Page:Vol 6 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/622

602 the so-called whites are really mestizos of a lighter hue. The eagerness to be classed among the faircomplexioned race is nearly as strong as in colonial days.

An interesting study is the effect of climate on a population here scattered throughout three different zones. The belief is general, especially abroad, that the tierra caliente, or coast region, is less adapted to either natives or foreigners than the tierra fria of the plateau. This rests mainly on the prevalence in the marshy shore districts of fevers which attack newcomers, and on the preponderating ratio of inhabitants on the uplands. But it has been found that where malaria is absent the coast region, and above all the intermediate tierra templada, permits a more perfect development of mind and body, even natives finding relief here from the languor that grows upon them in the rarefied atmosphere of the table-land. Statistics show a greater proportion of births in the low and intermediate zones than above, and if the increase of population does not exactly correspond, it must be ascribed to movements in favor of the uplands.

With the spread of vaccination and other remedial agencies, the ravages of diseases have been restricted, here as elsewhere, with the result of prolonging somewhat the average lease of life. Unfortunately, like all public measures in this country, efforts in this direction have been too spasmodic to produce much good, in face of the prevalent indifference and conservatism.