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.