institutions of Mexico City, namely the Banco Nacional and
the Banco de Londres y Mexico, remitted to Europe over
$4,000,000 in payment of dividends to their Continental
shareholders. The capital stock of the different banks
generally doing business in the City of Mexico increased
during the twelve months referred to from $111,350,000 to
$122,600,000, and, looking at the fact that out of the above-
mentioned capital the amount uncalled on June 30th, 1905, was
$6,146,162, as against $17,700,658 for the same period of the
previous year, the real increase of the banks' capital was
$12,804,496 for the whole of the fiscal year. As to the
reserves, these amounted to $27,463,752 as against $22,012,823,
or an increase of no less than $5,450,928, an amount which,
large as it is, will be exceeded in the future. Of recent times
there has been a large increase in the holdings of shares taken
by Paris firms from the Banco Central. This satisfactory
state of affairs is the outcome partially of the monetary reform,
introduced in the month of May 1905 and partially due to
the greatly-increased amount of business. This has been felt
more particularly in the larger cities, where principally exports
and manufactures are carried on, such, for instance, as
Monterey, Guadalajara, Saltillo, Chihuahua, etc., etc. The
bank business of the Republic is conducted upon a very safe
and conservative basis, the banks being controlled by a Govern
ment Inspector, one such official being appointed to each bank
having the privilege to issue notes.
Combined Statements of all Chartered Banks.
The combined statements of the thirty-four chartered banks
in the Republic at the close of business September 29th, 1906,
was as follows, including the six city banks :
Combined Assets.
Cash holdings :
In gold  $41,862,003.00
In silver  27,084,427.34
In notes  5,768,102.00

Total combined cash holdings ... $74,714,532.34
VOL. I. 11

162

MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY

Deposits 
Short-time loans ..
Bills discounted
Loans on collaterals
Loans on mortgages
Other loans
Investments
Debtor accounts
Bank premises
Uncalled capital

Total combined assets

Combined Liabilities.

Combined capital ...
Keserve and prev. funds
Notes in circulation
Bonds in circulation
Deposits on demand
Deposits on time ...
Creditor accounts ...

Total combined liabilities

$4,577,908.47 1,200,438.69
189,084,565.05101,228,214.03 22,445,729.31 2,661,590.31
23,421,704.50
236,123,560.11 6,240,985.51
7,700,000.00
$669,399,228.32

$158,100,000.00 53,903,668.21
94,861,543.00 17,790,600.00
40,153,691.67 28,776,952.97
275,812,772.47
$669,399,228.32

While these remarkable figures represent the amount of the
turnover handled by the thirty-four chartered banks in the
Republic for the month of September 1906, for the month of
February 1907 the total was $685,410,996.98.

CHAPTER XVIII
Banco Nacional — Directorate and management — Banco de Londres y
Mexico — Former proprietors — Changes and increases of capital —
United States Banking Co. — Career of President George I. Ham
— Mexican Bank of Commerce and Industry — Career of Mr. James
Walker — Mexico City Banking Co. — Some minor banks — Private
banks — Table showing capitals, issues, dividends and present prices
of the leading banks of the Bepublic.
The Banco Nacional, or National Bank of Mexico, may be
regarded as one of the foremost institutions of its kind in the
world. Established in 1881, at a time when the finances of
the country were in anything but a prosperous condition, and
when banking in Mexico was only understood in regard to the
most elementary stages, the Nacional found its career anything
but an easy one. The first three years of its existence were
not conspicuous by reason of success ; and the contract under
which it had been formed was considerably modified in 1884,
when permission was granted to combine with the Mercantile
Mexican, the name of the institution being changed to the
" National Bank of Mexico." In conjunction with the Banco
de Londres y Mexico, the Nacional shares the exclusive
privilege of issuing bank-notes, or bills on demand, in the
Federal District, and although this privilege is also granted to
the banks established in the different States of the Republic,
the latter are not permitted officially to establish redemption
agencies for their notes in the capital, and it will be a long
time before the Bills of the State Banks occupy the same
position in the public confidence as those issued in the
capital, although they are now circulating more freely than
they did.
The Board of Directors controlling the Banco Nacional is
made up of some of the most distinguished financial and
163 11—2

164 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
commercial representatives in the Republic of Mexico. The
Chairman (or President) is the Hon. Sebastian Camacho, the
Vice-Chairman (Vice-President) being Lie. Pablo Macedo, who
has the greater amount of the detail control of the bank in his
hands. Without going into the past history of the concern,
which since 1884 has been one of almost uninterrupted
prosperity, I may point to the remarkable success which
attended the operations of the bank during the past year, and
which resulted in a dividend at the rate of 20 per cent, being
declared on the capital, which amounts to no less than
$32,000,000 (£3,200,000). The total profits made for that
year amounted to $6,289,820 nett (£628,982), and the gross
profits close upon $9,000,000 (£900,000). The best proof of
the prosperity of the institution is the declaration of its
dividend. It is worthy of note that the profits made by the
bank for the year 1905-1906 were not the result of any abnormal
conditions, but simply the outcome of the regular business
which the bank is carrying on day by day. In addition to the
amount absorbed by the 20 per cent, distributed among the
shareholders, the sum of $111,180 (£11,118) was applied to
the founders' bonds, still outstanding, while the sum of
$314,441 (£31,444) was awarded to the Council of Administra
tion. The total turn-over of the Banco Nacional up to the
end of December 1906 was $247,147,282 (£24,714,728), while
three months later, on March 31st, 1907, the amount stood at
$261,849,718 (£26,184,971), a rate of increase which can
probably be equalled by few and exceeded by no banking
institutions in the world. The London agents of the Banco
Nacional are Messrs. Glyn, Mills, Currie and Co., who pay
the half-yearly dividends on the shares which are held in this
country and on the Continent, and which are very considerable
in number. I may mention that the dividend declared for
1905 was at the rate of 18 per cent.
The handsome building occupied by the Banco Nacional in
Mexico City has recently undergone considerable improve
ment. The portion of the building at the rear, which con
tained the old vaults of the bank, has been completely
reconstructed, the vaults having been torn down, and new
ones, erected entirely of steel, and designed upon the
most modern plan, have been put up in another part of the

BANCO DE LONDRES Y MEXICO 165
building. Other improvements include the reconstruction
of stair-ways and hall-ways, while an abundance of air and
daylight is now provided for all the rooms where the clerks
and principals work. The chief apartment is a lofty and
spacious hall, not unlike that to be found at Messrs. Coutts
and Co., the well-known bankers, in their handsome new
premises in the Strand. The upper part of the Banco
Nacional building is occupied by a clearing-house, the whole
construction presenting the appearance of a model institution.
The Bank of London and Mexico (Londres y Mexico) ranks
next in importance to the Banco Nacional. It is the oldest
foreign bank in Mexico, having been established at the time
of the Emperor Maximilian (1864), but without any Govern
ment charter, under the title of Bank of London, Mexico and
South America. The history of the Bank is a remarkably
interesting one, especially in the early days, when it was
mainly in the hands of British shareholders. At that period
it issued its own notes, which circulated freely throughout
the Republic, and, by its unwavering fidelity and exactitude
during some forty-one years, it succeeded in establishing itself
as the great financial institution of Mexico, and, as I have
said, ranking second only to the Nacional bank itself. Like
its sister institution, the Bank of London and Mexico last
year enjoyed remarkable prosperity, the nett profits made
amounting to $4,218,740 (£421,874) against $2,963,220
in 1905, or an increase during the last twelve months of
$1,255,519. The distribution of profits to shareholders was
at the rate of 12 per cent., a portion of which had been paid
as an interim dividend. There are 215,000 shares issued,
nearly half of which are held on the Continent of Europe, and
the rest in Mexico.
On the issue of the commercial code in 1884, which made
it necessary for banks of this class to operate under charters
from the Federal Government, the question arose as to the
legality of the standing of the Banco de Londres y Mexico y
Sud America. By negotiations, the charter of the Banco de
Empleados, granted by the Federal Government on June 12th,
1883, under the new legislation, was purchased by the Banco
Ingles the arrangement being sanctioned by the Treasury
Department. The official transfer was approved under date

166 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
of August 21st, 1886, with the special stipulation that the
Banco de Londres y Mexico y Sud America should assume
and become subject to all the stipulations imposed in the
charter purchased from the Banco de Emple'ados. This gave
the Banco de Londres y Mexico y Sud America a definite
legal existence, and a legal domicile in the City of Mexico,
but without any express authorisation to issue notes. To
acquire this legal right, still another charter was obtained
from the Federal Government, under date August 21st, 1889,
which stipulated that the name be changed from Banco de
Londres y Mexico y Sud America to " Banco de Londres y
Mexico," incorporated and registered as a Mexican institution,
wholly independent of the original Bank of London, which
sent out Mr. Newbold in 1864 to establish this Mexican
branch. Its capital in the charter of August 21st, 1889, was
registered at $1,500,000, and under the same charter, the
existence of the Bank was extended to fifty years. With a
capital of $1,500,000, the Bank operated from August 1889
to December 1891, when permission was granted by the
Treasury Department to increase the capital to $5,000,000.
In August 1896 it was authorised to again raise its capital
to $10,000,000 before January 15th, 1897 ; while in 1896 the
approval of the Secretary of the Treasury was obtained for
the issue of another $5,000,000, making the total capital of the
Bank $15,000,000, represented by 150,000 shares with the par
value of $100 each.
The business of the Bank continuing to extend, it was
decided to again increase the capital, making it $21,500,000
on January 1st, 1906. In 1905, Mr. James Walker, who
had been manager for 2£ years, resigned his position, and
Senor Francisco Yarza became manager, with Mr. G. Hopfner,
who was formerly Accountant, as Assistant-manager. Under
Senor Yarza' s management the bank has continued on the
high road of prosperity, its $100 shares being quoted on the
Paris Bourse at 665 francs, and $285 in Mexico.
The President of the institution is General Manuel Gon
zalez Cosio, who is supported by an exceptionally influential
Board of Directors, composed of Senor Francisco Espinosa,
Senor Luis Barroso, Senor Jose Sanchez Ramos, Senor Leon
Signoret, Senor Remigio Noriega, Senor Enrique Tron, Senor

UNITED STATES BANKING CO. 167
Alfonso Michel, Senor Valentin Elcoro and Senor Joaquin
Baranda. Undoubtedly, one of the most popular foreign banks is the
United States Banking Co., which was organised on Septem
ber 7th, 1899, and opened for business on January 9th, 1900.
The bank works without a charter, but it has already made ap
plication to the Minister of Finance through its legal represen
tatives for such a concession, which it is not improbable may
be granted. If it is, it will be quite an exception, since the
Finance Minister is known to be averse to any further con
cessions under any circumstances whatever.
The establishment of the United States Bank is due
entirely to the initiative and the enterprise of Mr. George
I. Ham, a Canadian by birth, and of whom it may be said that
no more popular foreign resident is to be found in the Republic.
Mr. Ham, however, is something more than a financier, for
he is a keen, shrewd, and cautious business man, who can feel
the pulse of commerce and trade as closely and as accurately
as a medico can diagnose the condition of a patient.
That the Bank was not established without a great deal
of difficulty may be taken for granted ; but, during the eight
years of its existence, it has succeeded in attracting the
confidence and custom of the native as well as the foreign
community. In regard to the last balance-sheet, it may be
pointed out that deposits last year amounted to no less than
$9,865,075 (£986,507), the immediate available assets being
69"8 per cent, of this amount, while the profits for the year
came to 8405,686 (£40,568) nett. In the month of July a
6 per cent, interim dividend was declared, and for the rest
of the year a further distribution of 8 per cent, took place,
making the dividend for the whole twelve months 14 per cent.
A sum of $100,000 (£10,000) was credited to reserve fund,
causing this to stand at $600,000 (£60,000) ; $85,000 were
set aside for bad and doubtful debts, and $13,278 carried to
undivided profits. Nett profits for 1906 = 22 : 84 per cent, on
the capital.
The United States Bank allows no opportunity for a safe
and profitable investment to pass unheeded. Among several
of its more shrewd operations may be mentioned the purchase
of $700,000 bonds issued by the State of Veracruz for the

168 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
improvement works in Coatzacoalcos (or Port Mexico) within
the limits of the Bay. The conditions and terms of the issue
were almost the same as those in vogue with the Central
Bank, and, undoubtedly, Mr. G. I. Ham was well advised in
taking the whole issue on behalf of the United States Bank.
The negotiations were carried out by representatives of the
Federal Treasury Department, the State of Veracruz and
the Bank.
The issue carries 5 per cent, interest, guaranteed by the
Federal Government, and payable half-yearly. The amortisa
tion fund is created by 2 per cent, of the import duties from
the Port of Mexico customs' house, which are delivered
monthly to the Federal Treasury of Mexico City and held to
meet the requirements of the State of Veracruz issue. The
United States Banking Co. also took the entire issue of Parral
bonds, which were issued to provide for drainage and sewage
works for Parral (Durango), the issue being $300,000, in
bonds bearing 6 per cent, interest. The present Board of
Directors of the United States Banking Co. is composed of
several influential bankers, merchants and contractors in
Mexico City. Mr. George I. Ham is the President ; Mr.
H. R. Nickerson, who has been long connected with Mexican
railway matters, is the first Vice-President; Mr. John T.
Judd, second Vice-President ; and Colonel Edgar K. Smoot,
Mr. M. Elsasser, Mr. W. F. Layer, Mr. R. J. Dwyer, Mr.
G. W. Jennings, and Mr/ J. N. Neeland (Vice-President of the
Pan-American Railway) are Directors.
Mr. Ham's career in Mexico may be regarded as typical of
the hustling, enterprising young colonist of to-day. Born in
the little town of Napanee, Ontario, young Ham came to
Mexico in 1890, his first employment being in a minor
capacity on the Central Railway. For six years he remained
in the service of the same railway, gradually rising from post
to post, until he filled one of great responsibility. Being of a
thrifty disposition, he was enabled to leave the railway with
a small but sufficient capital, saved from his salary and a
few business transactions in which he had engaged, and
which had brought him small profits. He was fortunate in
finding himself in the country at the commencement of its
commercial revival, and of this opportunity he made the

BANK OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY 169
utmost. While his transactions lacked anything like sensa
tion, they were none the less smart, and were crowned with
conspicuous success. Having become a broker, thus obtain
ing an insight into banking institutions, Mr. Ham, discern
ing the necessity for an American institution, launched the
United States Banking Co. with a small capital, and a still
smaller office located in Gante Street.
From the day it opened its doors, the bank was a success,
and it gradually grew both in importance and in extent until
it assumed the dimensions which it has now attained. The
Bank outgrew its premises, which were removed from Gante
to the corner of San Francisco and San Juan de Letran, the
capital being also increased to $500,000 and then to $2,000,000,
at which it stands to-day.
Mr. Ham is one of the wealthiest men in Mexico City,
having judiciously invested in land, which has increased
enormously in value. A recent enterprise of his was the
acquisition of the valuable site occupied by the American
Club for the sum of $500,000 (£50,000). He is still a young
man, and enjoys robust health, so that there is no saying
what his keen acumen and abundant opportunities may not
attain. On September 1st, 1906, was instituted a new Bank
under the name of the Mexican Bank of Commerce and
Industry, with a capital of $10,000,000 (£1,000,000),
$5,000,000 of which have been called up. Of this issue
$3,500,000 are held by the Deutsche Bank of Berlin;
$3,500,000 by Messrs. Speyer and Co., of New York ;
S1,000,000 by the Banco Nacional de Mexico, of Mexico City,
and $2,000,000 by prominent business houses in Mexico City.
The shareholders have agreed among themselves not to sell
any of their holdings until after two years shall have expired
from the date of the institution of the Bank. The Bank has
acquired a concession or charter granted by the Secretary
of the Treasury under date July 27th, 1906. This concession
was granted to Messrs. Martin J. Ribon, James Walker and
Albert Fricke, and limits the new institution to the exercise
of certain banking operations, while it specifically prohibits
others. What lends considerable importance to the institu
tion is that it represents the interests of three of the largest

170 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
banking institutions of the world — Messrs. Speyer and Co.,
of New York, the Deutsche Bank of Berlin and the Banco
Nacional de Mexico. The Banco Aleman Transatlantico has
been absorbed in the undertaking, and its former offices in
the Calle San Agustin occupied, while an important factor also
is the engagement of Mr. James Walker as joint General
Manager. It was Mr. Walker who during the 2| years of his
management brought up the Bank of London and Mexico to
the profitable stage which it occupied, and still occupies, in
the Republic, and probably there is no one in Mexico who
possesses a more intimate knowledge of banking matters and
finance than he.
Mr. James Walker, who is a native of Scotland, has had
an eventful and thoroughly successful career, beginning his
banking business in London, in the Bank of London and
Mexico. In 1888 he went to the Republic as a clerk in their
Mexico City Branch, and very speedily attained a high posi
tion in that institution. For 17 years he remained with the
bank, and during some years was its manager. He resigned
to take the responsible position of joint-manager of the
Mexican Bank of Commerce and Industry, which has already
been made a pronounced success. Mr. Walker is one of the
most hospitable of the British colony, entertaining lavishly at
his beautiful house, with its spacious grounds, in the suburbs
of Coyoacan. He was also President of the British Club last
year, and is one of the Members of the Monetary Commission
of Mexico.
The Council of Administration is composed of 10 members,
namely Mr. J. B. Body (partner in the house of S. Pearson
and Son, Ltd.) ; Mr. Oscar J. Braniff (of Messrs. G. and 0.
Braniff) ; Mr. E. N. Brown (President of the National Lines
of Mexico) ; Don Guillermo de Landa y Escandon (Governor
of the Federal District) ; Sefior Pablo Macedo (one of the
Republic's most eminent lawyers) ; Sefior Hugo Scherer junr.,
Senor Franz Boker, Mr. Martin J. Ribon, Senor Ernesto Otto,
and Senor Rodolfo Stoecker. Mr. Albert Fricke is joint
General Manager with Mr. James Walker.
The bank's charter is held for 40 years, has been in opera
tion since September 1906, and the usual stipulations in
regard to the granting of loans for periods limited to six

MEXICO CITY BANKING CO. 171
months, and upon not less than two recognised signatures, are
in force, while the bank is not allowed to issue certificates of
deposits payable at sight or to bearer. On the other hand,
the institution enjoys, up to the year 1922, certain valuable
abatements of taxation, and during the first few months of
its existence, it astonished even its most ardent supporters
by the sound, profitable and widespread nature of business
which it handled. There can also be little question that the
Mexican Bank of Commerce and Industry has found a firm
and powerful footing, being recognised as one of the strongest
commercial institutions in the city. Its foreign connections
are probably unsurpassed in financial strength. Possessed,
then, of every practical advantage which the chartered banks
of the Republic enjoy, with the exception of the issue of notes,
and with the powerful connections which it commands, as well
as the sufficient capital subscribed, this bank should find
itself equipped to participate freely in the full prosperity of
the Republic.
The Mexico City Banking Co., S.A., with a capital of
$400,000 (£40,000) fully-paid, and deposits of $2,563,873
(£256,387), commenced business the year before last, and has
since had an unparalleled run of good fortune. The direc
torate includes the names of some of the best-known and
most respected members of the American community, such
as Mr. A. A. Robinson (formerly President of the Central
Railway), Mr. W. W. Wheatly (formerly General Manager of
the Mexican Tramways), Mr. C. R. Hudson (Vice-president of
the Central Railway), Mr. Paul Hudson (Manager of the
Mexican Herald), Mr. W. T. Bell, Mr. J. A. Hendry, etc.
The Bank transacts general business in all its branches,
and does a thoroughly consistent and sound class of trading.
The Federal Banking Co., S.A., is also a newly-launched
enterprise, while the house of L. Speyer and Co. is an old-
established and very highly respected institution.
There are several private banking firms doing business
in the City of Mexico, and in some of the principal State
capitals. Among the former is the house of H. Scherer and
Co., a German firm of great eminence, the senior partner of
which, Mr. Hugo Scherer, is the Persian Consul-General.
Both he and Mr. Anton Hiibbe, the junior partner, hold high

The following Table which I have arranged may afford a tolerably clear idea of the magnitude of the
banking operations in Mexico to-day, and the profitable nature of the business to those who carry it on :

Name of State.

Name of Bank.

Capital.

Dividend.

Face
Value.

Present Value.

Number of
Shares
Issued.

Aguascalientes

Banco de Aguascalientes 

600,000:00

8:00

100:00

125:00

6,000

Campeche

Banco de Campeche

1,000,000:00
8:00
100:00
108:00
10,000
Chiapas
Banco de Chiapas
500,000:00
5:00
100:00
140:00
5,000
Chihuahua .
Banco Minero
5,000,000:00
6:00
100:00
168:00
50,000
Coahuila
Banco de Coahuila
1,600,000:00
11:00
100:00
138:00
16,000
Colima
Banco Nacional Branch
—

—

. 
Durango
Banco de Durango
2,000,000:00
10:00
100:00
133:00
20,000
Guanajuato .
Banco de Guanajuato ...
3,000,000:00
6:00
100:00
146:00
30,000
Guerrero
Banco de Guerrero
500,000:00
—
100:00
60:00
5,000
Hidalgo
Banco de Hidalgo
1,000,000:00
11:00
100:00
150:00
10,000
Jalisco...
Banco de Jalisco 
6,000,000:00
10:00
100:00
117:00
60,000
Mexico, State of
Banco de Mexico
2,959,350:00
—
—
—
—
, City of
Banco Agricola 6 Hipotecario .
2,000,000:00
8:00
100:00
140:00
20,000
n n
Banco Central ...
21,000,000:00
11:00
100:00
187:00
210,000
ii 11
Banco de Londres y Mexico .
21,500,000:00
13:00
100:00
257:00
15,000
n i
Banco Nacional 
32,000,000:00
20:00
100:00
385:00
315,128
n ii *¦
Banco Internacional e Hipotecario .
5,000,000:00
12:00
100:00
187:00
35,000
n n
Corporacion Bancaria Internacional .
6,500,000:00
—
—
—
—
>! 1)
United States Banking Co 
2,000,000:00
14:00
100:00
180:00
20,000
11 11 •¦'
Mercantile Banking Co.
500,000:00
—
—
—
—
>! 1?
.. .
Mexico City Banking Co.
400,000:00
8:00
100:00
180:00
4,000
-a to
telX
ooo tel 1-3tfl
telXX
a
o tel
!z!
a fed
Mexico, City of

Banco Mexicano de Comercio .

10,000,000:00

—

100:00

115:00

Banco Americano 
— .
—
215:00
405:00
Compania Nacional de Predios
250,000:00
—
—
—
*Banco Aleman Transatlantico
—
—
—
—
Descuento Espariol
—
5:00
100:00
140:00
Banco de Montreal
28,800,000:00
—
200:00
510:00
Michoacan
Banco de Michoacan
600,000:00
4:00
100:00
117:00
Morelos
Banco de Morelos
1,000,000:00
4:00
100:00
130:00
Nuevo Leon ...
Banco de Nuevo Leon ...
2,000,000:00
6:00
100:00
210:00
11 i
Banco Mercantil de Monterey.
2,500,000:00
5:00
100:00
142:00
Oaxaoa
Banco de Oaxaca
1,000,000:00
5:00
100:00
146:00
Puebla 
Banco Oriental de Mexico
6,000,000:00
10:00
100:00
165:00
Queretaro
Banco de Queretaro
1,000,000:00
8:30
100:00
102:00
San Luis Potosi
Banco de San Luis Potosi
1,100,000:00
16:00
100:00
208:00
Sinaloa
Banco Occidental de Mexico .
1,500,000:00
6:00
100:00
135:00
Sonora
Banco de Sonora
1,000,000:00
14:00
100:00
230:00
Tabasco
Banco de Tabasco
1,000,000:00
5:00
100:00
115:00
Tamaulipas ...
Banco de Tamaulipas ...
1,000,000:00
12:00
100:00
147:00
Veracruz
Banco Mercantil de Veracruz .
3,000,000:00
12:00
100:00
176:00
11 •••
Banquera Veracruzana ...
—
10:00
100:00
115:00
Yucatan
Banco Mercantil de Yucatan .
8,000,000:00
14:00
100:00
—
n •*¦ ¦
Banco Yucateco ...
8,000,000:00
12:00
100:00
165:00
Zacatecas
Banco de Zacatecas
1,000,000:00
10:00
100:00
145:00
Banks' combined capital
•
$193,809,350:00
50,000 5,000
30,000 14,400 6,000
10,000
20,00025,000 10,00060,000 10,000
11,00015,000
15,000 10,000
20,000
30,000 2,000
120,000 10,000
In the above figures, where the capital was in American gold, I have translated it into Mexican pdsos.
The last dividends are given, but these do not represent the whole distribution for the year, some being
interim. * This Bank is now absorbed in the Banco Mexicano de Comercio.
t-3i>Wtr1 tel
o teltd i>W
CQQ >
i— i
>U2
-3 CO
174 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
positions in financial and commercial circles, their opinions
being continually consulted upon important matters, and
through the instrumentality of their house a considerable
number of bonds of several of the best banks in Mexico have
been placed upon the markets of the Continent of Europe.
The connections of the house of H. Scherer and Co. through
out the world are of the highest possible character. Messrs.
H. Scherer and Co. moved into new and handsome premises
at No. 10 Calle Cadena in June of this year.
Messrs. Hugo Scherer junior, and Co. are also interested
in practically all the prominent financial enterprises of the
Republic, the name of Mr. Hugo Scherer junior being found
upon the Board of Directors of several of these, and his
connections being exceedingly influential.
The United States and Mexican Trust do a considerable
amount of private banking, their relations with the whole of
the U.S.A. enabling them to offer special facilities to their
clients, while the Trust has also financed several important
undertakings, such, for instance, as a new Colony land-scheme
in the City of Mexico, and a building scheme in the City of
Cuernavaca, both of which have proved eminently successful
enterprises.

Photo by Schlattmann.
The famous Banyan tree of Tule, in the churchyard of Santa Maria del Tule, Oaxaca.

CHAPTER XIX
Life insurance — American methods — Late WiUiam H. Beers — Mexican
companies — Strong position — Mutual Life of New York — Latin-
American Co. — Business methods and directorate — -National Life
Office — Continental Insurance Co. — Mexican Title Insurance — Strong
directorate— Mexican policies — Little fraud.
The history of Life Insurance, as conducted upon American
principles, is certainly not pleasant reading. When William
H. Beers, the President of the New York Life Insurance
Co., was on his death-bed he prophesied the downfall of
the men who had helped to bring into so much discredit the
system of which he himself was at once the evil genius and
the victim. To a certain extent his prophecy came true.
His last words were that the '"' System meant bribery and
corruption, and most of the officers of the companies are
creatures of the system."
There can be no question that life insurance in the United
States offices has frequently — and especially of recent times
— proved both sensational and tragic. It has been dragged
through the deepest mire of journalistic abuse, and the
reputation of nearly all the most prominent men connected
with it has been sacrificed, while thousands of policy-holders
in the U.S.A. and abroad have been alarmed, and several
have been ruined. Attacks have not been wanting either
upon big American Life Insurance Companies doing business
both in Great Britain and France. The confidence of many
of our Gallic neighbours has been sadly shaken in connection
with their policies, the outcry proceeding to such an extent
as to demand of the Government that it require the American
companies to keep their reserves in France and impose
onerous restrictions upon their competition with French
companies. Here in Great Britain, the agitation displayed
175

176 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
itself in actions at law, notably one being brought against the
former London manager of the New York Mutual Life, when
he transferred his services to another company.
Insurance as carried on in Mexico is largely conducted
upon the American principle ; but it must not be assumed
from this that it is lacking in either safety or honesty. I
should be inclined to say that the best, and only the best,
methods of American insurance are practised in Mexico, and
from what I know of the companies which are doing local busi
ness, there is no fault to be found with their methods or their
bond-fides. Of late years especially, the life insurance busi
ness has been making great headway, the company doing
the principal business being the Mutual Life Insurance Co.
of New York. Formerly it had some serious competitors in
three other large American insurance companies, with head
quarters in New York City, but which were vitally affected by
the latterly-enacted laws of the Legislature of the State of
New York. These laws, it may be remembered, limited the
sum of the business done abroad to $150,000,000 (gold) each
per annum. This is a smaller amount than the New York
Life, Mutual Life or the Equitable Life had written during any
one of a number of years. One of these companies for the year
1904, for instance, secured $343,000,000 (gold) of insurance.
Inasmuch as these companies, all with successful branches in
Mexico, were able to secure the amount limited by law in the
U.S.A. alone, with as little exertion as, and with far less expense
than, was involved in soliciting business abroad, their interest
in foreign countries not unnaturally waned. During the year
1905 the New York Life Co. cut down its agencies in Mexico
until the number was reduced to one-half of what it was, say,
in 1904, and several other companies have since followed suit.
While it is not at all probable that the big New York life
insurance companies will withdraw altogether from Mexico,
they have materially reduced their staffs and offices, while
their agents' commissions have been largely cut down, and
they are no longer soliciting business. The New York Life
has nevertheless still on hand some very heavy interests at
stake throughout the Republic, and it is resting upon the
splendid business which it has already built-up.
The Mutual Life Insurance Co. of New York, however, has

INSURANCE COMPANIES 177
continued to do business in the same manner as before, and
no doubt it carries by far the largest number of policies in
the Republic. The four great essentials in mutual life
insurance are competent and enterprising management, easily
realisable assets, sufficient funds on hand to meet all demands,
and a direct participation of policy-holders. None of these
are lacking in connection with the New York Mutual Life.
For ten years Mr. John Hatfield was the Director-General
of this company in Mexico, but on May 1st of last year he
retired to give place to Mr. H. E. Bourchier, formerly the
Manager. Mr. Hatfield has since identified himself with
another insurance company — the Mexican Title Insurance Co.
The British insurance companies doing business in Mexico
include the London and Liverpool and Globe ; the Sun ; the
Sun of Canada, and the Royal ; but their representatives ap
parently find keen competitors not alone in the New York
Mutual Life, but in many of the native insurance companies
which of late years have come into being with every prospect
of having come to stay.
One of the most enterprising of local insurance companies
is the Latin-American Mutual Life Insurance, among the
founders of which are to be found the names of some of the
most prominent and influential members of finance and com
merce in Mexico City, such, for instance, as Messrs. Oscar
J. Braniff, Thomas Braniff, Victor M. Braschi, Don Guil
lermo de Landa y Escandon (Governor of the Federal Dis
trict), Pablo Mac6do, Jos6 Luis Requena, Hugo Scherer
Jr., William Walter Wheatly, James Harold Warner, Julio
Limantour and others.
This company has agents throughout the Republic, but no
branch offices are likely to be established until Mexico City
itself is thoroughly covered, and when this has been done it
will also open branches in Cuba and Central and South
America. The Board of Directors consists of thirty-two
members, of whom fifteen are bondholders and the remainder
policy-holders, each of the latter being entitled to a vote for
every $1,000 worth of insurance carried. One of the most
important features has been the increase of the limit of policies
from $10,000 to $20,000. This is, so far as I am aware, the
only company in the Republic which makes policies incontest-
vol. i. 12

178 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
able from the date of issue, that is to say it issues policies
and reserves no rights to contest deaths from any reason
whatsoever, whether they be occasioned by suicide, war, or
from other causes. No doubt some would think that this is
hardly a safe policy to pursue, but it should be remembered
that the policy goes through the process of being contested
before it is issued, so that the possibility of the company
becoming a loser is minimised, if not entirely avoided. The
capital of this company is $2,000,000, divided into $100
shares with not more than 20 per cent, paid up under the
" mutual " plan, in bonds deposited with the company signed
by, thirty-five directors, of whom each is worth $20,000 to
$40,000. The bonds are 6 per cent., and redeemable at the
will of the company by drawings which are held at stated
times. All policy-holders have a direct vote in the adminis
tration of the company, and beginning with next year (1908)
the Directorate will be chosen, one-half from the organisers
of the association and one-half from the policy-holders. The
General Manager is Sr. Manuel Parraga, a gentleman with a
very wide experience of insurance matters, while Mr. J. H.
Washburn, a Member of the American Institute of Actuaries,
is actuary for the company. I understand that the Latin-
American Mutual Life Insurance Co., or to give it its Spanish
title La Latino-Americano Mutualista Compania de Seguros
Sobre la Vida, S.C., Limitada, is doing excellent business,
already having some $5,000,000 life insurance on its books.
The Central Insurance Co., Ltd., of London, allied with the
London and Liverpool and Globe Insurance Co., commenced
business in Mexico in March last in fire insurances. The
general agency is in the hands of Mr. William B. Woodrow,
who has been in Mexico City for some five-and-twenty years,
his firm representing the Home Insurance Co. of New York,
the British and Foreign Marine Insurance Co., and the
Maryland Casualty Co. of Baltimore. The joint premium of
these Insurance Companies is understood to be larger than
that of any one single Insurance Agency in Mexico, with the
exception of the three American Life Insurance companies
which are previously referred to.
The National Life Insurance Co. has been in operation for
four years past, with a nominal capital of $500,000, which

TITLE INSURANCE 179
has recently been augmented to $1,000,000, the additional
sum being necessary on account of the general increase in
scope and prosperity of the undertaking. The capital has
been subscribed to by the most prominent commercial men in
the United States of Mexico.
The Continental Life Insurance Co. (La Continental
Compania de Seguros Sobre la Vida, S.A.) has a capital of
$2,000,000, divided into $100 shares, with not more than
20 per cent, paid-up. The Mexico City connection having
now been thoroughly well organised, the Continental will
carry its enterprise into Cuba, the West Indies and Central
and South America, operating its business upon a thoroughly
conservative basis, and employing the same methods which
are in vogue with the other high-Btanding Insurance Companies
of the world, which now include arrangements for re-insurance
with other Companies.
The Mexican Title Insurance Co. has likewise upon its
Board a very large number of prominent financial and
commercial celebrities in Mexico City, such as Mr. John
Hatfield (formerly Director-General for Mexico of the Mutual
Life Insurance Co. of New York) as President ; Mr. George I.
Ham, President of the United States Banking Co., as Vice-
President ; Mr. Jose' Luis Requena ; Mr. William W. Wheatly ;
Mr. Walter B. Hull, and Mr. James Harold Warner. This
Company makes a point of examining and insuring titles in
all real-estate transactions and lendB its own money on real
first-class estate security, issuing its policies to the purchasers
of such mortgages without extra charge. The idea is an
excellent one, and inasmuch as the Company assumes the
full charge and management of real estate, attending to the
sale, purchase, leasing, mortgaging, repairing and the collec
tion of rentals, foreign owners of property in the Republic
who are desirous of leaving Mexico for a time, or permanently,
have here an absolutely safe, reliable and careful agent to
look after their interests. That such a Company as this was
needed, and is appreciated, it is hardly necessary to point out.
It is now well established, and it succeeds in affecting for
Mexico what similar Companies do for absent owners of
property in Great Britain and the United States.
Life insurance in Mexico to-day is undoubtedly making
12—2

180 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
strides in popularity among the Mexican people ; and it would
seem that, so far from discouraging them from associating
themselves with the American Companies, the late investiga
tions have, in their opinion, resulted in eliminating many of
the former extravagant and questionable methods, and the
business is now being conducted with economy. The Mexicans
are an especially receptive people to influence in connection
with insurance matters, but they are somewhat easily scared
once their faith is shaken. Being, as a rule, strictly honest,
very little fraud is detected. When it is, however, as was the
case with some sharpers last autumn, the Courts severely
punish the culprits, and there is little or no encouragement
held out to them in this direction to repeat the offence or to
secure imitators.
Insurance Companies have often strange experiences to
relate, but probably no more remarkable story was ever
related than to a Mexico Company, which this year received
an application from a married woman of Yucatan who, in
answering the questions put to her before being granted an
insurance, admitted that she was 15 years of age, had been
married 6 years, and had had 6 children. She was married
at nine years of age.

CHAPTER XX
Mexico city — Origin and present-day aspect— Buildings — Climate —
Amusements — Paseo de la Beforma — Statuary — Sunday parades —
Equipages — Cavaliers — Horses and motor-cars — Servants' liveries
— Taxes — Bebuilding city — Notable edifices under construction —
Bestrictions as to heights of buildings — Styles of architecture.
If Taoti, the supreme god, and Huitzilopochtli, the divine
protector of the Aztecs, could look down upon their beloved
Tenochtitlan as it is to-day, what would they think ?
Where once stood the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon,
where the five great Ahuehuetls spread their branches over
the grateful land, where Cequauhtzin hunted and Moctezuma
sacrificed, now exist the Pas6o de la Reforma, an embryo
Champs Elys6es which threatens to outvie its Parisian rival in
stateliness and expansiveness ; the superb Cathedral, " where
penitent souls find rest "; and busy thoroughfares with all the
modern abominations, in the shape of tramcars and auto
mobiles ; which flourish and flounder among crowds of well-
dressed, hurrying people going to the worship of Mammon
instead of to that of Quetzalcoatl. Assuredly the sacrifices
on the altar are no less tragic, for if human hearts are no longer
torn out as a sacrifice to the Aztec gods, they continue to be
broken in the mad struggle for wealth and position.
What matters if in those far-off days men called their god
Quetzalcoatl and to-day he is named Mammon ? We are not
all possessed of the strength of mind attributed to the good
Sir Guyon, who successfully resisted the golden promises of
the god of this world.
Popocatapetl and his giant "wife" Ixtaccihuatl, ever
snow-capped, have looked down from their heights of 17,000
feet upon strange sights and stranger beings. These ever-
watchful mountains, side by side, have seen races come and
181

182 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
go — the refugees from the Divine wrath at Babel's Tower (so
legend declares), the mystic Cholulaus, the terrible Toltecs,
the peaceful Aztecs, a long line of Chichimecs, the Texcocans,
and the ill-starred Moctezuma, followed by the Spaniards, the
French and, last of all, the Americans. All these have they
seen, their struggles, their battles, their sacrifices and their
greed, and still they keep guard over Mexico City, and amid
all the changes, they change not.
Unlike Buenos Aires in the Argentine, which sprang up
with almost as much rapidity as Jonah's gourd, Mexico City
has taken pause in the transition stage through which it has
passed, and is still passing. The aspect of the City to-day is
f suggestive of one-half being pulled down while the other half
/ is being built up. But there can be no question as to what
it will be when the destruction stage has ceased and the
construction is complete. Mexico will be a beautiful city in
every respect — worthy of the superb climate with which the
country is blessed, worthy of the enterprising Government
which is directing affairs, and with plenty to show for the
millions which are being expended upon its adornment.
Already sufficient has been effected to evince that Mexico City
will be more beautiful than Paris, more admirably planned
than Vienna, and a distinct improvement upon Berlin.
It seems an anomaly that in a climate as magnificent as
that of Mexico City, which stands at an elevation of some
7,350 feet, and with a natural slope downwards, the death-
rate should reach the appalling figure of 40 per mil, or
4 per cent. The people have, as a matter of fact, only recently
begun to learn that sanitation means health and prolonged
life, and, with the efforts being successfully made by the
Superior Board of Health, a decided improvement may be
looked for.
But the lower-class Mexicans are a curious people. They
have an intense dread of cold when it affects the head, but
apparently they don't mind it when it touches the feet.
Thus, one finds men, women and children sleeping peacefully
upon doorsteps or in the open parks and squares, their heads
closely wrapped up in thick blankets so as to exclude every
whiff of air, while their legs are left bare up to the knees.
Naturally, pneumonia is extremely prevalent among them,

Photo. IS' Schlattniann.

Ruins of Mitla.— Wall of Mosaics

Photo. It'. Schlattniaji

Ruins of Mitla.-- Pyramids and Shrine. — seep. 255.

MEXICO CITY 183
and this disease, together with typhus following upon unclean
living, and an enormous mortality among new-born babies
arising from sheer neglect by the mothers, account in a great
measure for the heavy death-rate. Under normal circum
stances, I know no more delightful or healthful city in North
or South America than Mexico City. But the manner in
which the lower-classes live is distinctly abnormal.
Of amusements there is a great assortment. If you are of
Spanish blood and enjoy Spanish entertainments you will
naturally patronise the bull rings, of which there are two,
while a third, to accommodate 20,000 spectators, is about to be
built. Here you can revel in all the horrors of the bull-fight
and see wretched, blindfolded horses gored to death by a
savage bull, which, in its turn, is tortured by the pieadores
and matadores, until death also terminates its sufferings.
Cock-fighting is another delectable and popular amusement
with the inhabitants ; nearly every man of position, and many
of none at all, possesses at least one champion bird, which iB
backed and discussed with as much enthusiasm as a Derby
favourite. Just as it was the favourite pastime with the ancient
Greeks and Romans, so it is with Spanish-speaking peoples
to-day. The birds have a good time before battle, since, during
their training, they are plentifully and generously fed. Other
national sports are horse-racing, Spanish ball-game, bowling,
billiards and cards — especially cards — and gambling games,
for "here card-players wait till the last trump be played."
Oliver Wendell Holmes, the sapient author of " The Poet of
the Breakfast Table," observes that "everything is twice as
large, measured on a three-years-old three-foot scale, as on a
thirty-years-old six-foot scale." I suppose that this is one
of the reasons why the majority of people, who have seen the
Champs Elysees at Paris, Under-den-Linden at Berlin, the
Prater at Vienna, the Nevsky Prospect at St. Petersburg and
the Mall in Hyde Park, consider the Pas6o de la Reforma in
Mexico City superior to any of them ; for it is only a few years
old. I feel bound to confess that I agree with the majority.
The Pas6o is handsomer, longer and more agreeable than
any one of the great European driveways mentioned, and it
will still be beautiful long after they have fallen into decay.
Above all, this superb thoroughfare is situated in a city

184 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
which enjoys one of the most beautiful climates to be found
anywhere in the wide world.
The Pas6o commences at the foot of the wooded hill of
Chapultepec, whereon stands the famous Castle, once the seat
of Moctezuma's Palace, where Cortes made his home, and
now the summer residence of President Diaz. It extends to
the centre of the residental part of the City, a " glorieta," or
round, park-like space, dominated by a colossal equestrian
statue of Charles IV. of Spain. It is a perfectly straight,
level and wide boulevard, three miles in length from end
to end, and destined, at no distant date, to be lined upon either
side with magnificent private residences, some 70 or 80 of
which, already erected, afford an idea of what the majority will
be. At certain intervals, the Pas6o widens out into " glorietas,"
in the centre of which are planted bright flower-beds, exhibit
ing all the brilliant plants of a sub-tropical region, and
Burmounted by superb bronze statues of heroic dimensions,
Columbus the discoverer, Cuatemoc the Aztec warrior, and
other celebrities related to the history of Mexico. The
remaining " glorietas " will be filled as they are constructed.
Along either side of this truly-imposing causeway, a double
row of trees lend their grateful shade and brilliantly-hued
foliage, while, additionally, grass plots, measuring about
5 feet wide by 30 feet in length, between the sidewalk and
the streetway, contribute further brightness to the thorough
fare, which, moreover, ia kept in perfect order. No dust is
allowed to accumulate, hose-carts continually sprinkling it from
end to end during both day and night. No litter or debris is
ever to be found there, an army of deft, and almost unnotice-
able, orderlies picking up whatever may chance to fall or blow
towards them.
If Maximilian, the unfortunate and short-lived Emperor,
did nothing else to earn the gratitude of the Mexicans, at
least he inaugurated and planned the Paseo de la Reforma.
It was commenced in his reign, but it took many years to
advance beyond the preliminary stage. Even in its un
finished and wholly unattractive state, the Pas6o became the
fashionable rendezvous, and to-day it can vie with any
i thoroughfare in the world for its display of horseflesh, beau
tiful equipages and elegantly-attired occupants, while as a

PASEO DE LA REFORMA 185
speedway for automobiles and a paradise for bicyclists, I know
no superior.
Motor-cars from America to the value of $70,000 (£14,000)
are being imported into Mexico monthly. During the first
nine months of the present fiscal year cars to the value of
$628,243 (say £125,648) were brought into the Republic from
the United States alone, independently of the many French,
German, Italian and British makes. Over fifty automobiles
are owned and used in the City of Guadalajara (Jalisco).
Upon Sundays and feast-days, the Paseo presents an
exceptionally brilliant appearance, that of a bright-coloured
panorama of carriages, motors and pedestrians, a perfect
kaleidoscope of colour and animation which can find an equal
in few parts of the world. As I have said, the thoroughfare,
except where it curves out into the " glorietas " at equal dis
tances from one another, is absolutely straight, and, standing
at one end, it is possible to Bee the stately Castle of Chapultepec
in a bee-line at the other ; while at Chapultepec itself the
entire Paseo and the greater part of the City can be seen
spread out like a relief map in front of one. The gay pro
cession of rapidly-moving equipages, the dazzling costumes
of the women, the vivid green of the trees and numerous
grass-plots, the superb mountain-setting, with the majestic
Popocatapetl and Ixtaccihuatl rearing their snow-capped heads
high into the deep blue of the sky, and, above everything, the
brilliant sunshine of a sub-tropical country bathing the scene
in its soft golden light — all form a living picture difficult to
realise in its unique beauty, and absolutely impossible to
depict in ordinary language.
While many, I may say even most, of the equipages seen
in Mexico City are admirably horsed, some of the teams
averaging in value anything between £250 to £1,500 each,
liveries are but rarely seen. The practice of allowing the
driver of a handsome turn-out, complete in every particular
of appointment and equipment, to wear an ordinary tweed
suit and a bowler or crush hat, seems anomalous in the
extreme. One sees some smartly-attired coachmen and foot
men, to be sure ; but the majority of the carriages are
attended by a coachman only, attired as I have described.
Having adopted so much of European customs in regard to

186 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
their equipages, it is a little surprising to find the wealthy
Mexican families adhering closely to the old-time custom of
dressing their servants in ordinary walking attire. Possibly,
as few of the Mexican families possess armorial bearings, and
as the colours of their liveries should be those of the field and
principal charge of the armorial shield, they do not care to adopt
that to which they have no legitimate claim. In this no doubt
they are acting rightly, but a plain gray or brown livery is
permissible to every one, and assuredly preferable to the
prosaic tweed costume and wide-awake or bowler hat, affected
by so many of Mexico's coachmen. Even the servants of
the State Governors are permitted to attend them in out-of-
livery attire.
Vehicles, both for private and business use, are taxed in
Mexico as follows : Private carriages $12 monthly (say,
£14 8s. per annum), cabs $10.00 per month (or, say, £12 per
annum), and carts and waggons in the public service $4 per
month (or £4 16s. per annum). The vehicles are taxed accord
ing to the number of wheels, which accounts for the great
number of two-wheeled carts one sees — and hears, heavy,
clumsy and noisy things, which shake the houses to their
very foundations as they gallop by with their heavy loads or
quite empty. It is not unusual to see some carts with a led-
mule or horse hitched-on behind. If the journey being taken
leads outside the city limits, the extra mule is harnessed in
front as the leader, and again removed to the rear when
the city boundaries are again reached. This is on account
of the city authorities taxing the owner of the cart according
to the number of animals " dragging it." They are cute
people these Mexicans.
Mr. Frederick R. Guernsey, the talented journalist, of
whom I speak more fully elsewhere, and who has been in
Mexico for over 23 years, says that he can remember far
more horsemen and fair riders on the streets of Mexico than
to-day. The men, young, middle-aged and old, mostly wear
the distinctive charro riding-dress, a picturesque and appro
priate costume, and wide sombreros, often of great cost, and
heavily embroidered in silver and gold. Saddles of the
Mexican type, costing a thousand dollars and more, were
in evidence upon feast-days, when " all Mexico " takes its

NEW BUILDINGS 187
pleasure out-of-doors. These costumes may still be seen on
any Sunday afternoon on the Pas6o de la Reforma, the effect
being extremely becoming, as it is quite the exception to see
a poor or indifferent horseman in Mexico, the natives sitting
their steeds like Centaurs, and ranking among the most
graceful and accomplished riders of the world.
A recent visitor to Mexico declared that the most vivid
impression made upon his mind was the progressive destruc
tion of one-half of the City, which was being pulled down in
order apparently to create more work in again building it up.
It is a fact that the whole of Mexico City is undergoing a com
plete transformation. Even in the brief time that I was there,
about a year and a half, I observed the many and rapid changes
going on all around ; and upon each occasion that I returned
to the City after a brief absence, I noticed further alterations.
In some cases old buildings had disappeared, and unsightly
hoardings had taken their place. In others, advertisement-
covered hoardings had been removed to show some perfectly
new and beautiful edifices which they had long been conceal
ing. Day by day imposing structures, which would be an
ornament to any city, are being completed or the foundations
commenced, and no quarter of the city is neglected.
Undoubtedly the most magnificent of all the edifices in
Mexico City, already becoming a "city of palaces," will be
the new Legislative building, the foundations of which are
now approaching completion. The cost will be $20,000,000
say, £2,000,000), and, when finished, the structure will put
entirely in the shade the Palace of Justice in Brussels, the
Capitol at Washington, or the Government Buildings on the
Champs Elys6es at Paris, all notable and beautiful edifices, to
which the new Legislative Palace at Mexico City will bear some
resemblance. The architectural style will be Renaissance, the
French idea prevailing, namely a Gothic skeleton with
classic details ; while the ornamentation is to be exceptionally
elaborate and costly. Probably the original estimate of
$20,000,000 may expand into $25,000,000, and even more,
before the work is out of hand. But " Modern Mexico " can
well afford it.
Other new buildings, which have been wholly finished,
commenced or arranged for, include the new Post Office, a

188 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
magnificent erection, worthy of the increasing beauty of the
City; the War and Navy Building, to cost $600,000; a
Department of Public Works ; the National Pant6on, which
will have over $5,000,000 expended upon it ; a new Museum
of Art and the new Mexican School of Mines. Altogether,
the Government are expending $50,000,000 (say £5,000,000)
upon their new buildings, and no extra taxation to pay for
them has been, or will be, necessary.
Besides the Government undertakings, private enterprise
is doing much to beautify the City and the suburbs. A large
amount of money has been invested by American capitalists
in constructing residences in the new " Colonias " near the
Paseo de la Reforma, such as the Colonia Reforma, the
Colonia Roma, the Colonia Santa Maria, and out as far as
San Angel. Land has gone up in price in all these places
as much as 1,000 per cent, within the past ten years ; and
to-day plots for building purposes are commanding fancy
prices. Nearly all the new houses have attractive, if small,
gardens ; while the new streets leading to them are asphalted
and planted with double rows of trees and the delightfully
refreshing grass plots to which I have previously referred.
Practically, the whole of these new buildings are freehold,
and the property of those who live in them. This speaks
well for the prosperity of the inhabitants, and their abiding
interests in the country.
I am pleased to say that the Mexican Government has
) providentially limited the heights to which buildings in the
¦ City can be raised. This is not at all to the liking of some
i constructors, whose ardent love for sky-scrapers seems irre
pressible. Time after time they have solicited permission
from the local authorities to add " just one more story."
But the refusal is hard and fast ; and for the sake of the
appearance of this beautiful new residential neighbourhood
it may be hoped that it will prove permanent. It is only
by setting and maintaining this prohibitory limit that the
monstrosities of New York and Chicago can be kept from
being perpetuated in Mexico City.
The local authorities are perfectly reasonable in all their
dealings with would-be land and house owners, and none of
those irritating restrictions and blackmailing charges which

STYLES OF ARCHITECTURE 189
are levied in Brazil and some of the towns of the Argentine
States, notably Rosario (Santa F6), are noticeable here. The
municipal taxes amount to 12 per cent, of the annual rentals,
such taxes including the water-rate, the liquid being pro
vided by the City. For all unoccupied houses no taxes
are demanded ; but, at present, the number of unoccupied
dwellings are not many. Building is going on in every
direction, and there is something like a famine of materials.
The styles adopted are many and various, no two houses
being alike ; but it is difficult to come across any really ugly
style, and good taste, if sometimes a trifle pretentious, is
generally noticeable. The only other city to which I can
compare the new residential portions of Mexico is SaO Paulo,
in Brazil, which possesses a strong foreign population, mainly
Italian, who have introduced the most common styles of
Italian Architecture — all the Roman adoptions, the plinth,
fillets and flutings, both top and bottom, being noticeable in
most of the private dwellings.

CHAPTER XXI
Home-life in Mexico — The young Mexican and his career — Strange cus
toms — Visiting — Divorce — Assimilation of European ideas — Eeten-
tion of Mexican customs — Exclusiveness in family life — The Mexican
lady — Shopping formerly and to-day — Playing " Bear " — Mexican
love-making — Fleecing the foreigner — Mexican tradesmen's dodges — A
case of "Caveat emptor" — Smoking — Use of tobacco general —
Mexican tobacco.
Home-life in Mexico is very beautiful, and comes very near
to that which used to prevail in England and the United
States of America, say, five-and-twenty years ago, before
woman, the creative goddess of our homes, became " emanci
pated," and thus lost her charm and influence. Domestic
affection is the ruling phase of Mexican home-life, and
it is as apparent in the poorest hut as in the most mag
nificent palace, such as so many of the wealthy families
possess. Especially are the male members of the home petted and
made much of, perhaps too much so in the opinions of the
more hardy and matter-of-fact sons of the Anglo-Saxon race,
who, as a rule, prepare to spread their wings and desert the
mother's nest as soon as they can fly. And how many who
leave never come back to it !
How frequently must the old birds have sat and yearned —
ever expectant and ever disappointed — for a glimpse of some
member of that unruly but loveable young brood which they
reared with so much care and at so much personal sacrifice,
and who turned his back upon the sheltering roof as soon as
he felt the allurements of the outer world ! Alas ! poor father ;
alas ! fond mother ! Your reward must be sought in the
knowledge that your loved bairn is doing well out there in
the wide-wide world, that he thinks of you often and fondly,
190

Fishing on Lake Chapala — drawing the net.

,* I I ¦!» HI T 1 TiV^ «¦ ¦*¦ 1 rt. I ' ' M

-
-

Photos, llinficld Scott.

Native Boat on Lake Chai'Ai.a.

FAMILY LIFE 191
and that you have done your duty as far as your means and
opportunities would allow.
The young Mexican does not travel much abroad. His
place is nearly always near the parent tree, and even were
the spirit of travel and adventure to be strong within him,
the home influence and the parents' pleading would suffice to
keep him near them. Even to go away as far as a neigh
bouring State or the next town is looked upon adversely if it
can be obviated, but it often has to be undertaken. Nearly all
young Mexicans, having employment in the banks, stores or
factories in the cities as well as the towns, live with their
parents or their parents' relatives, and the passion for
" Chambers " or separate flats, so common with the rising
generation of Britishers, or for club-life with Americans, finds
but little reflection in the young Mexican.
The girls of the family never leave the parental home until
the day of their marriage, and very often they do not quit it
even then, but share it with their husband, and thus add to
its membership. This is the custom also in Chile, where the
parents and the grandparents are treated with the utmost
deference, their advice solicited and their opinions bowed to ;
while the much-despised " mother-in-law " of our own lands is
the enshrined deity of the Spanish-American household, and
rules there omnipotent and unopposed.
With all this home affection, the young Mexican is by no
means a milk-sop. He is a keen sportsman, and, as the
history of the country sufficiently shows, he makes a plucky
and willing soldier. His reverence for his mother and father
is among the most beautiful traits in his character, for he
believes with Coleridge — " A mother is a mother still, the
holiest thing alive."
When a Mexican family goes out visiting, it proceeds in
force, and without warning. I remember how on one occa
sion, while I was staying with a newly-arrived American family,
the lady, unaccustomed to the ways of the Mexicans, evmced
the greatest horror when, one afternoon, no fewer than eleven
visitors stalked solemnly into her drawing-room, entirely un
invited and as entirely unexpected. They consisted of the
mother, the grandmother, four grown-up daughters, two boys,
their sister, and a baby-in-arms with its nurse. It was with

192 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
the greatest difficulty that seating accommodation was found
for this small army of invaders, but they seemed perfectly self-
possessed, helping to bring in a few additional chairs from the
adjoining bedrooms, and steadfastly occupying them for just
three-quarters of an hour. At the end of that time they arose
in a body, shook hands all round, and as solemnly marched
away in single file, having performed their duty without a
single omission. The look of relief which dawned upon my
hostess's pretty face when the back of the last of the visitors
had disappeared was intense ; only it then occurred to her that
she had been guilty of great inhospitality in not having offered
them any refreshments. " But, how could I !" she exclaimed
pathetically; "I haven't enough teacups, and I'm awfully
short of spoons !"
So far divorce in Mexico has attained but very slight head
way, the Republic being as a Roman Catholic country deprived
of the " advantages " of divorce, except by direct license from
the Vatican. With the gradual Americanising of Mexico,
however, possibly a change may come over the situation ; but
never can this amount to anything approaching the condition
of things in the Sister Republic, where the divorce laws have
long been a universal scandal. That the United States can
boast of as many as 700,000 divorces in one year, with an
allotment of 200 to Chicago for one day's work, seems almost
incredible. The total is more than for the whole of Europe,
Australia and the entire British Dominions. Since 1880 this
crying evil has been growing in the United States, but I see
little or no probability of its spread across the border, for
divorce in Mexico, as in all Spanish-American countries, is
unpopular, and the law is by no means indulgent towards its
being granted except under very exceptional circumstances.
In spite of their propensity for assimilating a great many
European ideas and customs, the Mexicans of the higher class
still rigorously maintain a great number of their own, and
the time has fortunately not come when one can sing with
the charming poetess, Catherine Fenshawe —
" Such pains, such pleasures now alike are o'er ;
And beaus and etiquette shall soon exist no more.''
The ladies of Mexico in particular are very punctilious as to

QUESTIONS OF ETIQUETTE 193
the observance of certain rules of etiquette, especially in
regard to new arrivals. It is the new-comer who is expected
to make the advances, just the reverse of the custom with
English people; and if he or she neglects to do so, then
social ostracism is certain to be the penalty. Thus, a new
arrival in any City or town of Mexico, although his or her
advent may be known to every man, woman and child in the
community, and may have been publicly discussed for weeks
beforehand, must solemnly announce the fact in print, and
send a copy of such communication to everybody of con
sequence in the town. No one is exempt from this : newly-
accredited Ministers, diplomats and other distinguished visitors,
in fact anyone and every one who is desirous of being received
into the local society. Letters of introduction are also
de rigueur, and while the average Mexican is invariably polite
and courteous to the stranger, he is only friendly and
hospitable to the individual bien recommende. In this respect
he is like every other Spaniard that I have ever met. It
makes his acquaintance all the more worth cultivating, for it
means that he is discriminating in the choice of his guests
and particular — very — as to whom he introduces to his women
folk. While the more conservative heads of some of the old
Mexican families still maintain rigidly their privacy and
reserve, neither visiting nor receiving any but their most
intimate friends, the emancipation of the younger generation
has proceeded apace. Whereas a dozen or twenty years ago
no Mexican lady would descend from her carriage when
shopping, but would expect the storekeeper to bring out all
his wares to exhibit before her — no matter how inconvenient
to him or to the passers-by — to-day Mexican ladies conduct
their bargaining at the counters, like their less monastic sisters,
and otherwise attend personally to all their household require
ments. They go about unattended, instead of closely veiled
and with a ' duenna '; they play golf, tennis and even attend
polo matches, as spectators only bien entendu ,• they send
their girls to school instead of educating them at home, and
generally pursue the lines of European or American women.
Perhaps so violent a wrenching away from the time-honoured
customs of their grandmothers was somewhat of a shock to
vol. i. 13

194 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
their more conservative relatives ; the same effect waB produced
upon parents of the Early Victorian Era, when British maidens
threw off the yoke and became " new girls." If something
has been lost, and some "modern women" have adopted
methods which repel rather than attract, and abuse a freedom
which they have not yet learned to understand, something has
also been gained. Women, both in Europe and Mexico, are
more companionable, more dependable, and more healthful
than they were ; they are less like slaves, and the life which
they live is more in accordance with their position as man's
companion. It was a long time before Mexican ladies took kindly to the
purely British custom of " five-o'clock tea." To do them bare
justice, they did their best to approve of the social duty, and
to join in with these Anglo-Saxon
" Matrons who toss the cup and see
The grounds of fate in the grounds of tea."
But in the end a sort of compromise at all such functions has
been arrived at. In addition to the beverage which cheers
but does not inebriate, and which to the average Mexican is
an exotic and more of a medicine than a luxury, champagne
is nearly always served, or some other sweet wine, for the
ladies, and sherry for the men. The modified "five o'clock"
now suits every one, and promises to become a permanent
institution. In courtship, " playing bear" — that is, standing outside the
window of your inamorata for hours on the chance of catching
her attention and favour — is equivalent to our " walking-out,"
and both forms are practised among the middle and lower
classes only. The numerous ceremonies incumbent upon
those individuals who indulge in courting among the higher
classes of the community would require a whole volume to
describe in detail. Proposals only come about after a lengthy
term of courtship, and by mutual consent. The first overtures
are made to the father, if there is one, or to the mother if
there is not, the girl coming-in only after permission has
been given by the parent or guardian. Marriage is not a
sine qua non to courtship, and many an interchange of love
passages ends in nothing serious, and neither side considers

COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE 195
the collapse of the negotiations as " jilting." The greater the
difficulties of communication between the lovers the more
vigorously do they pursue their meetings, for, " pleased with
the danger when the waves rise high, they seek the storms."
It has been said by an observant Mexican that were the
youths and maidens of his country to exhibit as much talent
and ingenuity in their respective callings as they do in reach
ing one another, their American and other foreign competitors
would have a hard time in keeping up with them. Escape
from his parents' house at the witching midnight hour, climb
ing of his novia's walls, hiding for hours in barns and behind
house-corners play prominent part in the young Mexican's
wooing. Disguises, false impersonations, swoonings upon the
part of the fair lady, hysterics at appropriate moments,
prayers, petitions and pathetic appeals to stern authority all
form part of the proceedings, and even " elopements," when the
obtaining of the parental consent is, perhaps, only a question
of time and marriage upon the most prosaic and respectable
lines would follow as a matter of course, are exceedingly popular
with the romantic young men and maidens of modern Mexico.
Letters delivered by means of balloons, spare or stolen latch
keys ; the bribing of servants and duennas, and all other
methods known to those " who in courtship dream but in
wedlock wake," are practised to the fullest extent.
The girls of a family are usually very carefully watched by
their parents or guardians, and are afforded but little real
freedom as Europeans understand the term. Letters ad
dressed to them are almost invariably opened and read before
passing into the hands of the addressees.
Nevertheless many surreptitious billets-doux escape the
scrutiny of the watchful parents, and the excitement of
receiving and answering forbidden letters is especially sweet
to the youthful correspondents.
The faithful swain is subjected to all sorts of penalties to
prove his fidelity, such as abandoning the habits of smoking,
drinking or gambling ; attendance at Church at stated
intervals ; payment into the saving's bank of some well-
known saint, and the purchase of certain remembrances —
perfume, gloves or dulces — for the fair exacting one. This
goes on for a full year before any kind of engagement is even
13—2

196 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
spoken about. Then the platonic gives way to the serious
part of the courtship, and finally parental objections being
overcome (if they exist) the day is named and the "bear"
comes into his own. From that moment all the romance
dies out, and the cold prosaic pursuit of married life com
mences. Shopping in Mexico generally — but not to-day so much in
the Capital as was the case at one time — is a matter requiring
much forethought and finessing. Unfortunately, it is not
always possible to rely upon the integrity of the vendors,
who often have one price for the Mexicans and another, very
much higher, for the stranger within their gates. Several
times this has happened to an American lady of my acquaint
ance, who, in spite of her very non-Mexican appearance,
speaks Spanish perfectly. She assured me that on two or
three occasions she had overheard the proprietor of an
establishment instruct his assistant to show her some of last
season's goods and to charge her "American prices."
Although many of the establishments mark their goods
in " plain figures," these must not be accepted as final.
Negotiation, if conducted with sufficient spirit and determina
tion, usually results in some kind of compromise, which the
vendor calls " special discount." But call it by any name he
likes, he has to yield it, and the purchaser is not generally
particular about the term employed. When one goes shop
ping in Mexico it is certainly a case of caveat emptor.
A veteran smoker once declared that to smoke a cigar
through a mouthpiece is equivalent to kissing a lady through
a respirator. Nevertheless the practice is very commonly
indulged-in in Mexico, and cigarette smoking is conducted
in the same way. Practically every man and many women
smoke, the habit being, as in all Spanish countries, second
nature with the great majority of the inhabitants. At early
morn the practice is commenced, and continues almost
unintermittently through the entire day. The Mexicans are
somewhat wasteful, too, in their smoking, for those who do
not use mouthpieces generally discard their cigarette before
they are two-thirds finished, and the ends litter the side
walks of the streets and the patios of the houses. The
Mexicans have not as yet contracted the unpleasant habit of

TOBACCO SMOKING 197
chewing tobacco, so popular with Americans of a certain
class, nor do they take very much snuff — a habit of our
grandfathers and even our grandmothers. Cigarettes are so
cheap that few take the trouble to make their own. Under
the chapters dealing with tobacco-growing and tobacco-manu
facturing I give particulars of the cigarettes sold in Mexico.
The native-grown leaf is preferred to any of foreign origin,
and connoisseurs declare that certainly there is nothing finer-
grown than Mexican tobacco. Just as our forefathers ten
dered their snuff-boxes to their friends or acquaintances, so
do the Mexicans proffer their cigarette-cases ; and it is con
sidered impolitic to refuse, even if one be a non-smoker.
One sees but very few pipes in use, though occasionally
perhaps among some old Indian man or woman. The cigarette
is universal ; the cigar quite common. All the employees in the
banks, counting-houses and many of the shops, the soldiery,
the police and the Government officials, are permitted to
Bmoke during business hours, and freely avail themselves of
the privilege.

CHAPTER XXII
Hotel accommodation — Schemes for improvement — Kates, etc. — Bailway
hotels — Establishments in Mexico City — The Sanz — The Palace —
The St. Francis — The Iturbide— The Eeforma— The San Carlos—
The Gillow, etc. — Provincial hotels — Charges and accommodation —
Restaurants in Mexico City — Sylvain's — Chapultepec Cate — Boarding
establishments — Prices of foods — Drugs, perfumery, etc. — Provision
ing the city.
The first brilliant and confident idea which occurs to the
average visitor to Mexico, or to the business-man in search
of a " scheme," is — " What a grand opening for a Hotel !"
He speaks of his notion with bated breath to a few intimates,
fearful lest so original a conception should gain publicity and
should thereby encounter rivalry. But he soon finds that
he is the last of a long list of promotors having precisely similar
notions, and he pursues the scheme only to discover that
hopeless obstacles beset his path.
First and foremost, the necessary land in the necessary
position at the necessary purchase price is unobtainable. Land
in Mexico City located in every eligible district is so closely
held, and even when offered for sale is rated at such inflated
values, that a Croesus might hesitate before closing with an
offer. Secondly, the question of furnishing a hotel, when
once it is built, is a most serious one, owing to the heavy
import duties levied upon all classes of furniture, fixtures,
decorations and materials. Thirdly, the all-important Bervant
problem must be confronted, and here, above all, hopeless
failure seems inevitable, for good European servants cannot
be induced to remain in Mexico, even when bound by solemn
contract endorsed by the Consul, and Mexican servants are
impossible. Thus, to use an Americanism very appropriate
to the occasion, the man with the hotel idea " falls down "
198

o

HOTEL ENTERPRISES 199
on every phase of his project, and he retires discouraged
whence he came.
That the hotel scheme has at last found some backers, and
that a house has been built at length, does not in any way affect
my observations, because the individuals who have performed
the feat are not visitors or strangers to Mexico, but some of
the most prominent Mexican business-men in the Republic.
One of them was the owner of the much-coveted land upon
which the edifice has been built ; another was a Government
official with great influence and " friends at Court," while all
who participated in the enterprise are capitalists. That the
hotel, "to be conducted upon the most approved European
principles," will succeed is to be hoped ; but the much-vexed
servant question has by no means been satisfactorily settled,
nor do I believe it likely that it ever will be. Efforts to train
servants of Mexican nationality have always proved unsuc
cessful from European and American ideas, and not all the
capital nor all the influence nor all the ability of the astute
gentlemen who are behind the latest hotel enterprise will
succeed in converting " a sow's ear into a silken purse." The
famous M. Ritz of London and Paris hotel celebrity was
consulted on the question of running a modern hotel at
Mexico City ; and even he failed to see where complete or
even partial success could be achieved in view of the domestic
servant problem.
So far as the building and the equipment of the new hotel
are concerned, there can be little doubt that everything pos
sible is being done. The situation is unique, being at the
corner of the two finest thoroughfares in Mexico City, viz.,
the Pas6o de la Reforma and Bucareli facing the bronze
equestrian statue of Charles IV., and with a magnificent
sweep of roadway before it. No less a sum than $1,250,000
(£125,000) is being expended upon the building, there being
about 300 rooms in the 5-story edifice, the ground alone
having cost $700,000, say £70,000.
The Railway Companies of Mexico with terminals in the
City have long cherished the idea of constructing conjointly
a large central hotel for the accommodation of transient
travellers and tourists ; but the idea has hitherto failed to
find concrete form. I have seen the plans for a gigantic

200 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
8-story building to be erected as a railway hotel in Dallas,
Texas, and something of a similar nature was at one time
projected for Mexico City. The National Railway has already
erected a modest establishment at Oriental, having vainly
endeavoured to induce others than themselves to undertake
the scheme. I am afraid that the National Railway has found
the enterprise rather less profitable than it hoped.
The owner of some mineral-water springs at Tehuacan, on
the Southern Railway Company's system, was to construct
a hotel there, having formed a syndicate with a capital of
$600,000 (£60,000) for the purpose, and certainly no resort
more requires good hotel accommodation than Tehuacan.
Up till now Mexico City with all its European innovations,
North American comforts and conveniences and general up-to-
date character, has failed to provide a really first-class hotel.
There are, it is true, many establishments to be found which
describe themselves as " first-class," but probably few outside
their proprietors would be prepared to swear to that descrip
tion upon oath.
The Sanz and the St. Francis are the two most expensive
hotels in the City of Mexico, but not necessarily, therefore,
the best. The former is favourably situated in the business
section, and faces the site of the new National Theatre, now
in course of erection. Although at present, and probably for
the next two or three years, the neighbourhood derives but
little advantage beyond a terrific noise caused by the legion of
men at work on the building, as soon as it is erected the new
edifice will materially add to the attractions of the Sanz Hotel
locality, already enjoying the proximity of the beautiful
Alameda, probably one of the finest public parks in the new
or old world. The St. Francis, a moderately new building, is
located further towards the residential part of the City, and is
a well-conducted, clean, but expensive house.
By far the choicest situation is that of the Reforma, located
on the Pas6o de la Reforma, and the greater part of whose
windows look out upon that incomparable thoroughfare. The
building requires considerable repairs and alterations, which,
I understand, the proprietor, Dr. O. Nibbi, an accomplished
and courteous host, would be willing to introduce if he were
able to procure a tolerably long lease. He has, however, a

HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS 201
difficult landlord to deal with, during whose lifetime, prob
ably, little can be done.
Another hotel, quite close at hand, is the Pan-American,
with a very few sleeping-rooms and only poor attendance, but
a magnificent front view of the Pas^o. The Astoria, also on
the Pas6o, is a glorified boarding-house with a limited amount
of space, but unlimited charges for accommodation. The
principal establishments situated in the centre of the busy
city, and, therefore, preferred by a good many visitors to
Mexico, include the Iturbide, a vast but somewhat comfortless
building, formerly belonging to the great Iturbide family
which gave an Emperor to the country. The Iturbide Hotel
answers to what is known as an " apartment-house," the
numerous rooms, single or in suites, being rented furnished
by the day, week or month. No meals are served by the
management, visitors being free to dine or sup where they
will. The neighbourhood being amply supplied with
restaurants they find no difficulty in this direction. The
San Carlos, which adjoins, is really part of the same build
ing ; the Bazar ; the Coliseo ; the Gillow ; the Guardiola (now
known as "Kingman's) ; the Jardin, with a very attractive
garden, but a poor outlook for the majority of the bedrooms ;
the Palace, a commodious and well-furnished building suffering
greatly from the noise proceeding from three streets which it
faces ; Porter's, also located in one of the noisiest streets of
the City — namely, the San Francisco ; the Bristol and Sonora,
an old-fashioned and rambling building having rooms with
unhealthily low ceilings and unsuspected, dangerous stair
cases ; and several others of less moment. The cheaper classes
of houses are frequently met with, but they are mostly pat
ronized by middle-class and working customers, and are little
more than eating and boarding establishments.
Of Restaurants, the City possesses a fairly good number,
and several with first-class cuisines. The establishment par
excellence is that of the Chapultepec Caf6, situated at the
entrance to the beautiful Chapultepec Park, with its historic
Castle. Here the fashionable throng foregathers on Sundays
and feast days to partake of luncheon ; and it is here that the
principal banquets and similar social entertainments are held.
The cuisine is certainly good, if not sufficiently varied.

202 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
Sylvain's is a second edition of the " Cafe"-de-la-Paix," in
Paris, and since it was rebuilt and refurnished is regarded as
the best restaurant in the City, and fully equal to that of
Chapultepec, which is outside the City. The Cafe- de Paris is
noted for its excellent fish, and is worthy of its high reputa
tion. The Cafe" Colon is well known for the fine string-band
which plays there nightly, but its cuisine would seem to be a
secondary consideration. The Iturbide Restaurant, indepen
dent of the Hotel of the same name, is a well-conducted and
moderately-priced establishment, owned by a very courteous
Frenchman, who, with the characteristic good sense of his
countrymen, looks after the comforts of his customers by
attending to them personally. The restaurant is alfresco, and
here also an admirable string-band, with some blind but
highly-talented musicians composing it, plays at luncheon and
dinner daily. The Guardiola, or Kingman's Restaurant, is
very popular, especially so with supper-parties, and is well
looked after by the proprietor, Mr. Kingman. The Jardin
Restaurant offers good value for the humble $1.00 (2s.) in the
shape of either luncheon or dinner, and is considerably
patronized at all times. The St. Francis Restaurant, attached
to the Hotel of that name, is moderately good, but the tariff is
high. Porter's, Gambrino's and Bach's are fair of their kind,
but neither ranks as absolutely first-class.
The provincial hotels, with some notable exceptions, such as
the Franco at Zacatecas and the Richelieu at Durango, are
cheap, but very comfortless. The rates vary from $3 to $5
(Mex.), say, 6s. to 10s. a day, which include bedroom and
three meals, without wine or baths. Their situations are usually
in the middle of the busiest thoroughfares, the attendance is
extremely poor and the food essentially Mexican, which means
that many dishes, mostly of a greasy nature, are served at the
selfsame moment, and consisting of as many as nine or ten
different meats and vegetables. Fish is but seldom served,
and when it is found it is rarely fresh. It is difficult to
procure any special cooking, even when extra payment is
offered. The proprietors of the hotels are much in the hands
of their servants, to whose moods and whims they are veritable
slaves, and any additional or unusual work demanded of them
may lead to their prompt departure in high dudgeon. Thus,

COST OF LIVING 203
while the managerial spirit may be willing; the flesh is, of a
necessity, weak.
" The cost of living " in Mexico is a very difficult question
to determine. Not only do people differ considerably as to
what is meant by the words " dear " and " cheap," and
construe them according to the manner in which their bring-
ing-up enables them to look at the prices of things, but the
different localities must be taken into consideration. When,
therefore, public writers declare that " the cost of living in
Mexico is expensive," they as often as not refer to their
experiences in Mexico City, and take no heed of the vastly
different charges for almost all kinds of articles of food, house
rental and domestic service which obtain in large provincial
towns such as Guadalajara, Puebla, etc., etc.
To be fair, however, and to afford some accurate idea of
what it actually does cost to live in Mexico, each State should
be separately treated — for the conditions prevailing are totally
unlike — and due regard should be paid to the social condition
of the individual seeking or supplying the information. I do
not propose to do more than afford my readers, who may be
interested in the question, some cursory knowledge of ordinary
market prices which rule in Mexico City. Even here, how
ever, I may point out that the figures vary considerably from
day to day, and every housekeeper finds it impossible to
regulate his or her expenses to any given standard, a wide
margin having to be allowed for the seasons, for instance,
when certain classes of goods are plentiful or scarce ; to the
number of religious fiestas, at which periods very little market
produce comes to the cities ; and to numerous other con
tingencies with which European or American purchasers
seldom concern themselves.
No doubt Americans, who are accustomed to pay rather
heavily for all necessaries, house - rental, food, laundry,
domestic service, etc., and who experience the delightful
novelty of getting two Mexican dollars in exchange for every
American dollar, at first consider that they have come to a
housekeeper's paradise. But the delusion soon wears away,
and they find themselves face to face with many expenses
upon which they never calculated, and certain drawbacks to
perfect comfort and convenience which they escape almost

204 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
entirely in their own country. Less so is this the case with
European visitors, or settlers, in Mexico, since the prices of
things here are more regulated to the standards of European
markets than to those of the United States.
Houses in the City of Mexico are undoubtedly dear — that
is to say, houses suitable for well-to-do people who like several
bedrooms, baths and other necessary arrangements. The
rentals, which vary with the locality, may be put at from
$150 to $500 (Mex.) a month, say $75 to $250 (U.S. Cy.),
or £15 to £50. Furnished Apartments and unfurnished
viviendas, i.e., flats, again, differ considerably, being de
pendant upon the locality. In the city, or business portion
of Mexico City, one may obtain from 3 to 6 rooms, unfur
nished, at one-half the figure that one would have to pay in
any one of the new " Colonias." Such accommodation in any
of the provincial towns, such as Leon, Oaxaca, Guadalajara,
Monterey or Tampico, could be found for, probably, one-third
the prices asked in Mexico City.
Boarding is moderate, first-class accommodation being
obtainable at numerous well-kept establishments (American,
English, French and German) for about $50 (say, £5) per
month ; while many of the restaurants will arrange board
at from $30 to $40 monthly. The fare provided is generally
very good, but not elaborate. Domestic Service, with which
subject I deal very fully in a separate chapter, is both expen
sive and unsatisfactory ; and in fact forms one of the greatest
trials of the housekeeper's life. It is customary in Mexico to
pay the landlord at least one month's rent in advance, and
foreigners making but a short stay are sometimes asked to
pay one-half or even the whole amount due before taking
possession. In some cases where the whole rent is not forth
coming a surety is demanded, and aB to-day landlords are the
masters of the situation and the tenants the suppliants, these
arrangements have of a necessity to be complied with.
Sureties, however, are not always easy to be obtained by new
or unknown comers, and this not unseldom proves the rock
upon which the negotiations split.
The real expensiveness of living in Mexico comes when one
has to clothe oneself and one's family, and provide general
household supplies.

PRICES OF COMMODITIES 205
English clothes, boots, saddlery and harness, hats, gloves,
and under-linen, when obtainable, are from one to one and-a-
half times as expensive as at home. Thus, a £3 3s. suit in
England would cost from £5 5s. to £7 7s. here, and not
very well made at that. English saddles are priced at £21
(no doubt cheaper ones can be found, but I never came across
any), boots for ordinary wear are from £1 10s. to £2 per pair,
and riding-boots from £4 to £6. Neckties and gloves, hand
kerchiefs and shirts are from 50 to 150 per cent, higher than
we pay at home. American goods are somewhat less, the
duties remaining the same, but the goods are of a rather
inferior grade, while American manufacturers are contented
with smaller profits, and pay less freight on account of the
lesser distance for transportation.
Women's wear, French goods, hats, gloves, laces and such
like wares are much about the same as one would pay in Europe ;
but dressmaking, I understand, is somewhat cheaper, because
all labour in Mexico is less well-paid than in Europe or the
United States. Furniture, much of which comes in from the
United States, is at least 50 per cent, more than one would
pay for it in America, and what local furniture is made is
generally of a fine and even luxurious nature (there is a
factory, for instance, at San Luis Potosi, which turns out as
excellent articles as one would find in either London, Paris or
Vienna), and is consequently very expensive. All such ap
pointments as gasoliers, electroliers, wall-papers, stoves,
kitchen utensils, lavatory equipments, etc., etc., range from
25 to 50 per cent, higher than at home, articles of native
manufacture, strangely enough, being almost as highly-priced
as those which are imported.
In regard to food-supplies, as I have said, the market prices
are as elastic as the consciences of the vendors who recom
mend their wares. The Mexican trader is no more rapacious
than his American or European brother ; but, then, he is no
less. Fruit and vegetables are practically the cheapest things
that one can buy, except, perhaps, flowers, which are both
plentiful and extremely beautiful. Strawberries can be pur
chased all the year round at from 25 c. (6d.) to 50 c. (Is.) a
large basketful. Bananas, pineapples, mangoes, avocado
pears, small tree-pears, lemons and plums are plentiful in

206 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
their proper seasons, and cheap. Vegetables, such as pota
toes, cauliflowers, sweet potatoes, peas, beans, yams and
tomatoes are sold at about the prices ruling in England and
America ; if anything, somewhat less. Eggs are sold at
50 centavos (Is.) a dozen, and lean chickens at from 25 cents
(6d.) to $1.00 (2s.) a-piece. Turkeys I have seen Bold in the
country towns at from $3 to $5 (say 6s. to 10s.), and at $8
(16s.) in the City. In the latter case I fancy the fair pur
chaser knew less about the value of the birds than was
desirable ; but she appeared to consider that she had secured
a " bargain," and the vendor cordially agreed with her.
Milk costs from 15-18 cents (say 3£d. to 4Jd.) a litre, or
about 1 quart. Beef is 30 cents (7d.) a lb., pork 35 cents
(8|d.), mutton 30 cents, veal 30 cents, and bacon and lard
40 cents (9Jd.) a lb. ; Mexican flour is 7 cents a lb., and as
the duty on American wheat was last year increased from 1J
to 3 cents a kilo (about 2£ lbs.), little but Mexican flour is now
purchased. Sugar of native manufacture is 11 cents a lb.,
and all American groceries, of which an immense amount is
disposed of annually, are from 50 per cent, to 100 per cent.
dearer than in the United States.
All medicines and patent drugs are very expensive, the duties
being exceptionally heavy and the chemists' profits enormous.
Thus, Eno's Fruit Salt, which costs 2s. 3d. in England, costs
4s. 6d. in Mexico, while Cockle's pills, lO^-d. size, are charged for
here 75 cents = Is. 6d. All foreign mineral waters are from
50 per cent, to 75 per cent, higher than the selling price at
home, while foreign soaps, powders, perfumes, etc., etc., are
priced at similar advances on ordinary prices. French per
fumery and soap manufactures have a very considerable sale
in Mexico ; of British goods of this description one sees but
little. The victualling of Mexico City has of late become quite a
proposition, but so complete are the arrangements generally,
any breakdown in the order of things is seldom encountered.
Whereas formerly every particle of produce had to come into the
City on donkey- or mule-back, now the railways bring in prac
tically everything which is perishable. Every incoming train
bears at least one and often aB many as five express provision
cars, laden with vegetables, fruits, milk, and dead meat. Still

_ RMbm> ¦¦¦¦ -i — i-

V-r N> ">• >\..+ ),,

Port OF TOPOLOBAMPO: Western terminus, Kansas City, Mexico and Orient R

Railway. — see p. 273.

Surf bathing at Cuvutlan (State of Colima.

PROVISIONING THE CITY 207
a good traffic is done on the old and picturesque Viga canal,
which is, in the early mornings, quite busy with craft laden
with vegetables of every description, grown outside the City,
and with fruits from a long distance-off. The milk supplied
to the City is, on the whole, pure and good, although many
new-comers are warned against lurking fever-germs and the
irrepressible microbes. Personally, although a daily and
greedy consumer of milk, purchased in the City and out of
it, I never found anything deleterious or detrimental to health
from drinking it. Large dairy-farms are located just outside
the City boundaries, and theBe also supply a good deal of
butter, other consignments coming from the United States.
Poultry, always purveyed alive and literally "kicking," is
sent in huge quantities from the neighbourhood of Queretaro
or nearer points. Beef-cattle principally comes in alive, and
is slaughtered at the abattoirs within the City boundaries, and
from these is distributed to the various retail markets. Most
of the provisions for City consumption are consigned in the
first place to the " middleman," and distributed by him to the
small and large retail dealers. The railroads of Mexico have
rendered possible the feeding of the City with considerable
ease, and the system of distribution and collection is improving
every day.

CHAPTER XXIII
Mexican domestics — Chinese the best servants — Scarcity of female help
— Strikes among hotel staffs — Servants in Government offices —
Mexicans and Egyptians compared — Types of street vendors — Seller
of dulces — The ice-cream vendor — Street cries — Callings, costumes
and customs retained from generation to generation — Native courtesy
— Extravagance among working-classes — Some near resorts and their
attractions.
Those of us who may yet remember the ancient but kindly
tyranny of the good old family servant, of the " mammy "
who loved and chided us at uncertain intervals, who would
have gladly sacrificed her life to our safety and comfort, and
who tended us in sickness and pain with a devotion no less
beautiful or real than that of a mother for a child, can but
regret that the days of such household treasures have flown,
never more to return.
It has, ever since the days of one's childhood, been customary
to hear the ladies of one's family deploring the shortcomings
of the domestic help, bemoaning the wickedness of the cooks,
the depravity of housemaids and the shocking propensities
of " John the footman " or " Charles the coachman," to say
nothing of that imp of darkness the page-boy. That many of
these complaints were frivolous and insincere seems certain
in the light of latter-day experiences, and many a worried
matron of to-day who turned adrift some helpless menial for
this or that breach of propriety or for some slight dereliction
of duty, would give much to have that same delinquent back
again, her failings notwithstanding.
If the servant question is acute in England, as we are being
continually assured — and I well believe — is the case, it is no
less real or serious in Mexico. Every writer who has visited
the Republic, and especially the many lady authors, have
208

THE CHINAMAN AS A DOMESTIC 209
descanted upon the domestic problem ; but none of them have
said all that they might have said or have been able to suggest
any remedy for the one great drawback which succeeds in
robbing home and hotel-life of real comfort.
It may be said with truth that the best servants to be found
in Mexico are the Chinese. There is here, as elsewhere, a
fundamental prejudice against the yellow man (such a thing
as a Chinese female servant is not to be found outside of
China itself), the idea still prevailing among the majority
that — " For ways that are dark™
And for tricks that are vain
The Heathen Chinee is peculiar."
Personally I do not share that prejudice, having found the
Chinaman in all parts of the world equal in honesty, sobriety
and kindliness of heart to most servants, and infinitely
superior to many. In Mexico, Chinese cooks are very often
met with both in hotels and private houses, and many ladies
of my acquaintance declare them to be the best obtainable.
" Cheap Asiatic labour " may be denounced by the Socialist
abroad and misrepresented by the ignorant Member of
Parliament at home ; but it would be a sad day for Mexico if
the Chinamen were banished from the home of the private
individual or from the ranks of the railway contractor.
Orientals are welcomed in the Republic as useful and peace
able citizens, even if they are not cherished as " Christian
brothers." Servants of all classes in Mexico are growing more inde
pendent. I have the assurance of innumerable housekeepers
for that. The factories and shops as well as commercial
offices are bidding for female labour, and domestic service
suffers accordingly. The average woman-servant is often untidy
in appearance and uncertain in temper. Rarely does she
evince any interest — even of the most academic description —
in her daily tasks, and any — if even the mildest — reproval
sends her to join the ranks of the " revoltosas." If a cook
she spoils your expensive food ; if a housemaid she ruins your
good furniture ; if a laundrymaid she destroys your beautiful
linen — there being no finality to the damages which she
accomplishes nor the worry which she occasions. The
vol. i. 14

210 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
wealthiest are just as badly off as the humblest of house
keepers, and high wages are no safeguard against bad service,
dishonesty or ingratitude.
Wholesale strikes among the staffs at both hotels and at
private residences are not uncommon, the servants leaving
their employment without any previous warning, and being
entitled by the law of the land to demand the wages due to
them up to the time of their voluntary departure.
In handling their female servants, one of the greatest
difficulties experienced by ladies is to induce them to wear
their hair dressed. The prevailmg fashion among Mexican
female domestics is to allow their coal-black, well-oiled hair
to flow in luxuriance down their backs, unconfined even by a
single comb. Sometimes it is divided at the back, and falls
down in two long, ugly plaits ; but either style is unsuited
to a well-ordered servant, and is strenuously objected to by
most employers. The neatly-attired domestic, in simple
black dress with a clean white cap and apron, is sometimes
met with, especially in British and American households ; but
these cases are rare.
Mexican men-servants will seldom consent to wear livery,
preferring to perform their duties in ordinary costume, and
frequently in their shirt-sleeves. Even in some aristocratic
households, such as the establishments of high Government
officials, wealthy bankers and others, the indoor men-servants
are found in undress, as are the coachman and footman out
of livery when on the box.
In the Government offices some of the most decrepit and
seedy-looking attendants are employed, being, no doubt,
some worthy old pensioners, and well-trusted on account of
long years' faithful Bervice. But there would seem to be no
sufficient reason why a clean collar, a respectable pair of
boots and a coat free from rents and grease-spots should be
incompatible with a pensioner's respectability or integrity.
As against the disadvantages in domestic servants to which
I have referred, must be mentioned many instances of faithful
and loyal service, and long, uninterrupted years of devotion
upon the part of some Mexican dependents, especially of the
mozo class, men who have, perhaps, grown up as children
upon certain estates, and from which only actual banishment

MEXICANS AND OTHER RACES 211
or death could remove them. Such are still to be met with,
but I am afraid that they are becoming more and more
obsolete. The Mexicans of past generations have been compared by
experienced travellers to the early Egyptians, and many points
of striking similarity undoubtedly exist between these two
widely-separated people. No less remarkable is the similarity
of this interesting race to the Indians, both in their personal
habits, their appearance, and the persistency with which they
follow their family callings. In India a fruit-seller is always a
fruit-seller, and aims at being nothing else. The same may be
said of all trades — potters, water-carriers, jugglers, masons,
bakers, and undertakers. In the East it is largely a matter of
caste, and no Vaisy'a (husbandman) would think of following
the calling of a Sudra (agricultural labourer), anymore than a
Shatri'ya would wish, or be permitted, to enter the ranks of
the Brahmins (the sacred order). All the thirty-six inferior
classes, who are known by the different-coloured seals painted
on their foreheads, follow from generation to generation the
callings of their fathers.
The Mexicans, without attaching the same semi-religious
importance to this congenital custom, observe to a great
extent the same traditional laws. A cargador — the man who
carries heavy furniture and luggage about the town — if he has
a dozen sons will bring up each and all of them to become
cargadores. The seller of dulces (sweetmeats) hands down his
calling and his little tray on wheels to his male successor, if
he has one ; only rarely will you see a woman selling dtdces in
Mexico. The carpenter and the mason, the butcher and the
baker, the tinker and the tailor, proceed upon the same
unwritten law, from father to son, from one generation to the
other the immutable custom is observed.
Moreover, the same curious fact in connection with trades
is to be observed in towns and villages from one end of the
Republic to the other. While this town is occupied entirely
with the plaiting of straw hats, in which pursuit every man,
woman and child is engaged, the next one is devoted to the
making of baskets. A third is composed of cotton-spinners, a
fourth of makers of artificial flowers, and a fifth of manu
facturers of saddlery and harness. Never will you find any one
14—2

212 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
town or village competing in the same line of industry with a
close neighbour, and for the past three hundred years and
more this strange observance of traditional industry has been
in force. Historians record the same thing of the ancient
Egyptians, and, as I have mentioned, throughout the East
the custom also prevails to-day. Even in their costumes and
styles of head-gear they remain faithful to their forefathers'
examples, and while a certain monotony is thus undoubtedly
occasioned, it serves to facilitate identification, more especially
when the different trades and callings followed have their
peculiar street-cries.
These latter are anything but musical, and indeed one class
of street-vendor, the seller of ice-creams, which confections
enjoy considerable vogue throughout Mexico, utters a long,
mournful wail, which, when first heard, conveys the idea that
the possessor of that voice is in mortal agony. Every one of
these ice-cream vendors wears precisely the Bame costume,
carries the same coloured pails on the head and the same tin
frame with glasses in the hand, utters his cry at the same
stated intervals and parades the streets at exactly the same
hour every day of the week, not varying any one of his habits
by a hair's breadth from one day to another. One may
almost tell the time of day, indeed, by the appearance of the
man, always heralded by his dismal voice, so punctual is he in
his wanderings through the town. Thus firm is tradition's
hold upon the Mexicans.
Courtesy with the native Mexican is inherent, whether he
be peon or patrician, and even when declining to grant a
request he can be as polite and gentle as a veritable Chester
field. I have heard travellers complain that all this exhibi
tion of courtesy is superfluous and unreal, thus disagreeing
with Emerson, who declares, in his " Social Aims," that
" life is not so short but that there is always time enough for
courtesy." They even find fault with the Spaniard's formal
expression, " This house, sir, is yours," declaring that the
speech is meaningless and empty ; probably nothing short of
a bill-of-sale over it and its contents would satisfy them.
Anyhow, the Spanish gentleman's declaration, " Su, casa,
senor," is as sincere as our social greeting, " I am so glad to see
you," or " I hope you are quite well," both of which expres-

NATIVE COURTESIES 213
sions, in the majority of cases, are pure humbug, uttered by
individuals who don't care one rap whether they ever look
upon our face again, and feeling not the remotest interest in
our physical condition.
Considering their intercourse with foreigners and their ready
assimilation of foreign manners, it is a little surprising to find
how the Mexicans maintain their national courtesy and polite
ness. With all due respect to the foreign element in Mexico,
and while acknowledging their many excellent qualities, it
must freely be admitted that the majority that one meets are
not of the creme de la creme, and consider suavity of manner
and the practice of the more gentle methods of intercourse
unbinding upon them. The difference between the Mexican
and the Anglo-Saxon is that while the latter is as a rule polite
and considerate, even he can on occasions be abject to the
class he considers his " superior," the former is invariably
courteous to all classes alike, and only cringes when he fancies
that he has done wrong and is about to be punished.
I have witnessed the most touching acts of deference
between the peons, and have sometimes yearned that such
exhibitions of native politeness could be brought before the
notice of those critics who condemn the peons of Mexico as a
despicable people.
Young persons almost invariably kiss the hands of the more
elderly in bidding them adieu, and I have seen young men
respectfully raise their hats and touch with their lips the
hands of the more elderly among them when parting from or
meeting with them. True, the hands have mostly been dirty,
and, personally, I should not have liked to have touched
them ; but that is mere fastidiousness, a sentiment which
has little significance or vogue among the peon classes of
Mexico. Upon another occasion, while seated in a Pullman-car wait
ing at a country railway-station, I witnessed the arrival of a
party of Indians, wild, dirty and unkempt in appearance, dressed
in mere rags, and each carrying a huge bundle or a baby.
They were pedlars, and of the lowest class ; probably strangers
to the town and entirely unaccustomed to town ways and
manners. One of them, a woman, depositing her bundle upon
the platform, went to the railway restaurant and purchased

214 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
a large pitcher full of pulque. Bringing this to her thirsty
companions, it was first offered to the most elderly ; but she
declined the courtesy with a graceful wave of her hand. Still
insistent, the bearer of the pitcher pressed her companion to
drink, which she then did, carefully wiping the rim of the
pitcher with her tattered shawl before passing it on to her
neighbour. Thus it went round the circle, and at the
termination of the carouse the two men of the party, who
had imbibed last, bid adieu to the others, holding their
battered hats in their hands, and lightly touching with their
bearded lips the hands of their companions before departing.
The spectacle might have amused many people, considering
the grotesquely ragged appearance of the actors ; but to me it
was intensely pathetic, and made a deep and lasting impression
upon my mind as well as serving as an object-lesson.
The love of ostentation, especially in regard to religious
ceremonies, is not confined to the more wealthy classes of
Mexico, any more than to those of European countries. In
England, a working man has been known to expend his last
shilling in giving a " first-class funeral " to his departed
relative ; and many a humorous tragedy of this description
can be told by the average East End clergyman, whose
remonstrances in the majority of cases are vain. While I was
in Mexico City, the same day witnessed the lavish expenditure
by two different members of the community upon religious
ceremonials connected with their Church, one a baptism and
the other a burial, an expenditure which I am convinced
neither of them could afford.
The first was that incurred by a clerk, or " shopwalker,"
in the employ of a furnishing establishment, earning but a
few hundred dollars a month, and who requisitioned the
costly services of the Apostolic Delegate (Monsignor Randolfo)
to baptise his son.
Possibly his Eminence may have graciously given his services
free of charge ; but the expenses involved in decorating the
Church of San Hipolito with costly flowers and 3,000 extra
electric lights, providing handsome purple hangings for the
altar and choir, and the co-operation of eight different priests,
must have meant a heavy outlay, and one which no ordinary
furniture- shop clerk could well withstand.

PLEASURE RESORTS 215
The second instance of extravagance was even more remark
able. Here the spendthrift was a common railway labourer,
named Jose" Reyes, who actually paid over $400 (£40) to bury
his father with becoming grandeur. The coffin cost $200, the
Government had to be paid $100 to enable the body to be
removed out of the Federal District, and other incidental
expenses amounted to $105.00 odd. The man who died was
an ordinary peon, and so was the son who buried him, and
paid all the expenses. The latter earned less than $1.00 (2s.)
a day, and it had taken him over 1,000 days, or nearly
three years, to save up the amount necessary.
There are but few countries which offer more numerous or
more delightful resorts for City residents and visitors than
Mexico. It may be said generally that each large City in the
Republic has its own attendant suburban resort, such as Popo
Park for Mexico City, Lake Chapala for Guadalajara, Topo
Chico for Monterey, and charming Cuernavaca for everybody.
A great many foreigners resident in the capital find its eleva
tion, 7,349 feet above the level of the sea, somewhat trying
after a few months' continuous residence, and a change to a
lower altitude becomes desirable, if only for a few days. For
these individuals there is, then, a variety of beautiful spots
not any great distance away — if I except Lake Chapala, prob
ably the most agreeable of any — among which to choose for a
short or long stay.
Very different is this agreeable possibility to the comparative
isolation of the residents of Buenos Aires, in the Argentine, who
have no place to which they can fly except Mar-del-Plata,
on the shore of the Rio de la Plata, an ugly, sandy and barren
spot, twelve hours' train journey from the City, and whose
only attraction is a gambling-hell. The Valparaiso residents
have one resort only, namely Vino-del-Mar, which is also a
desolate and unattractive place, and closed for six months
out of the year. The Mexicans themselves, and the numerous
tourists who now visit the country from all parts of the world,
find an ever-changing delight in such beauty-spots as I have
mentioned — Popo Park, Topo Chico and Cuernavaca ; but
there are many others — Tehuacan, Orizaba, Cordoba, Lake
Patzcuaro, Cuautla, etc., etc. Most of these resorts were the
favourite places of residence of the old Aztec kings, the

216 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
Spanish Conquerors and the ill-fated Emperors Yturbide and
Maximilian. There is nothing new about any one of them,
and that fact, in my mind, constitutes one of their principal
charms. For my own part I would just as soon reside in Mexico City
in the summer as in the winter months, for I have found
both seasons of the year very agreeable. There is a popular
notion, born of ignorance and lack of experience, that Mexico
City is in a tropical region, and therefore abnormally hot in
summer. As a matter of fact, a more temperate climate than
that throughout the Mexican Plateau could not be found in
the wide world — and let me add that I have lived under every
kind of clime from Dan to Beer' Sheba. Blankets are neces
sary at night all through the so-called " hot-season." The early
mornings are cool, crisp and invigorating, and when rain does
fall, it is almost invariably in the late afternoon and passes
away within an hour or two, leaving the sky free from
clouds and the atmosphere almost intoxicating in its purity
and freshness. The most delightful months of the year are
June, July and August, September being the fag-end of the
rainy-season, and usually finishing up with several wet days
consecutively. For the rest of the year, the rainfall is only
intermittent, and never very troublesome on the Mexican
Plateau.

CHAPTER XXIV
Street nomenclature — Difficulties of identification in Mexico City — Latter-
day improvements — New style of building — Avenidas and Colonias —
Clubland — Jockey Club — American Club— British Club — Foreign
Clubs — Native Clubs — Casino Nacional — Casino Espanol — Some
distinguished members — .Chinese clubs.
The Mexicans, like all Spanish-American nations, perpetuate
in the names of their streets, squares and public places, the
honoured names of their patriots, their statesmen, and great
national events in their history. In every Spanish- speaking
country in the Americas you will find the "Cinco de Mayo "
(5th of May) distinguished by at least one and probably
several streets thus named ; while warriors, both military and
naval, have all their memories kept green by the busy
thoroughfares being named after them. In Buenos Aires there
is the Calle BartolomG" Mitre ; in Valparaiso and Santiago the
Calle O'Higgins ; in Venezuela, Uruguay, Peru and Ecuador,
the number of streets named " Trente-Tres " (i.e., Thirty-three),
called after the body of patriots who helped to free those
Colonies from the thraldom of the Spanish Crown, is
strikingly large.
In Mexico the custom of naming thoroughfares has been
singularly erratic, and it would seem that the privilege
accorded to the civic authorities or the local government
have been greatly abused in the past, with the result that in
Mexico City particularly the greatest difficulty has been
experienced by strangers in finding any one locality, and any
assistance from residents has been just as hard to obtain.
Heretofore the districts of the City have been divided into
North and South, or East and West, with numbers and
alphabetical denominations attached. Thus, one would have
217

218 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
to find out "Calle Sur 36 A" (say "South Street 36 A"),
or " Calle Juarez Sur B 12 "; while in other localities each
separate block of buildings had its individual name or the
same name perpetuated with Nos. 1, 2, 3, etc., etc., for each
block and a number for each separate house. The most busy
and important street in Mexico City, the Calle San Francisco,
was divided into " 1° San Francisco," " 2° San Francisco,"
and " 3° San Francisco," each being numbered from " 1 to
20," or whatever number of houses the block contained, the
odd numbers on one side and the even on the other.
Additionally, one had to struggle with " £ " and " £ " on the
numbers, "inside" and "outside," all contributing considerably
to the general confusion, which was not lessened by every
house in the City having an identification number running
into the thousands. A residence, say, situated in the Calle
Liverpool, might be " No. 5," but it would also bear upon its
portals in huge figures " No. 1768." Even old residents in
the City found the practice of thus numbering the buildings
a great trouble, and new-comers were bewildered from the
moment they arrived until the day that they left.
Fortunately all this confusion is being abolished, and in a
short while, if the improvement, indeed, has not already
become general, the street names of Mexico City will be
simple and easily identified. All old name-plates are being
removed, and the new ones affixed in their place. Proper
names will be substituted for those of unpronounceable
Indian origin, and such appellations as " The Street of the
Holy Ghost," " Body of Christ Avenue," and " The Street of
the Immaculate Conception," will no doubt become things of
the past.
Some of the most astounding names upon street-corners
confront the visitor, calculated indeed to shock him or her
not a little if possessed — as I trust the majority of my
readers are — of religious feelings and due respect for sacred
names. For instance, one may see in Mexico to-day such
signs as these : " The Hang-out of John the Baptist," " The
Retreat of the Holy Ghost," " The Delight of the Apostle,"
"The Retreat of the Holy Virgin," "The Sanctuary," " The
Place where Christ Had a Good Time." Many of these
names adorn the horrible pulque-shops which abound in the

Railways of Mexico. — The BuenaYista Terminus, Mexico City ; belonging to the
Central Railway. — see p. 258.

Railways of Mexico.— The Inter-oceanic Station, City of Puebla belonging to
the National lines of Mexico. — see p. 281.

STREET NOMENCLATURE 219
cities of the Republic. Others are less blasphemous and
more suggestive of the establishments which they adorn, such
as the " Seventh Heaven of Delight," " A Dream of the
Beautiful Moon," the " Land of the Lotus," the " Delight of
Bacchus," the " Food of the Gods," and " A Night of Pure
Delight." Several grocery and dry-goods stores, all of
which bear some distinctive name or other, are known as the
Delight, the Springtime, the Progress, the Future, the Great
Cheap Place, the Bargain, the 20th Century, the Iron Palace,
the Citadel, the Port of London, the City of Paris or the
Heart's Content.
In the east end of the City, there are still some few
thoroughfares named after animals — thus, " The Rats' Alley,"
" The Dogs' Lane," etc., etc., which are neither harmonious
nor attractive.
The new order of street nomenclature embraces the
designation of the thoroughfares after well-known and distin
guished statesmen, such as Juarez, Porfirio Diaz, Comonfort,
Limantour, Escandon, etc. The City has been further
divided into zones, belonging to the Federal Government, and
a neat but distinct name-plate will be attached gradually to
every corner. The electric-light standards, which are erected
in every street of the City of any importance, have been
utilised to designate routes of tram-lines, railways, telephones,
electric-light, gas-light, etc. Thus, red indicates the Mexican
Telephone Co. ; red and white the Mexican Electric Co. ; white
and yellow the National Electric Co. ; green and red the
Mexican Gas and Light Co. ; blue and yellow the Mexican
Central Railway ; blue and white the Interoceanic Railway ;
green the National Railway; brown the Federal District
Railway ; blue and red the Hydro-Electric Co. ; and pale
rose-colour the Knight Electric Light and Power Co. Besides
being a clear indication of the various lines, the bright
colours, neatly painted on the poles, lend an additional
cheerfulness to the streets and open spaces.
All main avenues are now named and numbered consecu
tively right through, as is done in all European and
American cities, and any public building which occupies
a space there will bear the name of the particular avenue.
Thus, the Avenue wherein stands the Palace of Justice is

220 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
known as " Avenida del Palacio de Justicia." Nothing could
be more simple nor more sensible.
Some of the modern avenues in Mexico City are in every
way worthy of the names which have been bestowed upon
them. The Avenida del Cinco de Mayo is already half-
filled with stately buildings, among which the Mutual Life
and the Palestina structures take prominence, while a third,
constructed for La Mexicana Life Insurance, will be a land
mark for many years to come. Above all, however, will be
the superb new National Theatre, now undergoing construc
tion. It will undoubtedly be one of the very finest edifices of
its kind, vieing with the Opera Houses at Paris and Vienna
and La Scala at Milan.
With the exception of Santiago (Chile), no Spanish-
American city possesses more Clubs than that of Mexico.
Carlyie had but a poor opinion of "clubs" in general, and
probably that cynic would have thought little more of those
of Mexico City. But the members thereof find them very
agreeable and patronise them largely, as well as extending
their hospitality to all strangers who come within their gates.
Clubs are as popular to-day as they were in the days of the
Egyptians, the Persians, the Greeks and the Romans. They are
about the first thing that the Anglo-Saxon race concern them
selves with when establishing themselves among foreigners.
No doubt the main idea of the "club" was, as Carlyie tells
us in his " Frederick the Great," the outcome of the laws of
chivalry ; and if modern institutions can make but small
pretence to follow in the same direction, sojourners in a
strange land would find their lot extremely dull and un
interesting if the modern club, defective as it may be, were
non-existent. The loss would be felt no less by the many
travellers and birds of passage who nowadays flit from
country to country and from town to town around the wide
world, and who, provided their credentials are sound and
their manner moderately agreeable, are extended a welcome
everywhere by their own countrymen or by those of some
other land whose hospitable walls shelter them during their
sojourn, whether it be long or short.
It is not only for the higher classes — the more intellectual,
cultured or wealthy — that Mexico City finds club accom-

CLUBS AND CLUB LIFE, 221
modation. Almost every grade has its rendezvous and its
recreation-room, the interests of practically all classes being
represented. All the foreign colonies have houses, the
Spaniards, the Americans, the British, the Germans, the
French and others, these establishments being entirely social
and recreative, politics forming absolutely no part of their
proceedings. Indeed, that is one of the strong points in
favour of Mexico's foreign population — augmenting day by
day in both quality and quantity. By common assent all
abstain from interfering in the politics of the country which
shelters them, and thus do they show their great, good
common sense.
For the young and frequently impecunious clerk the club
house in a foreign land is a great benefit. Here, although,
perhaps, tempted to drink rather more than he should and
to spend more than he can afford upon reciprocating hospi
talities, he finds himself able to read the best books and
magazines without it costing him anything, to eat good
dinners and drink good wines at moderate prices, and to find
plenty of companions of a congenial character without having
to haunt public places. Moreover, if he be a man of moderate
means only, he is pretty certain to find others similarly placed,
and ready to fall in with his ideas of economy and modest
habits. As a matter of fact, the member with a restricted
income enjoys the same facilities and meets with the same
amount of attention — not altogether of the best, I may say, in
Mexican Clubs — as the more wealthy among the members.
The real democracy of Mexican Club life is as apparent as in
New York itself.
Taking into consideration the tips which he saves by dining
at his club instead of at restaurants ; the reduction of from
15 to 25 per cent, upon the cost of his wines, spirits or
mineral waters ; the ability to conduct all his private or other
business there, if he chooses, thus obviating the necessity
for an office; and the free use of all necessary stationery,
etc., etc., a clubman should find a decided economy in living,
to say nothing of the undoubted pleasures of a luxurious and
comfortable home.
Of native Clubs there are probably some fifty or more,
such as social, medical, legal, literary, artistic and dramatic,

222 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
while, as I have said, almost all other classes of the com
munity, the butchers, the bakers and the candlestick makers,
have their clubs and their weekly or monthly assemblies.
Music, dancing and sporting associations have theirs; and
altogether the Mexicans are a very "clubbable" people, and
pass nearly all their spare time in each other's society.
Even the ladies have their particular rendezvous, there being
two or three women's clubs and numerous teachers' associa
tions. Of the numerous Church and Jesuit organisations I
know but little, for the members are, naturally, very averse
to outside introductions, and the stranger is but seldom invited
to their meetings.
In point of importance and stateliness, the Jockey Club,
is facile princeps. It inhabits a superb old Spanish house in
the Calle San Francisco, the principal and most fashionable
thoroughfare in the whole city, and it is considered the most
aristocratic Club in Mexico. To be elected a member, if only
for a few weeks, is considered a distinct compliment, and is
much appreciated by foreigners of all nationalities. The whole
exterior of the building, which possesses one of the most
superb stone staircases to be seen anywhere, is covered with
white and blue-coloured tiles and beautifully carved stonework.
Some of the most famous names in Mexico are associated with
the foundation of the Jockey Club, such, for instance, as
General Pedro Rincon Gallardo (the Mexican Minister to the
Court of St. James's), Sefiores Francisco Algara y Cervantes,
Francisco Zamora, Manuel R. Rubio, Manuel Soavedra and
the Hon. Jos6 Yves Limantour, Minister of Finance, who is
the President of the institution.
The Casino Nacional is another celebrated club, having
upon its members' list the names of most of the distinguished
men of Mexico for the last quarter-of-a-century. Its first
President was Romero Rubio, the father of the most charming
lady in the Republic — the wife of President Porfirio Diaz, and
himself a very distinguished and amiable diplomat. Sebastian
Camacho, a very deeply-respected and enormously wealthy
banker and financier, Pablo Macedo, Alfredo Chavero,
Antonio Pliego Perez, and many other equally well-known
men, were formerly distinguished as Presidents of this Club.
The Casino Espanol, in Esperitu Santo, is perhaps as fine

BRITISH AND AMERICAN CLUBS 223
a building in every way as the Jockey Club, and archi
tecturally there is probably but little to choose between them.
The Spanish Colony is the richest of any in Mexico, and it
is but right that they should have a lordly pleasure-house.
There are over 700 members, and the finances of the estab
lishment are practically inexhaustible. Among its more
prominent members are Senores de la Torre (son-in-law of
the President of the Republic), Mendoza Cortina, Ricardo
Sains, Jose" Mario Bermejillo, Pedro Suiniaga, Tel6sforo
Garcia, Antonio Bosagoiti, Saturnino Santo, Delfino Sanchez,
Ramon Fernandez and the President, Valentin Elcoro. There
is a second Spanish Club, having a membership of 800,
occupying a building at the corners of the Calles Mon6da and
Seminario. The King of Spain is one of the members.
The British Club, which has its house in a former private
residence of some Spanish grandee, but much modified to
meet present requirements, opens its hospitable doors to all
subjects of his Britannic Majesty. Within its cosy quarters one
may always feel certain of meeting some " good fellow," and
of an evening its walls re-echo with the merry laugh and the
jolly jest, for the British community of Mexico City are a
jovial lot, and make the best of life and of everything. On
frequent occasions the Club holds " Smokers," and no more
agreeable evening can be passed anywhere than at one of
these " impromptu " entertainments, where everything is so
admirably arranged beforehand. That, at any rate, is suffi
ciently " Irish " to pass for British. The musical programmes
are invariably good, and the company even better.
The American Club, which last year went into new and
very handsome quarters in Independencia, is a delightfully
attractive house, well managed and usually well filled by
good-natured, hearty and hospitable representatives of the
Stars and Stripes. Probably the Membership of the American
is among the largest in the Republic, and if all the members
were to take it into their heads to assemble at the same hour
on a given day, possibly many of them would have to find
accommodation on the roof. Although called the " American "
Club, as a matter of fact there are a good many members of
other nationalities on the list, and very comfortable they find
their quarters.

224 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
The German Club occupies some handsome rooms at the
corner of Colegio de Ninos and Independencia. The same
kind of patio, which forms so great an attraction at the
Jockey Club, may be found here, the trees and flowers giving
an air of luxury and beauty which the members and their
many guests thoroughly appreciate. The reading-rooms,
billiard-rooms, dining-room, bar, library and ball-room are
all of handsome dimensions, and in the last named are held
a number of agreeable social entertainments during the course
of the year.
The French Club is on Calle Palma, and also has a fine
patio, and all the necessary accommodation to make it a com
fortable and attractive place of resort. The French element
has of late years become exceedingly influential, and many
of the members of the community have amassed considerable
fortunes, principally through banking and finance. Very
attractive and well attended entertainments are given here
by the members to their friends, and on the " 14th July," the
great National French holiday, the whole Club is lavishly
decorated from top to bottom. With their natural good taste
and innate courteous hospitality, the French make as excellent
hosts and charming companions in Mexico as they do every
where else.
Even the Chinese, who form no inconsiderable or unworthy
part of the heterogeneous collection of foreigners in Mexico,
have their Clubs, there being two in the City of Mexico alone.
One is at the Plazuela Tarasquillo, and the other at 1015,
3a Calle de Colon. The appointments of these houses are
thoroughly comfortable, and the conduct of the various
members above reproach. The first-named club has the
countenance of the Chinese Charg6 d'Affaires, Liang HBun,
who, indeed, opened it in March of last year. There are, at
present, between 300 and 400 members. Being very fond
of weird, soft music, as may be heard in their own Flowery
Land, one of the principal attractions at the Chinese clubs
are the hidden orchestras which play during dinner hours
and in the evenings. The effect of this curious, concealed
music is singularly soothing and delightful, and visitors who
have once listened to its charm are always ready and anxious
to repeat the experience.

CHAPTER XXV
Hospitals and charitable institutions — Federal and State control — Mexico
City's principal hospitals and charities — The American hospital —
Doctors and physicians — Fees charged — Public places of amusement
—Theatres — Music-halls — Games and pastimes — Golf — Spanish ball
— Bowling — Mexico City teams.
Had Oliver Wendell Holmes, the famous American essayist
and unconventional humorist, known anything about the
conduct of hospitals, especially those to be found in the
Republic of Mexico, he never would have allowed himself to
write : "I firmly believe that if the whole materia medica
could be sunk to the bottom of the sea, it would be better for
mankind and all the worse for the fishes."
It is not unusual for great writers to scoff at the medical
profession, at least until such time as they may require their
services ; and then occasionally they change their opinions.
Certainly no one who has had any experience of the merciful
and beneficent institutions having for their object the care of
the sick and the dying would join in this senseless condemna
tion, and might even feel some indignation at its utterance.
Well-managed hospitals and many free dispensaries exist
throughout the Republic, and both the Federal and State
Governments look well after the bodily ailments of the poorer
classes. Upon many of the large haciendas, likewise, medical
service is provided free ; while upon some others a small fee,
amounting to a few centavos only, is demanded from the
poorer patients, so as to prevent any abuse of the privilege
taking place. Usually, the peon will not call in a doctor
except in extreme cases, believing more in the efficacy of the
priest than of the medico.
The principal hospitals in the City of Mexico are the
Concepcion Beistigui, the Hospital del Divino Salvador, the
vol. i. 225 15

226 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
Hospital de J6sus Nazareno, the Hospital Municipal Juarez,
the Casa de Maternidad, La Cuna, the Hospital Morelos,
the Hospital de San Andre's, the Hospital de San Hipdlito
and the Hospicio de Pobres (the building of which has lately
been demolished and the hospital moved elsewhere). Most
of these establishments were originally founded by pious and
charitable individuals during the time of the Spanish occu
pation, but they have since passed into the hands of the
municipalities, by whom they are maintained and conducted.
Perhaps the oldest of all is the Hospital de J6sus Nazareno,
founded by Herfian Cortes in 1590, and almost entirely sup
ported by money from his own purse. The Hospital del Divino
Salvador was established in 1698, for the care of mad women,
and has been in use for this purpose ever since.
La Cuna is a foundling hospital, and was established by
Archbishop Lorenzaga in 1766, being supported by his alms
as long as he lived, even when he had left Mexico and had
returned to Spain. The Hospicio de Pobres is largely
patronized, its main support coming from the funds or the
profits of the Public Lottery, which, no doubt, indirectly helps
to bring many of its votaries sooner or later to the poor-house.
The American Hospital, a comfortable building situated well
away from the traffic, is an admirably conducted institution,
an immense boon to the community at large ; for although
called the " American " Hospital, it admits and tenders
patients of all nationalities. The best attention and most
skilful treatment are to be met with there. Patients pay what
they can afford ; and so well are they looked after that the
majority are loath to leave its cleanly, comfortable, and
cheerful roof. The terms are reasonable, and the accommoda
tion provided is the best of its kind. I can only compare
the American Hospital in Mexico City to that other admirable
institution, the British Hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina,
the two establishments having much in common, both in the
character of their management and their popularity.
The medical profession in Mexico is efficiently represented,
not alone by the native doctors, the great majority of whom
are both cultured and competent men, but by a large number
of graduates from the United States. Taken as a whole, I
know no country where the practice of surgery and general

Mexico City Tramway's. — Type of modern Funeral Car. — see pp. 232-6.

Mexico City Tramways. — Type of Passenger Shelter. — see pp. 232-236.

MEDICAL MEN AND FEES 227
medicine is more thoroughly-well carried out. Moreover, the
fees charged are extremely moderate, the usual medical fee
being $2.00 (4s.) or, if the attendance be at night, $3.00 (6s.).
In a great many cases the doctors attend the poor without
asking or expecting any remuneration, and a great deal of
kindness is experienced from the large body of practitioners
to be found in the Republic.
I cannot but compare this state of affairs with that prevalent
in Brazil. Here not only are the majority of Brazilian doctors
grossly ignorant of the first essentials of their profession, but
they are permitted by law to demand whatever fees they
please, and even to refuse to give their services without
prepayment. I remember one practitioner who for three
attendances, where no special skill or treatment was demanded
or granted, asked a fee of £5. He assured me that but for
the fact that I was " a friend of a friend of his " his fee would
have been £15.
In Mexico my medical attendant at the termination of
seven visits, some of which had extended well over an hour,
asked me but $14.00 (say £1 8s.), or at the rate of 4s. a
visit. This fee did not include any dispensing; but then
neither did that paid to my Brazilian attendant. In the one
case, also, the doctor was a highly-qualified graduate of
Columbia, U.S.A., and a gentleman ; while in the other it was
a case of a very ordinary practitioner and — a Brazilian.
The theatres of Mexico City, if not perhaps numerous in
proportion to the inhabitants, are found sufficient ; and, when
the new and magnificent building, the National Theatre, now
being erected, is completed, which will be in 1910, the Capital
will have about the finest and most luxurious play-house to be
found in any part of the world. The Teatro Principal, situated
in a business street and with a far too narrow entrance, has
existed since 1753, undergoing several alterations, including
an entirely new facade and a glass awning. The perform
ances given here are not first-class, neither are the audiences ;
but the place is well worth visiting as an example of a real
Mexican play-house, unaffected in any way by the encroach
ment of foreign ideas or of foreign compositions.
The Teatro Renacimiento, located in the Calle de Puerta
Falsa de San Andres, is the most fashionable play-house at
15—2

228 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
present, and will probably rank always as a favourite theatre
among the elite of Mexican society. Here are performed
Italian and French opera, and high-class Mexican and foreign
comedies. The seating capacity of the house is about 1,900.
The Teatro Arbeu, situated in the Calle San Felipe', is a
tolerably modern house, dating from 1875. It is frequently
used by American theatrical Companies, and is fairly com
fortable ; the acoustics are tolerably good.
The prices of admission to Mexican theatres are based upon
the number of acts which constitute the representation. It is
possible to pay for the whole performance or for such portions
of it as one may select. The prices vary, but average about
25 centavos (6d.) an act, or tanda ; and a money-taker passes
through the alleys where the audience are seated and collects
from each one the amounts due between the acts. All sorts of
refreshments, sometimes supplied by very soiled and tattered
attendants, are offered during the interludes, while drinks are
consumed at a bar located outside the auditorium. Smoking
is freely indulged in in all parts of the house, and the curious
spectacle is presented of the men donning their hats immedi
ately the curtain descends, reminding one strongly of the
scene in the House of Commons during question time, or in a
Court of Justice, directly the presiding Judge has disappeared
into his private room.
Besides the theatres there are several concert and music
halls, circuses, panoramas, and biograph shows ; while, of
late months, some enterprising Americans have erected a sort
of Earl's Court show, upon the grounds of the beautiful
Avenida de Chapultepec, which they call "Luna Park," and
where merry-go-rounds, switchback railways, peep-shows, etc.,
are indulged in amid the shrill and discordant noises which
usually accompany entertainments of this kind.
It seems regrettable, upon purely sentimental grounds, that
a concession should have been granted for this form of amuse
ment, since the neighbourhood is becoming rapidly a high-class
residential one, and is situated in the immediate vicinity of the
one fashionable rendezvous of the City. It is as if Barnum and
Bailey's " Greatest Show on Earth " or Lord George Sanger's
Circus were permitted to encamp in Hyde Park, or to erect
their tents within the sacred enclosure of Belgrave Square.

POPULAR AMUSEMENTS 229
Probably, had the matter been referred to the public as an
arbiter elegantiarum, the concession would never have been
granted. Practically every city and town in the Republic boasting of
a population of over 10,000 inhabitants has its own theatre.
Some of the buildings, such as those at Guanajuato, Guada
lajara, Parral and Chihuahua, are substantially stone-built
and elaborately ornamented, costing anything from $30,000
to $100,000 (say, from £3,000 to £10,000) apiece. Unfortu
nately, except when a first-class opera or theatrical troupe
visits the towns, the houses remain closed, and this means
that sometimes they are unopened for a year or so at the
time. For the poorer classes the theatres would seem to have
but little attraction, although Mexicans are keen and appre
ciative critics of good music and clever dramas. But they
prefer the excitement of the bull-ring, where also the prices
are lower and the length of the performance usually greater.
The Circus, likewise, secures more patronage than the theatre,
and while there are usually three or four circus troupes touring
the Republic at the same time, they would all appear to do
well, judging from the repeated visits which they pay.
The game of ball, known as " Frontons," is very popular with
the more educated classes, while football has of late caught
on amazingly in the City of Mexico, but it is somewhat
erratically played, and rather irrespective of the closest
Association rules and regulations. Races at the Indianilla
and Penon courses are held under the direction of the Racing
Association and of the Mexican Jockey Club. They are not
very first-class, but the betting is attractive, and is freely
indulged in.
Golf is a very popular game in Mexico, and in the month
of February 1905, six prominent professionals from the
United States visited the Republic for ten days, taking turns
at teaching local players how the fine Scotch game should be
played. The champions were Willie Anderson, holder of the
open championship of the United States three times ; Gilbert
Nichols, runner-up in 1904 contest ; Bernard Nichols, western
champion ; Alex and Willie Smith, two exceedingly graceful
and accomplished players, and George Lawson of Redlands,
California. Each year a tournament is held in Mexico City,

230 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
and this is attended by nearly every golfer from different
parts of the Republic, and by many prominent players from
the United States. Liberal cash prizes are given, and local
amateurs are poised with professional players, the matches
attracting a great deal of public interest.
The principal racing track in the City of Mexico is the
Peralvillo, and the course is under the jurisdiction and
supervision of the Jockey Club, which occupies a fine building
in the Calle San Francisco. The Racing Committee of the
Club have direct control, and are nominated by the Committee
of the Club. Until recent years, the efforts of the Club to
instil any permanent life into horse racing proved abortive ;
and in 1900 it came to a standstill altogether. In that year
it was found impossible to hold any Spring or Autumn
meeting, while the grandstand at Indianilla, after existing for
several years with more or less success, was torn down. A
new racing track is at present in course of construction at
the favourite suburb of Chapultepec, and no doubt the future
of the sport under the new auspices, and with the increasing
number of English-speaking residents attracted to Mexico
City, is brighter to-day than it has ever been before.
The game of Spanish-Ball is the national recreation of
Spain. In Mexico City it is played in a large court or
fronton known as Fronton Nacional, in the Calle Iturbide
near the Avenida Juarez. The players meet on Tuesdays,
Thursdays, Saturdays, and, of course, Sundays, as well as on
all public holidays or fiestas, of which there are a considerable
number during the year. The game commences at 3 p.m.
and 8 p.m., and the public are admitted at prices ranging
from $1.00 to $2.00, the seats being numbered and reserved.
Boxes cost anything between $5.00 and $10.00. Heavy betting
takes place on the game, and large sums of money not
infrequently change hands.
Bowling is much played by the British and American
elements, but so far has made only moderate headway in the
esteem of the Mexicans themselves. The game is played in
much about the same way all over the world, and I need
hardly say at one time it was the great national game in
England. The following teams form the League in Mexico City :

AUTOMOBILISM 231
Independents, National Railroads, Bachelors, Mexico Mine
and Smelter Supply Co., Mexicans, Insurance men, Mexican
Central Railway, Bankers, Professional men, and Directors of
the Young Men's Christian Association (who really established
the first bowling alleys in the City). Matches are held three
times weekly.
It is only within the ordinary course of events that wherever
Americans predominate automobilism should reign triumphant.
Americans far outstrip other foreigners in number, wealth
and influence in Mexico, and consequently some of the finest
motor-cars belong to them, although the opulent Mexicans,
always ready to follow a good lead, run them very closely in
regard to the excellence of their machines. Mexico City,
indeed, offers great inducement to use motors, since the
roadways are generally in first-class condition, there are no
speed-limits once outside the city boundary, and a number of
fine runs through the city and out to the open country being
available, while a superb stretch of road from Mexico City
to Toluca, a distance of some 73 kilometres, is a favourite
resort for those who like to make the pace and at the same
time enjoy some ravishing scenery. Another road is now being
built from Mexico City to Pu6bla, about 30 miles.
One of the handsomest machines, a superb 28 h.p. Mercedes,
is owned by the President, who makes good use of it. It
was a present to his Excellency from an admirer.
The first automobile house was opened by the firm of
Charles L. Seeger, in May 1901, and since then numerous
firms have been launched upon the same profitable business.
Careering about the City, in all the colours of the rainbow,
may be seen Mercedes, Panhards, Pope-Toledos, Cadillacs,
Fiats, Pope-Hartfords, Ramblers, Oldsmobiles, Reas, Duryeas,
White steam-cars, Franklins, Napiers, Wintons, and a number
of makes unknown as yet to fame. Owing to the large number
of accidents which have occurred in the City, the Governor
of the Federal District has recently introduced some strict
regulations as to limit of speed, leaving cars unattended in
the streets and carrying conspicuous number-plates, which are,
moreover, being rigorously enforced. Infringement does not
mean merely a fine, but imprisonment, and in some cases for
a sufficiently unpleasant period.

CHAPTER XXVI
Mexican City tramways — Early concessions — British company formed —
Wernher, Beit and Co.'s interests — System described — Increased
mileage — Track — Plant, rolling-stock — General Manager resigns —
W. W. Wheatly's services — Some former officials.
The first tramway launched in the Republic of Mexico was in
the year 1856, the undertaking being in the hands of a group
of influential but very inexperienced Mexicans, who, for years,
struggled in vain to make a financial success of their enter
prise. It was not, however, until 1890 that the wealthy
South African firm of Wernher, Beit and Co. entered Mexican
business circles, and formed a limited liability company to take
over the greater part of the existing tramway system, which
they gradually electrified and started upon its subsequently
highly successful career. Fresh construction and develop
ment proceeded in all directions, the company being efficiently
represented in the Republic by Mr. Breitmeyer. One by one
new electric traction-lines and extensions into the several
beautiful suburbs of Mexico City were opened to public traffic,
and to-day there are few parts of the city which one cannot
reach by electric car or by one of the different railway termini,
of which there are now 5 situated in various localities.
So much money was expended on the improvements of the
system, that I fear little went into the pockets of the share
holders, especially those holding the ordinary shares ; for
since 1900, when a distribution of 3 per cent, dividend took
place, the ordinary shareholders received nothing. Just at
the period when it might have been supposed that the
increased facilities afforded and the largely augmented
revenue would have resulted in something like a further
modest distribution taking place, the tramways were sold,
lock, stock and barrel to a new set of owners, a powerful
232

MEXICO CITY TRAMWAYS 233
Syndicate of Canadian financiers already in possession of the
Mexican Light and Power Co. of Mexico City, and who have
since extended their holdings to Pu6bla, their system to-day
covering 27 kilometres of street railway of standard gauge,
but single track.
The tramway system in operation in Mexico City consists of
about 160 miles of track, of which 90 are operated by electric
traction, 13 by steam, and 57 by animal-traction. That, at
any rate, was the position of affairs when the new owners
came into possession ; but I understand since that date
several additional mule-drawn lines have been electrified,
while further extensions have taken place in other directions.
It is now proposed to expend several million dollars upon
improving the roads, rails and rolling-stock, and the extension
of further lines ; while it is intended, if possible, to consolidate
into one central company the whole of the tramways of the
City of Mexico.
The Mexican Consolidated Electric Co., Ltd., which is the
designation of the new enterprise, was incorporated in London
towards the middle of last year, the capital being placed at
$8,000,000 (gold) (£1,600,000). The scope of the company's
operations, with which there is no competition, may be gauged
from the fact that the district over which they operate covers
an area of about 600 square miles, and has to-day a popula
tion of something like 650,000, a number which is continually
increasing. Very considerable economies will, for the future,
be effected in regard to the motive power used, since the
same operating company owns the vast electric power station
at Necaxa, which supplies the whole City of Mexico with its
electric light and power.
The tramway company at present owns a little over 600
cars, including electric and mule, and a considerable number
of new electric cars are on order. The newest type, which
was constructed from a plan made by the late General
Manager of the line, Mr. W. W. Wheatly, possesses many
excellent features, which cannot be met with in any other
part of the world. In every respect regarding comfort, light,
and accommodation, the cars of the Mexican Electric Tram
ways are the best that I have seen. The passenger traffics
have increased in a consistently satisfactory manner, and in

234 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
view of the great amount of new building going on in every
direction, especially towards the suburbs, there can be no
question that these traffics will continue to augment year by
year. The following figures show the kind of progressive
movement that has taken place during the past four or five
years :

Number of

Nett Profits

Year.

Passengers.

earned. $
825,459

1901

26,709,225

1902

31,132,032

961,958

1903

36,478,584

1,178,958

1904

42,602,194

1,393,711

1905

47,746,002

1,465,731

1906

50,000,000

1,724,000

I am not in possession of the figures for the current year,
but I have every reason to believe that they will show a very
high increase upon those of the preceding 12 months.
The Tramway Company conduct about 90 per cent, of the
funerals which take place in Mexico City, and, I am sorry to
say, the death-rate is a very heavy one. Funeral cars and
their trailers carrying the mourners are met with at all times
of the day en route to the Panteon de Dolores, the public
cemetery, and this traffic proves highly remunerative to the
Tramway Company. During the past few months the entire
funeral service of the Company has undergone a radical
change, mainly instituted by Mr. Wheatly before he resigned
the position of General Manager.
Elsewhere will be found illustrations of a funeral-car drawn
by mules and an electrically propelled car, both of which are
still run by the Company. To-day practically all the old
hearses (which are always open with the coffin fully exposed
to view) and funeral cars have been withdrawn, and the service
of the Company generally improved almost out of recognition.
As an instance of what has been done, I may say that the
old, shabby silk hats worn by mutes in many different
countries, and familiar to the public in this conservative land
for years, have been consigned to the dust -heap. The
motor-men who drive the funeral cars, as well as the atten
dants, are attired in neat mourning uniforms, with black caps
having a gold band around them, and a narrow gold braid
upon the uniform, to relieve its extreme sombreness. Even a

Mexico City Tramways — Ordinary passenger car.

Mexico City Tramways.— Interior of passenger car.

MR. W. W. WHEATLY 235
barber's shop has been instituted by the Company, where all
the funeral car employe's are shaved free of charge by a
professional barber, so that upon their journey they may
appear both clean and wholesome. Their shoes are likewise
blacked free of charge, and they are encouraged in every way
to present a smart appearance.
I have referred to the services rendered to the Company by
Mr. W. W. Wheatly, whose resignation from the position
of General Manager towards the beginning of this year
(February 1st) was received with very general regret. Mr.
Wheatly had been manager for 3 years, and as evidence of
the high esteem in which he was held by the British company
owning the lines, at the general meeting of the Mexico
Electric Tramways Co., Ltd. (before its final dissolution), Sir
Charles Euan Smith, the Chairman of the Board of Directors,
paid a high tribute to the services of Mr. Wheatly, accom
panying his observations with the substantial addition of a
cheque for £3,000.
Among the earliest improvements made by Mr. Wheatly
during his control of the system was the establishment of the
present electric signal station at the Zocalo, by means of
which hundreds of cars are taken out of that place according
to a schedule and dispatched to their various destinations
throughout the Federal District, the whole proceeding with
the utmost quietness and orderliness, and absolutely fault
lessly. During Mr. Wheatly' s management street accidents
were reduced to a minimum, as the safety of passengers
invariably demanded his closest attention. On all lines time
schedules were improved, and the manner of handling large
crowds on national and religious feast days was brought to a
point of perfection.
Mr. Wheatly's resignation was accompanied by the simul
taneous departure of Mr. James A. Pierce, General Superin
tendent of the Tramway system, and who, having been
connected with Mr. Wheatly for many years in various
capacities both in the U.S.A. and Mexico, resigned so as to
join him in his new enterprise, the Industrial Engineering
and Supply Co., of which I make mention elsewhere. Mr.
J. W. Sherwood, Assistant to the General Manager ; Mr. A. B.
Wells, Superintendent of the 1st Division ; Mr. John Moore,
Assis tant- Superintendent of the 1st Division ; and Mr. Frank

236 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
Loza, Chief Dispatcher at the Zocalo, all handed in their
resignations upon the institution of the new management.
In the City of Puebla active preparations are in hand for
electrifying the whole of the tramway system, under the
auspices of the Mexican Light and Power Co., who have the
monopoly here, as they have in Mexico City. No doubt, in
course of time electric traction will be introduced into other
States, such as Guadalajara, Oaxaca, etc., which are { at
present served only by mule-drawn vehicles. This latter
class of traction is prevalent in nearly every town of impor
tance throughout the Republic, some lines being from three
to four miles in length, at which distance from the cities
several railway stations are situated, notably in the case of
Leon and Cordoba.
As a general rule, the tramcars, although of a cheap and
unpretentious character, are found to be clean, comparing
favourably with those of a similar and even " superior " class
in the Argentine and Brazil. In both these latter Republics
many of the cars are so filthy that any passenger having
regard for his personal comfort and safety would hesitate to
ride in them. In no case in Mexico have I seen anything to
complain of in the way of lack of cleanliness. The mule-
flesh, also, is of a higher quality than that in either of the
Republics I have referred to. Without any compulsion from
the police, the owners of the tram-mules keep them in
thoroughly good order, the animals presenting the appearance
of being well-fed and cared for.
In the City of Guanajuato, the Tramway Co. has hitherto
driven a flourishing trade, since every passenger has from
necessity to make the journey from the railway terminus at
Marfil by this means to the City of Guanajuato, the tram-fare
being 25 cents. (6d.) for a distance of four miles.
Owing to the influence of powerful vested interests in the
City of Guanajuato, very severe opposition to the advent to
the railway has up till lately succeeded in keeping the scheme
in subjection. The spirit of progress, however, has now
proved too strong, and the Guanajuato tramways' monopoly
has none too soon been broken down by the advent of the
new branch of the Central Railway, which is now carrying
its line from Marfil right into the heart of the city.

CHAPTER XXVII
Sport in Mexico — "Wild-fowl shooting — Varieties of small game — "Wholesale
destruction of ducks — Favourable localities — Tarpon fishing — Mexican
and Florida waters compared — Notable catches — Big-game — Bear —
Deer — Peccary — Wild-cat — Jaguar — Mountain Hon — A good day's
sport — Cock-fighting — Value of birds — Methods of training.
The time will undoubtedly come when sportsmen from all
parts of the world will regard an annual visit to Mexico of as
much importance as bear-hunting in the Rockies, wild-game
shooting in Africa, or tiger-shooting in India. Game is found
practically all over Mexico, but naturally local conditions are
such that certain districts offer far greater attractions to
hunters than others. In considering the sport of the country,
it may be advisable to divide it into three sections — namely,
fowl, fish, and big-game. In regard to the former, I know of
no place in the Americas where such an immense number of
wild-fowl congregate : pelican, swan, goose, brant and duck
of every variety, snipe, curlew, and sandhill crane are found
by the millions. In one district, namely, that of Lake
Chapala in the State of Jalisco, hundreds of thousands of
duck are shot every year, and sport is here so cheap and so
easy that it is a marvel to me that it is not more largely indulged
in than it is. I feel certain that if the average American or
Englishman knew of the magnificent sport awaiting his gun in
Mexico, little could keep him from participating in it. Neither
does it vary much from year to year, the breeding of the fowl
being so regular that fine sport may always be depended upon.
A very favourite way of hunting ducks and geese is by
stalking them from a canoe. The rushes make it easy to
approach the feeding birds, while their tameness and their
abundance permit of a very large number of flocks being
stalked in the course of a day. About twenty mil^s south of
237

238 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
San Bartolo, in the State of San Luis Potosi, there are some
swamps formed by water from large springs, and here during
the winter season countless numbers of aquatic birds congre
gate. No license or permit is necessary to shoot them, but so
little interest is evinced in this sport that the birds are per
mitted to multiply indefinitely, and amount in number almost
to a nuisance. Somewhat further eastward, in the foot-hills
between the mountains and the Gulf of Mexico, may be found
a veritable sportsman's paradise, for here every kind of game
is to be met with, especially pheasants, of which there
are five varieties, varying in size from a pigeon to a turkey.
There is no close season in Mexico, and shooting can be
carried on at any time and in all seasons of the year, while
sportsmen are allowed to bring their guns and a limited
amount of ammunition free of duties at the border.
Of quail there are some six or seven varieties all belonging
to the partridge family. The bob- white or American quail is
found on the river bottoms and prairies of the Rio Grande,
where both the feed and the cover suit it. This bird prefers
the neighbourhood of human habitations. The blue Mexican
quail is somewhat shyer, and is more at home in the sage-
bush thickets of the sheep and goat ranges, where he displays
an astuteness and shyness in keeping out of range of the shot
gun that baffle many a shooter.
Massena partridge, an extremely beautiful and somewhat
rare bird, is also to be found in the foot-hills of the mountain
ranges that border the Rio Grande Valley, and usually in the
most solitary and desolate localities, where man but seldom
ventures. In the neighbourhood of Durango another variety
of partridge, much resembling the bob-white, is occasionally
met with, its habitat being on the rocky pine mountains,
where the blue quail is never seen, and usually found in
small coveys. On the peninsula of La Baja California, the
handsome valley quail of California abounds, while in the
State of Guanajuato a hybrid bird somewhat between a blue
quail and a bob-white is met with.
The prairie hen is sometimes seen on the dry plains of
Coahuila, but it is more a U.S.A. bird than a Mexican. In
the tropical foot-hill country of the Pacific coast a large
and beautiful variety of the quail or partridge is found, being

SPORT 239
locally known as " perdix." It differs notably in size and
appearance from other birds of its family, but somewhat
resembles the English partridge, except that it is larger. Its
body is plump and round, with the very smallest possible
vestige of a tail, the plumage being of slate-blue except on the
breast, which is a reddish-brown, while the head and back
resemble those of the wild pigeon. The " perdix " is a
strictly solitary bird, haunting the shady banks of the hot
country water courses, and when frightened, rises with the
whirr of the ruffled grouse, again dropping to the earth like a
stone after a very short flight. The Mexican jack-snipe is
very much like his English cousin or Wilson snipe, arriving
in September or October, and haunting the marshy places all
round the country, especially the lakes in the Valley of
Mexico, until March or April, when it takes flight for the
Northern breeding-places.
Upon the shores of Lake Xochimilco, where the President
of Mexico has a game preserve, to which foreign sportsmen
are occasionally invited, some of the finest snipe-shooting in
the world can be enjoyed, bags having been made there which
would seem exaggerated were they described. Doves and
wild pigeons, as well as golden plovers, known in Mexico as
" ganga," are also to be found here in abundance during the
season, and offering the finest possible sport. In the Sierra
Madre, a species of wild pigeon, much resembling the almost
extinct passenger pigeon of the north, is frequently seen by
the large game-hunter in flocks of from twenty to sixty, while
along the coast a pigeon approaching the size and resembling
in shape, colour, and square cut, the common domestic blue
pigeon, haunts the swamp country in small flocks ; it is locally
known as " patagon." It is a shy and wary bird, and offers
excellent sport to the patient hunter. The common white-
winged or sharp-tailed dove which abounds in hundreds of
thousands all over the Republic, is a slow flyer and is easily
" potted," but the sharp-tailed dove is a swift flyer, and calls
for a greater display of ability upon the part of a shot.
Among other birds met with in Mexico are several varieties of
the duck family ; wild swans, which come from the Arctic
circle and return thither at regular intervals ; the Canada-
goose, of both the gray and the white variety ; wild geese in

240 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
countless numbers, which are very easily shot owing to their
great weight and lazy habits, and a large variety of cranes,
storks, herons, and other aquatic birds. Of ducks it is
difficult to say how many varieties exist, and the reckless
slaughter of these birds which proceeds on the part of the
natives would shock a true sportsman in the Old Country.
They are not only blown up by dynamite, but regular holo
causts take place by trap-guns being set, hundreds of birds
which are never even collected being slaughtered at one
time. It is on record that on Lake Xochimilco more than
1,500 ducks were killed by a single discharge of one of these
batteries. The varieties of duck include the canvas-back, mallard,
red-head, sprig-tail, widgeon, bald-pates, and both blue and
green-winged teal ; while cinnamon teal, an exceedingly hand
some bird, is very commonly come across. The wild muscovy
duck, and another locally known as "pichechin," are found in
lagoons of the hot country. The green or wood ibis, and the
white or Egyptian ibis, also abound. In the green, shady
quebradas, where the water is very cold, the pheasants have
their haunts, and here may be seen the " faisan real " or
royal pheasant, the common pheasant, which is a much
smaller bird, weighing only from 4 to 5 lbs., and the
" chachalaca " or " cuiche." Parrots and other gaudy
plumaged birds exist in thousands, while turkey gobblers
are found from the Sierra to the sea ; weather, feed, water,
cover, and other conditions are favourable to their existence.
The common bronze wild turkey of Texas comes over to the
Northern States of the Republic at certain times of the year,
while in the western Sierra Madre a lighter coloured, but
equally large, turkey is commonly found, being known locally
as the white-rumped wild turkey. Large flocks of these birds
are seen in the State of Durango, as many as sixty being
counted in one drove. In Southern Mexico is found the
ocellated or Honduras turkey, and some other smaller and
lesser known varieties.
By means of much advertising and distribution of attractive
literature Florida has become known as the best tarpon
fishing-ground in the world. As a matter of fact, however,
infinitely better sport is to be obtained upon the coasts of

TARPON FISHING 241
Mexico than on those of Florida, and experienced fishers who
have tried both pronounce unmistakeably in favour of the
former. The fishing season is from November 1st to April 1st,
a time when the tarpon cannot be found on the Texas coast.
The first tarpon taken by rod at Tampico, of which there is
any record, were captured in 1899 by two Englishmen, whose
names are unknown. They came there by sailing-vessels
which touched at the port, and were introduced to the " gentle
art " by Dr. H. W. Howe of Mexico City, a well-known and
enthusiastic sportsman. It was Dr. Howe who caught what
was then regarded as the largest tarpon ever seen. It weighed
223 lbs., and was 6 feet 8 inches in length. Since then, how
ever, the same sportsman captured a fish 6 feet 10 inches
long, while the British Vice-Consul at Tampico, Mr. Wilson,
landed last season a magnificent specimen 7 feet 2 J inches, and
of this fish a photograph will be found elsewhere.
Dr. Howe and others agree that the best tarpon fishing in
the world is to be found in the Penuco river, at Tampico. The
tarpon is the gamest fish that ever took a hook, and in pro
portion to its size is as sporty as a 5 lb. black bass. Many
descriptions have been written by enthusiastic fishers of the
sport which the tarpon affords, who dwell eloquently upon the
"rise," "breaking water," the "lead" and "gaffed."
Columns of highly descriptive matter have been published
describing the struggles of the fish, which last from an hour
to three hours — much to the satisfaction, if to the fatigue, of
the sportsman.
Mr. J. A. L. Waddell, a well-known engineer of Kansas City,
Missouri, who has fished on the Florida and Texas coasts, has
stated that when he first went to Tampico in December 1899
he spent eleven days there fishing, and during that time he
landed 24 tarpon, 59 jack-fish, and 2 jew-fish, weighing all
told, approximately, 3,500 lbs., his largest tarpon measuring
6 feet 3 inches. He went there again in March 1900, and in
one day landed 6 tarpon averaging 5 feet 8£ inches in length,
in addition to a large number of other big fish. Upon subse
quent dates he made records equally as good, the last day, in
four hours, catching 35 jack-fish averaging 20 lbs. each in
weight. An expert fisherman has said that the art of tarpon fishing
vol. i. 16

242 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
consists in keeping a steady strain on the line until the
tragedy is over, or until the fish escapes, but by giving him a
moment's breathing spell he is rendered fresh and ready for
another battle. If it were not for the splendid sport which is
afforded, tarpon fishing would really be hard work — aptly put,
it is said that there is more fight to the pound and more
pounds to the fish in tarpon than any other thing taken with
hook and line, and the glittering silver sides, as they sparkle
and shine just above the splash, lend beauty to the episode
already brimming with life and excitement.
Apart altogether from the magnificent fishing which it
affords, Tampico and the vicinity prove decidedly attractive to
the sportsman. Sea, surf and river fishing can be found
under ideal conditions, while in the winter furred and
feathered game abounds. Surf-bathing, fresh tropical fruits,
strange fresh customs and conditions, a delightful climate and
beautiful scenery all attract and divert the sportsman.
I regret to say that the same indiscriminate slaughter of fish
goes on in Mexican waters as that to which I have already
referred in connection with duck-shooting. Of recent years
there have appeared a number of so-called " sportsmen "
from the U.S.A. who have pursued most reckless methods
in fishing, even going to the extent of shooting, when within
range, with revolvers. Their efforts have been confined mainly
to trying how many fish they can slaughter, a circumstance
which would disgust most sportsmen who never attempt to
make a record in killing. The true sportsman is an artist,
and his ambition is usually, with the lightest line and smallest
hooks, to endeavour to secure as much sport as possible from
the killing of his fish by skill in the handling of delicate
apparatus, just as the same man in shooting birds would use
a 12-16 bore instead of an 8 bore or swivel-gun. No doubt
the Mexican authorities will endeavour to control the indis
criminate killing of fish and game which has been going on
now for some time. Unfortunately, however, there are no
game laws in Mexico with the exception of two or three States,
and even there they are honoured more in the breach than the
observance. Up till recently the game of Mexico has been
afforded sufficient protection on account of high price of
ammunition as well as the fact that the large landowners

Sport ix Mexico.— Tarpon caught hy Mr. H. W. Wilson, British Vice-consul at
Tampico, April 6th 05, measuring 7 ft. i\ in with mouth closed. Weight 200^ lbs.

BIG GAME SHOOTING 243
only afford permission to hunt on their lands in exceptional
cases. Big-game hunting in Mexico has been in vogue for many
years, and probably, with the exception of Alaska and Canada
and some of the Government and private preserves of the
U.S.A. where game is rigidly protected, there is better big-
game hunting in Mexico than elsewhere in North America.
Strangely enough the Mexicans themselves care very little for
this kind of sport, and do nothing to protect game. In the
Sierra Madre range of mountains, from the borders of the
U.S.A. as far south as the Territory of Tepic, grisly, cinnamon
and brown bear are fairly numerous, while white-tailed deer and
mountain lions are found in every State of the Republic. On
the plains of Sonora, Chihuahua, Durango, Coahuila, and on the
northern edge of San Luis Potosi, antelope are numerous, as are
burra deer ; a very large variety of the black-tailed species also
exist in big droves, the bucks sometimes weighing over 300 lbs.
In the forests on the plains and foot-hills of both coasts the
jaguar or spotted tiger is commonly encountered. Deer, peccary,
tejones (a variety of badger), and wild-cats are everywhere
among the brush and jungle on the coast and foot-hill country,
but one of the greatest drawbacks to hunting here are the
millions of ticks which swarm on every tree and every bush, and
which it is impossible to avoid while passing through the jungle.
Mosquitoes are also another pest, and are fiercer, larger, and
more poisonous in some parts of Mexico than any country I
have visited.
Hunting parties are easily made-up, a convenient number
being from four to seven guns with from eight to twenty
beaters to stir up the game. The early morning is the best
time to start, just before daylight. Several deer, a half-dozen
peccary, a coyote or two and a badger, as well as anything
between 50 and 100 wild duck, turkeys, or geese make an
ordinary day's " bag."
Cock-fighting is one of the national games of Mexico, and
has almost as many votaries as bull-fighting. The combatants
are termed " los gallos" just as fighting bulls are called "los
toros." A good game-cock frequently costs as much as a
horse, but this is perhaps not saying very much, seeing that
a moderately good saddle-horse can be acquired for $15
16-2

244 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
(£1 10s.) or even less, while a game-cock may bring $50 (£5),
and occasionally $100 (£10). The usual price, however, is
from $12 to $25 according to the weight, breed and past
record as to the strain as fighters. The best birds come from
the U.S.A., and many hundreds are shipped to Mexico during
the course of the year, they being in special demand during
the fiestas, of which there are an inordinate number in the
twelvemonth. Many fine game-cocks are also bred in the
Republic, the hens being largely Japanese. The birds are
taken great care of by special trainers, who feed, clean and
exercise them as regularly as jockeys their horses. The
house is in reality a stable, each cock having his own stall
with his name inscribed above it, such as "El Garreon " (The
Sparrow), " Chato " (Snubnose), " Tesorero " (Treasurer),
" Tirante " (Tyrant), " Gato " (Cat). In their respective
stalls the cocks eat, drink and sleep, being fastened by a
cord to a ring in the floor. Each morning they are taken
out for a run, one at a time, and each one has half an hour
in the dirt box to roll and dust himself. The fight itself is
accompanied by great ceremony, but the birds are seldom
fought before they are 2 years old. Some cocks go through
five and six battles, their wounds being sometimes clean cut,
and easily healed on this account. Heavy players stake as
much as $1,000 (£100) on a single fight. Each trainer has
a small box filled with knives, and from this he selects one,
slender and sharp as a razor and curved like a small machete.
The length varies from 3 to 4 inches according to the weight
of the bird, to whose right foot it is attached, the shaft being
wrapped around at the ankle with a piece of soft leather.
The knives fixed, the cocks are patted on the back, pinched,
and poked at each other, or allowed to peck once or twice
at some outsider in order to excite them. Some trainers,
from a motive never explained, spit on their heads. Imme
diately the birds are put down in opposite corners, they fly
at each other, and not infrequently one drops at the first shock.
The whole battle seldom lasts over one or two minutes.
As in all Spanish-American countries, the bull-ring, or
" plaza de toros," is the great national amusement. In
Mexico City there are three bull-rings, the largest of which
is a huge wooden structure, of the well-known Roman Coliseum

THE BULL RING 245
form, situated at the extreme end of La Piedad, a continua
tion of the Pase"o de Bucareli. The seating accommodation is
divided into two different sections, the shady (sombra) and the
sunny (sol), the latter being for the commoner part of the
audience. In the first-named the seats range in prices from
$64 (£6 8s.) for a box with 8 seats, to a single admission
price of $5 (10s.) ; the cheaper seats range from $2 (4s.) to
$3.25 (6s. 6d.).
Although every foreign visitor to Mexico condemns bull
fighting as " barbarous," I have never yet encountered one
who had not visited the exhibition. Those Britishers who
condemn the show are among the first to pay a visit to the
ring, and seem to be ignorant of the fact that it is not so
many years ago since bull-baiting was carried on in England,
and was highly esteemed by our grandfathers and great
grandfathers as rare sport. As late as the time of George IV.
this amusement formed " a delightful recreation " for the
fashionable world. Fierce dogs were specially bred for worry
ing the bull, which was tied to a stake within an enclosure.
Herein comes the danger of throwing stones while living in
glass houses !

CHAPTER XXVIII
Coaching — The old diligencia — The road to Chapala — Sunset on the lake —
Some superb colourings — Seismic disturbances — Colima and its
eruptions — Popocateptl — Climbing the volcano — Commercial possi
bilities — Architecture — Some notable buildings — Churches and the
French war — Vandalism in excelsis — Pottery — Crockery from abroad
— Ancient ruins — Palenque — Mitla — Cuernavaca.
I aeeived in Mexico too late to see the diligencia in the
heyday of its glory and importance, when, ere the railroads
came to dispossess it, it was the veritable "King of the Road,"
and its driver and conductor veritable princes. Whereas, in
some parts of Mexico, the diligencia still maintains its pre
carious existence — as for instance as Chapala, whence a railway
will ere long have dispossessed it — at one time, not so very
long ago, every trip from one city to another had to be taken
by this means. What these vehicles were like can be
accurately gauged from the specimen in use at Chapala, a
huge, lumbering, unwieldy vehicle, reminiscent of Colonel
Cody's "Deadwood" coach, which at one time played so
prominent a part in that splendid " show " of Buffalo Bill's at
Earl's Court Exhibition.
I have ridden over many of the roads to the Colonial gold-
fields in such coaches, actually from Kimberley to Bloem-
fontein, from Southern Cross to Coolgardie, and from Thames
to Napier ; I have enjoyed the rough but novel experiences
and the jovial company of the drivers and the passengers,
and no less did I enjoy the rolling, swaying, jolting old
diligencia at Chapala, starting from the railroad station at
Ocatlan. To my mind it was by far the most interesting part
of the journey, in spite of the awful state of the road and the
imminent peril in which all the passengers stood of breaking
their necks at almost every turn of the cumbrous machine.
246

ON THE ROAD TO CHAPALA 247
The expedition, indeed, was full of incidents, and sometimes
realistically reminiscent of the bad old bandit days when the
coach and its passengers made a sort of purgatorial journey
from Scylla to Charybdis — if they escaped the bandits of the
mountains they fell into the hands of those distinguished
cut-throats, the " Platerados," who afterwards became
" respectable " — comparatively speaking — and took service
under the Government as the Rurales.
The coach running on the Chapala road has been doing
service ever since the year 1876. How many times it has
been robbed, upset and been relegated to the repair-shop, I
should very much have liked to find out. It bore the marks
of considerable wear and ill-usage upon every part of it ; but
still it held together with altogether wonderful pertinacity
malgre the bumps, wrenches and the contortions of its wheels
to which it was subjected during the several hours' exacting
journey to Chapala.
In many ways the journey reminded me of my long-passed
experiences while coaching in Zululand, in the Transvaal and
in the Orange Free State. There was the hallooing, hoarse-
voiced driver's deputy in place of the yelling Zulu or Kaffir
voerlooper. There was the same 16-feet whip, called in South
Africa the " sjambok," and wielded with much about the same
deadly effect. There were the galloping team of mules once
again, cunning beasts, ever on the alert for any temporary
abstraction upon the part of the driver to drop into an aimless
shuffle, and only again spurred to action by the combined
volley of stones — kept under the driver's seat for just such an
emergency — the swish of the terrible whip and the application
of some awful Mexican swear-words, of which, it may be
hoped, they did not know the meaning.
There was no slackness about that journey. It was hurry,
bustle, noise and confusion — all delightfully interesting after
the prosaic railway journey from Guadalajara — all the time.
It passed much too quickly, and many of the passengers would
like to have had it all over again. But it was not to be.
Here we were at Chapala, and both man and beast — especially
the beast — must partake of refreshment and rest while they
can get them. Undoubtedly it is a long and trying pull for the
team, which, all things considered, brings the coach between

248 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
the two points, and over a vile piece of road, in admirable
time. It scarcely needs the advantages of comparison to appre
ciate the beauties of a sunrise or a sunset in any part of the
world. The Northerner who has seen the exquisite colouring
of the aurora borealis is just as much impressed as he who
has witnessed the tropical and semi-tropical skies of the
South ; and even he who has fortunately seen both would, in
his remembrance, scarcely attempt to pit one scheme of
colour-beauty against another.
In my own mind I do not know, and never shall know,
where I have seen the most beautiful sunsets — in South
Africa across the wide and open stretches of veldt and out
beyond the majestic Limpopo mountains ; in Egypt on the
incomparable Nile ; or in Jerusalem, where the glow of
colour, spread across the sky to the hilltops of Bethlehem,
produces a feast of beauty impossible of description ; in the
Himalayas, where the mystic loveliness of Indian atmosphere
lends a distinctive charm all its own and unmatchable any
where else in the world ; in dear old England, where, on a
summer's evening, Milton's " Twilight Grey " plays so
prominent and so sweet a part ; or in Mexico, where the
curiously subtle charm of surroundings makes itself manifest
at no hour of the day more deeply than at sunset, when a
stillness comes over all Nature which can be felt and almost
touched. Nowhere can this insidious, indefinable charm be
found more pronounced than on Lake Chapala.
Here in the months of June to October — the rainy season
— are to be witnessed some gorgeous and unforgettable
splendours, no two settings being the same, the golden glory
of the sun receiving each evening a new and still more
beautiful framing. Now it is a yellow and rose field with
glintings of purple fire and mother-of-pearl interstices ; again,
a sky of emerald and topaz, with the fringes of a deeper
sapphire and outrunners of vivid scarlet fading away on the
mountain tops into a paler pink ; or, yet again, following
upon the almost daily thunderstorm, the sky is piled up high
with huge banks of purple-coloured clouds, weird monsters
assuming more fantastic shapes than human mind could
conceive, golden-edged against the turrets and peaks and

SUNSET AT CHAPALA 249
battlements, moving and changing with such rapidity that no
sooner has the eye grasped the beauty of one scene than
it has changed with the marvellous precision of the kaleido
scope into another.
Flaming clouds are now rent asunder, and superb Sol him
self flashes forth his parting rays upon the green and
grateful earth, the flying segments orange-tipped and crimson-
dyed, scudding quickly from before the dazzling splendour of
the dying King of Day, and becoming but colourless vapour
immediately his life-giving rays are withdrawn.
Down into a sea of seething crimson sinks the sun, and as
his golden rim disappears the life and light of the world
seem to go out with him. Of twilight there is none, and here
no prismatic light holds long carnival in the air ; a slight
pause, almost imperceptible, and the but now furnace-glowing
sky has become translucent and shimmering, ethereally
beautiful with its grays and mauves and lace-like fleecy clouds,
soon to reflect the pallid beauty of the rising moon, seen as
a shadowy lamp poised well above the distant mountains.
The black, velvety darkness of night is at hand, "the stars of
the twilight " gleam faintly at first and then like lamps of
purest silver, — and another day has gone.
The seismic disturbances in Mexico during the month of
April last called the attention of the whole world to the only
active volcano in the Republic— Colima. As a matter of fact,
the volcano does not stand in Colima territory, but is located
in the southern portion of the State of Jalisco, approximately
about 75 miles from the nearest point on the Pacific coast,
and in about the same latitude as the City of Mexico. By the
time that the Mexican Central Railway Co's. extension work
is completed it will be quite possible for tourists and travellers
to visit this famous volcano, which affords one of the most
beautiful spectacular shows in this part of the world. A
portion of the extension between Tuxpan and Colima will pass
within a short distance of the base of the volcano. The
amount of attention paid to the mountain by the scientists
and geologists from all parts of the world, who assembled in
Mexico towards the beginning of last year, has caused it to
become far better known than before.
Its activity dates back far into the past, long before the

250 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
Spaniards landed in Mexico, according to Indian traditions.
It is a matter of history that the volcano has been more or
less active since 1611. The mountain consists of practically
two twin volcanoes, one active and the other extinct, the first
known as Colima and the second as Nevada de Colima. The
extinct cone stands 14,350 feet high, and the active one
12,728 feet. The existing terminus of the Zapotlan branch
of the Mexican Central — Tuxpan — is only 10 miles from the
base of the mountain, while the city of Colima is 27 miles to
the south. Tonila, an Indian pu6bla, is immediately in the
shadow of the mountain, and has been destroyed more than
once during violent activity.
The Zapotlan earthquake of 1742 cannot be traced to any
activity on the part of the Colima volcano, nor can that of
March 25th, 1806, when hundreds of deaths took place from
the earthquake, more than a thousand persons being crushed
to death in one church alone, and at a moment when the
sacred edifice was thronged with worshippers listening to the
last of a series of missionary sermons preached by a priest of
the Franciscan Order. Two years later the volcano mani
fested signs of renewed activity, but for the following ten
years, viz., until February 15th, 1818, nothing unusual
occurred. But on that date a violent eruption took place, the
volcano throwing out thousands of tons of sand, which fell
around for hours, ruining fields of sugar-cane and other
products in the north and west of the volcano. Three months
and sixteen days later, on May 31st, when the volcano was
again comparatively quiet, the City of Guadalajara was
shaken by an earthquake, and one of the great spires of the
cathedral was thrown to the ground.
Between 1818 and 1869, a period of nearly 50 years, the
mountain continued to smoke anew, but from a fresh opening
some distance below the crest. From that time on until the
latter part of 1871 the manifestations of activity were confined
to the new crater, and in 1872 took the form of violent
eruptions. In 1873 the old crater again commenced to
discharge smoke and ashes, emissions from the new crater
ceasmg entirely, and two years later there was another period
of extreme violence. There are also records of violent
eruptions of the Colima volcano in the years 1877, 1885, 1889,
1891, and 1892.

COLIMA AND POPOCATEPETL 251
In 1877 Chilpancingo, capital of the State of Guerrero,
which was also seriously affected in the month of April last,
was partially destroyed by earthquake, and a number of lives
were lost. The City of Colima was severely shaken in
January 1900, but without loss of life. Two years later,
however, subterraneous forces again attempted the destruction
of Chilpancingo, several hundreds of people being killed and
thousands made homeless. The most violent activity of
Colima in recent years occurred in February and March 1903.
A terrible state of affairs prevailed for several days, ashes
from the volcano falling along the whole of the Pacific coast
and ocean vessels many miles away from the shore and at
points north, south and east of the volcano as far distant as
300 miles. Since March 1903 until April of this year the
volcano has been smoking continuously, but no violent
eruptions have taken place. The future history of the
mountain cannot of course be predicted, but the record of the
past few years leaves little doubt that there will continue to
occur both eruptions and seismic disturbances.
Several attempts have been made within the past few years
to deal with Popocatepetl as a commercial enterprise. In the
month of November 1904, an American, Mr. A. H. Smith,
was the main factor in an effort to secure Popocatepetl for an
American Syndicate which was to be formed with a capital of
$5,000,000 (£1,000,000). The Company was to be organised
under the laws of the State of New York, and the undertaking
went so far that a General Manager was appointed in Mexico
City, the idea being to work the rich sulphur deposits which
are there located. Again in 1906 a small syndicate was formed
in Mexico City for the purpose of authorising a thorough
examination of Popocatepetl's sulphur deposits. The cele
brated engineer, Mr. Harvey, an Englishman, was called upon
to report, and although his verdict was of an encouraging
nature, I understand that nothing has been definitely arranged
in regard to the working of the deposits. At the foot of the
mountain is an estate known as Popo Park containing a com
fortable hotel managed by Captain Holt. It is practically a
tourist rendezvous, as from here the ascent of Popocatepetl is
begun. The ascent, though frequently made by tourists, in
cluding many ladies, is a very difficult and trying one, and no

252 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
one should attempt it without a guide. The scenery passed
en route is exceedingly fine, the road leading through pine
forests and across ranches with magnificent views of the snow
capped mountains, Ixtaccihuatl and Popocatepetl being almost
continually in view. On the road up it is necessary to paBS
a night at the ranch house, the visitors sleeping on straw mats
spread with their blankets, the pillows consisting of blocks of
wood. Owing to the coldness of the atmosphere large fires
are kept burning all night. Unfortunately, there being no
chimneys, clouds of smoke pour into the room, causing con
siderable inconvenience and discomfort in spite of the cheer
fulness which the fire affords. The journey to the summit
commences at 4 o'clock in the morning in the summer and
about 5 in the winter ; a couple of hours later Cruces is
reached, and here dismounting from the animals is necessary.
The road leads through beds of gravel and ashes, and progress
is slow on account of one's feet continually slipping backwards
in this loose sand. Here a great many of the visitors become
discouraged, and turn backwards without completing the
ascent. Climbing is anything but attractive in the early part
of the day on account of the coldness of the atmosphere and
the bitter winds, and on the higher grade there is a danger of
missing one's footing and losing one's balance ; there is no
place where one can sit down because of the deep snow, and
the climbing must continue from hour to hour, the continual
cry of " Vamanos " (Let us go) from the guides having to be
attended to. At 200 feet from the summit the climber has
usually had enough of it, but it is compulsory to go on. Then
the rim of the crater is reached some six hours after the
start. The crater is an enormous pit less than a \ mile
in diameter, and visitors are taken down into it for quite a
considerable distance. At the bottom is a pool of greenish
water, while from numerous directions come jets of steam
which rise to a considerable height. For 5 or 6 feet within
the rim of the crater's mouth is usually a bed of rough ice,
after which comes a bed of cool volcanic ashes several feet in
depth. Descent into the crater can be made for a distance of
50 feet, but the further one goes down the more stifling become
the sulphur fumes, which fill the crater with a nauseating
gas.

ARCHITECTURE 253
The descent of the mountain side is much more expeditiously
accomplished than the ascent, and from two to three hours will
see the climber at the base Amecameca, whence to Popo Park
is a comparatively short distance. I would strongly advise any
one who contemplates climbing Popocatepetl not to undertake
the task on his own account or even to select his own guides.
Regarding these, as was the case at Vesuvius before Messrs.
Thomas Cook and Son took over the complete arrangements for
the tourists, it is possible to fall into the hands of some who can
not only be offensive in manner, but prove themselves very
untrustworthy. By making arrangements with the necessary
authorities this kind of experience can be avoided, and it is
very necessary that it should be.
While Mexican architecture must ever be of considerable
interest to Europeans and Americans visiting the country, it
cannot be regarded as typical of any particular country or
time, being, as a matter of fact, a mixture of many people and
many periods. The touch of the Spaniard is naturally found
everywhere, and while he built strongly and built vigorously,
he lacked the delicate ideas and the beautiful execution of the
Italian, the simple but effective style of the Greek, or the more
graceful design of the Moor. The Aztec style of building
already existed in profusion upon the Spaniards' advent, and
thus we find an incongruous assimilation of the several dis
tinct styles, one crude, substantial and ugly, another with all
the characteristics of the barbaric structures of old Spain —
the domes, the arches and the towers. The famous patio, or
courtyard, is, strictly speaking, neither Aztec nor Spanish, nor
yet wholly Moorish. But it is a permanent feature of all
Mexican buildings, and, indeed, is very essential to the climate.
Some authorities declare that the patio is Aztec ; but if this is
so, assuredly the arches which one sees in so many structures,
private houses as well as churches, are not ? Nevertheless
they form a very handsome and welcome addition to the
general crudeness and monotony of the buildings. The
various influences which have been at work on Mexican
architecture can best be seen, for instance, in the Cathedral of
Mexico City, which has passed through the hands of five
centuries of architects, all of whom have had their own ideas
and methods of carrying them out, and yet whose combined

254 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
efforts are anything but inharmonious or disagreeable to the
not too-critical eye.
A specimen of many styles blended into one somewhat
incongruous but interesting whole is to be found in the
National Palace, on the east side of the Zocola, the
public square, and containing the official cabinets of the
Minister of Finance and Governor of the Federal District.
The exterior is unattractive on account of its monotonous
design and uncompromising lines ; but here are to be seen
the enormous patios or courtyards, many handsome staircases,
some lofty and even noble apartments and several exceptional
doors. The interior is not improved by some very prosaic
mural paintings, while most of the ceilings are in very poor
taste. The site was formerly occupied by the luckless Mocte-
zuma's palace, so it is said, and which could scarcely have
been less prepossessing in exterior, much though it excited
the admiration and envy of the Spanish Conquerors. All of
Cortes' soldiers are believed to have found shelter within its
capacious walls.
The most elaborate of architecture seems to have been
lavished upon the many cathedrals and churches which
abound in Mexico, as in all Roman Catholic countries. The
finest examples are found at Pu6bla, Quere'taro, Oaxaca and
Guadalajara. Silver altars, bronze-figures, tortoise-shell
pulpits and marble pavements existed in countless number
before the French invasion, many of the sacred edifices being
ruthlessly stripped of their riches by the hands of vandals
brought into the country by Bazaine, and who did more harm
to the Republic's religious buildings than to the Republic
itself. It has always been the Frenchman's pet method to
revenge himself upon historic edifices — vide his foolish and
purposeless attacks upon his own interesting Bastille and his
beautiful Tuileries.
The student of ceramics would doubtless find much to
interest him in the ancient pottery of Mexico, of which a
great many genuine specimens — and more fraudulent ones —
exist. In both design and execution Aztec potteries remind one
of the ancient Egyptian to a remarkable degree, the colour
ings especially bearing a striking resemblance in their curious
powers of endurance. The old Talavera ware is now becoming

National lines of Mexico. I'assencer locomotive, hai.ance compound Pacific Type (1906).

National Lines of Mexico. Consolidation Locomotive Tite, 1904. Manufactured by ihe American
Locomotive Company, New York. — see p. 281.

ANCIENT RUINS 255
very scarce, but antique jars, plaques and plaster figures are
still common enough. Old Pu6bla ware also can be picked
up occasionally. Every little market stall sells base imita
tions, for the Mexican is a close copier, but an indifferent
originator. Pottery is made in many parts of the Republic,
but most of the cheaper kinds of crockery come from Holland
and Germany, the best being imported from England (Hanley
and Stoke) and France.
In Mexico may be seen, scattered over the face of the vast
territory — which covers some 1,987,201 sq. kilometres of super
ficial area — ruins older by many centuries than those of
Chaidaea and Syria, of Karnac and Memphis, and more
beautiful than those of the Temple of Ephesus — ruins which
for antiquity defy the knowledge of the most able and ex
perienced archaeologists and which will continue to mystify
the learned until the end of time. Neither a Fergusson nor a
Choisy, neither a Perrot nor a Chipiez can tell us the history
of the strange but evidently cultured races who built the
marvellous great city of Palenque. The nearest approach to
these ruins are the equally unknown and mysterious Anurad-
hapura ruins in Ceylon. So far as my limited knowledge
extends, I should say that the Palenque remains are Mayan,
there being an almost entire absence of the Grecque work
found in the more recent Toltec architecture at Mitla.
The inference is that these massive remains were once a
huge city, inhabited by a warlike race, some 6,000 or 7,000
years ago, contemporaries of Cheops and Cheffran in Egypt.
These ruins are in the State of Chiapas, and very difficult
of access. They are greatly overgrown, and no excavation
of any kind has been attempted. The many subterranean
galleries are alive with the deadly tarantulas (spiders of
enormous size), bats, vampires and snakes. Temples and
palaces, all built upon pyramids, each beautifully carved and
sculptured, abound ; flights of steps lead to once great halls
and apartments, now roofless, each surrounded by suites of
smaller but still spacious rooms ; patios with huge monoliths
and vast dungeons where the light of day could never in their
pristine massiveness and solidity have penetrated. Now,
huge rents and cracks let in an abundance of daylight,
and show up in relief the thoroughness of the construction of

256 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
those remote and ghostly times. Weeks might be profitably
and pleasurably spent in exploring Palenque, but few visitors
to Mexico can afford the time or the expense of travelling so
far away from the beaten track.
The ruins of Chichen-Ytza in Yucatan are no less fasci
nating, and are equally unknown as to origin. Undoubtedly
they form part of what was once a great stronghold, the
main ruins being, as in the case of Palenque, built upon lofty
pyramids, the walls of which are from 60 to 70 feet high.
The buildings are terraced, and contain innumerable apart
ments, halls and galleries, although the carvings and inscrip
tions are totally dissimilar to either those of Palenque or
Mitla. There is, for instance, a still magnificent ruin of a
stairway, 56 feet wide, and rising from floor to floor until the
top of the pyramid is attained.
Some of the stone carvings, especially four corner stones
elegantly carved, are like those found at the ruins of Uxmal.
There is one small and isolated castle-building upon a
pyramid, the latter measuring at the base, north and south
sides, 196 feet 10 inches, and on the east and west sides
202 feet. It does not face the cardinal points, although no
doubt intended to do so. On the ground, at the foot of a
wide stairway, are two colossal serpent heads, measuring
10 feet long, with mouths distended and tongues protruding.
Nearly all the structures are lavishly carved or painted in
weird designs, in still brilliant colours — vivid red, yellow,
blue and reddish-brown. There is a ruin of parallel rows
of short stone columns, all of solid pieces, enclosing a space
400 feet square. The columns are too short to have supported
a roof. What, then, did they support ? If only we knew !
But not an atom of information, not a shred of evidence
exists to afford us even a slight inkling upon which to build a
surmise or a theory. Completely have the ancients preserved
their secrets, and never to us nor to any later generation will
they be revealed.
The ruins of Mitla in Oaxaca, more recent as they are
believed to be, are no less wonderful in their enormous extent
and splendid preservation. The mosaics are in themselves
worth taking such a journey to see. Here the Mexican
Government have authorized further excavations to be under-

INTERESTING RUINS 257
taken, and the fresh researches are not unlikely to bring some
important facts to light. The ruins of Monte Alban, also in
Oaxaca, are not dissimilar to those of Palestine. Here are to
be seen the same style of workmanship in the construction of
the monuments, the same object in view — namely defence —
the same mounds and the Bame quantity of broken pottery
scattered about.
Recently some further ancient Mayan ruins have been
discovered at the village of Acanceh, close to the city of
Merida, in Yucatan, which are being explored ; while last
May, Count Maurice de P6rigny, the well-known French
explorer, came across an entirely new find of Mayan ruins at
Rio-Beque, in the Territory of Quintana Roo. Close to Atlo-
comulco, near Cuernavaca (Mor6los) are some vast ruins which
were known to but little understood by the Spaniards upon
their arrival, for near at hand Hernan Carte's built his palace
and put up his first sugar-mill. About fifteen miles away are
the ruins of the temple of Zochicalco, which Humboldt believed
to be an Aztec fortress. Perhaps he was right ; but it is mere
conjecture. A great number of granite blocks are covered
with closely-engraved hieroglyphics, but no one knows what
they signify. The pyramids of Cholula and of the sun and
the moon, as well as numerous other ruins in various parts of
the Republic, exclusive altogether of the numerous splendid
relics of the early Spaniards' days, would in themselves form
the subject of a huge and fascinating volume. It is with keen
regret that my limited amount of space, prescribed to mathe
matical limits by a hard-hearted and unsympathetic publisher,
precludes me from doing other than merely mentioning them.

vol. i. 17

CHAPTER XXIX
Central Railway — Original construction — Government subsidy — Mileage —
Length of main Une, divisions, extensions, etc. — Districts and cities
served — Agricultural centres — Universal traffics — Increasing ore
freights — Merchandise and miscellaneous receipts — Tampico improve
ments — Short-line construction — Tuxpan-Colima extension — Port of
Manzanillo — Rolling stock — Government control of central system
—Distribution of capital — Officials — Vice-President Hudson — The
company's future.
If, as Gibbons tells us, the roads of a country are an accurate
indication of its progress, how much more so should its rail
ways act as a guide to its onward march ? Mexico's advance
as a commercial and financial factor among American nations
practically dates from the commencement of her railway
construction, as far back as 1857, when the Mexican railway
was inaugurated. Although it would be untrue to say that
the rate of progress has since then proved uninterrupted, it
has avowedly a right to date from that period ; since previously
Mexico's history had best remain unrecorded.
With the commencement of the Central Railroad, a new
era dawned for the Republic, and with its later and more
successful career has been bound up this splendid system of
internal communication, which had outgrown its financial
resources, and of late months has been protected from the
consequences of its own splendid enterprise by a watchful
and shrewd Government. The organisation of the " Mexican
Central Railroad Company, Limited," took place in the year
1880, receiving its charter from the State of Massachusetts,
in the United States, on February 25th of that year. It may
be regarded as the concrete result of a full decade's attempts
to connect Mexico City with the Northern Republic, and while
many concessions had been granted and Government subsidies
258

CENTRAL RAILWAY 259
offered, the attempts to raise sufficient capital abroad to make
a commencement, had always failed. When the Government
found at length that it had substantial men to deal with, it
was not slow to encourage them by liberal grants and hand
some subsidies. No less than $15,200 (£3,040) per mile was
offered as a subsidy, and the right was granted to import all
materials for construction, repair and operation free for the
term of 15 years ; exemption from taxation until after the
expiration of 50 years from the completion of the line, and
other privileges of more or less importance. These conces
sions have been made by the Mexican Government to other
lines ; but it may be doubted whether henceforth cash subsidies
will be granted to railway concessionnaires, who must be
prepared to finance their undertakings without such material
aid from the Government. With the early construction of the
Central Railway's main line, commencing from the Mexican
side of the border (Ciudad Juarez), are connected the names
of several prominent men as engineers, surveyors, contrac
tors and administrators. M. Rudolf Fink, the first General
Manager, 1880, proved a competent official, and in the
year 1884, after the main line was completed, the gross
earnings came to $3,742,221. Compare these with the
gross earnings for the eighteen months ending June 30th,
1904, which amounted to $38,548,507, or with the freight
traffics alone of the twelve months 1905-1906, amounting to
$20,816,478. Although the main line of the Central Railway, namely
that running from the City of Mexico to Ciudad Juarez, has but
a length of 1,224 kilometres, the large number of branches
and amalgamated railways brings up the total mileage to
3426.80 kilometres. Among these the more important are
the St. Louis division, Chicalote to Tampico, 406 kilometres ;
the Monterey division, Tampico to Treveiio, 388 kilometres ;
the Guadalajara branch, Irapuato to Ameca, 217 kilometres ;
the Coahuila and Pacific division, 202 kilometres ; the Cuer
navaca division, 181 kilometres ; the Zapotlan extension,
Guadalajara to Tuxpan, 119 kilometres ; and the Parral branch,
Jimanez to Rosario, 95.79 kilometres.
I give on next page the full list of divisions, branches and
extensions of the Central Railway to date : —
17—2

260

MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY

Mileage.
Main Line, City of Mexico to Ciudad Juarez  1,224.16
Belt Line, Mexico City  5.95
Santiago Branch, City of Mexico to Santiago  1-40
Pachuca Branch, Tula to Pachuca  43.81
Guanajuato Branch, Silao to Marfil  ... 11.56
Guadalajara Branch, Irapuato to Ameca  217.06
Zamora Extension, Yurecuaro to Los Reyes ... ... 85.90
San Marcos Branch, La Vega to San Marcos  29.37
Zapotlan Extension, Guadalajara to Tuxpan  119.68
San Luis Division, Chicalote to Tampico ... ... 406.93
Smelter Branch, San Luis Potosi ... ... ... 5.19
Rio Verde Branch, San Bartolo to Rio Verde  26.32
Bar Extension, Tampico to La Barra ...  6.21
Mexican Union Railway, Rincon de Romos to Cobre * 10.88
Laguna Branch, Gomez Palacio to San Pedro ... 39.78
Parral Branch, Jimenez to Rosario  95.79
Santa Barbara Branch, Adrian to Santa Barbara ... 5.47
Dynamite Branch, kilom. 163 to Dynamite Works ... 6.21
Sulphur Branch, kilom. 1,221 to Sulphur Mines ... 3.26
Panuco Division, Lecheria to Apulco, and Topenacasco
to Canales  109.40
Monterey Division, Tampico to Trevino  388.36
Cuernavaca Division, Mexico to Rio Balsas  181.25
Coahuila and Pacific Division ...  ... 202
Mileage of side tracks  356.44
Total  3,426.80
The Central Railway lays claim to the fact that there are
but four cities in the whole Republic, possessing anything
over 5,000 inhabitants, which are not served by one or other
of its systems, main-line branches, divisions or extensions.
The largest and most important places outside of Mexico
City itself which this railway serves are Guadalajara, with
125,000 inhabitants ; Leon, with 70,000 ; Aguascalientes and
Zacatecas each with 40,000 ; Guanajuato and Queretaro each
with 45,000, and numerous other towns with populations
ranging from 35,000 down to 1,000. The population in
practically all the cities served is increasing slowly but surely,
while building construction is proceeding in all directions, and
local manufacturers are, with but a few exceptions, exceedingly
prosperous. The Central Railway has served to open-up
many districts which, before its advent, lay practically
dormant, altering little year by year either in their popula-
* This line is leased.

GOODS TRAFFIC RETURNS

261

tions, their commercial importance or their productiveness.
More especially has its services been valuable to the cause of
agriculture, and a glance at the freight returns of the railway
show that the whole of its main line, and most of its branches,
carried two-thirds of the agricultural produce of the entire
country. The railway Berves the most fertile and productive portion
of Mexico, opening-up an ever-increasing outlet for the
farmers' and planters' produce. Such centres as San Juan
del Rio, Penjamo, Silao, the fine territory known as El Bajio
and Lagos, all materially benefit. The cattle-industry owes
practically the whole of its present success to the carrying
capacity of the Central Railway, a large number of fine
haciendas being located upon the line, and averaging in extent
from 1,000 to 5,000 acres each. Here, as elsewhere, some of
the finest cattle in the Republic are reared. Some portions
of the Central line pass through rich semi-tropical country,
and carry coffee, bananas, sugar and numerous other kinds of
produce. By far the most important freights, however, are
those comprising the mineral traffic, and, again, these are
rapidly augmenting as more mines are opened-up, and fresh
smelters and mills are erected. During the past year the
mineral ores carried averaged 26'54 per cent, of the traffics.
So encouraging has been the mineral traffic, indeed, that the
company runs a large number of special ore-trains, and is
now constructing four additional mineral branches. An
enormously valuable silver-belt of country, extending from
north-west to south-east, and from which, in times gone by,
nearly one-third of the entire silver production of the world
has emanated, lies in the direct track of the Central Railway.
The relative importance of the various railways in Mexico
as freight carriers may be seen from the following com
parative figures of the goods traffic returns for the last full
year (1905-1906) :—

Mexican Central
Mexican National ...
Mexican International
Interoceanic ...
Mexican
Tehuantepec ...
Hidalgo and N. Eastern

$20,816,478.63 8,893,759.67 5,704,140.54
4,411,808.77 4,293,815.79 833,063.87 709,743.68

262

MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY

In regard to the number of passengers carried for the same
period the following figures show the Mexican Central still far
ahead :

Mexican Central ...

 $3,371,281

Mexican National

 1,559,908

Interoceanic

 1,419,141

Mexican ... ... 

 1,033,073

Hidalgo and N. Eastern 

 342,030

Mexican International ...

 264,559

Tehuantepec

 249,075

Merchandise and miscellaneous receipts figure prominently
in the company's returns, accounting for some 9"34 per cent.
of the freight receipts. The Central Railway lines pass
through some of the most thriving manufacturing districts
and towns, such as Jimenez, where cotton is both grown and
spun; Lerdo, the centre of an important cotton-producing
district, and where more of the material is gathered annually
than in any other district of the Republic; Torreon, where
there are several cotton-mills and rubber (guayule) factories ;
Aguascalientes, where there are woollen-mills and one of the
largest silver and copper smelting plants in the world, and in
which town also the company's own shops are located, employ
ing 2,000 workmen ; and St. Luis Potosi, with its population
of nearly 61,000 and direct connection with the Port of
Tampico, the principal port for Northern Mexico.
It iB due almost entirely to the splendid enterprise of the
Mexican Central Railway that this port has advanced so much
in importance during the last few years, the company having
expended many hundreds of thousands of pesos in construct
ing jetties and wharves, perfecting the port works, and
extending the capacity and length of its existing lines.
Nearly 600 vessels enter Tampico annually, a total, however,
which is destined to be considerably increased during the
present and subsequent years. When the new and costly
short line of railway, which the company is building to the
capital, is finished, Tampico will vie with the Port of Veracruz
both in geographical importance and value of imports passing
through it. The construction of this line, which will lessen
the distance between Mexico and Tampico by no less than
1,000 kilometres, is, however, only one of the stupendous

The Cexiral Railway. — Extension to Colima, Fiistjbiidge below Tuxpan.

ENGINEERING ENTERPRISES 263
engineering undertakings which the Central Railway has on
hand. The question of eventually extending the Tampico
short line north from Tampico has been mooted, following
the coast to Matamoras and connecting with the St. Louis,
Brownsville and Mexico line now being built. The extension
would be of immense value in the trade between Mexico City,
New Orleans and the Southern States of America.
Tampico will be within 12 hours of Mexico City, the new
line being but slightly longer than that of the Mexican Rail
way between Mexico City and Veracruz, and with a lessened
grade and curvature. That Tampico with its charming sea-
coast suburb — La Barra — will become a fashionable bathing
resort with residents of the capital, there can be no doubt
whatever. It is the best to be found in Mexico.
Another enterprise, of which it is difficult to speak too
highly either as to its ultimate value to the Republic or the
skilful manner in which it is being carried out, is the Tuxpan-
Colima Extension. As already stated, the western terminus
of the Central Railway, up till now, has been the town of
Tuxpan, a few hundred kilometres beyond Guadalajara ; but by
the end of the present year, or at any rate by the commence
ment of next, this line will have been extended to the City of
Colima, whence a railway, already existing, will carry freight
and passengers direct to the Port of Manzanillo, where,
again, the Central Railway has expended large sums of
money in improving the embarking and disembarking
arrangements. The Mexican Government itself has expended considerably
over £3,000,000 upon constructing the Port of Manzanillo,
full details of which will be found in Chapter XXXV.
[Plan at end of this volume.] Only those who may have
visited the west-coast of Mexico, and who have been thus
enabled to witness for themselves the stupendous physical
difficulties which the country offers, can appreciate the vast
ness of the undertaking which the Central Railway has
almost carried out. It is hardly surprising that in performing
so gigantic a task, the company's financial resources should
be taxed to the utmost. But it is all reproductive expendi
ture, and a few years hence the enterprise is destined to meet
with a return sufficiently encouraging to have thoroughly

264 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
warranted the outlay entered upon. Of very few expensively
built railways can this be truthfully said ; but it is merited
in regard to the Central.
Among other construction work now being undertaken by
the Company may be mentioned a branch-line from Ocatlan
(on the Guadalajara line, in the State of Jalisco) to Atotonilco,
in the same State. Eventually, this will be extended north
from Atotonilco to Arandas, the surveys having already been
completed, and the active work of construction about to
commence. The line will run through a practically level
country, and there will be no heavy grade or other engineering
difficulties to encounter. It will open up a particularly rich
agricultural district, where fruit-growing and agriculture are
actively indulged in, while the line will also act as an
important feeder to the Guadalajara division.
With lines extending over 3,000 kilometres in length and
with a considerable number of branches, as well as a small
portion of narrow-gauge to operate, it is not surprising that
the rolling stock to be found on the Central System is of an
extensive and varied description. The whole line being more
or less modern, the latest patterns for both freight and
passenger cars, locomotives, etc., are adopted. There are
in use to-day some 10,224 freight cars, including box, fruit,
beer and ice, refrigerator, stock, wood, coal, coke, flat,
combination and caboose in operation ; while, out of these,
over 8,500 cars are fitted with automatic couplers. All the
freight cars and service cars (oil, water, ballast, wrecking, pile-
drivers, steam-shovel and derricks) are equipped with efficient
air-brakes to the number of 9,807, or say 97*48 per cent, of
the total freight equipment. The Central Railway has of late
months introduced grill-cars, which have now practically
replaced the old buffet-cars, which were found both in
convenient and costly. The Pullman cars which are found
in continual use on the Central, as on most of the other
Mexican lines, are of the usual pattern, and are operated in
connection with the Pullman Co. It may be hoped that
some day the Mexican Systems will own their own Pullmans,
or cars constructed upon the Pullman pattern, for in Mexico,
as throughout the U.S.A., some dissatisfaction with the
manner in which the Pullman cars are operated by the

EQUIPMENT 265
Pullman servants is felt. It is impossible to refrain from
drawing comparisons between the courtesy and attention of
the Mexican Central servants and those employed by the
Pullman Co.
The locomotives, which are of various types, number
between 470 and 480, but they are continually being
increased. They include the 4-wheel, 6-wheel, 8-wheel, and
10-wheel types ; bogie, Mogul, and consolidation. The latter
is the more commonly-used type, there being some 158 of
them, about 143 of the 10-wheel type, and 62 of the 8-wheel
type. The very latest improvements in locomotive con
struction are observable upon the last consignment of (25)
locomotives received, the majority being used for freight-
hauling, and the remainder, of a somewhat smaller pattern,
being used for shunting and switching in the yards. The
first-named are of the consolidated pattern, specially adapted
for steep inclines, of which there are many, especially on the
Cuernavaca Division. The Central Railway was among the
first in Mexico to adopt oil-burning engines, and has found
the preliminary experiments in every way encouraging.
The ordinary fuel-burning locomotives are gradually being
replaced, and the Company has spent considerable sums of
money in building tanks and reservoirs at Aguascalientes and
other important stations upon its line. A large number of
storage-tanks have been erected, and special oil-tank cars are
used for carrying petroleum from the wells to these tanks.
Out of the total number of locomotives in use by the Central
at the present time there are over 130 converted to oil-fuel,
which results in a considerable economy, and must be reflected
to a great extent in the future working expenses of the
Company. Some idea of the saving which will be effected by
the free use of oil instead of coal may be gathered from the
fact that the monthly amount of coal at present used is some
thing over 60,000 tons, half of which is brought from
Baltimore and Philadelphia in the U.S.A., and hauled some
2,000 miles to Mexico City. Moreover, for the future, one
man will be employed to handle the oil for the engines,
where twenty- six were formerly necessary to handle the
coaling operations.
The Mexican Central Railroad has upon its pay rolls some

266 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
12,700 Mexicans, 1,226 Americans, 345 West Indian negroes,
1 American negro, 22 Chinese, 21 British, 15 Germans,
9 Frenchmen, 16 Spaniards, while about 20 other nationalities
are represented. It will thus be seen that practically 90 per
cent, of the employees of this, the largest railway system in
the Republic, are Mexicans, and it may be additionally
mentioned that the highest salaried employee, whose head
quarters are in Mexico, is also a Mexican.
Towards the end of last year a very important arrangement
was concluded by the Mexican Government by means of which
it acquired a preponderance of the share capital of the Central
Railway, enabling it to acquire control of the line. Up to this
time the Mexican Government had been in possession of the
Mexican National Lines, the Veracruz and Pacific Railway,
and held control of the Tehuantepec National Railway, so
that, to-day, having acquired the Central Railway, it is
virtually in control of all the Railways of the Republic. It
is only right to point out that the determination of the
Government to acquire a controlling share in the Republic's
railways is born of no desire to interfere politically with the
management of the lines. To use Mr. Jose" Y. Limantour's
own words, uttered in 1903 : " The Government by acquiring
a controlling share in the directorates of the various railway
corporations would be able to constitute a system which, by
reason of its great extent and the importance of the regions
traversed, would enable it to exercise over the other railway
corporations an influence which would be equally beneficial to
all, obviating ruinous competition and directing traffic into
its narrow and cheapest channel, securing for the population
the benefit of a considerable share of the economies realised,
and protecting in an equitable manner the capital invested in
railways and in all other forms of public wealth." In a word,
the Government's entrance as a shareholder into an extensive
Bystem of railroads means increased power to the public
authorities, adding to the natural functions of Government
the rights inherent to a majority of votes in the management
of a private corporation.
The working out of the new capitalisation involved much
care and trouble upon the part of the Finance Minister and
the bankers who had the matter of amalgamation in hand, and

MR. A. A. ROBINSON 267
after several arrangements had been discussed and rejected as
unacceptable, the Government, in July last, sanctioned the
following plan of capital issue :
Total amount of capital  $460,000,000
Divided as follows : $60,000,000 First Preference Shares.
250,000,000 Second Preference Shares.
159,000,000 Common Stock Shares.
462,000,000 4£ per cent. 10 to 50 years
Preferred Bonds.
372,000,000 4 per cent. 30 to 70 years
General Mortgage Bonds.

Total ... $1,303,000,000, or £130,300,000.
This is a policy which the Government has had every
justification for carrying out, and has carried out with con
spicuous success. It is a source of gratification to be able to
add that it has adhered rigorously to its self-imposed stipula
tions, and has not in any way interfered with the manage
ment of the railway or its officers who were in charge at the
time when the Government assumed control.
Several officers who resigned voluntarily, including the
highly-esteemed and popular President, Mr. A. A. Robinson,
have been replaced, but no actual dismissals ensued. There
is not a railway official in the Republic of Mexico who is not
ready to admit that the policy of the Government is in every
way enlightened, and that its dealings with the railways
throughout the Republic are both prompt and just. Thus
this policy, which has spelt so much success for railway
undertakings in Mexico, it may be taken for granted, will
continue indefinitely.
The Government is assisted in its decisions and actions by
a singularly well-selected Railway Commission, which was
called into being in January 1900, and whose deliberations
are held under the direct auspices of the Department of Com
munication and Public Works. To this Commission all
questions of tariffs are referred by the Department for study
and recommendation, the Body consisting of highly-intelligent
men, whose labours, onerous and complicated as they some
times are, have up till now proved uniformly successful.
Now that the Central Railway has additionally passed under
their wise direction, so far as its general financial condition

268 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
is concerned, there can be nothing to stand in the way of its
future success. It needed some such amelioration in the
condition of affairs as this, however, to rescue the Central
Railway from the comparative slough of despond into which
it had fallen by reason of its immediate and maturing heavy
financial obligations.
The splendid enterprise shown by the Mexican Central
Railroad in its construction work, to which I have so fully
referred above, is one of the most important factors in the
future prosperity of the Republic.
Mr. C. R. Hudson, Vice-President of the Mexican Central
Railway and practically the ruling hand of the whole great
enterprise, has done as much as anyone to bring the road up
to its present state of working completeness and efficiency.
For years he had worked in conjunction with the late
President, Mr. A. A. Robinson, who, to every one's regret,
retired from the presidency last year, to release the railway
from its former difficulties, financial and physical. Formerly
Traffic-Manager of the Central, Mr. Hudson left the Company
in 1903 to assume the Presidency of the San Antonio and
Aransas Pass Railroad. He returned, however, to the Central
in 1905, and has remained with it since, although some altera
tions among the staff have taken place from time to time.
Mr. Hudson has seen some 20 years' active railway
work, and in every position that he has held — on the New
Mexico, Arizona and Sonora Railroads, Rio Grande and El
Paso, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa ¥6, and the San
Antonio and Aransas Pass — he has brought to bear his great
administrative genius, a remarkable faculty for knowing and
controlling men, and with all a charm of manner which dis
tinguishes him even when saying " No," as he frequently
must, in dealing with the many and astonishing demands
made upon a big railroad corporation.

Type of Railway Bridge on the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway.

CHAPTER XXX
Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway — First trunk transcontinental
line — Territory traversed — Traffics in prospect — Operating divisions —
Topolobampo terminus — The bay — Ocean arrangements — Construc
tion — Bridges and tunnels — Rolling stock — The conception of the
scheme — President Arthur E. Stilwell — A remarkable struggle
against powerful opposition — Triumphant success — Officers of the
railway — Financial history — Date of completion.
Of the many railway schemes conceived and accomplished
in the RepubHc of Mexico, none is destined to wield a greater
influence, nor to prove of greater commercial importance, than
the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient, in which undertaking both
American, British and Continental capital is involved. The
railway, which, by the time these pages are in the hands of
my readers, will have become practically un fait accompli,
stretches from Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.A., to the Bay of
Topolobampo, on the Pacific coast of Mexico, a total distance
of some 1,659 miles. It will be the first trunk-line to cross
the frontier between the U.S.A. and Mexico, and both from
a strictly utilitarian point of view and as an essential factor in
the future prosperity of the two Republics, it will prove to
have been abundantly justified. It will save in actual haulage,
and consequently it will prove an economy in transportation
expense ; and although other transcontinental lines are con
templated, the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway must
always remain the more important, as it is the pet project of
both Governments of the sister Republics. Both the U.S.A.
and the Mexican Governments have displayed keen interest in
the accomplishment of this enterprise, a fact which is not at
all difficult to understand when it is remembered what an
enormous area of magnificent country, hitherto unserved by
any steam communication, has been opened-up, thus adding
269

270 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
fresh revenue to the coffers of both countries and increasing
commercial prosperity in their respective territories. The line
develops inter alia a wide expanse of prairie-land, hitherto
devoted almost entirely to cattle-grazing, but which, being
possessed in many portions of a magnificent soil, is easily
adapted to corn and maize cultivation, fruit-culture and
agriculture generally. More important even than agriculture,
however, will be the mining facilities afforded ; for now that
the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient line is in being, several
hundreds of mines, up till now found unworkable owing to the
heavy cost of transportation of the ores, will come into active
operation, many having already started with a new and
vigorous lease of life.
The new trunk-line taps a variety of districts, and from its
main track numerous small mineral tram-lines will branch
out to connect-up with it. It need scarcely be repeated here
that the silver mines of Mexico have in their time produced
one-third of the total silver output of the world ; and the State
of Chihuahua has turned out almost as much silver from its
mines as any other State in Mexico. In regard to the State
of Sinaloa, through which the new Railway will also pass,
its mining possibilities have not as yet been even guessed at ;
but even supposing these should not prove as productive as is
anticipated, the vast virgin forests of timber and the splendid
agricultural opportunities which will be opened should more
than compensate the railway in the return of freights.
The daily estimated revenue from all kinds of freights to be
carried by the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway through
the principal mineral districts, namely upon the south part of
the line (Oklahoma to Topolobampo Bay), is put at $9,000
(£1,800). This amount, however, in all probability, is under
estimated by at least 25 per cent. A smelter is being erected
at Chihuahua, and is practically completed, while another is to
be constructed on the coast at Topolobampo. Assuming that
these very modest figures are correct, however, the railway
would from this source alone enjoy a revenue of $63,000
weekly, or $252,000 monthly, or $3,024,000 (£604,800)
annually, sufficient to pay the whole working expenses of this
section of the line, and leave a handsome surplus besides. It
will be observed that, in my calculation, I have allowed for

Mr. Arttile E. Stilwell, Pkesidext of the Kansas
City, Mexico and Orient Railway.— see pp. 275-276.

EXCELLENCE OF CONSTRUCTION 271
seven working days in the week, for in Mexico there is no
Sunday relaxation for the railways, which work day-in and
day-out all the year through. There are between 400 and 500
mines, prospects and denouncements upon the line of route
followed by the new railway, while several important
haciendas, producing sugar, raising cattle and growing general
agricultural produce, are all likely to contribute their quota
to the railway's daily freights. Thus we see that besides the
heavy mining traffics, there will be cattle, grain, timber, fruit,
coal and machinery to transport, in addition to which the
railway owns a large number of valuable town sites located
along both sides of the road in the U.S.A. and Mexico. In
the State of Kansas there are about 430 acres ; in the State
of Oklahoma about 6,000 acres in lots, and in the State of
Texas between 4,000 and 5,000 acres. The railway's town-
sites in Mexico amount in the aggregate to but very little less
in acreage, and it may be pointed out that one acre cuts up
into ten lots of 25 ft. frontage.
In regard to the construction of the Kansas City, Mexico and
Orient Railway, experience has taught the promoters that the
best — and only the best — kind of material and work should be
used, and this has been the keynote of the undertaking. The
rails are of heavy steel, 75 lbs. to the yard, with the most
modern fish-plates, switches, etc., while the ties, closely laid
together, are of red-wood tarred, all being imported from
California. The bridges, upon which but little masonry work
has been found necessary, are well piled, and provided with
safe approaches and abutments, the erections being in every
ease exceptionally strong and well-constructed. All the bridges,
of which there are several, are strong enough to meet the
necessities of transportation through this portion of the country.
On the first hundred kilometres of the line, starting from the
Pacific coast end at Topolobampo, there is but one bridge of
any importance, namely that crossing the Fuerte River, com
prising three truss spans, each measuring 300 ft. in length.
Several smaller bridges are from 15 to 50 ft. in length.
Upon the second division, from Chihuahua east, there has
been but little necessity for bridging to any extent, and it is
only when the Sierra is reached that the amount of bridging
and tunnelling becomes of serious importance, the country

272 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
being extremely wild and difficult to negotiate, necessitating
the utmost skill in engineering. In this long section the
tunnelling has been both expensive and difficult, the longest
of the excavations being 1,520 ft., while there are two others
each measuring 810 ft., and a considerable number averaging
from 200 to 300 ft. in length. The length of the main line
in the Republic of Mexico, namely from the Rio Grande at El
Oro to Topolobampo, is 634.5 miles, which distance includes
a portion of the Chihuahua and Pacific Railway, namely
from Tabalaopa to Minaca, a distance of nearly 126 miles.
East of Chihuahua, there is erected a fine bridge across the
Chuviscar River, near Aldama, consisting of ten spans of
50-ft. deck girders, on concrete piers and abutments. Further
on there is yet another fine steel structure crossing the Rio
Conchos, at a point about half-way between Chihuahua and
Rio Grande. This bridge consists of 17 spans of 50-ft. deck
plate girders, on concrete piers and abutments. West of
Minaca all bridges, culverts and openings for water-way are
of the most permanent nature, no timber having been em
ployed in any of these structures, all of which are made of
masonry and steel, concrete being used in the majority of
cases in the construction of the bridges.
The operating divisions of the railway in Mexico are as
follows :
(1) El Oro to Chihuahua, 169 miles, 1 per cent, compensated
maximum gradients, except at the Conchos River,
where 1*5 pusher grades are introduced for a short
distance each side of the river. Here the maximum
curvature is 6°.
(2) Chihuahua to Bocoyna, 172 miles ; 2 per cent, com
pensated maximum gradients with a maximum
curvature of 12°.
(3) Bocoyna to La Junta, 178 miles ; 2£ per cent, com
pensated gradients, and maximum curvature 12°.
(4) La Junta to Topolobampo, 117 miles ; 1 per cent, com
pensated maximum gradients, and a maximum
curvature of 6°.
The terminus of the whole system will be at the Bay of
Topolobampo, which is considered one of the finest ports on

TOPOLOBAMPO 273
the west coast of Mexico. It is completely mountain-locked,
and measures about 7 square miles in area, with a depth, over
the bar at the entrance at low tide, of about 22 ft. The
expenditure of a very small amount of money, relatively
speaking, will suffice to deepen the harbour to 35 ft., thus
enabling any vessel drawing 33 ft. of water to pass-in at low
tide, and to approach within 100 ft. of the shore on the north
side of the Straits of Jossua, which will be the commercial front
of the Port. From this Port the Railway will control a large
number of well-built passenger and freight boats serving the west
coast, while it will also work in connection with ocean steamers
running to the Orient. The company has, for instance, entered
into an important contract with the Hamburg- American line,
and there can be no question that the eastern scope of the
undertaking will gradually increase to considerable pro
portions. Scenically speaking, Topolobampo is one of the most beauti
ful ports in the world, and reminds one very forcibly of the
far-famed Bay of Rio de Janeiro. Here are to be seen almost
the same curiously-formed sugar-loaf mountains, the same
land-locked harbour, dotted with verdure-clad islets with their
waving palm-plumes, and, of course, the same beautiful
atmospheric conditions. Rio is considerably larger, deeper
and wider than Topolobampo ; but in general appearance, as
I have said, at first glance it closely resembles it.
For several months past a regular service of trains has
been running to schedule time between Topolobampo, the
Pacific terminus, and the town of Fuerte, a distance of some
63 miles ; while, before these pages are read, daily freight and
passenger trains will be running much further north, carrying
cargoes sufficient to bring a substantial revenue to the com
pany. From the other (Kansas City) end, trains have been
running to West Texas, as far as Sweetwater, for some time
past through Lawrence, Kansas, and the promising territory
of oilfields, in Oklahoma. Unlike most railways, which have
to create both the towns they serve and the freights which
they carry, the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway has
been singularly fortunate in finding both awaiting its arrival.
It has also given birth to several entirely new towns, these
coming into existence almost daily, now that the railway has
vol. i. 18

274 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
arrived, such as Oakwood, in the State of Oklahoma, Carmen
in the same County (Dewey) and Canton in Blane County.
Upon various parts of the new line, dozens of little townlets
have deen commenced, and only wait the advent of their
good friend the railway to make them of some importance.
Oklahoma, which, but ten years ago, was an Indian reservation,
and populated by semi-savages, has to-day been transformed
into one of the wealthiest agricultural sections of the U.S.A.,
and is becoming more and more so as the new line of com
munication traverses it.
The rolling-stock which has been acquired and constructed
is of the very latest type, as are the locomotives. It is
intended to convert these to oil-burning engines as soon as it
is found that a definite and unrestricted supply of fuel is
obtainable. The railway will tap some extensive anthracite
coalfields in Sonora, said to cover over four million acres
and more.
In regard to the financial history of the Railway this has
been of altogether an exceptional character. Up to the end
of 1906, the Company had issued no bonds, the road having
been constructed with the funds raised by the sale of stock
personally placed by the President, Mr. Arthur E. Stilwell.
A large amount of this stock was sold in Holland and Belgium,
while a number of small investors living in the Western States
of America hold a large block between them. It is worthy of
note that not a cent of the capital necessary has been raised
in Wall Street. The line has, unlike so many railways, been
built upon other than borrowed money. Construction work
has been carried on upon the proceeds realised by the sale of
stock to shareholders, who have been carried down in large
parties upon different occasions from the U.S.A. to Mexico,
and have been shown the proposition in — to use an appropriate
expression of a 'cute American critic — " its bathing suit."
This has been the only form of advertisement which Mr. Stil
well has found necessary, and it has proved a most efficacious
one, since by coming to Mexico, and passing over the actual
route which will be followed, the prospective shareholders
have been enabled to see the character of the country, its
present prosperous condition, gauge the future possibilities,
and, above all, find out for themselves the high esteem in which

Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railvvw, showixg the solid construction work and type of locomotive,
freight and passenger cars.

ARTHUR E. STILWELL 275
the promoter of the enterprise, Mr. Stilwell, is personally held,
and the enthusiasm with which the enterprise generally is
entertained in Mexico.
Last year it was deemed necessary to issue bonds to the
value of $20,000,000 (£4,000,000), a sum which will be found
sufficient to complete the construction of the line, and to fully
equip it. Mr. Stilwell personally paid a visit to Europe, and
was successful in placing the majority of his bonds in London.
Towards the middle of February of this year, Messrs. Foster
and Braithwaite introduced a public issue of Four Per Cent.
1st Mortgage 50-year gold-bonds, for $1,500,000 (£300,000)
at par, the issue being exceedingly well received upon the
London Stock Exchange and by investors generally. The
bonds are amply secured, and, in my opinion, form a first-class
investment. In fact, the financing of the line has been skil
fully and cleanly managed from the outset ; there have been no
promoters' profits to consider, the result being that the railway
will actually become a dividend earner for the bond-holders
from the commencement of its career.
To write of the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railroad
without fuller reference to Mr. Arthur E. Stilwell, its pro
moter and good genius from the beginning, would be equiva
lent to describing the play of " Hamlet " and omitting all
mention of the Prince of Denmark. A full-bodied and
romantic novel might be written of Mr. Stilwell's career as
a railway pioneer, and I only regret that I am unable to
handle the theme as fully and in as great detail as I could
desire. It may be said, however, that while he met with the
most bitter opposition, and even persecution, at the hands of
some powerful Wall Street rivals, and was even robbed by one
of them of the fruits of his first enterprise, namely the road
running from Kansas City to the Gulf of Mexico (Port Arthur),
Mr. Stilwell, with all the enthusiasm of youth, nevertheless
persevered with the object he had in view, the carrying-out of
a direct route which would run west from Kansas City to
one of the ports on the Pacific coast, shortening the distance
between the rich products of the interior and tide-water. His
confidence in the Mexican plan was contagious ; and probably
as much by his charming personality as by the convincing
nature of his figures, he induced some of the greatest finan-
18—2

276 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
ciers in Kansas City to join him in his new project, while, as
I have shown, the European markets on their part have not
been reluctant in supporting him. Every cent of his own
means he has courageously invested ; and although he is not
to-day what the world would call a rich man, he has every
prospect of becoming one.
Mr. Stilwell's plucky action in immediately proceeding to
construct a fresh railway when deprived of that to which he had
devoted so many years of his life's work and the whole of his
very limited resources, has evoked the admiration of even the
most prosaic among his contemporaries, reminding one of
Schiller's words : " Zwang erbittert die Schwarmer immer,
aber bekehrt sie nie." It must have needed something more
than mere enthusiasm — consummate confidence and sublime
contentment of mind — to persevere in the accomplishment of
such a titanic task after a knockdown blow administered with
all the force and all the malice which the combined energy of
Wall Street could bring to bear. From Mr. Stilwell himself
one never hears of the cruel and relentless treatment of which
he was made the victim. It is to others less reticent than he,
and possessed of fewer traits of the forgiving Christian, that
one must go for details of a tragedy in modern commercial
life for which few parallels can be found in history.
Knowing as I do all the dramatic circumstances connected
with Mr. Stilwell's brave struggle against adversity and un
scrupulous enemies in the early days of his battle of life, I
can but join in the general tribute of admiration for a typical
Anglo-Saxon, whose heroism — none the less commendable
because it was displayed within the four walls of a prosaic
office-building instead of upon the tented field — is bound to
leave a lasting impression upon the minds of those who learn
of it ; but the full and true history of " Stilwell versus Wall
Street " will have to be told some day.
Joined with Mr. Stilwell in this great enterprise have been
several loyal and trusty colleagues, who have stood by him
through good days and bad, in shine or rain, such as Mr.
M. V. Watson, a Vice-President of the United States and
Mexican Trust, and allied to other enterprises with which
Mr. Stilwell is connected. Mr. Watson's shrewd common
sense and wide experience have been of the utmost value

COMPLETED IN 1908 277
to the successful prosecution of the Kansas City, Mexico and
Orient Railway ; while Mr. E. Dickinson, who was for 30 years
in the employ of the Pacific Railroad and for some time its
General Manager, recognised as one of the most able rail
road men of the day, has been associated with Mr. Stilwell
for a considerable number of years as a Vice-President and
General Manager of the Railway. Mr. W. W. Sylvester is
another Vice-President, and a highly-esteemed official of the
Company. It may be said that Mr. Stilwell has displayed as much
shrewdness and ability in the selection of his colleagues as
has been shown by him in the carrying out of the entire
Railway. Its completion will mean a further bond of com
mercial union between the U.S.A. and the Republic of Mexico,
while the cosmopolitan character of its proprietorship, repre
sented by American, British, German, Dutch and French
bondholders, gives the undertaking almost an international
value. The list of subscribers, indeed, contains the names of
some of the most prominent bankers, diplomats and financiers
in Europe and the U.S.A., a fact which cannot fail to prove
of the utmost importance to the future career of the under
taking. Towards the close of next year (1908) it is expected
that the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railroad will be
completed and in full operation, and, judging by the manner
in which the business has been handled up till now, and the
uninterrupted progress which it has hitherto enjoyed, I see
no reason why this anticipation should not be fully realised.

CHAPTER XXXI
British-owned railways — The Mexican Railway — Track, rolling-stock,
scenery and management — The Southern Railway — Scenic attractions
— Future prospects — The " Merger " lines (the National, the Inter
national, and the Interoceanic Railways) — The National Tehuantepec
Railway — Competition with Panama Canal.
The Mexican Railway, one of the two wholly British-owned
lines in the Republic, and which was the pioneer railway enter
prise in Mexico, was commenced in 1857, the original conces
sion being accompanied by a sufficiently handsome subvention
for a term of 25 years, the Government, at the same time,
agreeing not to subsidise any other railway between Veracruz
and Mexico City, for 65 years from that date.
The length of track owned by the Mexican Railway is as
follows : — Kilometre, 0"*^
Veracruz to Mexico City  424 1873
Apizaco to Puebla  47 1875
Ometusco to Pachuca ... ... ... 46 1890
Total  517
The main line runs through the States of Veracruz, Pu6bla,
Hidalgo and Mexico, serving inter alia the towns of Cordoba,
San Marcos, Pu6bla, San Juan, Orizaba and Pachuca (branch
line). The ruling grade varies from 1.2 between Apizaco and
Puebla, and 4.5 between Zapote and Esperanza. Some of
the most entrancing scenery in the world is traversed by this
line for a great portion of its route, and so far as construction
is concerned, the Mexican Railway may be regarded as one
of the best-built and best - equipped lines in the country.
Considering that its bridges, viaducts, and other construc
tional works have been in use for close upon half a century,
278

MEXICAN RAILWAY 279
it is not surprising that some of the largest structures to-day
require overhauling and in some cases reconstruction. Ample
funds being available for the purpose, the next few years will
be devoted to gradually replacing several of the bridges,
relaying some portions of the track, lowering gradients and
otherwise improving the physical condition of the line. The
expenditure will be spread over a number of years, so that the
dividend-earning capacity of the railway will not in any way
be seriously interfered with.
Week by week and month by month the traffics on the
Mexican Railway are showing an encouraging improvement,
and it may be said with truth that no more careful or suc
cessful management is to be found than that in connection
with this railway. The convenience and comfort of passengers
are intelligently studied, while the handling of the heavy
freight between the Port of Veracruz and the Capital is skil
fully and carefully conducted. The passenger traffic of the
Mexican Railway figures in the proportion of one-third in the
general returns, the grand scenic journey between Veracruz
and Mexico City being one of the greatest attractions for
tourists. The railway carries three classes of passengers, the third
class numbering about 5 times as many as the first class, and
about 7 times as many as the second class. Nevertheless,
the total fares earned between the first- and third-class pas
sengers show but little difference on balance. Upon a line
which practically receives two-thirds of its earnings from the
carriage of merchandise, the question of efficient rolling-stock
naturally figures largely in the mind of the management.
The rolling-stock is composed of the following : 88 engines,
including passenger (29), goods (25), Fairlie double-header
type (24), tank (2) and shunting (8) ; 75 passenger vehicles,
including all classes, that is, first, second and third saloon,
service, observation, postal and luggage ; 1,360 goods vehicles
(including a special order of 300 freight cars now being ful
filled and delivery of which commenced in June last), com
prising goods, pulque, cattle, coal, wood, platform, and
service wagons. The passenger coaches used upon this rail
way are constructed at the Company's own shops located at
Apizaco. The Company has also this year started its own

280 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
Express service, which had hitherto been conducted by the
Wells Fargo Co.
The General Manager, Mr. Walter Morcom, who joined the
Company on May 1st, 1904, has introduced from time to
time many valuable improvements, bringing with him to his
task some years of ripe railway experience, he having been
upon one of the big Canadian lines, and more recently
General Manager of the Mexican Southern Railway.
The Mexican Southern Railway, which, like the Mexican, is
a British-owned enterprise, is the youngest line of all. It was
registered as a joint-stock company in London in 1889, the
concession having originally been granted in the name of the
famous General Ulysses Grant, at one time President of
the U.S.A., from whom it was acquired by Messrs. Read,
Campbell and Company, Limited, of London, who later on
transferred it to the present Company. Two years were
expended in completing the line, which passes through an
exceedingly difficult country, where some of the most formid
able physical obstacles have had to be encountered and over
come. The Southern line runs from the city of Pu6bla to the City
of Oaxaca, the track being almost due east and paralleling
the Interoceanic line as far as Amozoc. The grade com
mences to mount at this last-named place, after which it
descends gradually until the line has fallen no less than
5,826 ft. to the lowest point, Quiotepec, which is but
1,767 ft. above the sea. In this journey some of the most
majestic scenery is passed, the whole trip forming a succes
sion of surprises and a peep into veritable wonderland. The
Canon de los Cues, with the deathly silence unbroken save by
the laboured panting of the little locomotive, with no sign of
life beyond perhaps the solitary eagle wheeling aloft like a
speck of black against the deep azure of the sky ; the awe-
inspiring, stupendous masses of rock, conduce to form a picture
which, no matter how often it be seen, nor how long it be
studied, can never fail to impress the spectator with its
savage magnificance.
The great Pass from the Canon to the summit, Las Sedas,
is reached only after a long and somewhat exhausting pull
round many a sharp curve and across many a dangerous-

MEXICAN SOUTHERN 1281
looking, but nevertheless perfectly safe, gorge. From Huitzo
to Etla the grade is again downward, and thence onward the
run is over a flat and tolerably smooth stretch of country.
Wonderfully rich valleys are passed, where scarcely an un
cultivated piece of land is to be found, the whole territory of
Oaxaca through which the Southern Railway passes being
a veritable Garden of Eden, green as an emerald, abundantly
watered, and producing nearly every plant, vegetable and fruit
known to man.
Passing as it does through so slightly populated a country,
the traffics of the Southern Railway are nothing like as con
siderable as those of other lines of the Republic, but they are
nevertheless increasing in importance, and in view of the
opening-up of many new mines in the State of Oaxaca, in all
probability the railway will shortly be called upon to carry
heavy freights of machinery and appliances both for new
railway construction and mining operations. The prospects
of the line are undoubtedly brighter to-day than they have
been since its inception, for a great field of activity has
recently been opened between Oaxaca City and Ejutla, where
the famous Taviche and other mining districts are being
actively developed.
The management of the Mexican Southern Railway is in the
hands of Mr. W. Morkill, who has been many years recognised
as an able railway administrator. He keeps a keen eye upon
all matters with a special view to reducing working expenses
to as low a point as possible, commensurate with the efficient
conduct of the railway. And the Southern, owing to the
many miles of wholly unprofitable line through which it
must run upon its way from Pu6bla to Oaxaca, needs
especially careful and capable handling. This it undoubtedly
receives. The National Lines of Mexico, more popularly known as
the " Merger," consist of the National, the International and
the Interoceanic Systems, combined under one management,
and in which the Government of the Republic hold, and have
held since 1903, the preponderating interest. The National
Railroad was conceived as far back as 1857, but it was several
years before the conception resulted in any definite scheme of
construction. Like most other railways built in the Republic,

282 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
with, perhaps, the single exception of the Mexican, the early
days were fraught with serious financial troubles. The
original Mexican National Construction Co., very soon after
starting in business, found itself short of funds, and the
well-known London house of Matheson and Co. had to come to
the rescue. The organisation thenceforward went through a
number of reconstructions, during which time, however, no
cessation in track-building ensued, and the line was continu
ally being added to. Out of the total length of 3,500 miles
owned and worked by the National Lines of Mexico, the National
claims 1,696, the principal lengths being as follows : —
Laredo to Mexico City, 803 miles ; Monterey to Matamoros,
207 miles ; Mexico City to Gonzalez, 232 miles ; Acambaro to
Uruapan, 143 miles ; Laredo to Corpus Cristi, 160 miles ;
Cedral to Potrero, 12 miles ; Vanegos to Machuda, 30 miles ;
Gonzalez to Jaral del Valle, 53 miles ; Michoacan to Pacific,
56 miles — total, 1,696 miles. Considerable improvements
and betterments have been introduced from time to time, and
at present the National Railway are constructing in many
different directions, notably the Jar ita- Columbia branch, a
length of 30 kilometres, which was completed and opened to
traffic on July 1st this year. A new depdt is being constructed
at Monterey at a cost of £15,000, while a steel bridge to effect
a connection' between the National lines and the St. Louis,
Brownville and Mexican Railway is being constructed at a cost
of £50,000. The Company's shops are situated at Santiago,
a district of Mexico City, and have lately been completely
overhauled and electrical machinery introduced.
The Interoceanic Railway was launched in 1888 by a special
charter, the idea being to construct a line from Veracruz, on
the Gulf of Mexico, to Acapulco on the Pacific Ocean, hence
the title "Interoceanic." The line is, however, far short
of its ultimate destination, and likely to remain so. It is
owned by a British corporation, but it is managed, as I have
said, by, and as part of, the National Lines. The track runs
through a highly diversified kind of country, but unfortunately
the Interoceanic is a narrow-gauge line, and before it can hope
to enter as a strong competitor with other lines, such as the
Mexican, it will have to be transformed into a broad-gauge.
This it is proposed to effect as soon as financial resources

Mr. M. Y. Watson, Vice-president United States
and Mexican Trust Co., Kaxsas City'. — see p. 276

NATIONAL LINES 283
permit. Moreover, many of the present curves will have to
be straightened out, and bridges, culverts and other struc-
tional work will have to be materially altered and brought
up-to-date. The total length of line operated is 736 miles.
From a dividend-paying point of view the Interoceanic has
been sadly disappointing, and but for the fact that it is one of
the group under Government ownership, in all probability by
this time it would have gone into the hands of a receiver.
The £10 ordinary shares stand at between 40s. and 45s.,
since, in front of them, are £1,000,000 of 7 per cent, cumula
tive preference shares, standing at £10 to £11, upon which
nothing has been paid for some years, while for 1903-1904 only
6 per cent, was paid on the 7 per cent. B debentures, which
naturally rank before the cumulative preference shares.
When the average rate of exchange advanced (in 1903) from
19f d. to 22Jd. per dollar, the earnings, translated into sterling,
showed an advance from £65,439 to £147,626, being equal to
125J per cent. This indicates sufficiently clearly what an
extraordinary effect a stable monetary system has upon a
foreign-owned railway company.
The following year (1904) the average rate of exchange rose
yet further to about 23|d. per dollar, as against the 22|d.
during the preceding year. The value of the Mexican dollar
to-day is still higher (24d.), and the fact should be substan
tially reflected in the financial statement of the Interoceanic
Railway for the present year.
The Interoceanic Railway, moreover, is year by year show
ing an advance both in its passenger and freight traffics, and
is benefiting largely by the general prosperity of the country.
As an instance of this it may be said that there was an
increase of no less than £57,500 in nett receipts up to the end
of June 1906, while the last twelve months have proved even
more encouraging.
The International Railroad was designed with the same
idea as the Interoceanic ; but whereas the latter was intended
to connect the two oceans, the Atlantic and Pacific, the
former had the desire to consolidate the commercial rela
tions of the two sister Republics, by connecting them by
a line of railway— a bold and arduous undertaking, in truth ;
not only was it accomplished, however, but it disproved the

284 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
forecast of the Cassandras and Solomon Eagles by resulting
in a profitable undertaking. Mr. C. P. Huntingdon, the
great American Railway pioneer, was mainly instrumental in
the construction of this line. It commenced operations in
1882, starting from the border town, Ciudad Porfirio Diaz,
and, six years later, had extended as far as the town of
Torreon (State of Coahuila), which is to-day one of the most
prosperous and busy cities in the Republic. The next exten
sion was to Durango, the centre of the rich mineral district
of that name, which was reached in 1902. In 1900 the line
was open as far as Santiago Papasquiaro, and in 1902 it had
reached Tepehuanes. The ultimate destination of the line,
namely the Port of Mazatlan, on the Pacific coast, has not
yet been attained ; but so progressive has been the railway's
career that it would only be just to assume that one day it
may reach there. The International serves the rich coal
fields of Coahuila, and furnishes an outlet for the coal and
coke of the famous San Esperanzas Mines. The mineral
traffics of the railway are very considerable, and contribute
more than two-thirds of its revenue. It has a number of
branch lines, such as Reata to Monterey, 72 miles ; Durango
to Tepehuanes, 125 miles ; Sabinas to Hondo, 14 miles ;
Tlahualilo to Torreon, 58 miles ; San Pedro to Hornos,
15 miles ; Horizonte to Bermejillo, 14 miles ; Mandora to
Cuatrocienegas, 42 miles ; and Pedricena to Vilardena, 6 miles.
The business of the Company has shown remarkable im
provement during the past seven years, and unquestionably
the Mexican Government did a good stroke of business when
it bought up so much of the stock of this line as an investment.
Of the International, as of the National and the Inter
oceanic Railways, it may be said that the management is in
exceptionally strong and capable hands. Mr. E. N. Brown,
President of the National Lines, is a thoroughly experienced,
shrewd and painstaking official, and stands very high in the
esteem of the railway and commercial community.
The Tehuantepec National is the latest completed line of
the Republic, the official opening ceremonies in connection
with it having been held as recently as the month of January
of the current year. The route followed is practically the
same as the road, which was painfully but patiently pursued

NATIONAL TEHUANTEPEC

285

by Herman Cortes, the Spanish Conqueror. As a matter of
fact, there is practically no other route which could have been
adopted for any railway serving this part of the country.
The history of the line is a particularly interesting one, in
view of the fact that several contractors of various nation
alities took up the enterprise from time to time, but one after
another were compelled from physical difficulties or lack of
sufficient means to carry it into effect. That the line was
eventually built by a firm of British contractors is certainly a
fact worth noting. The total length of the Tehuantepec
Railway from the Port of Coatzacoalcos, on the Gulf of
Mexico, to the Port of Salina Cruz, on the Pacific coast, is
304 kilometres (190 miles). There is also a small branch
running from Juilo to San Juan Evangelista, a further distance
of 28 kilometres. There are many engineering features of
interest and a large number of bridges, for the mention
of which, unfortunately, I have not sufficient space, but upon
which I have touched at fuller length in other publications.
The headquarters of the Railway are situated at Rincon
Antonio. Great alterations and improvements have been effected at
the two ports of Coatzacoalcos (now known as Port Mexico)
and Salina Cruz, in order to allow vessels to approach within
reach of the wharves. In regard to these I have given full
details in the chapter devoted to Ports and Harbours. The
comparative distances which exist between other ports such as
New York, New Orleans and Liverpool, and that of Panama,
as compared with the distances via Tehuantepec, and the great
saving in distance, and consequently in expense, effected, will
be seen from the following table :

Via Tehuantepec. Via Panama.
Distances in Distances in
Nautical Miles. Nautical Miles.

New Tork to San Francisco
„ „ Acapulco
„ „ Mazatlan
„ „ Yokohama
,, „ Honolulu
New Orleans to San Francisco
„ „ Acapulco ...
„ „ Mazatlan ...
Liverpool to San Francisco
„ „ Acapulco
„ „ Honolulu
„ Yokohama

4,226

5,495

2,363

3,613

3,017

4,055

8,666

9,835

5,699

6,688

3,091

4,700

1,262

2,861

1,759

3,458

7,182

8,038

5,274

6,035

8,511

9,263

11,478

12,500

286 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
In other directions building is going on apparently without
cessation. The Southern Pacific Railway has obtained a
large number of concessions from the Mexican Government
for the construction of lines in the northern part of the
Republic. The principal of these is a concession to the
Cananea, Rio Yaqui and Pacific Railroad Co., which is owned
by the Southern Pacific, to construct the following lines :
(1) From the town of Naco, on the boundary line between
the United States of Mexico, and the important town
of Cananea ;
(2) From the Port of Guaymas to Batamotal, following the
course of the Yaqui River to Tonichi ;
(3) From the most convenient point on line (2) to Alamos ;
(4) From a point on line (3) to Agiabampo and Topolo
bampo ;
(5) From Tonichi to the frontier between San Bernardino
and Agua Prista, and three branches, one to Nacozari,
another to La Barranca, and the third to La
Trinidad.
The Mexican Pacific Coast Railway Co. is also building in
this district. Line (1) from Naco to Cananea, 38.6 miles, is
already in operation. Line (2) from the junction with the
Sonora Railroad, near Guaymas, to Tonichi, a distance of
159.5 miles ; the route is under construction, but is open and
in operation as far as Corral (the junction with the Alamos
line), 63.4 miles. Grading and track-laying have been com
pleted at Buenivista, a distance of 80 miles.
Line (3), Corral to Alamos, is a distance of 94 miles, of
which 28 have been graded and completed, and 11 miles have
been track-laid. The line between Corral and Mayo River has
a maximum grade of J of 1 per cent., and is part of the main
line which the Company is completing to Guadalajara. A
steel bridge, 1,070 feet long, is being constructed over the
Yaqui River, and one of 800 feet will be required for the Mayo
River crossing. Over 1,200 men are employed on the lines to
Tonichi and Alamos.
The Southern Pacific Co. also holds the Mexican Pacific
Coast Railway concession, granting permission to construct
from Alamos, in the State of Sonora, to Guadalajara, in the

RAILWAY EXTENSIONS 287
State of Jalisco, touching at the City of Culiacan and Tepic and
the Port of Mazatlan. From the junction point near Alamos
to Guadalajara is 719 miles.
All the above lines are under the one management — viz.,
the Southern Pacific— but, unfortunately, it has proved itself
more mindful of the interests of the " bosses " and their
particular interests than of the public. The management at
Tucson, Arizona, is generally unpopular, and its advent into
Mexico is not regarded with overmuch enthusiasm either in
railway or public circles.
The new Sonora Railway is to be constructed, 500 miles in
length, to run from Carbo, a division point on the existing
Sonora Railway, to Copet and Ures, and thence to some point
in the valley of the Yaqui River. Construction work will be
commenced from the Carbo end, and stretches of 100 miles
constructed at one time. It is expected that the entire line
will be completed within four years.
The National Lines of Mexico directors are seriously think
ing of extensions in many new directions, and, no doubt, some
will be forthcoming. The lines stand in need of three things
particularly, the first being the extension into Guadalajara
over the Hidalgo line ; the broad-gauging of the Interoceanic
line ; and the extension of the Teziutlan branch of that route
to the oilfields at Furb6ro. Should the money not be forth
coming, however, to carry out the whole of these three plans
during the present or the coming year, it is probable that an
effort will be made to raise sufficient to build the line into
Guadalajara. The line by the east coast is not pressing. The
International Extensions contemplate a line from Tepehuanes
to La Mesa de Sandia, the present terminus of the Parral and
Durango Railroad, in the north-western part of the State of
Durango. A preliminary reconnaissance has been made by
the engineering department, and it is believed that a suitable
route touching the more profitable part of the district can be
located. Two important railway schemes are at present lying dormant
for lack of sufficient means to carry them into effect, but at
some date not far distant one or both is destined to be under
taken. The first is the Acapulco extension of the Mexican
Central, and the other is the International extension to the

288 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
same port. The route to Acapulco is already completed as far
as Balsas, on the river of that name, and the remaining
distance to the port of Acapulco is short, though extremely
difficult from an engineering point of view. The line would
have to pass through the heart of the Sierra Madre mountains,
and perhaps the most costly piece of line ever constructed in
Mexico would be necessary.
A very heavy enterprise is the construction of the Veracruz
Terminals, which, after many years' unsuccessful effort, have
at last been determined upon. So far, I understand, the final
plans have not been approved by the Government ; but a
corps of engineers is already at work at Veracruz surveying
the ground on which the terminals will be built. The
original plans have been changed many times at the sugges
tion of the several interests involved, and it is uncertain
whether the definite approval has yet been obtained from all
parties. So far as the Mexican Railway are concerned, they
are out of the arrangement on account of having sold their
interests for a cash sum to the Veracruz and Pacific Railroad,
which is now a Government line ; the Port interests have yet
to come to an agreement.
In the State of Oaxaca half a dozen different lines, on a
small scale, are being completed, extended or contemplated,
mostly with the idea of tapping the rich mineral fields of the
neighbourhood. When all these lines are joined-up with the
Mexican Southern Railway by way of Ejutla, at the Oaxaca City
Terminus, it will be possible to proceed direct from Mexico City
to Salina Cruz, the present Pacific-coast terminus of the National
Tehuantepec line. Some years must elapse, however, before
this can be accomplished. The small mineral-lines to which
I have referred are constructed more for immediate use than
with any idea of permanency.
While construction is proceeding apace, as I have indicated,
the fact must be mentioned that nearly every one of the rail
ways is suffering from shortage of rolling-stock. Not even the
Government lines are complete in this respect, and the
shortage of cars continues to cause much complaint and dis
satisfaction from one end of the Republic to the other. In
fact, it frequently assumes very serious proportions, especially
at harvest-time, when all the cars are requisitioned for service.

PAUCITY OF ROLLING STOCK 289
In the case of some of the mines in the State of Michoacan,
notably the Esperanza, the absence of transport facilities
means a considerable falling-off in the revenue of the under
taking, and a consequent loss to the shareholders. Shippers
throughout Mexico are suffering through this paucity of rail
road equipment, the seriousness of which may be gathered
from the fact that the Mexican Central Line recently ordered
over 2,000 additional cars, only 400 of which have been
delivered ; while the National Lines of Mexico are short of
1,800 cars, including 500 of the latest pattern dump-cars,
1,000 box-cars and 400 stack-cars.
The passenger-car shortage is felt very keenly on the narrow-
gauge roads of the National system, and with the prospect of
broad-gauging the narrow-gauge roads a fresh supply of
narrow-gauge coaches is not desirable. Practically the same
condition exists in the railroad world in Mexico as is com
plained of in the U.S.A., all the railways alike feeling the
stringency occasioned by the Wagon and Steel companies being
so full of orders that they cannot accept any others for another
twelve or eighteen months. Some of the lines, such, for
instance, as the Mexican Central, find it difficult at times to
handle the enormous amount of freight offering, and this in
spite of the new equipment which is continually arriving.

VOL. I.

19

CHAPTER XXXII
Some minor railways — The Pan-American — Hidalgo and North-Eastern
— Coahuila Coal Railway — Coahuila and Zacatecas — -Parral and
Durango — Mexican Northern — Chihuahua and Paoific — Jalapa and
Cordoba — Tlaxcala Railway — San Rafael and Atlixco — San Gregorio
— Potosi Central — New Mexico and Arizona — Mapimi Railway —
Toluca and Tenango — Some smaller lines.
The Pan-American Railway, or so much of it as applies to
Mexico, is at present but a minor factor in the Systems of the
Republic. Its total length does not exceed 200 miles, but,
when completed, it will attain 300 miles. It runs from San
Geronimo, a station, on the National Tehuantepec line, to
Tarachula, the frontier town of the neighbouring Republic of
Guatemala, with a small branch from Tarachula to San
Benito, on the Gulf of Tehuantepec. The ultimate idea of
extending to the City of Guatemala must be pronounced as
very problematical of accomplishment, inasmuch as a very
unfriendly feeling exists at the present time between Mexico
and Guatemala, owing to the very discreditable conduct of
the Government of the latter Republic in connection with
a political assassination upon Mexican territory, which
naturally greatly incensed the Mexican Government, diplo
matic relations between the two States being still very
strained. Without the extension to Guatemala City the Pan-American
Railroad will be of little value either to its present proprietors
or to the great Inter-State scheme, of which it is supposed to
be the beginning — or shall I say a link? The construction
work has been hurried through with a view to serving the
districts commercially. Thus, at first but very indifferent
work was put into the bridges, culverts and station-buildings,
or on the main-track itself. So poor was the original con-
290

PAN-AMERICAN RAILROAD 291
structional work in fact that last year practically the whole
line was washed out, most, if not all, of the bridges being
carried away by the heavy floods which were experienced, but
which left unharmed those on the Tehuantepec Railroad
adjoining. All around the country was devastated, but the
good Bolid construction of the Tehuantepec stood, little or
no damage to either bridges or track occurring. Settlers
who were already established on the line of the Pan-American
Railway were practically ruined ; and although the track has
since been almost rebuilt, and this time with more care and
greater regard to permanency, the colonisation of the district
has suffered greatly, and since that date it has proceeded but
slowly. If the original ideas are carried out in regard to
serving the district, and the amount of traffic in any way
comes up to expectation, the line should prove a dividend
earner ; but, as I have said, without the extension from
Tarachula to Guatemala City, of which very little prospect
can now be said to exist, the undertaking cannot possibly
prove to be remunerative. The line has been completed
within 40 miles of the Guatemalan border, which is expected
to be reached by January 1st, 1908.
Trains are now run for a distance of 260 miles. It will
require a construction of 25 miles within the borders of
Guatemala itself before any connection between the Pan-
American Railroad and the Guatemala Central Railroad can
be made. The point to which the Pan-American had actually
attained last June was Huixtla, a distance of 400 kilometres
(250 miles) south of San Geronimo, and still 65 miles from
the Guatemala Central Railway. The Mexican Government
has already paid the Pan-American Railroad as subsidy
$5,000,000 (£500,000), and with the completion of the road
to the Guatemalan border and the erection of all permanent
bridges, a further and final $2,000,000 (£200,000) will be
paid. The Coahuila and Zacatecas Railway is the outcome of the
enterprise of Mr. William Purcell, who obtained a concession
from the Federal Government, and in 1896 built the line
from Saltillo to Concepcion del Oro. The distance is one of
130 kilometres (say 80 miles), and the principal freight
carried is composed of the ores from the Mazapil mines. The
19—2

292 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
whole of the necessary capital was subscribed locally. The
contributors accepted 6 per cent. Debentures. The total cost
was £120,000, which sum included full equipment. Com
pared with some other railway construction in Mexico, this
moderate price probably constitutes a record, especially recol
lecting the rough and difficult country passed through.
Branches have been thrown out to the camps of San Pedro
de Ocampo and Bonanza, the whole cost of their construction
being defrayed out of revenue, the line having been a pro
nounced success from the commencement of its career. The
State Government contributed £15,000 towards the cost of
construction. The Hidalgo and North-Eastern Railway (F. C. de Hidalgo
y Nordeste) is a profitable and well-managed concern, formerly
owned entirely by Mexicans. It is now part of the system
of the National Railways of Mexico. The Hidalgo and North-
Eastern has five divisions : (1) Mexico City to Tortugas
(98 miles) ; (2) Mexico City to Pachuca (69 miles) ;
(3) Pachuca to Tulancingo and Tortugas (63 miles) ; (4) Irolo
to Pachuca (38 miles) ; and (5) Ventoquipa to Beristain
(21 miles). At various points it connects with other Mexican
lines, including the Mexican Central, the Interoceanic, and
the National.
The Coahuila Coal Railway (F. C. Carbonifero de Coahuila),
in the State of Coahuila, is a small coal-carrying line, running
between Barroteran and Musquiz, a distance of about 25 miles,
and connecting at Barroteran with the International Railway.
The Coahuila and Zacatecas Railway (F. C. de Coahuila y
Zacatecas) serves the important district between Saltillo (the
capital of the State) and Concepcion del Oro, a distance of
78 miles. There is also a branch line of 17 miles between
San Pedro and Avalos. At Saltillo, the line connects with
the National lines and the Coahuila and Pacific, which is now
acquired and worked by the Mexican Central Railway.
The Parral and Durango Railway (F. C. de Parral y
Durango), an American Company, with head offices in Pitts
burg, Pa., U.S.A., and executive offices at Parral, Durango,
has a main line of 45 miles in length, and a mine-line of
about 8 miles. The line is being extended gradually to the
west of Parral (one of the most important mining centres in

The Mexican Railway.— New type of Fairlie locomotive made by the North British Locomotive Company, Glasgow, N.B. — see p. 279.

MINOR RAILROADS 293
Mexico), and will there serve a rich agricultural and grazing
district. The Mexican Northern Railway (F. C. Mexicano del Norte),
built and owned by American capitalists, with head offices at
New York, has a total track of 78 miles in length, and runs
from Escalon, in Chihuahua, to Sierra Mojada, connecting
that region with the Mexican Central system.
The Chihuahua and Pacific Railway (F. C. de Chihuahua
al Pacifico) is an American enterprise, serving the great
mining and agricultural district lying between Tabaloapa
Junction and Temosachic, a distance of 172 miles. The line
is, on the whole, well constructed, the bridges being of steel,
and the culverts and abutments of good masonry. A further
extension will be made from Temosachic to Dedrick, 35 miles
distant, where big saw-mills are already in existence, and
others are being commenced. The line at Chihuahua, itself
at an elevation of 4,700 feet, rises still higher in its westward
course by a gradual grade until it reaches 6,500 feet eleva
tion. The Jalapa and Cordoba Railway (F. C. de Jalapa Cor
doba), built and owned by an American corporation, has
19 miles of track, and this is considered one of the most
attractive scenic lines in the Republic, as it is, in spite of the
almost continual filmy mists which prevail in this portion of
the country. The local line joins up with the Interoceanic
Railway, and the distance from Mexico City is 127 miles.
The Tlaxcala Railway (F. C. de Tlaxcala) runs from the
town of that name to Santa Ana, a very trifling distance, and
connects up there with the Mexican Railway.
The San Rafael and Atlixco Railway (F. C. San Rafael y
Atlixco) has a length of 69 miles, and runs from the capital
(Mexico City) to Apapasco. It is a native-built and native-
owned line, and has a branch from Atlantla to Ozumba, a
little over 3 kilometres in length. The line passes through
Amacameca, which lies on the plain at the foot of the moun
tains Popocatepetl and Ixtaccihuatl. There the railway joins
the Interoceanic Railway, the station being 35 miles from
Mexico City.
The San Gregorio Railway (F. C. San Gregorio) has a
short 30-mile track running from Marfil, near Guanajuato,

294 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
to El Chorro, and at Marfil connects with the Mexican
Central. It is a small line, with its offices in Guanajuato,
and is connected with some important mining interests in
that city.
The Potosi Central Railway (F. C. Central de Potosi) has
a 10-kilometre track, with offices in San Luis Potosi and
Aguascalientes. The line runs between Los Charcos and
Chorees. At the latter place it connects with the National
Lines of Mexico.
The New Mexico and Arizona Railway (F. C. de Nuevo
Mexico y Arizona) is an American-owned line, with head
offices at Chicago, running between Nogales and Benson,
a distance of 83 miles. At the former place it joins the
Sonora Railway, and at the latter it connects with the
Southern Pacific.
The Rio Grande, Sierra Madre and Pacific Railway (F. C.
Rio Grande, Sierra Madre y Pacifico) is an American-built
and American-owned line of some 156 miles, the head offices
being at New York. It starts from the frontier Mexican town
of Ciudad Juarez (which faces El Paso on the American side),
and runs to Terrozas, passing through the town of Guymas,
about midway. At the starting-point the railway connects
with the Mexican Central line, and just across the frontier
(El Paso) it joins up with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa
F6, the Texas and Pacific, the El Paso and South- Western,
and the Western of El Paso lines, thus forming an important
link. The Mapimi Railway is a short 15-mile line from Berme-
jillo to Mapimi, in the State of Durango, at the former place
connecting with the Mexican Central Railway.
The Matehuala Railways Company, Limited (Ferrocarriles
de Matehuala, S.A.), a locally-formed concern, with Mexican
Directors and managers, owns the line running between
Matehuala and La Paz, a total length of 21 kilometres (about
13J miles).
The Oaxaca and Ejutla Railway (F. C. de Oaxaca a Ejutla)
has a length of track a little over 44 miles, and is a native-
owned concern. It runs to Ocatlan as well as Ejutla.
The Nacozari (Sonora) Railway (F. C. de Nacozari) was
built and is financed by American capital, the offices being

MINOR RAILROADS 295
in New York. The line is one of 77 miles in length, and at
Agua Prieta connects with the El Paso and South-Western
Railway. The Tranvia Vecinal de Yucatan has a short 13-mile track,
owned and managed locally, running from the town of
Cacalchen, in the State of Yucatan, to Hoctun in the same
State. The Agricultural Railway of Tlaxco (F. C. Agricola de
Tlaxco) has a 15-mile track, with offices in Pu6bla, and runs
from Apizaco to Tlaxco, through a good and improving agri
cultural district. At the former place it connects with the
Mexican Railway, and at the latter with the Interoceanic.
The Cozadero and Solis Railway (F. C. Cozadero a Solis)
has a line of 23 miles, and runs from Cozadero to Nado, at
the former place connecting with the Mexican Central lines.
There are five stations.
The Toluca and Tenango Railway (F. C. de Toluca a
Tenango) is a native owned and managed line, running from
Toluca, in the State of Mexico, to Atla, a distance of 19 miles.
There is a branch line from Toluca to San Juan de las Huer-
tas of 10 miles, worked by the same Company.
The Industrial Railway of Pu6bla (F. C. Industrial de
Pu6bla) works two short lines, one from Pu6bla to Cholula
and Huejotzingo, and the other from Pu6bla to Fabricas and
Valor. There are about nine stations on the whole of the
two Unes.
The Mineral Railway of El Oro (F. C. Minero de El Oro)
belongs to the El Oro Mines Co., Limited. The length of
the track is 30 miles. It runs from a place called Tulte-
nango, where it connects with the National Lines of Railway,
to Yondese, there being one passenger train daily each way.
The Mexican Mineral Railway (F. C. Minero Mexicano)
is an American concern, owned and run by the Monterey
Smelter interests. It has a length of 13 miles, and starts
from Fundicion, 2 miles from Monterey, in the State of
Nuevo Leon, and runs to San Pedro. It connects with the
Mexican Central, the National, and the International lines
of railway. It has seven stations.
The Potosi and Rio Verde Railway (F. C. Potosi y Rio
Verde), also an American-built and owned line, of 38 miles in

296 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
length, runs from San Luis Potosi to Chuacatal. It connects
up with the National and Central Railways. It has seven
stations. The Torres and Prietas Railway (F. C. de Torres a Prietas)
is a Mexican-owned line of 13 miles in length, running from
Minas Prietas to Torres, in the State of Sonora, joining up
with the Sonora Railway. There are three stations.
The Ixtlahuaca Railway (F. C. Ixtlahuaca, Mani y Nijini)
is a Mexican owned and managed line, with offices both at
Ixtlahuaca and Mexico City. The length of track is 28£ miles,
and there are eleven stations.
The Valley of Mexico Drainage Railway (F. C. del Desagiie
del Valle de Mexico) is a short Government line of some
24 miles, as its name indicates, connected with the drainage
works of the city. It runs from Gran Canal to Tajo de
Tequixquiac, and is managed by the Ministry of Communi
cations and Public Works. It has connections at Gran
Canal with the Mexican Central and Hidalgo North-Eastern
Railways. The Monte Alto Railway (F. C. de Monte Alto) is a native-
owned and managed line of some 35 miles, running from the
City of Mexico to Capetillo. At Tlalnopantla it joins up with
a tram line called " The Tlalnopantla Railway," and runs
thence to San Pedro. There are fourteen stations on this
road. The Hornos Railway (F. C. de Hornos) is a Chihuahua
local line of some 27 miles in length, and having eight
stations. Among some of the lesser-known lines may be mentioned : —
The F. C. Villa Cardenas al Rio Grijalva (5 miles) ; F. C.
de Cordoba a Huatusco (14 miles) ; F. C. de Tlacotepec a
Huajuapam de Leon (47 miles) ; F. C. Cananea, Rio Yaqui y
Pacifico (39 miles) ; F. C. Militar, Vigia Chico a Santa Cruz
(35J miles) ; and a few others.

CHAPTER XXXIII
Steamship lines — Government support and encouragement— American,
European and native lines— Ward Line— Mallory Line— British lines
—Royal Mail Steampacket Co. — Revival of British interests-
Mexican - Canadian services — Swedish, Norwegian, French and
German lines — Methods of German competitors— Presidential trip to
Yucatan — Native subsidised lines.
Among the many wise acts of President Diaz's Government
has been the fostering of several steamship services between
Mexico and the rest of the world, with the result that the
overseas transportation facilities of to-day will compare both
for number, regularity and importance with those of any
civilised country in the world. While the Government does
not encourage shipbuilding as a native industry, recognising
that, as matters are at present, it is easier to buy ships from
abroad and to encourage those sailing under a foreign flag,
than to invest many millions on its own account, there are
one or two elaborate plants for building steel, iron and wooden
vessels to be found in the Republic. One such is at Front6ra,
in the State of Tabasco, where a complete outfit of machinery
and tools obtained from the U.S.A. is at work.
It is, however, in subsidising fast and regular mails that
the Government has shown its interest and great discernment,
so that trade even with the non-contiguous territories shows
a marked increase in every direction from year to year. This
is all the more remarkble when it is remembered that,
previous to 1887, Mexico was practically isolated so far as
activity in maritime commerce or communication was con
cerned. Up to 1896, 21 steamship lines had contracts with
the Government for carrying the mails ; but to-day this
number is increased to at least 25, and promises to be still
further added to, as time and opportunity suggest.
297

298 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
Out of the 25 subsidised lines, 9 enjoy subsidies ranging
from $75 (£1 10s.) to $2,000 (£200) for the round trip, or
from $6,600 (£660) to $15,000 (£1,500) per annum, other
lines enjoying certain privileges and exemptions.
The various steamship lines plying to and from or around
the coasts of Mexico may be divided into 4 sections : —
1. Those trading with the U.S.A.
2. ,, ,, with Europe.
3. „ „ with South America.
4. Native coast lines.
In regard to the first, the New York and Cuba Steam
ship Co. is the most important, but not necessarily the most
popular. As a matter of fact, the Ward Line as conducted to
day is by no means au mieux with Mexicans, owing to the
decidedly autocratic and high-handed manner in which the
business is managed. The Company has no subvention from
the Mexican Government, but it enjoys special exemptions.
The steamers were formerly required, under the terms of the
contract, to make 52 regular trips to and from Progreso,
New York, Veracruz, Tuxpan, Tampico, Front6ra, Alvarado,
Campiche, Coatzacoalcos and Laguna ; but nowadays a large
number of these ports are omitted or visited at uncertain
intervals. The Ward Line has some fine boats on the New
York- Veracruz Line, such as the Mexico and the Havana,
and a great number of poor ones, while the fares are in
all cases exceedingly high.
The Mallory Line, which was recently acquired by Mr.
Charles W. Morse, at the price of $8,500,000 (gold) runs
between New York, Galveston and Mexican Ports, and is
making an active bid for Mexican business. One of its most
serious competitors is the Morgan Steamship Co., owned by
the Southern Pacific Railroad, which runs passenger and
freight steamers between New York, New Orleans and
Mexican ports, there being semi-weekly sailings on both
routes. The Wolvin Line (Texas City Transportation Co.) plies
between Texas City, Tampico, Veracruz and Progr6so, while
the port of Coatzacoalcos is also likely to be included in the
list of the Company's stopping places very shortly. Trade

STEAMSHIP ROUTES 299
between Galveston, Texas and Mexican ports is rapidly
expanding, and there is no doubt room for further lines.
Messrs. A. Grimwood and Co. of Mexico City and Veracruz
are the Agents of this Line.
The Galveston -Yucatan Steamship Co., with general offices
at the former port, has also lately started in business,
running a line of steamships between Galveston and Progreso
every 12 days, the idea being to work up a good service
between these two ports and take in the Isthmus of Tehuan
tepec trade as soon as it is sufficiently developed. The Texas
City Transportation Co. began a new service, in the month of
January last, between Texas City and Veracruz, and have
already obtained some popularity with shippers on account of
the improved service which they provided.
Other American Steamship Companies include the Pacific
Mail Steamship Co., which serves very indifferently and un-
punctually the Pacific coast of the Republic ; the United States
Steamship Co., which operates vessels transporting oil in bulk,
as well as parcels, passengers, mail and merchandise from
Colon to Atlantic ports ; the Mexican- American Line, which
dispatches weekly from New Orleans to Mexican ports,
alternately from Galveston and Port Arthur, a line of steamers
between Pensacola and Coatzacoalcos ; and the Munson Line,
which enjoys special exemptions and is required to make at
least 2 round trips per month between New Orleans, Mobile and
Mexican Ports, furnishing very clean, quick and punctual
services over the route which it runs.
The Pacific Coast Steamship Co. makes one monthly trip
between San Francisco, California and Guaymas ; the Neptune
Steamship Co. has formed an alliance with the National
Lines, and has established a service of steamships between
New Orleans and Ports in Mexico in competition with the
Mexican -American Line; the American - Hawaiian Steam
ship Co. runs in connection with the National Tehuan
tepec Railway, with boats sailing from Hawaii to Salina Cruz
on the one side and from Coatzacoalcos to New York on the
other. The Southern Pacific Co. has a freight service from
New York and Atlantic coast points to Mexico via New Orleans,
and the Mexico and Orient Steamship Co., an adjunct of the
Orient Railway system, operates a service of steamers from

300 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
Guaymas down the coast to Manzanillo, touching at San Die"go
and Topolobampo.
After being practically out of the field for many years the
Royal Mail Steam Packet Co. has again entered upon Mexican
business, and in the month of November last year inaugurated
a transatlantic service between British ports and Veracruz
and Tampico. Undoubtedly, there is sufficient import and
export business to warrant the entrance of another line of
steamers, especially one of so high a character as that put on
by the Royal Mail Steam Packet Co., and one which has
already proved exceedingly popular with both Mexicans and
Americans. At the present time the Company is doing a
very encouraging amount of business with both freight and
passengers, the boats on the service being the Sabor, the Severn
and the Segura, plying regularly between Mexico, the Spanish
Main and England with regular monthly sailings from the
Ports of Tampico and Veracruz via Havana, North Spain and
thence to Southampton. The Jef6 Politico (Chief of Police)
of Veracruz referred to the coming of the Royal Mail Steam
Packet Co. as " the finding of a lost friend." The Company
is again becoming popular in Mexico. Perhaps this is
because it is represented by Messrs. A. Grimwood and Co.,
who are the general agents of Messrs. Elder, Dempster and Co.
(Canadian-Mexican Service), the Texas City Transport Co.,
the Cuban Steamship Co. (Cayo Line) and others. Messrs.
Grimwood and Co. occupy handsome offices in the best part
of the City, and also at Veracruz (Avenida Morelos, No. 7).
The Canadian-Mexican service, which was launched in
October 1906, is the enterprise of Messrs. Elder, Dempster
and Co., and it is proving exceptionally successful. The
commercial relations existing between Canada and Mexico
are already of great importance, and are becoming more
extended every day. The boats put on this service run
fourteen knots per hour, and carry between 5,000 and 6,000
tons of cargo.
The Canadian-Mexican Pacific Steamship Co. began the
operation of its boats between Victoria, B.C., and Salina
Cruz in the month of April last. Two boats, giving a monthly
service between Mexico and Canada, have been arranged for,
and the condition of trade suggests that it may be possible to

EUROPEAN LINES 301
increase the number to four boats within a very brief time.
Coal, coke and lumber will be the principal Canadian products
brought to Mexico by way of the Pacific coast-line, while in
return the boats will carry away tropical fruit, rice and ore
destined for Victoria and Vancouver. The British Columbia
Government subsidises the line to the extent of $100,000 gold
annually, and the Mexican Government adds something about
the same. Several British vessels belonging to Hull call
regularly at the Gulf of Mexico Ports in preference to the
U.S. Ports on the Atlantic, which is part of the new move
ment for more foreign trade coming into the Gulf States.
Messrs. F. Leyland and Co., Ltd., owners of the West
India and Pacific branch of the Liverpool Steamship Co.,
have recently received a concession from the Mexican Govern
ment for a further term of five years for their services between
Liverpool, the Antilles, Central American Ports, Veracruz and
Tampico. The West Indian and Pacific Steamship Co. provide
two trips per month, while the Harrison line conduct the same
number of journeys between Liverpool and Veracruz, with
the privilege of stopping on either trip at Tampico, Tuxpan,
Fronte'ra, Campeche and Progr6so. The Harrison line and
the Leyland work together, their boats occupying about
18 days between Port and Port, the steamers being quick,
comfortable, and exceptionally clean. The lines are repre
sented in Mexico city by Messrs. O'Kelly and Co., Ltd.
Other foreign lines include the German Imperial Mail,
which is making rapid progress, as most German under
takings do, and, with the Hamburg-American Line, threatens
to become powerful competitors with all the other steamship
lines doing business with Europe. The Imperial Mail enjoys
special exemptions, and makes at least two monthly trips to
and from Hamburg, Havre, Veracruz, Tampico and other
Mexican ports. I have encountered the boats of the Hamburg-
American line in all parts of the Republic of Mexico, very
frequently when the boats of no other European or American
line are to be met with, and probably canvassing for business
which no other line would take. I notice that German vessels
always seem to pick up trade somehow and somewhere, and
if they do not find an opening awaiting them they make one.
Certain it is that no more enterprising traders than the

302 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
Germans are to be found in any part of North, South or
Central America, and one has only to glance at the official
statistics published showing their shipping tonnage compared
with that of other countries to appreciate what a hold they
have upon such coming countries as Mexico. Moreover, the
service they render is prompt, punctual and moderate ; and
while the Germans make few friends among the shippers, they
secure their respect, and, what is very much more to the point,
they get their business. The Germans also own the Kosmos
Line of steamers serving between Hamburg and other European,
South and Central American and Mexican Pacific Ports.
A new German enterprise, known as the Roland Line,
instituted a new service between Hamburg and Mexico via
South and Central America in May 1906, having a small fleet
of six steamers, each of 3,000 tons. These boats compete with
the Kosmos Line, doing the same sort of trade and touching
at the same Mexican Ports.
As an instance of the diplomatic manner in which the
Germans carry on their business, it may be pointed out that
when the President of the Republic visited Yucatan last year,
the Hamburg-American line immediately offered the best
steamship in its service, the Bismarck, free of charge for the
use of the President and his party. The offer, however, could
not be accepted, as the reigning President of a Republic is
unable to make a trip upon a vessel flying a foreign flag,
since that would be equivalent to leaving the National terri
tory, for which he would need the special permission of
Congress. So soon as the German Emperor heard of this
offer and its refusal, in his capacity as Honorary Director
of the Hamburg- American Co., he declared, as a compliment
to President Diaz, he would allow the Bismarck to be put
under the Mexican flag. Even then, however, the Mexican
President was unable to accept the suggestion, as by agreeing
he would be casting a disparagement upon " the nascent Navy
of his country."
The German Emperor, still persistent and persuasive, then
sent a message to General Diaz offering him the Imperial
yacht Hohenzollern should he ever desire to visit Europe. It
is worth pointing out that even had the Bismarck hoisted the
Mexican flag, it would not have overcome the difficulty, inas-

NATIVE STEAMSHIP LINES 303
much as it is a merchant-vessel. A Mexican man-o'-war,
which is "national territory," could alone fulfil the legal
requirements for the President's trip. It is understood that
the Hamburg-American line expended 150,000 marks (£7,500)
in sending the Bismarck to Yucatan for the use of the Mexican
President, a very clever and useful piece of advertising.
A Swedish line, owned by Messrs. Axel, Johnson and Co.,
now operates a line between Swedish ports, Manzanillo and
Mazatlan. A line of steamships plying between Christiania
(Norway) and Veracruz, touching only at Havana en route,
was commenced last February by a Mr. G. M. Bryde, of
Christiania, the owner of several other lines, one of which
operates between Havana and Galveston. Mr. Bryde secured
a Concession from the Mexican Government upon satisfactory
terms, and his line is already doing a fair amount of business.
There is a French line of steamships trading with the
Orient, which touches at the principal ports of Mexico on its
way back to Europe. The service is a monthly one at present,
but the intention of the owners is to make it bi-monthly,
should the traffic offer inducement. A service of steamships
has been started recently between Salvador and Salina Cruz,
the enterprise being backed by British capital, which has been
supplied to the extent of 1,000,000 pounds sterling. The service
offered is both passenger and freight, and supplies facilities
which neither the Pacific Mail nor the Kosmos line supply,
and is being better run than either so far as punctuality is
concerned. Among the native lines are the following : — Compafiia
Mexicana de Navegacion, S.A., a line which enjoys special ex
emptions and makes several trips per month between Veracruz
Coatzacoalcos, Fronte'ra, Laguna, Campeche, Progr6so, and to
Tampico and intermediate points ; Compania de Navegacion
en los Rios Grijalva, Usumacinta y Palizada, which has a
small subsidy, and is required to make 36 trips per year on
the rivers named ; Compania Industrial de Transportes,
which also receives a subsidy, and is under obligation to
make 6 monthly trips on the rivers Gonzalez and Mezcalapa ;
Compania de Navegacion del Pacifico, which, in return for a
subsidy per round trip, is required to make 18 trips yearly
between Guaymas, La Paz, Altata, Mazatlan, San Bias,

304 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
Manzanillo, Acapulco, Puerto Angel, Salina Cruz, Tonala,
San Benito and other places ; the Lower California Develop
ment Co., which concern receives a moderate subsidy per
round trip during the continuance of the contract, and is
required to make 72 trips per year between San Diego, Todos
Santos, and San Quintin ; Compania Naviera del Pacifico,
which consists of three different lines, one required to make
48 trips per annum between Guaymas, La Paz and Emeka
and intermediate ports, receiving for this service an annual
subsidy, another line receiving a separate yearly subsidy for
4 round monthly trips between Mazatlan, Altata, and
Topolobampo, and the third line making 36 trips per year
between Guaymas, Santa Rosalia, Mulege, Loreto, and La
Paz, receiving for this service a special payment ; Compania
de Navegacion en los Rios Grijalva, Chilapa y Tulija, a small
line which is required to make 3 monthly trips between
Front§ra, Tepetitan, and Pavo Real ; and Compania Limitada
de los Ferrocarriles de Veracruz. This also has a subsidy, the
service required being 312 trips a year between Alvarado and
Chocaltianguis, 104 between Alvarado and San Juan Evan-
gelista, and 156 between Alvarado and Alonso Lazarro,
touching at intermediate ports.
A great number of concessions have been granted by the
Mexican Government to companies purposing to establish
new steamship lines on both coasts, all of which promise to
add greatly to the efficiency of the service between the ports
on their respective itineraries.

CHAPTER XXXIV
Ports and harbours — Improvements on west coast — Tampico — Rivalry
with Veracruz — Progreso — Acapulco — Railway communication diffi
culties — Mazatlan — Government projects — Tuxpan — Canal enterprise
— Coatzacoalcos — Harbour and port works — Salina Cruz — Port
works and new town — Topolobampo — Three transcontinental routes
— Mexico's interest in Panama Canal.
The west coast of Mexico has for many years suffered from a
lack of development, owing firstly to the poor accommodation
at the ports and harbours which exist, and secondly to the
absence of railway communication. All this is being rapidly
changed, and even before these words are read at least one
great system of railway and steamship transportation will
have been inaugurated, and have commenced full operation,
while two others will be approaching completion. The Gulf
side of the Republic has been especially fortunate in regard
to its geographical position, turning, as it does, not only
towards North America, but towards European ports, the
maritime traffic up till now having been the greatest at the
Gulf ports of Tampico, Veracruz and Progr6so. Owing to its
proximity to the capital (but 12 hours travel), Veracruz, with
its two lines of railway (the Mexican and the Interoceanic),
has until late years enjoyed far and away the bulk of
European freight to Mexico. Something over 1,000,000 tons
now come annually to the Veracruz quays, and the present
year is bound to see this amount considerably augmented.
Tampico, which, under the fostering care of the Central
Railway, has developed from a small fishing-village into a
moderately comfortable town, is connected by railway with
the important City of San Luis Potosi and with Monterey,
which is the centre of a great and growing iron and steel
industry. This port is becoming a keen rival to Veracruz
vol. i. 305 20

306 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
itself, and when the new short line between Tampico and
Mexico City, now commenced by the Central Railway, is
completed (estimated at about three years from now), a
certain amount of Veracruz business will leave it, probably
for ever. But it must always remain an important port for
European and coastal trade, whatever additional prosperity
awaits Tampico.
Progr6so is the great port for henequdn imports and exports,
which represent the immense trade interests of Yucatan.
Nothing is likely to interfere with this trade, while the ex
tension of the henequ^n industry is bound to make Progr6so
more and more progressive, as its name happily suggests.
The other Gulf Ports are Campeche, Coatzacoalcos (the entry
port for all the traffic over the Tehuantepec National Rail
way, which has its terminus on the Pacific Coast at Salina
Cruz), Chetumal, Frontera, Alvarado, Nautla, Champoton,
Isla Aguada, Puerto Morelos and Tuxpam. In course of time
many of these ports will be connected with branch railway-
lines, and thus further add to the importance of Mexican
shipping interests.
It is in connection with the West or Pacific coast of Mexico
that the greatest enterprise is being displayed. Acapulco is a
fine natural harbour in the State of Guerrero, and at one time
was to have been connected with the capital through the
Interoceanic Railway. Indeed, the British shareholders of that
far-from-fortunate line, now under National management,
were tempted to invest their money originally upon this
understanding. But it is safe to say that the extension will
never be built by the present owners of the Interoceanic, from
lack of money. Railway communication with the interior,
therefore, being absent, the trade of Acapulco remains some
what unimportant, and of a gradually diminishing character.
There is some idea of another line of railway coming in by a
roundabout way ; but the terrific mountains and barrancas
which will have to be encountered and overcome by any line
of rails, and which have sufficed to frighten off the Inter
oceanic all these years, offer an almost insurmountable
obstacle to any company or individual unprovided with an
immense amount of constructional capital. The Interoceanic
Railway is far from being that Company.

^

PORT RAILWAY EXTENSIONS 307
The Mexican Central Railway contemplates the extension
of its Cuernavaca Division in the direction of Acapulco, and
if undertaken that port would be brought into direct com
munication with Mexico City.
Acapulco harbour was discovered and much used by Hernan
Cortes in 1531, he sailing thence in that year up the coast of
Sinaloa. Again, in 1540, the port was used as the departure
place by Hernando de Alarcon, who discovered California, and
promptly annexed it in the name of the King of Spain.
Acapulco is said to be not only the finest natural harbour
in Mexico, but about the second finest in the world. Like
those of Topolobampo and Manzanillo, the harbour is sur
rounded by beautiful and lofty mountains, the passage from
the sea being a narrow and tortuous but perfectly safe one.
In this respect it reminds one of the entrance to the Harbour
of Santos, in Brazil. In the early days of the Spanish
conquest, Acapulco was a strongly fortified place, and so
well was it provided against assault that long after the rest
of Mexico became the possession of the Independence followers,
Acapulco remained Spanish. The only break was when the
then indomitable priest Morelos took and held for a few days
the fort with his patriot army, and with the valuable assistance
of a former Spanish prisoner, Colonel Ellis P. Bean.
Mazatlan, on the other hand, in the State of Sinaloa, is
more fortunately placed, since there are two short lines of
railway running from the port into the interior, but neither
as yet communicating with the Capital. The Southern Pacific
Railway, an exceedingly powerful but badly conducted
American Corporation (which also owns the Arizona Eastern
Railroad, the Arizona and Colorado Railroad, the Cananea,
Yaqui River and Pacific Railroad, the Maricopa and Phoenix
and Salt River Valley Railroad, and the Gila Valley, Globe
and Northern Railway), are busily engaged upon constructing
a long line of railway, stretching from Nogales, in the Northern
State of Sonora, through the enormous State of Sinaloa, with
its millions of acres of untouched agricultural territory,
through the Territory of Tepic, as far as the City of Guadala
jara, its terminus in the State of Jalisco.
Although not a coastal line, the new railway is, by several
branch lines, to open up communication with the Mexican
20—2

308 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
Ports, including that of Mazatlan, and thus bring them
indirectly into relation with the interior of the country and
with the ports situated on the Gulf side of the Republic. By
this means Mazatlan will have a bright future to which to look
forward, and is taking time by the forelock by building suit
able accommodation in the town itself. But as yet little has
been done towards improving the harbour and providing the
necessary docks and port accommodation. I understand, how
ever, that the Mexican Government will pay attention to this
great undertaking so soon as sufficient money can be spared or
be raised to devote to it.
As a matter of fact, all the plans for constructing the port
and harbour works at Mazatlan were completed, and the
Government awarded the contract to Colonel Edgar K.
Smoot, who built the fine port works at Galveston, Texas,
U.S.A., and who has since constructed the port works at Man
zanillo. The Government in the end asked to be released
from the Mazatlan business, and transferred the contract to
the port works of Manzanillo, of which full particulars will be
found in the following Chapter.
In its time Mazatlan has suffered many misfortunes.
Perhaps the worst was a visitation, in 1902 and 1903, of the
dreaded bubonic plague. In some two months, from deaths
and desertions, the population of Mazatlan was reduced from
20,000 to 4,000. About 390 deaths actually took place, and
over 1,000 houses were burned by the authorities. The
population were severely afflicted, being on the verge of
starvation and the objects of charity for many weeks at a time.
Last year (1906) Mazatlan was again in a sad plight, being
cut-off from any sort of communication for over a week by
reason of floods, wash-outs on the railways, and the impos
sibility of any ships approaching the coast. Naturally the
port has suffered severely in a business way, but things are
gradually righting themselves, and prosperity must be restored
to Mazatlan as soon as the new railway comes within reach
of it. In the meantime the town has been blessed with an
excellent drainage and sewerage installation, while the Federal
Government, as I have said, recognising the necessity for
improving the harbour, will allot the first spare money they
can find to that purpose.

FUTURE OF TAMPICO 309
Tuxpan, as a port of entry, has but a very brief period
further to exist, for, as soon as the Tampico- Tuxpan Canal
is finished, which will be this year, importations there will
cease, and go instead to Tampico. At no time have the
entries at Tuxpan been very important. Those for 1904, for
instance, amounted to only $106,000 (say £10,600), against
$22,000,000 (say £2,200,000) for Tampico, and $40,000,000
(£4,000,000) for Veracruz. Tuxpan is a dull place, with about
14,000 inhabitants, and probably not a single Britisher among
them. They are composed of Mexicans, Spaniards and a few
Americans. Tampico port shipments are already considerably larger
than those at Veracruz, but in actual value they are lower,
since, while for the greater part Tampico receives coal, coke,
iron, tinplate and other goods of this character paying but
little duty, Veracruz is the port of entry for the more costly
articles, paying a heavier duty. In conversation with the
Head of the Customs House at Tampico, I was informed that
whereas the total customs receipts at the port amounted to
little more than $4,000,000 for 1900-1901, in 1904-1905 they
had increased to nearly $8,000,000, and for 1905-1906 to
nearly $9,000,000. For the year 1906-1907 they are likely to
stand at over $9,500,000, while in three years' time, when the
National Railway and the Central Railway will have completed
their new lines connecting Tampico with Mexico City and the
whole of the Republic, the revenue is estimated to approach
$18,000,000 to $20,000,000. These figures, I may repeat, are
an official estimate, carefully considered and emanating from
the highest possible authority upon the subject.
Tampico possesses many advantages over Veracruz as a
port of entry. In the first place, loading and unloading can be
carried on there almost all the year round, the exception being
when the "Northers " blow in the winter, and when occasionally
vessels are unable to cross the bar. The length of detention,
however, scarcely ever exceeds two days, and the occasions
upon which the delay happens are perhaps half-a-dozen
during the season. At Veracruz, on the other hand, all work
has to be arrested while the furious " Northers " blow on that
coast, and these last from two to three days and occur some
times twice in a week. The cost of handling cargo at Tampico

310 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
from the ship to the railway-truck is but $2.00 per ton, as
against $3.00 and $3.50 at Veracruz. The appliances and
machinery for handling the freight at the first-named port are
likewise more up-to-date than at the southern port, and a
better class of labour is obtainable. In 1905 the amount of
cargo on British ships landed at Tampico amounted to
379,023 tons, which was 19,620 tons more than during the
previous year. The consignments consisted mostly of coal,
coke, tinplate, corrugated iron-sheeting, wire, pipes, iron
rails, etc., etc.
Campeche lies on the west shore of the Peninsula of
Yucatan, and is completely open to the " Northers " which
blow furiously during the winter. The Bay of Campeche
resembles the Bay of Biscay in many ways, and extends the
whole distance from Cape Palma to Veracruz. There is no
harbour worthy of the name in this wide district. There is a
line of railroad extending from the City of Campeche to
Merida, the Capital of Yucatan, which is 173 kilometres in
length (say 108 miles), and which has been in operation since
1898. Like many other Mexican ports, however, at the present
time, Campeche has no railway connection with the Capital.
Up to some three or four years ago Coatzacoalcos was little
more than a desolate Indian fishing-village ; but to-day with
its railway terminus, extensive Port works and a considerable
foreign population, the town is completely transformed.
Nothing, however, could ever render Coatzacoalcos an at
tractive place of residence, destitute as it is of almost all the
necessary essentials to make it so. Nevertheless the harbour,
which Hernan Cort^z considered the best on the Gulf Coast,
as it undoubtedly is, is of far too much importance to have
been so long neglected. The Federal Government selected it
as the eastern terminal of the Tehuantepec National Railway,
and it must continue to grow in wealth and size as the trans-
Isthmian trade develops. This year, upon the occasion of the
official inauguration of the Tehuantepec National Railway,
Coatzacoalcos received the new name of " Port Mexico."
Coatzacoalcos River forms the natural harbour, and one of
almost unlimited capacity. Unfortunately, however, there
existed a strong bar which had to be removed, necessitating
almost herculean labours, so as to prevent it ever forming

COATZACOALCOS (PORT MEXICO) 311
again. The method of treatment adopted by the contractors,
after moot consideration, was that selected at the mouth of
the Mississippi River, as well as that at the mouth of the
Panuco River at Tampico. This consisted of constructing two
converging jetties, or training walls extending from the mouth
of the river out into the sea, thus confining the currents within
the limits necessary to secure the scouring-out of the channel
across the bar by the action of the river itself. The length of
these jetties is 1,300 metres, and they are constructed of
rubble and rock dumped down, apparently " anyhow," but
really with great forethought and accuracy, into the sea. A
neat concrete wall has been built on the top, giving a com
pletely finished appearance to the work. The west jetty was
first completed, but the east jetty was found more troublesome
owing to all the heavy material in the form of rocks and rubble
having to be carried across the river in flat barges, worked by
an endless chain. Each barge bore a burden of 250 tons of
rock, and made four trips daily. About 9,000 tons were
delivered and sunk weekly, the dumping being done by a
crane with a 20-ton lifting capacity.
In order to secure the required depth of 10 metres of water
on the bar, a good deal of dredging was found necessary.
Substantial steel wharves and strong steel warehouses have
been erected, the latter being 126 metres long by 33 metres
wide. Vessels coming alongside have a minimum depth of
water of 10 metres. The total frontage of the wharves at Coat
zacoalcos is 1,030 metres, and their average depth is 26 metres.
Every necessary appliance and machine, mostly operated by
electricity, is to be found here, and seldom have I seen a more
complete or efficient plant for rapidly handling the ships'
cargoes, either loading or unloading. Ample accommodation
has been provided in the railway yard, the length of this
being 2 kilometres, while it is 200 metres in width. Alto
gether the terminal tracks, other than that laid out on the
wharves, amount to nearly 20 kilometres. I may add that
the whole of this terminal yard has had to be filled in, taking
no less than 700,000 cubic metres of stuff to do it.
The port works at Salina Cruz necessitated even more care,
forethought and expenditure than the massive structure at
Coatzacoalcos. The greatest amount of engineering skill,

312 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
patience and resource were demanded, and were at the proper
season duly forthcoming. Nature, so far from assisting in the
carrying out of the enterprise, seemed to have imposed every
possible obstacle. Salina Cruz is an open roadstead, bereft
of every kind of natural aid, such as, for instance, had been
found at Veracruz, where a similar work was undertaken by
the same firm of contractors. Here, as also at Veracruz, the
most terrific " Northers " blow during the winter months, with
this difference, however, that they blow from off the land
instead of from the sea. While these north winds serve to
beat down the surf, the summer winds from the south cause
it to rise to great heights ; and thus a double difficulty had to
be encountered and overcome. In a word, a double harbour
had to be constructed — an outer and an inner. The first
provides a harbour of refuge, and is formed by two massive
breakwaters thrown out in the shape of two embracing arms
of unequal length far into the sea.
The east breakwater, which is the longer of the two, is
1 kilometre in length. It extends in a perfectly straight
line for 370 metres from the shore, then for 250 metres on a
curve of a radius of 573 metres, then follows another straight
line of 380 metres. The west breakwater is 581 metres long,
having 260 metres straight from the shore line ; 112 metres
on a curve of 100 metres radius, and 209 metres straight.
In both breakwaters the convex sides of the curves turn sea
wards, thus offering a snug and complete protection from the
roughness of the sea without.
The depth of water at the extremities of the breakwater is
about 20 metres, this being the total depth at the entrance to
the outer harbour. The width of the entrance, that is to say,
the width between the two converging arms of the break
waters, is 200 metres. The total area of water enclosed is
20 acres.
The inner harbour provides absolutely still water. All this
vast area is entirely artificial, and, as a matter of fact, the
water in this huge basin actually covers the former town of
Salina Cruz, or, I should say, the site where the old town
formerly stood. The stupendous work entailed in carrying
out this scheme may be imagined when I add that the basin,
or inner harbour, measures 1,000 metres long by 222 metres

SALINA CRUZ PORT 313
wide, with a minimum depth of water of 10 metres at low
tide. Along the front of this basin is constructed a wall of con
crete monoliths, each measuring 6 metres wide, 13 metres
long and 17 metres high. These huge masses of solid con
crete, each made for the particular purpose to which it was
destined, are sunk by inside dredging to 13 metres below
low-water, so that the tops alone are visible for 4 metres
above the surface at low-tide. The monolith-wall is again
protected by an inner rubble wall, faced with cement, and
fronting the outer harbour. This wall stands 4 metres wide
at the top, and the intervening space between it and the
monolith- wall has been filled in with sand and other waste
material, bringing it to an exact level with the first-named
wall. Together, these walls provide a surface in width of
some 70 metres.
Ships coming to Salina Cruz enter from the outer to the
inner harbour through an opening left between the two
breakwaters, measuring 30 metres wide, and which are
spanned by two light-swinging bridges. Wharves of steel
run down either side of the entrance, and tracks for wharfing
purposes run the entire length. Here, as at Coatzacoalcos,
every recent improvement in electrical and steam-driven
machinery and appliances for handling the ships' cargoes
has been provided, the vessels being expeditiously brought in
alongside the wharf, loaded or unloaded, as the case may be,
and as expeditiously sent away into the outer harbour.
Later on it is purposed to dredge back the inner basin
to a width of 370 metres, when 10 piers also will be built,
extending into the basin from the land-side. At the north
west corner of the inner-basin, a dry dock is nearly completed,
and this will have a length of 180 metres and a width of
30 metres. The bottom measures 9J metres below low water.
The new town of Salina Cruz, built by the Government
contractors to replace the one they had destroyed, is a neat
and well-designed one, but, unfortunately, as again in the
case of Coatzacoalcos, Nature has been extremely unkind to
the country by bestowing a generally unpleasant climate, and
a soil composed entirely of a fine, gritty loose sand, most
disagreeable at all times, either to walk upon, or when it is

314 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
blown, with the prick of needle-points, into one's face by the
violent winds that prevail for the greater part of the year at
this spot. I take it that the inhabitants of Salina Cruz are
too busy with the immense amount of trade being done there,
and are too much satisfied with their new and comfortable
houses, to care very much about Boreas and his rough
pranks. The Pacific Coast terminus of the Kansas City, Mexico and
Orient Railway will be at Topolobampo, in the State of
Sinaloa, one of the finest ports on the coast, and requiring
little or no heavy expenditure to make it an absolutely safe
and snug one at all times of the year. From Topolobampo
east the railway has already made considerable progress, there
being something like 250 kilometres in operation, while it is
expected that the line will be entirely finished from that port
to Kansas City in 1\ years from this date. The distance
between Topolobampo and Minaca, where the Kansas City,
Mexico and Orient Railway joins on to that of the Mexican
Central, is a distance of 560 kilometres, a great portion of
which has already been built, and some in operation. It is
impossible to exaggerate the importance of this new transcon
tinental line, which will bring to Topolobampo a vast amount
of traffic from the interior of the Republic and the East coast
generally. A further description of the Port of Topolobampo
will be found under Chapter XXX., which deals with the
Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway.
The Ports of San Bias, in Sinaloa, and Guaymas, in
Sonora, have very fine harbours, and they will no doubt,
some years hence, be found enjoying a great amount of
transcontinental trade. The first-named port is destined to
be the chief port of entry and exit in connection with the
new line of railway now being constructed by the Southern
Pacific Co., while Guaymas has already a considerable trade
connection which will be still further increased by the railway
in question. Guaymas ranks also among the important com
mercial ports on the Pacific, being located at a distance of
154 kilometres from Hermosillo, the capital of the State of
Sonora, as well as being connected by railway with Nogales,
which is a border-town between Mexico and the U.S.A.
The bay of Guaymas is typical of all the Pacific Coast

SUNSET EFFECTS IN SONORA 315
bays, and offers a fair example of the coast scenery. Bare
mountams some 1,500 ft. high surround it, and in the still
morning, when the light is upon them, they are most minutely
reflected in the motionless water of the bay. The local colour
of the water is green, but the intense blue of the sky changes
it by reflection to a deep cobalt, while the mountains of rock
are brown and terra-cotta. All these colours are changed
again into towers and minarets of crimson and gold, purple
and lilac, by the sunset light. An artist's soul would revel in
the ever-changing lights and shadows, while his despair at
catching them would be almost as great.
Mellay once said, " For my easel give me an hour of
Scotland's summer, rather than a month of Egypt's." Which
would he have chosen had he seen Mexico in either summer
or winter ? A cloud landscape in Sonora, a sunset effect upon
Chapala, or sunrise on Popocatapetl would have sent him into
raptures of enthusiasm. Nowhere in this world would more
wonderful, weird and awe-inspiring cloud effects be found
than at Hermosillo, Sonora, during the rainy season. The
glorious procession of heavy vapours across the sunlit skies,
the fairy towers and battlements, the kaleidoscopic colourings,
the transmutations of lights and shadows, the perfect stillness
of all Nature combine to give an effect as unique as it is awe
some, overpowering, prayer-compelling ! What would not a
Watts, a Carot or a Keith give for such a subject for his
brush ? Where were the masters of classic Spain and Italy
that they have never committed to canvas these marvellous
landscape pictures ?
The interest which Mexico is taking in the Panama Canal
is purely academic, and whereas many might suppose that
with the millions invested in the various routes through their
own country destined to secure eastern trade, the Republic
would view with apprehension and jealousy the opening of a
rival route, as a matter of fact, whether the Panama Canal
ever becomes un fait accompli or stands as a monumental
failure for evermore, Mexico has little to fear. With her
three routes across the Continent, from Kansas City (U.S.A.)
to Topolobampo, from Mexico City to Manzanillo and from
Coatzacoalcos to Salina Cruz, across the Isthmus of Tehuan
tepec, Mexico will, in any case, secure the great bulk of the

316 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
traffics between the West and the East. There will in all
probability be enough of it for all the four highways — if ever
Panama is added to the existing triumvirate. Competition to
some extent, however, must arise, although, if intelligently
managed, as they are practically certain to be, the various
routes may even be found to aid one another. Anyhow, some
years must elapse before Panama has to be seriously reckoned
with, and in that time all the three Mexican routes will have
become thoroughly established and be handling as much
business as they can conveniently carry.
What this triple provision of transcontinental and inter
oceanic traffic means to the Mexican Republic can only be
surmised. The actual results may, and I believe will, astonish
even the most optimistic. To say nothing of the increase in
the Government's revenues, the opening up of the West Coast
States of Sinaloa, Colima, and the East Coast route through
Veracruz and Oaxaca, means the addition of hundreds of
millions of dollars to the value of the lands on the Pacific and
Gulf slopes. With or without Panama, these must become
the recognised commercial highways of the world.

CHAPTER XXXV
Port of Manzanillo : Government improvements and expenditure upon
harbours — Colonel E. K. Smoot's contract — Heavy engineering work
— Simple plan cleverly carried out — Massive masonry — Smoot's work
at Galveston — Constructional excellence — Breakwater and sea-walls —
Prevention against heavy sea damage — Coaling station — Permanent
and useful undertaking — Scenic beauty of Manzanillo Bay — Perfect
safety for vessels.
In actual point of population, if not in geographical dimensions,
the Republic of Mexico has probably spent more money in
opening new, or perfecting existing, ports, than any country
in the world. It has always been part of the policy of
President Diaz to provide the necessary funds for this im
portant form of enterprise, and, as evidence of the energy with
which it is pursued, I may say that quite recently the Mexican
Government undertook to expend no less than $65,000,000
(Mex.) on new port works, this being in addition to what had
already been expended, and which may be put at another
$50,000,000 or $60,000,000. Among the more important
undertakings of this character are the port works of Man
zanillo. Manzanillo is a great natural harbour, but, in order to render
it suitable for the accommodation of ships, and afford them
shelter and protection during storms, it was necessary to
enclose the harbour more securely, constructing a breakwater
as an extension of a natural promontory, sheltering the
harbour on the west side; while, to provide safety during
loading and unloading cargoes, extensive sea-walls had to be
built within the tranquil area of the harbour. The Govern
ment and the contractor, Colonel Edgar K. Smoot, were at
first faced with great difficulties, owing to the unhealthy con
dition and atmosphere of Manzanillo, which is mid-tropically
317

318 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
situated. The Laguna de Cuyutlan, whose shallow waters
reach to the inhabited portions of Manzanillo, border it on
the south and east, being separated by an abrupt range of
hills from the Estero de San Pedrito, which, with the Laguna
de Cacaluta, completely surrounds the town within an arc of
180 degrees, and in the direction from which the prevailing
winds blow accoss the port.
The waters of the Laguna have no connection with those
of the ocean, except, perhaps, through the medium of occa
sional overflows, resulting from the prevalence of storm-tides
in the ocean. During the dry season, these waters evaporate
rapidly, exposing the bottoms and margins of the laguna to
a depth of more than one metre below its flood-line level.
The heat of a tropical sun beating upon these areas of
saturated and decomposing animal and vegetable matter have
in the past given rise to an intensity of pestilential effluvium
which, poisoning the atmosphere by the extent of surface
over which it is generated, has been borne through the whole
locality by every wind and breeze which blowB from south
west to east and north-east. Therefore, as a preliminary
measure, sanitary works had to be undertaken, and these
necessarily occupied a considerable time.
Colonel Smoot's plan was simple and effective for dealing
with this dangerous source of pollution. He decided to flood
the pestilential marshes with the fresh water from the river
Arenas, and with tide-water from the sea. In order to do
this, he had to construct a dam and a canal, the former being
known as Tepalcates and the latter as Ventanas. The canal
introduces and discharges about one-fourteenth of the volume
of water impounded in the lagunas during the rise and fall of
each tide, while the dam divides the larger lagoon for the
purpose of protecting the salt industry of Cuyutlan, which is
situated on its western shores. Now the condition is an
enormous improvement upon what it used to be, and with
the construction of sewerage works in the Port, and a modern
water-supply, all requisite conditions for health will have been
secured. Apart from its low latitude and climatic disadvantages,
Manzanillo would almost appear to have been chosen by Nature
for the great port of Mexico's Western provinces, and there are

Bay of Manzanillo, showing the splendid entrance to the harbour.

THE PORT WORKS 319
those who believe, with some good reason, that Mazanillo may
yet become the San Francisco of Mexico. It is distant from
Mexico City 861 kilometres, and when the railway communica
tion, now being constructed by the Central is completed, it
will take but 24 hours to reach Manzanillo from the capital-
city. The date of the contract which was entered into by the
Mexican Government with Colonel Smoot, of Washington, was
May 25th, 1899. It may be said that the Government did not
lightly make this agreement, but selected for the execution
Colonel Smoot, the engineer who carried out the great Galveston
Harbour Works. An evidence of Colonel Smoot's promptitude
is afforded by the fact that the following day after the contract
was signed his engineers started from the city of Mexico,
while in less than ten days they were on the ground carrying
on active surveys. The same spirit of activity was displayed
throughout, and the Works are to-day almost completed. I
spent some two weeks in Manzanillo examining what had
been done, and having explained to me what the Government
of Mexico have still further determined to do. New contracts
have been signed with the Minister, Senor Fernandez, of the
Department of Public Works, for the final completion of
the breakwater, while a sufficient assignment has been
provided for continuing the work of general improvement
of the harbour, including a large amount of dredging. All
this will be undertaken during the current year, and it
is the express intention of the Government to continue
the same annually until the entire work is finally com
pleted. Before proceeding to detail the work which has been done
at Manzanillo, a few words may be said about Colonel Smoot's
previous great engineering undertaking at Galveston, Texas,
U.S.A. Galveston Bay is a shallow body of water, separated from
the Gulf of Mexico by an island of sand, twenty-seven miles
in length, and from one to two miles in width, and the City
of Galveston is situated on the eastern end of this island.
The total area of the Bay is about 490 square miles, of which
450 miles receive the tidal flow through the Bolivar channel
or Galveston entrance, which is the main inlet of the bay.

320 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
The greater part of this sheet of water is quite shallow, but to
the south, in front of Galveston, there are considerable depths
found, and this area forms the Harbour of Galveston proper.
It was in 1870 that Congress decided to deepen the entrance,
and Colonel Smoot was awarded the contract. What this
meant in actual labour may be gleaned from the fact that
54,000 ft. of railway and trestle, 1,400,000 tons of sandstone
riprap, and 684,000 tons of granite blocks were used. More
over, the whole of this stone had to come from quarries
situated from 200 to 300 miles from Galveston, along the lines
of seven different railways.
The experienced engineer at the head of affairs knew
exactly what to do, and speedily provided an enormous plant
of tug-boats, steam derricks, and barges, locomotives, and
special machinery, at the same time building more than
30 miles of the branch railroads to the quarries, and some
20 miles of yards and siding, mostly constructed on trestles in
the sea. Before a single stone could be delivered for use in
the work, the construction of this plant called for an expendi
ture of between $400,000 and $500,000 U.S. Cy. (£80,000 to
£100,000), and a perfect army of labourers and mechanics
had to be engaged. For years the work went on without any
serious interruption, and gradually, out of the sea, arose the
remarkable jetties for which Galveston is famous. Not only
is the construction work extremely solid and permanent, but
it is admirably finished off, every possibility or probability in
regard to the heavy storms to which Galveston is subjected
having been provided against. The height of the crest of the
jetty is 5 ft. above mean low tide, whilst its width at the base
is as great as 123 ft. where the water is deep. The founda
tion of the rock-work is immediately upon the sandy bottom
of the gulf, and yet, during construction, the subsidence or
settlement of the jetties was in no place more than a few
inches. Whereas, when the work began, the depth of water
on the bar at the entrance to the Harbour was only 12 ft., in
January 1898, when the work was completed, the depth of
water was 30 ft. at mean low-tide, capable of floating the
largest freight vessels in the world at that time when loaded.
The jetty cost nearly $7,000,000 U.S. Cy. (£1,400,000) to
complete, which was $475,000 less than the estimated cost,

MANZANILLO BREAKWATER 321
and in 4 years the saving in reduced transportation charges
was more than $10,000,000, and this in one State of the
Union alone.
Galveston occupied the position of fourteenth in importance
when work was inaugurated. It is to-day the second port of
America, exceeded only by New York in the value of its imports
and exports.
The disaster which overtook Galveston in 1900, when a
tidal wave destroyed the greater part of the city, and swept
over the whole harbour, left this great mass of rock work
intact without damage. A greater tribute to the solidity of
the construction- work could not possibly be paid, and it was
no doubt this, among other factors, which induced the
Mexican Government to award the contract for the Manzanillo
harbour to the same successful engineer.
The most important and expensive part of the Manzanillo
construction has been the breakwater and sea-walls. I
believe I am correct in stating that the Manzanillo break
water is the heaviest that has ever been built, exceeding in
both height and width the proportions of the great sea-walls
at Plymouth and Cherbourg. No less than 1,500,000 tons of
blue granite from the Colomo quarries, which are, fortunately,
close by, were employed, the greater portion being sunk for
the foundations of the breakwater. A glance at the plan of
Manzanillo Harbour, which I give elsewhere, will show the
exact formation of the breakwater and sea-walls. This wall
extends a distance of 600 metres into water 60 ft. deep,
having a width at bottom of 300 ft., and at the top of 25 ft.,
while the cement crown is 16 ft. thick. It is unnecessary to
point out how costly such a work as this would be anywhere ;
but at Manzanillo, where cement costs 45s. ($9 U.S.A.) per
barrel, laid down at the port, and labour is both expensive and
unskilled, the cost of the undertaking was enormously in
creased. Stones of random size, from 2,500 to 3,000 kilo
grams form the foundation of the breakwater, and these, when
quarried, were conveyed on railroad flat cars to the brink of
the sea and there allowed to fall, the travelling steel-crane
in use being capable of handling 50-ton blocks at a time.
On the seaward side, the breakwater is protected by huge
blocks of granite, weighing 30 tons each ; while on the inner
vol. i. 21

322 MEXICO OF THE XXth CENTURY
side, the blocks weigh from 3 to 15 tons, and those destined
for the lower slope from 10 to 25 tons each.
Four years were required to bring the work on the break
water to a point where the crown of cement concrete could be
put in place. For this the Government engineers passed
very stringent rules, and every portion of the work, as well as
all the material used, had to pass their closest test. As in
the case of the Galveston jetties to which I have called atten
tion, the sea-slope of the surface of the breakwater at Man
zanillo, covered with its granite coating, presents a resisting
obstruction to the waves, which slide over the masonry mass
of the breakwater during the prevalence of heavy storms and
high seas, and expend the energy of their impact obliquely,
displacing no materials, the great weight of the blocks and
the solidity of the surface rebutting the immense force of the
seas. Manzanillo Harbour covers about 160 acres, and is one of
the most secure and convenient for shipping to be found in the
world. Here a hundred sea-going vessels may ride at anchor
with the most perfect safety. From the inner end of the
breakwater, a sea-wall, or, as it is called in Spanish, "malecon,"
has been built out for a distance of 2 kilometres along the line
of beach. Here, also, will be constructed the splendid range
of wharves which the Mexican Government will build and
equip, and which will have a total frontage of 5 kilometres.
This sea-wall, like the breakwater, is of the most solid con
struction, being of blue granite, and rising 3 metres above
mean tide. At the back of the wall the space is filled in with
immense stones. In addition to these two walls the contractor
was called upon to dredge the anchorage grounds and the
western part of the harbour to a depth of 8£ metres below
mean tide, which depth will probably be increased to 12 metres,
or 40 ft.
The construction of a coaling station at Manzanillo is in
contemplation, to include docks in which the largest merchant
ships and war vessels can come alongside. They will be
equipped with modern electric appliances for loading and
unloading. This proposition has been in progress for about
three years, and had just matured at the time when I left
Mexico. The value of this coaling station is generally recog-

The Port of Manzanillo.— The Breakwater, showing loo ton steel crane at work.

MANZANILLO HARBOUR 323
nised in view of the fact that the only coaling station on the
western coast is at Acapulco, where coal has to be handled
and conveyed to and from vessels by means of lighters and
solely by the slow and expensive method of manual labour.
Manzanillo Port and Harbour will, I have no shadow of
doubt, amply compensate the Republic for its outlay. Not
only is the present harbour exceptionally well designed, but,
as I have intimated, the work put into the construction is so
excellent that its permanency is a matter of absolute certainty.
Indeed, the breakwater has already proved of service in com
pletely protecting shipping in the harbour and the water-front
from the disastrous equinoctial storms which visit the coast
with never-failing regularity.
The beauty of Manzanillo Bay has been compared, not
inaptly, with that of Naples ; to my mind it is even more
beautiful, the circle of surrounding hills being far greener and
more deeply clothed with luxuriant trees. The hills come
right down to the coast from the mountains, and vary con
siderably in size, the highest, the Vigia Grande, standing
217 metres above the ocean which laps its base. The deep
red of the exposed earth, with the brilliant green of the
foliage and the bright-hued roofs of the houses, peeping out
from their verdant surroundings, the whole surmounted by
a brilliant blue sky such as one sees nowhere but in the
tropical latitudes, form a scene of transcendant beauty which
words are totally inadequate to describe. Passengers upon
vessels entering Manzanillo Harbour for the first time imagine
that they have fortuitously encountered an earthly paradise.

END OF VOL. I.

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