Show T V T fl w t TJ i f r f V 0 C T the M Beautiful 1 1 rf ful ul Capital of Mexico M Mexico xico City i is Undergoing Extensive Changes Alterations Alterations Altera Altera- and Improvements INCE the recent era of peace F F and prosperity began in Mexico under the rule of President Diaz a new capital capital cap cap- ital has been growing up which bids fair to be he ere the close of the present century one of the stateliest wealthiest v and most beautiful cities of the Americas During During During Dur Dur- ing the past 25 year the city founded by Cortes on the ruins of th the capital of the conquered Aztec empire has undergone undergone undergone un un- un- un a grea great t change and ad each year the progress of modernizing it is more noticeable Trim Tr the thc city ity is losing muc mucY i of its old pi but and c civilization are rarely good friends Narrow arrow and dirty streets are being superseded by broad asphalted av avenues avenues avenues av- av paved largely by American companies companies com corn panics and beautiful macadam drives es rolled by American ican steam street rollers rollers rollers roll roll- ers and made of stone crushed by Street sprinkling carts are coming into use and gangs of men inca are arfe being employed to keep thes the s streets clean A great canal built forthe forthe for forthe the Pl purpose p se of draining the city ity and I If j f furnishing hing an en outlet for or r its sewage carrying off the water after the abundant abundant an ant rainfalls of the rainy season and furnishing an outlet for lag ing lakes thus preventing enting the possibility poss poss- bi ity of t th tl former disa disastrous trous floods has been completed a little over a year A system covering the I tt 1 t AN OLD TIME MARKET SCENE IN MEXICO CITY entire city is to be finished within the present calendar year Parks are being eng improved and beautified beautified beau I d by competent men Shade trees are being planted Plazas Pla or 01 public squares where the lower classes congregate congregate congregate con con- in great numbers are being improved a e The city is on one nC of the 1 best est lighted in inthe inthe the world orld Obe ane of the electric light companies i is American and another r firm is light and power cables Ov Over r 50 miles of electric street railroad railroad rail rail- road have been built and pu put in opera operation tion in n this thia l city ty within the the- past two years and 50 miles more will be in operation operation operation op op- op- op a no year hence All of the material ma material n-ia- n for this street railroad has come from front the United States save the boilers boilers boil boil- ers for the p power house Modern business blocks built on the American are being erected and public buildings with American conveniences conveniences con- con are replacing the relics of past generations AI American apartment apartment apartment apart apart- ment taking the place of vivienda the old Mexican buildings and are ore proving to be splendid invest invest- ments meats Some years ago the resident Americans b began gan to build houses house in a apart apart apart part of the city then but sparsely set set- tIed This sc section tion is now the most desirable de de- de sir ble residence portion and land in inthe inthe inthe the vicinity commands higher prices prices' than anywhere e else having I g increased in value as much as as tenfold the past 20 ye yes s It cannot 15 be lie said yet that Amel American c houses are superseding the Mexican ones but conveniences such as bathrooms closets kitchens with iron st stoVes ves and ranges grates in living rooms oil and gasoline stoves electric lights and bells etc ete are ling rapidly introduced into Mexican houses and practically all are imported import import- ed from the United States The old patio style of house with house with a large court in the center around which are ire built the rooms which rooms which is intended for hot countries and is wholly unsuited to this climate is being slow slowly y but sui ely encroached upon by the compact American structure and this is bound to be more noticeable as land values rise Within tho the present year some 10 Mexican an currency has been appropriated ap- ap pi by the federal and municipal governments for improvements in inthis n this city n A-n entire block has been purchased for a site for a national theater theater the the- ater and the demolition of of th the buildings build build- buildings I ings thereon has already begun The middle of an adjoining block has been boon purchased a an l the buildings gs including ing Sag the old National theater theates have al already already already al- al ready been removed lemo for or the Ule purpose of extending the avenue of or fb the Cinco de do deMayo e eMayo Mayo Mayo- one Mayo one ne of the broadest and 11 handsomest hand hand- and and- streets of the city through city through from Irom the cathedral to the new v thea thea- tel ter A new palace of justice is being built a magnificent post office is soon SOOIl to be begun fine buildings for the geological geological geological geo geo- logical depa department recently are bein being constructed the national national na n-a- palace is is being being thoroughly renovated renovated reno reno- yate and many other improvements ement are being eing considered by the federal and municipal authorities Great activity activity ac ac- ac is noticed in all lines The population of the City of Mexico i is conservatively ely placed at The city is is' is far more compactly built and densely populated than any city in the United States Of the foreign colonies the thc Spanish is naturally the largest It is estimated estimated estimated esti esti- mated to number about The American is s next next in point of numbers aggregating about bout The French Trench colony has about th tb the English colony cole cob ony about 1500 1300 the bout 1000 and the Italian n. n l The e total number of Americans inI in iii I the republic is about Americans Ameri I cans are yearly comi coming g in increasing numbers to live and to engage in ia busi busi- ness American capital is becoming more more deeply interested in this city ity and andin andin andin in the entire entire- republic Many of the Americans come coins ith the expectation of remaining here permanently One notes au nu increased disposition on their part to lots buy lots and build houses The influence of of An customs upon those of t the e n native ive p people ople is beginning to be felt Americans residing here or temporarily sojourning in this country country coun court try are universally treated with the tho greatest consideration and courtesy officially and personally by the Mex lex lex- I Scan ican people It is almost almos unnecessary ss ry I to state at this late date that property and rind life are as safe here as in the United States that the laws are rigidly enforced that a foreigner obtains jus jus- ice as fully as a native t and that the personal liberty of every man is zealously zealously zeal zeal- guarded The City of Mexico is to the republic of Mexico to an even greater degree perhaps what Paris is to France Being Be e- e lag ing the capital of the country and the commercial center with no other city in the republic approaching it in population population lation its influence is supreme being the railroad center it is th the distributing distributing distributing point for the rest of the republic lie lic lic being the banking center the bulk of the financial transactions of the republic republic re reo re- re public pass through it Much of the tho agricultural and mining business and some of the manufacturing business I of th rest of the republic ie are directed from this city In a word it is the administrative admi ad ad- mi ve center of the republic commercially as well as politically From the tho foregoing it follows that the trade of the city is nearly as general gener gener- al as that of the entire republic The most important single line of trade anu ann that which shows the largest am amount of imports is in machinery and machinery machinery machin machin- ery cry supplies This is practically controlled controlled controlled con con- trolled by Americans The hardware trade which is a good one is inthe in inthe inthe the hands of the Germans though inthe inthe in inthe the past few years American h hardware has been making deep inroads the German imports in this line While the the large hardware stores are run by Germans all of them now carry large lines o of American hardware The dry dry goods trade which is next in importance importance importance im im- im- im after the tho machinery trade was controlled early in the last century century century cen cen- tury by the English and later by the tho Germans but is 3 now controlled by the French Imports of American dry goods are increasing however nn and they are found in most of the large stores The grocery trade is controlled d dby by Spaniards and their mon monopoly poly of this his line Ime is almost absolute There is isone isone isone one American wholesale grocery store and a a few small retail stores but these exist mainly to supply the tho trade of the tho resident Americans Ameri ns The TIle principal employment of the tho Americans resident here is in the operation operation operation oper oper- of the railroads The Americans in n a Mexico may be said to have hate come with the railroads and have ever since practically operated them Aside from the machinery trade the Americans arc pi in no other line There are a few American stores store of various kinds kinds' in the city but they supply mostly roost most ly the trade of resident Americans Two vo American furniture stores do a large business One manufactures furniture f fur fir r- r here while the other imports imports it from the United States American shoe stores have a small trade among the better class of Mexicans and foreigners foreigners foreigners for for- eigners as well as among the members mesa memo bers of the tho American colony |