If you have read up on the subject at all, you
doubtless know how merciless the Spaniards were in their attitude
toward the Aztecs. They killed them by thousands, in open battle
and by treacherous means, and they tortured Aztec priests to force
them to reveal the places where the vessels of gold used in worship were hidden.
"It is easy to see where the modern Mexican gets his ideas of amusement,
as shown in the bull fight. The Aztec-Spanish blood is still in his
veins. Of course there are cultured and refined Mexicans, but the
great mass of the people are pretty primitive. Outside the cities,
in many instances, old tribal relations continue, and the people are
unsettled in habitation as well as in spirit, selfish and cruel, too.
"One revolution after another--brought about by unscrupulous leaders
in the hope of personal gain--has devastated the country. It seems
easy to stir up a revolution in Mexico, for the people are volcanic
in temperament, like the earth under their feet, and their eruptions
do not always follow usual lines, either, but break out in unexpected
places and for unheard of reasons--just as the volcanoes refuse to
follow the central mountain chains, but break out in undreamed of localities."
"It requires a strong hand to rule such a people," Jimmie mused.
"I guess Diaz has troubles of his own."
"There is no doubt of it," the drummer continued. "In future years
Mexico will become one of the garden spots of the world.
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