d by a neat railing and supplied with pine benches, we
dismounted, and, with some doubt as to its reception, presented our old
letter. The _secretario_ was an intelligent _mestizo_ from Tuxpan. He
sent at once for the _alcalde_, who was a good-natured, little Huaxtec,
of pure blood, thoroughly dependent upon his subordinate officer. We
were promised everything. The schoolhouse, remarkably clean, was put
at our disposal, and a messenger was sent to notify an old woman named
Guadelupe that she was to prepare our meals. Before four o'clock, work
was under way, and during the two days that we remained, there were no
difficulties. The houses of the town are somewhat like those of Tamalin,
but less well built. The single industry is the weaving of hats from
palm. On the house-roofs, and on the ground before the houses, palm was
drying. Some of the work was extremely delicate, and the four grades of
hats sell for from four pesos upward. Men, women and children are all
occupied in the manufacture, and as they sit in their houses or at the
door of an evening, or as they walk through the village on errands,
their hands are ever busily occupied with the plaiting. There is
absolutely nothing characteristic in dress, both men and women dressing
like _mestizos_ in the important cities of the Republic. Almost every
one wears shoes; women, those with high French heels. A resident tailor
makes the bulk of the clothing for the more particular men of the
town. In our school-room we were supplied with good kerosene lamps, an
experience almost unique. Few, if any, of the houses in the village
were without the same mode of light. Many, if not all, of the women had
sewing-machines.

[Illustration: VIEW AT TANCOCO]

We were more than ever impressed with the anomalous condition of these
people in their own land. They were the cleanest, most industrious, best
dressed and most progressive indians whom we had seen in any part of
Mexico; but in the Huaxteca, the land which bears their name, they are
being crowded by the less progressive Aztecs. _Mestizos_ and Aztecs both
speak of them with contempt, and treat them like dogs. As for their
language, it is neglected and despised; while many of them know both
Spanish and Aztec, neither _mestizo_ nor Aztec considers it worth while
to know a word of Huaxtec. While we had no trouble with the men, we
began to feel that the women would fail us. It was after five o'clock,
the last day of our stay, before a