Chapter VII: The Evolution of Modern Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Monarchical _regime_ of Iturbide--Great area of Mexican Empire--Santa Anna--The Holy Alliance--Execution of Iturbide--The Monroe Doctrine-- British friendship--The United States--Masonic institutions--Political parties--Expulsion of Spaniards--Revolution and crime--Clerical antagonism--Foreign complications--The "pie-war"--The Texan war--The slavery question--Mexican valour--American invasion of Mexico--Fall of Mexico--Treaty of Guadalupe--Cession of California--Gold in California--Benito Juarez appears--Conservatives and Liberals--Massacre of Tacubaya--The Reform laws--Disestablishment of the Church--Dishonest Mexican finance--Advent of Maximilian--The English, Spanish, and French expedition--Perfidy of the French--Capture of Mexico City by the French--Crowning of Maximilian--Porfirio Diaz--Rule of Maximilian--Fall of his empire--Death of Maximilian--The tragedy of Queretaro--Diaz takes Mexico City--Presidency of Juarez--Lerdo--Career and character of Diaz--First railways built--Successful administration of Diaz-- Political stability--Forward policy.

CHAPTER VIII PHYSICAL CONDITIONS: MOUNTAINS, TABLELANDS, AND FLORA AND FAUNA. . 134

Geographical conditions--Tehuantepec--Yucatan--Boundaries and area-- Population--Vera Cruz--Elevations above sea-level--Latitude--General topography--The Great Plateau--The Sierra Madres--The Mexican Andes-- General structure--The coasts--Highest peaks--Snow-cap and volcanoes-- Geological formation--Geological scenery--Hydrographic systems-- Rivers--Navigation--Water-power--Lakes--Climate and temperatures--The three climatic zones--Rainfall--Snowfall--Flora and fauna--Soil-- Singular cactus forms--The desert flora--The tropical flora--Forest regions--Wild animals--Serpents, monkeys, and felidae--Sporting conditions--Birds.

CHAPTER IX THE MEXICAN PEOPLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Ethnic conditions--Spanish, Mestizos, Indians--Colour-line--Foreign element--The _peones_--Land tenure--The Spanish people--The native tribes--The Apaches--The Mexican constitution--Class distinctions-- Mexican upper class--Courtesy and hospitality--Quixotism of the Mexicans--Idealism and eloquence--General characteristics--Ideas of progress--American anomalies--_Haciendas_--Sport--Military distinctions--Comparison with Anglo-Saxons--Republicanism--Language-- Life in the cities--Warlike instincts--The women of Mexico--Mexican youths--Religious observance--Romantic Mexican damsels--The bull-fights.

CHAPTER X THE CITIES AND INSTITUTIONS OF MEXICO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

Character of Mexican cities--Value of Mexican civilisation--Types of Mexican architecture--Mexican homes and buildings--The _Plaza_--Social relations of classes--The City of Mexico--Valley of Mexico--Latitude, elevation, and temperature--Buildings--Bird's-eye view--The lakes-- Drainage works--Viga canal and floating gardens--General description-- The cathedral--Art treasures--Religious orders--Chapultepec--Pasco de la Reforma--The President--Description of a bull-fight--Country homes and suburbs--Colleges, clubs, literary institutions--Churches and public buildings--Army and Navy--Cost of living--Police--Lighting and tramways--Canadian enterprise--British commercial relations--The American--United States influence--A general impression of Mexico.

CHAPTER XI MEXICAN LIFE AND TRAVEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

Travel and description--Mexican cities--Guadalajara--Lake Chapala-- Falls of Juanacatlan--The Pacific slope--Colima--Puebla--Cities of the Great Plateau--Guanajuato--Chihuahua--The Apaches--The _peones_-- Comparison with Americans--_Peon_ labour system--Mode of living--Houses of the _peon_ class--Diet--_Tortillas_ and _frijoles_--Chilli-- _Pulque_--Habits of the _peon_ class--Their religion--The wayside crosses and their tragedies--Ruthless political executions--The fallen cross--Similarity to Bible scenes--_Peon_ superstitions--The ignis fatuus, or _relacion_--Caves and buried treasure--Prehistoric Mexican religion--The Teocallis--Comparison with modern religious systems-- Philosophical considerations.

CHAPTER XII MEXICAN LIFE AND TRAVEL (_continued_) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

Anthropogeographical conditions--The Great Plateau--The tropical belt-- Primitive villages--Incidents of travel on the plateau--Lack of water-- Hydrographic conditions--Venomous vermin--Travel by roads and _diligencias_--A journey with a priest--Courtesy of the _peon_ class-- The curse of alcohol--The dress of the working classes--The women of the _peon_ class--Dexterity of the natives--The bull-fights--A narrow escape--Mexican horse equipment--The _vaquero_ and the lasso--Native sports--A challenge to a duel--Foreigners in Mexico--Unexplored Guerrero--Sporting conditions--Camp life--A day's hunting.

CHAPTER XIII MINERAL WEALTH. ROMANCE AND ACTUALITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255

Forced labour in the mines--Silver and bloodshed--History of discovery--Guanajuato--the _veta Madre_--Spanish methods--Durango-- Zacatecas--Pachuca--The _patio_ process--Quicksilver from Peru--Cornish miners' graves--Aztec mining--Spanish advent--Old mining methods-- Romance of mining--The Cerro de Mercado--Guanajuato and Hidalgo--Real del Monte--Religion and mining--Silver and churches--Subterranean altars--Mining and the nobility--Spanish mining school--Modern conditions--The mineral-bearing zone--Distribution of minerals geographically--Silver--The _patio_ process--Gold-mining and production--El Oro and other districts--Copper--Other minerals--General mineral production--Mining claims and laws.

CHAPTER XIV NATURAL RESOURCES, AGRICULTURE, GENERAL CONDITIONS . . . . . . . . 282

Principal cultivated products--Timber--The three climatic zones-- General agricultural conditions--Waste of forests--Irrigation--Region of the river Nazas--Canal-making--Cotton and sugar-cane--Profitable agriculture--Mexican country-houses--Fruit gardens--Food products, cereals, and fibrous plants--_Pulque_ production--India-rubber and _guayule_--List of agricultural products and values--Fruit culture and values--Forestry and land--Colonisation--American land-sharks-- Conditions of labour--Asiatics--Geographical distribution of products-- The States of the Pacific slope--Sonora--Lower California--Sinaloa-- Tepic--Jalisco--Colima--Michoacan--Guerrero--Oaxaca--Chiapas.

CHAPTER XV NATURAL RESOURCES, AGRICULTURE, GENERAL CONDITIONS (_continued_) . 308

Central and Atlantic States--Chihuahua and the Rio Grande--Mining, forests, railways--Coahuila and its resources--Nuevo Leon and its conditions--Iron, coal, railways, textile industries--Durango and its great plains and mountain peaks--Aguascalientes--Zacatecas and its mineral wealth--San Luis Potosi and its industries--Guanajuato, Queretaro and Hidalgo, and their diversified resources--Mexico and its mountains and plains--Tlaxcala--Morelos and its sugar-cane industry-- The rich State of Puebla--Tamaulipas, a littoral state--The historic State of Vera Cruz, its resources, towns, and harbour--Campeche and the peninsula of Yucatan.

CHAPTER XVI MEXICAN FINANCE, INDUSTRIES, AND RAILWAYS . . . . . . . . . . . . 328

Financial rise of Mexico--Tendencies toward restriction against foreigners--National control of railways--Successful financial administration--Favourable budgets--Good trade conditions--Foreign liabilities--Character of exports and imports--Commerce with foreign nations--Banks and currency--Principal industries--Manufacturing conditions--Labour, water-power, and electric installations--Textile industry, tobacco, iron and steel, paper, breweries, etc.--Railways-- The Mexican Railway--The Mexican Central Railway--The National Railroad--The Interoceanic--Governmental consolidation--The Tehuantepec Railway--Port of Salina Cruz--Other railway systems.