Picturesque Mexico [pp. 307-318]

PICTURESQUE MEXICO.
foreseen is possible. We are walking through the days that fol low the Arabian Nights.
Each class wears the garb which is the uniform of its occupa tion. The water-carrier, in armor of leather, bears his heavy jar
suspended from a band around the forehead; the ochre-man,
stained like a terra-cotta image from head to foot, carries his
package of brick-colored clay above his matted, gory locks; the
fruit-vender, crying his luscious wares in sudden, shrill mono tone, balances his enormous pannier on his head and steps as airily
as if he were beginning a fandango. Under the open arches of
the Portales the crockery merchant sits before his pile of Guada lajara jars and brightly-glazed pottery; Indian women carry
their double load of baskets and babies, with the superb indifference to fatigue which marks their race; dealers in "frozen
waters" call their sherbets in prolonged, piercing notes like those
of a midsummer locust; sidewalk cooks squat on their haunches
beside small fires of mesquite, over which bubble earthen dishes
of stewed vegetables, frijoles, or crisp tortillas; and flower-girls
surrounded by piles of glowing poppies, pyramids of heliotrope
and pansies, baskets of scarlet cactus blossoms, and tangled heaps
of superb roses magnificent in color and perfume, fill the very
atmosphere with brilliant beauty. No wonder the winter world
at home looks pale and cold by contrast!
The large cities repeat.in a higher key the tones and tints of
the lesser; all the difference lies in an added proportion of size
and grandeur. The fountains are finer and more numerous.
The exteriors of the great, palace-like houses show fagades
splendidly ornamented with bas-reliefs and tiling, with finelycarved gargoyles supporting the rain-spouts beneath the flat roofs,
and windows barred by light, trellised balconies shaded by light
awnings. The churches, beautiful in all cases, become superb
both in dimension and detail; new types in architecture, the massive stone walls enriched with bold carving. Usually two towers
on the front, one slender and lofty, the other more like the square
campanile of the old English cathedrals, offset a central dome
which rises, mosque-like, from above the transepts..Spires,
walls, and arches are elaborated by masses of infinitely complicated arabesques, medallions, and floral designs, chiselled with
much delicacy over every inch of surface until the effect is as
fine as lace-work. Against the intense, radiant sky these massive
elevations are often startlingly lovely. I remember, from the
upper gallery of the governor's palace at Zacatecas, a glimpse
1887.]
3II