Page:Travels in Mexico and life among the Mexicans.djvu/210

202 but he has a through ticket for Mexico and cannot; and at the time of his departure from the country he forgets Cordova until he reaches it again in passing through, and then regrets, too late, that he has not given it a few days' time.

The town of Cordova, being the central portion of the coffee region of the east coast, situated amidst scenery that may be taken as typical of this zone, should not be passed by without a brief description. It was founded in 1618, becoming at one time a very flourishing city, with numerous sugar haciendas, as well as numberless coffee estates; but it has greatly declined in importance. The entire coffee product amounted, in 1881, to little more than 20,000 arrobas, of twenty-five pounds each, while the amount of tobacco is estimated at from 150,000 to 200,000 arrobas. The town lies nearly a mile from the pleasant station on the Mexican railroad, with which it is connected by an excellent tramway, passing through gardens and coffee groves. The central plaza, though small, is an exquisite little garden of palms, flowers, banana plants, and orange and lime trees, kept in excellent order. It has a monument, in the centre of a large basin containing the water of the town, in memory of the patriots of Cordova who fought in the revolution against Spanish dominion; it is intersected by smooth walks, and has elegant iron seats at convenient stations. A large church opposite, though evidently of ancient date, is being repaired and somewhat modernized.

The broad open space about the plaza is used as a market, there being no other, and here the market men and women sit squatted on the stone pavement. Sunday is the great market day, for all the Indians come in from adjacent villages and take possession of the square. Many of them are pure Indians, and dressed in peculiar costumes, each tribe or village sporting a different color. They meet amicably, and generally get through the day very well; but it is when going home at night, with their skins full of mescal, or poor rum, that trouble occurs, and rarely a Sunday passes without several deaths.

With the reader's permission, I will anticipate by a few months my actual visit to Cordova, and bring in here, in the