oftentimes (if his own country does not possess them) he will not even understand. He is reminded, too, that Mexico has passed through a period of some ten years of trouble, and cannot yet be expected to put her best foot forward. In any event, if he must criticise, it is suggested that he wait until he crosses the border on the return journey, in the interests of his own countrymen. English is pretty generally understood by educated Mexicans, and it is only natural that they should feel resentful when they hear derogatory remarks about their country, and natural, too, that their resentment should run against the native land of the speaker. It is to be hoped that the tourist will, in perhaps a small way, serve as an agent in the development of good relations between his own country and Mexico. Indeed, the writer is convinced. that the great majority of visitors to the southern republic will find the delights of their trip far outweighing the annoyances. For Mexico, above all-far more important even than its wondrous historic monuments-is a land of simpatía, that untranslatable word which stands for an atmosphere of intimately personal, social satisfaction such as one finds only in the Latin world, and Mexico, the old-timers will tell you, possesses this quality at least equally as well as any other country in the world. Let the traveler once catch this spirit, and his journey will have been a success. THE RAILROADS OF MEXICO By FRED WILBUR POWELL, Ph.D. I. BEFORE THE RAILROADS Early Methods of Transportation: Before the coming of the railroad, inland transportation in all countries has been limited to waterways, trails, and highways. In Mexico, however, because of the peculiar topographical conditions, inland water transportation has always been insignificant, and such it will continue to be. Old Mexico was preeminently a country of trails and primitive roads; and its transportation agencies were the Indian porter, the pack animal, and the two-wheeled cart. This is also true of modern Mexico in those parts of the country which have not yet been reached by the extending lines of railroads. True, many highways have been constructed, one of the most notable examples from Vera Cruz to the City of Mexico-having been laid down by the Spaniards; but despite the attempts of the government as indicated by the many references to highway development in the official reports-Mexico's land transportation needs today are largely served by trails and dirt roads and by railroads. For this situation there are two explanations. One has been well expressed by Professor Bernard Moses, who says: "We have to take account of the fact that the Spaniards acquired from the Moors, during their long association with them in the Peninsula, an indifference to roads suited to vehicles with wheels, and that the colonists who went out from Spain in the sixteenth century carried this indifference to the New World. Settlements were made and cities grew to importance, with no other means of communicating with the world at large than that offered by the Indian trail or the mule path. "This was not a matter of great moment so long as Spain's colonial restrictions on trade were maintained. A few Indians or a few donkeys would carry at a single trip all that any town received from Spain in the course of a year; and the colonists were thus thrown back upon their immediate efforts for the satisfaction of their wants; and the king, by prohibiting their trade with the colonies, emphasized their isolation, and indicated the uselessness of means of communication. This restrictive policy of Spain with regard to her colonies tended to place the European settlers on the economic basis of the Indians." The other reason lies in the fact that deterioration from natural causes is so rapid in Mexico that the maintenance of a highway requires constant vigilance and heavy outlays of money; in fact, there is little difference in cost of upkeep between a highway and a railroad. Abridged from "The Railroads of Mexico," by Fred Wilbur Powell, Ph.D. Copyrighted, 1921, by the Stratford Company, Boston, Mass. Reprinted by permission. oftentimes (if his own country does not possess them) he will not even understand. He is reminded, too, that Mexico has passed through a period of some ten years of trouble, and cannot yet be expected to put her best foot forward. In any event, if he must criticise, it is suggested that he wait until he crosses the border on the return journey, in the interests of his own countrymen. English is pretty generally understood by educated Mexicans, and it is only natural that they should feel resentful when they hear derogatory remarks about their country, and natural, too, that their resentment should run against the native land of the speaker. It is to be hoped that the tourist will, in perhaps a small way, serve as an agent in the development of good relations between his own country and Mexico. Indeed, the writer is convinced that the great majority of visitors to the southern republic will find the delights of their trip far outweighing the annoyances. For Mexico, above all-far more important even than its wondrous historic monuments-is a land of simpatía, that untranslatable word which stands for an atmosphere of intimately personal, social satisfaction such as one finds only in the Latin world, and Mexico, the old-timers will tell you, possesses this quality at least equally as well as any other country in the world. Let the traveler once catch this spirit, and his journey will have been a success. THE RAILROADS OF MEXICO By FRED WILBUR POWELL, Ph.D. I. BEFORE THE RAILROADS Early Methods of Transportation: Before the coming of the railroad, inland transportation in all countries has been limited to waterways, trails, and highways. In Mexico, however, because of the peculiar topographical conditions, inland water transportation has always been insignificant, and such it will continue to be. Old Mexico was preeminently a country of trails and primitive roads; and its transportation agencies were the Indian porter, the pack animal, and the two-wheeled cart. This is also true of modern Mexico in those parts of the country which have not yet been reached by the extending lines of railroads. True, many highways have been constructed, one of the most notable examples from Vera Cruz to the City of Mexico-having been laid down by the Spaniards; but despite the attempts of the government as indicated by the many references to highway development in the official reports-Mexico's land transportation needs today are largely served by trails and dirt roads and by railroads. For this situation there are two explanations. One has been well expressed by Professor Bernard Moses, who says: "We have to take account of the fact that the Spaniards acquired from the Moors, during their long association with them in the Peninsula, an indifference to roads suited to vehicles with wheels, and that the colonists who went out from Spain in the sixteenth century carried this indifference to the New World. Settlements were made and cities grew to importance, with no other means of communicating with the world at large than that offered by the Indian trail or the mule path. "This was not a matter of great moment so long as Spain's colonial restrictions on trade were maintained. A few Indians or a few donkeys would carry at a single trip all that any town received from Spain in the course of a year; and the colonists were thus thrown back upon their immediate efforts for the satisfaction of their wants; and the king, by prohibiting their trade with the colonies, emphasized their isolation, and indicated the uselessness of means of communication. This restrictive policy of Spain with regard to her colonies tended to place the European settlers on the economic basis of the Indians.' The other reason lies in the fact that deterioration from natural causes is so rapid in Mexico that the maintenance of a highway requires constant vigilance and heavy outlays of money; in fact, there is little difference in cost of upkeep between a highway and a railroad. Abridged from "The Railroads of Mexico," by Fred Wilbur Powell, Ph.D. Copyrighted, 1921, by the Stratford Company, Boston, Mass. Reprinted by permission. Early Mexican travel books contain many references to the inadequate transportation facilities. Albert M. Gilliam, an American who visited Mexico in 1843 and 1844, thus described the typical Mexican wagon: "Without exception, the Mexican-constructed wagon has but two wheels, and is manufactured, generally, without the use of iron. The hub is a single cut from a tree, about twenty-eight inches in length and fifteen in diameter. There are but four spokes to a wheel, four inches through; while the felloes are twelve inches thick and as many broad. The whole is made of the heavy, strong wood of the country, and, from its solidity, is difficult to break. The body of the wagon is about equally balanced over the axletree, the front resting upon the tongue.... The body is never planked, but thatched with straw, as also the sharp roof to it. "From eight to twelve oxen are at a time yoked by the horns, and not with a bow over the neck; while the driver carries a stout pole, from ten to fifteen feet in length, having a sharp metal spur affixed to the smaller end, by the cruel use of which they prick and goad the animals along. It is true that there are some lighter wagons used in the cities, which have two sets of shafts, so that the whole weight of the body of the wagon rests upon the backs of the horses. However, as transportation is carried on the back of mules, they have had but little use of wagons in Mexico." An English traveler, Charles Lempriere, who was in Mexico in 1861 and 1862, gave a similar report: "The conveyance of all kinds of merchandise throughout the Republic of Mexico is effected by pack mules and oxen, With this system, and the bad state of the roads generally, it will be easily understood that transportation is not only slow but costly, and forms one of the chief obstacles in the way of the development of the great resources of the country. The average distance performed by mules and wagons is from fifteen to eighteen miles per day." As to the more primitive transportation agencies, we have this statement made by a writer of the present generation: "Until the railroads, Mexico was the paradise of the 'packer.' From prehistorie days down, the human back was the cornerstone of commerce; and it did not disappear from the edifice even when the Conquest introduced beasts of burden. Even the interior trade with Durango, Chihuahua and New Mexico occupied 60,000 pack mules. From Vera Cruz to the capital, over wonderful and costly roads. ...more than $20,000 worth a year was packed.' Indeed, everything of the enormous imported luxury of New Spain came by the same painful process. Even the cacao of Guayaquil and the copper of Coquimbo were shipped to Acapulco, and thence crossed the mountains by muleback clear to Vera Cruz-at $2 a carga of 81 pounds. As for human |