Modern Mexico's Standard Guide to the City of Mexico and Vicinity, By Robert S. Barrett, Third Edition. 1902-3

A substantial and interesting guide to early 20th c. Mexico City, with practical, historical, and cultural information on "Manana Land." The street "Map of the Central Portion of the City of Mexico" shows the Alameda at its center, with the Plaza de Armas, the Plaza Republica and the Estacion F. C. Center along the north, and the National Palace and Cathedral in the South. Illustrations include numerous market scenes, country workers carrying impossibly large loads of corn husks, pottery and the like to the city; Mexican horsemen, churches and historic sites, panoramic views; group shots of families, "peons," pulgue gatherers, wedding processions; bull-fighting, art, mechanical systems, town buildings; and a portrait with printed signature of Porfirio Díaz by H. F. Schlattman.

Barrett observes the following: "The Mexican Indians are, on the whole, a hard-working, sober, moral and enduring race, and when educated, produce very distinguished men. Some of the most prominent men in Mexico, like Juarez as a statesman, and Morelos as a soldier, were pure-blooded Indians, and there is not prejudice against their race in Mexico, and so, when they are educated they are accepted in marriage among the highest families of pure Spanish blood. It is a regrettable fact that the Indian population has been decreasing since the beginning of the present century, while the mixed race has been constantly on the increase."

CONDITION: Very good, light bumping at extremities, pencil owner inscription "Geo. P. Wilson, 1904" on flyleaf.