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Show fllllOiif illHiiiniiiiiLiiiiuiiiiuiiiiHiiniiniiiiiiiiiiiiiHiLiiiiiUiiiiliiiiiillilililiiyiiillli scene in Guanajuato A STRIKING picture of native life in Guanajuato, the treasure chest of mercurial Mexico, is given in a communication to the National Geographic society by Frank II. Probert. Mr. I'robert reveals I he Mexican peons as they are known only to the American who has lived among them. Leaving the walled inclosure of the railroad yards, says he, one looks down on the apparently cramped and crowded crowd-ed city of Guanajuato, capital of the richest of the south central states of Mexico. Hard by, to the right, Is the bull ring, the scene on Sundays and fiestas of farcical combats between two-legged brutes and four-legged beasts. In the soft sunshine of summer days the first vista of the city is striking indeed. in-deed. Churches of magnificent proportions propor-tions ; ancient and modern architectures architec-tures strangely blended in the same edifice; stately buildings; imposing markets; stores of all descriptions; and dwelling places, rudely bare, variously vari-ously colored with neutral tints of calcimine, cal-cimine, their grated windows and open doors exhibiting to all the sparsely furnished interior where bird, beast and human eat and live together. The sordid squalor of the many contrasts strikingly with the oppressive opulence opu-lence of the few. The cobblestone streets are crooked and narrow; so narrow, in fact that caballeros must take to the sidewalk to permit of the passing of any kind of vehicle. The dingy tram cars drawn by relays of mules, three nbreast, beaten Into subjection by the stinging lash or coaxed into action by the curses of the youthful drivers, whose vernacular is wonderfully expressive and effective effec-tive ; indeed, I doubt if anything but a mule can really appreciate the depth of feeling ind irresistible persuasiveness persuasive-ness of the vile expressions. Odd Sights in the Streets. What strange sights one can see in these main arteries of the city ! I have set my camera on the balcony of my room at the Woods hotel and will snap what passes by. At first, a herd of patient-plodding burros loaded down with slabs of the pale green sandstone quarried near by and used for building build-ing purposes; a legless cripple shuffles along on a bqard, propelling himself with his hands ; a cargador trots along tirelessly with his awkward burden, In this case a sewing machine ; more burros bur-ros overloaded with charcoal ; another pack struggles under the weight of sacked ore from the mines ; still another an-other bearing grain to the market, and the street car demanding loudly a clear track ; a funeral procession where laughing children carry a baby's casket, cas-ket, swaying from side to side to the accompaniment of anything but appropriate appro-priate music, and behind the mourners in silent solemnity. Strangely 'superstitious are these people. Grossly Ignorant, constant in their faith, pathetic in their simplicity, simplic-ity, kindly and respectful, their life is epitomized in the verse "Let the world slide, let the world go ; A fig for care and a fig for woe! If I can't pay, why I can owe, And death makes equal the high and low." Hanging Judas Iscariot in Effigy. 'Tis Eastern Sunday morning. I am awakened at early dawn by the tooting of tin horns, accompanied by the sonorous so-norous screeches of bass viols and fiddles fid-dles as sounds are sawn from their strings ; by the shuffling of sandaled feet over the stones of the street, and by the babel of voices of passing peons. Church bells clang, sirens scream, whistles wildly mingle in the melody of merriment ; for is not this the day when Judas Iscariot is to be hung in effigy. . A grotesque dummy figure is paraded pa-raded througli the town, followed by the jeering and cheering crowds, who have risen early to give expression to their righteous indignation against the betrayer. After circling the city the procession halts, Judas is promptly yanked by the ropes from the bearers and dangles in midair, a sorry sight, spit upon, cursed, condemned, consigned con-signed to everlasting purgatory, to which place, at sunset, lie is sent by the explosion of dynamite concealed in his carcass. Ribaldry runs riot as the day advances, and night falls on an exhausted though happy people. What matters if the prison is overcrowded over-crowded that night, or that the supply of pulque or mescal is depleted almost to the degree of exhaustion? To tiie casual visitor from the States the habits and customs of these lowly people are strange, but fascinating. fasci-nating. They do not need our commiseration com-miseration or sympathy ; they are content con-tent in their mode of living, and who shall say that they are the less happy or human in their habitat than many of us? Peon Is Always a Peon. The Mexican peon knows that he is born to serve, as did the old southern darky, and caste or class distinction is emphasized on all occasions. The moz,o rides silently behind the lordly caballero ; the peon woman steps into the street and bows her head ns the padre passes; in the plaza on Sunday evenings, when the melody of martial music fills the air, the upper classes parade in one direction, while the peons gyrate as an outer ring in the opposite direction. As a class they are industrious and skillful if the time element is eliminated. The peon miner is a competent workman work-man when unhampered by modern machines ma-chines and has a "nose" for ore that is truly remarkable. As tillers of the soil their methods are primitive but productive ; they still use oxen and the wooden plow share, and the fields are fenced with imperishable dry-rock walls. In the making of pottery and basketry they excel ; In tanning hides, saddlery and the working of metals they are inimitable. The women, too, can grind corn on a m'etate, cook tortillas tor-tillas and frijoles, raise families, launder laun-der clothes on a rock near the creek, and make the most exquisite laces and the finest of drawnwork with equal skill. |