Page:Mexico of the Mexicans.djvu/60

44 Perhaps the most picturesque of the numerous street-vendors in Mexican cities are the flower and fruit sellers. The ancient Aztecs had a passion for flowers, and this they have bequeathed to their present-day representatives in full measure. The little stalls in the plazas are tastefully and sometimes lavishly decorated with the wonderful blossoms from the deep tropical valleys. But, oddly enough, these are seldom seen in the houses of the upper and middle classes, who appear to prefer the artificial abominations which, like stuffed birds and antimacassars, remind one unpleasantly of the unlamented Victorian age of domestic decoration in our own land. Flowers fade so quickly in the rarified atmosphere of Mexico, that this is perhaps the reason for their non-appearance in the apartments of the capital, except, perhaps, at dinner-parties and similar functions.

A fair type of the original Aztecs may be found among the boatmen and women who ply their trade on the Chalco canal, bringing into the capital flowers and vegetables from the remains of the floating gardens. The boats are of two kinds: one resembling a canoe and usually managed by a woman; the other flat-bottomed, 6 or 8ft. wide, 30 or 40ft. long, and capable of carrying the produce belonging to two or three families. Many of the latter have a cabin in the middle, which forms the home of the occupants, where they work, eat, and sleep.

A great deal of vegetable-growing is done in the chinampas, or floating gardens as they are called. These are formed from mud and vegetable formations either upon the lakes or the canals. On the larger bodies of water they can be propelled across the surface by aid of a large pole. On the canals they are seldom larger than about a quarter of an acre, and some of them even support fair-sized trees. These gardens are cultivated the whole year round.

All through the night, every quarter of an hour, is heard