A Little Journey to Puerto Rico by Marian M. George
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Marian M. George >> A Little Journey to Puerto Rico
His vegetables, fruit and poultry he takes to the market and sells, but
only when compelled to do so by necessity.
This money is spent for clothing or other articles, or perhaps lost in
gambling.
Only the lightest kind of clothing is necessary; for the coldest days
are not so cold as our mild autumn days.
The dress of the farmer consists of a cotton jacket, white shirt and
check pantaloons. His head is protected from the hot rays of the sun by
a large broad-brimmed hat. This is made from the grass which grows
around his doorway. No shoes are needed.
The dress of his wife is a simple white cotton gown, and his children
wear no clothes at all.
[Illustration: HOME OF A PEASANT FARMER OF THE BETTER CLASS.]
The houses or homes of the peasant farmers are nearly all alike. They
are built in a few days, from poles and royal palm bark. They are
thatched with leaves of the palm or with grass. These huts are usually
divided into two rooms.
There are no chimneys, often no windows, and but one door. A very poor
house, you think; but then it is only intended for a shelter. It shields
them from the damp and cool winds of night and the daily rains of the
rainy season. At other times they live outside.
There is no stove, and of cooking utensils there are few. The cooking is
done for the most part outside the house, when the weather is dry, on a
sheet of iron or in an iron kettle. The food is served in gourd dishes
and eaten with gourd spoons.
During the rainy season the people live in great discomfort. The
cooking must be done inside the hut at this time. As there is no
chimney, the room is soon filled with smoke, which can only escape
through the openings under the eaves.
Would you like to see the furniture of one of these poor cabins? It
consists of a few calabash shells used for eating vessels; some rude
earthen pots; a tin cup, perhaps; two or three hammocks made of the bark
of the palm tree, and a machete.
Bunches of dried herbs and gourds dangle on the walls, but there are no
pictures, curtains, or ornaments of any kind.
At night the people sleep on the floor, or in hammocks. They spend much
of the day also in swinging to and fro in their hammocks, smoking, and
playing on their guitars and other native musical instruments.
By the door the family dog and the naked babies tumble in the dirt.
Perhaps there is a pig and some poultry; but there is sure to be a
game-cock or two.
Near the house is the garden. In this are raised sweet potatoes, beans,
squashes, muskmelons, peppers, gourds, calabashes, bananas and
plantains.
The farmers we see at work have their oxen harnessed to rude plows by
the horns. The ground is so rich it is not necessary to plow it very
deep.
An acre of good land here will produce more vegetables and fruit than in
most other countries.
Riding through the country we see plantations of coffee, sugar cane or
tobacco, and also stock farms. Puerto Rico is fertile from the mountain
tops to the sea. It is rich in pasture lands, shaded with groves of palm
trees, and watered by hundreds of streams.
Here and there herds of horses and cattle and flocks of sheep graze on
the plains. When we approach the flocks of sheep, we discover a very
curious thing. The wool on these sheep is not at all like the wool on
the sheep raised in our own country. It is more like the hair of the
goat.
Cattle are highly valued by the people, not only for dairy and food
purposes, but as beasts of burden and draft.
Outside of the large plantations, crops are raised on a small scale; and
modern implements and machinery are almost unknown.
[Illustration: A MOUNTAIN VILLAGE IN PUERTO RICO.]
Most of the land is divided up into very small farms or garden patches,
or is taken up by groves.
In the interior of the country are many little villages, shut out from
the rest of the world. We reach them by the narrow horse-trails that
wind in and out among the mountains.
THE LABORER'S HILLSIDE HOME.
Perched on the hilltops and sides, shaded by banana trees, are the
picturesque little huts of the laborers. Most of them pay no rent. Land
owners give them small patches of ground on the hillsides, which they
themselves do not care to till, in order to have the laborers near or on
the plantations to assist in cultivating or harvesting the sugar cane,
tobacco and coffee crops.
Here the peasant laborers build their cabins; and, when there is no work
for them on the plantations, they tend their gardens in a haphazard way.
By working a little each day they manage to make a scant living.
Five months of the year they labor for their landlords, receiving about
fifty cents a day.
The laborer is often paid in plantains. Fifty plantains are a day's pay.
On this he feeds his family, for the plantain is the Puerto Rican
peasant's bread.
The plantains left are taken to market and sold. One day a week is lost
in this way, for the market is often twenty miles away.
Near a stream on the mountain side we see a group of women. Some of them
are sitting on stones by the bank; others are standing in the hot sun in
midstream, and all are washing.
It is wash day, and they have brought their clothes here to wash them.
They have no tubs, wash-boards, clothes-pins, or clothes-lines.
Sometimes they have no soap. In place of this, they use the seed or
roots of the soapberry tree.
The soap-seed tree bears several months in the year. The seed is
inclosed in a yellow skin, and is black, and about the size of a marble.
The leaf of a vine, called the soap vine is also used for the purpose of
washing clothes.
The clothes are first soaked in the stream or pond, and then spread
upon a broad, smooth stone; after which they are pounded with clubs or
stones. When they are clean, they are spread out upon the bushes to dry
and bleach.
[Illustration: COOKING THE EVENING MEAL.]
Then the tired women rest under the trees, and chat, and perhaps smoke
until evening. When the hot sun has gone down in the west, they make
their damp and dry clothes up into huge bundles, lift them to their
heads, and plod homeward.
Let us follow them to their homes up on the mountain side. Some of the
huts are built closely together. Others are scattered about on lonely
ledges. Shall we go inside one of these huts? The woman who has just
returned has thrown her burden into a corner.
The fire has been carefully smoldered, and this she now blows into a
flame and then proceeds to prepare the evening meal.
About the other cottages are women squatting on their heels, gossiping
with one another. In the ditch near by little children paddle about.
Their voices are soft and pleasant, and their play merry and
good-natured. We hear no quarreling.
Now their mother calls them to bring in some sticks for the fire. When
these are added to the flame, the firelight shines out in the darkness
and guides the father on his homeward way.
He has been working on the coffee plantation near, and is now climbing
the narrow, winding path up the hill with his load of plantains. Perhaps
the wife will cook some for supper.
The children satisfy their hunger, and then creep into their corner or
hammock and are soon fast asleep.
Out in the darkness we hear the tinkle of a homemade guitar. Now
another, and then another, takes up the Spanish or Indian air. Perhaps
the beater of a drum is added to the little band of musicians which has
gathered in an open space near the small village.
The natives compose much of their own music, and wild, strange melody it
is. It seems to inspire one with a wish to dance. The Puerto Ricans are
very fond of this amusement, and when they hear the music of the band,
they gather around for a frolic.
Once a week, at least, they gather for a dance; and this, with their
cock-fighting and gambling, is almost their only form of amusement.
Few of these people can write or read. They have no books and can not
afford to buy even a newspaper.
The life of the peasant in Puerto Rico, you see, is not an easy or
pleasant one; but he does not suffer from cold or hunger, as do the poor
in northern countries.
* * * * *
GLIMPSES OF OTHER CITIES.
We have now a very good idea of San Juan and of rural life in districts
near it.
So let us travel about the island a bit, for glimpses of other parts of
the country, and of the other important cities.
The most comfortable way to do this would be to make the voyage around
the island on board the ship, going ashore for sight-seeing when the
ship makes port for freight.
But this would give us no opportunity to see the interior of the island;
so we make up our minds to endure poor roads in order to enjoy the mild
adventures that fall to our lot (as all good travelers should do).
We decide to celebrate the seventeenth of November, the anniversary of
the discovery of the island, at the place where the ship of Columbus
first touched land over four hundred years ago.
We find no Pullman cars on the railroad which leaves San Juan for
Aguadilla; but the novelty of the ride takes the place of the luxuries
to which we are accustomed at home.
[Illustration: SENDING SUGAR ABROAD.]
The train goes leisurely along at the rate of sixteen miles an hour. We
are glad that it goes no faster, for it gives us an opportunity to see
the beautiful country through which we are passing.
The line follows the coast most of the way. Upon one side are frequent
views of the ocean, and upon the other a constant panorama of wonderful
scenery.
ARECIBO.
A ride of four or five hours brings us to Arecibo, a town of 7,000
people, on the north coast. It is the headquarters of the sugar
industry, and the chief town of one of the most fruitful regions on the
island.
The harbor is very poor, being little more than an open roadstead. Into
this harbor empties a small stream called the Arecibo. Goods are
transported on this river, to and from the town, in flat-bottomed boats,
with the aid of long poles and by much patient pushing.
Along the river are valuable plantations of sugar and coffee, as also
fine pastures.
Arecibo boasts one of the most handsome and artistic plazas on the
island. These plazas are usually paved with stone and devoid of
vegetation; but this one has a small park in its center, surrounding a
beautiful fountain.
The cathedral, which faces the plaza, is larger than usual, and more
modern than most of the church buildings in the West Indies.
[Illustration: CATHEDRAL AT ARECIBO.]
AGUADILLA.
After a night spent in Arecibo we wish to hasten on to Aguadilla, but
the railroad, we find, will not carry us so far. It ends at Camuy, a few
miles west of Arecibo. Here we take a carriage for the remainder of the
journey.
[Illustration: DRYING AND HULLING COFFEE.]
The old-fashioned coaches are drawn by small ponies, and these brave
little animals carry us up hill and down hill, through deep mud holes,
over rocks, into and out of ruts, at a terrific pace.
We wonder that the carriage does not break and spill us out. The driver
lashes the poor beasts until it seems as if his arms must be lame, but
our protests have no effect on him.
Aguadilla, a quiet, peaceful little city of 5,000, lies on the western
coast. Here Columbus landed in search of water when he made his second
voyage.
He found a clear, rippling spring, with the water filled his casks, and
continued on his way. On the shore stands a cross marking the spot where
his boat's keel touched the sand.
The town has beautiful trees, and is surrounded by choice grazing-lands.
It is noted for its fish, sugar-cane, sweet oranges, and lemons.
The cultivation of sugar-cane, coffee, tobacco and cocoanuts furnishes
the industries of the neighborhood. We find the three establishments for
the preparation of coffee for market very interesting places to visit.
MAYAGUEZ.
Leaving Aguadilla for Mayaguez, we take the tramway which connects the
two towns. It is the only one on the island, and the people are very
proud of it. But oh, what a ridiculous little road!
It is a narrow gauge, not more than forty-seven inches wide. The cars
are quite diminutive, and do not carry more than ten or twelve people.
We can ride the length of the road, about two miles, for five cents.
We see long lines of patient oxen plodding their way to the city,
pulling clumsy carts piled high with oranges. Mayaguez is the market to
which the best oranges in Puerto Rico come.
Large, sweet, and luscious we find this fruit, the principal food of
many of the people.
It grows wild by the roadside, in the valleys, everywhere except on the
hillsides. Such quantities of oranges! It seems as if enough of the
fruit is grown in Puerto Rico to supply the whole of the United States.
Yet very few oranges are sent away from the island. They can not be
shipped profitably until good roads are built.
The city of Mayaguez claims a population of 20,000 people. It has,
probably, 12,000 to 15,000. It is the great western shipping port, is
the third largest city, and the prettiest and most attractive city in
Puerto Rico.
Mayaguez is very different in appearance and customs from the other
cities. We can scarcely realize that we are on the same island.
The streets are macadamized, wide, shaded by trees, and lined with
handsome shops and residences. The sidewalks are narrow,--only two can
walk abreast on them.
The town is well provided with public buildings. It has also three
hospitals, a home for the destitute, a public library, good waterworks,
is lighted by electricity, and possesses the only street-car line on the
island. The principal plaza is a park of grand old shade trees. It
contains a majestic statue of Columbus.
The citizens are, many of them, coffee planters who have estates near
the city. Each family of the better class dwells in a home of its own,
instead of living in second stories.
The poor people of the town are not so poor, or unclean, or shiftless,
as the poorer classes at the capital.
[Illustration: A VIEW IN PONCE, PUERTO RICO.]
PONCE.
To reach Ponce, the next city we wish to visit, we must use carriages as
well as railways. It is on the southern side of the island.
Ponce is the largest city in Puerto Rico, having a population of over
thirty-seven thousand people. The main part is built on a plain about
three miles from the seashore.
A fine road connects it with Playa, the port, where are found a good
harbor, large wharves and the more important government offices.
Ponce has wide, clean streets, handsome buildings, and attractive homes.
Many quaint and picturesque old buildings line its avenues; but in the
newer parts of the town and in the suburbs the buildings are modern.
It has a military hospital and barracks, two other hospitals, a home for
the old and poor, gas works, and an ice machine. There are also
establishments for hulling coffee, drying coffee, distilling rum,
manufacturing carriages, and grinding sugar. (See illustrations on pages
54 and 69).
The large central plaza has pretty gardens and a cathedral.
There are three manufactories of chocolate for the use of the people in
the surrounding country. Sugar, coffee, oranges, pineapples and
cocoanuts are brought here to be shipped to the United States and other
countries.
Near the city are white-gypsum quarries; also medicinal baths, to which
many invalids and travelers go.
The only Protestant church in the West Indies is the Episcopal church
here.
On the outskirts of Ponce is an old cemetery, in which many famous
Puerto Ricans of an early day were buried. It is quite different from
our idea of a cemetery. It is one solid mass of masonry built into the
side of a hill. In this are narrow vaults, one above the other.
[Illustration: A FUNERAL PROCESSION.]
The openings of these vaults look much like bakers' ovens. The bottom
vaults are used first, and when a body is laid in one of them it is
sealed up and the name of the deceased graven on the outside. The next
member of the family who dies is placed in the vault above; and so on,
each family having a tier of vaults.
As carriages and hearses are rare objects in Ponce, the coffin is
sometimes carried on the shoulders of men. The procession is often
composed of those attracted by curiosity, rather than the friends and
relatives of the deceased.
The people of Ponce are wide-awake, progressive and anxious to better
their condition. They are also more hospitable and friendly than in
other towns.
It was here that the American army under General Miles proceeded in
1898, after landing at Guanica. The troops received a hearty welcome
from the inhabitants.
The people were glad to be relieved from Spanish rule, and wished to
have their land annexed to the United States.
A proclamation of welcome was issued to the soldiers, feasts were
spread, and the stars and stripes floated from many house tops.
THE MILITARY ROAD.
Now we are ready to return to San Juan, going northward over the great
military road, one of the finest highways in the world.
It is macadamized, is fifty feet wide, ninety-seven miles in length, and
smooth and even as a boulevard. It crosses mountains which reach a
height of almost four thousand feet. It winds in and out among the
coffee-covered hills, giving us a fine view of the green mountains and
the deep valleys below.
Looking down we see patches of sugar cane and tobacco; groves of
bananas, cocoanut, and palm trees; hedges of strange growth; unknown
plants and vines, and fern-covered rocks.
Here and there is a rude cabin surrounded by bread-fruit and banana
trees. We pass picturesque little towns with blue and yellow houses and
quaint churches, their spires towering upward. In fifteen hours we would
reach San Juan, but we delay our journey in order to obtain a closer
view of the scenery and of the homes of the people.
Many happy hours we spend on the plantations in the country.
During these country rides and visits we get our knowledge of the animal
and plant life of the island.
Let us stop, then, for a few days, at a country home by the seashore.
A COUNTRY HOME.
The residence of this home we find to be of good size and divided into
rooms by partitions that reach only half way up to the roof. This is to
give a free circulation of air. The house is thatched with palm leaves,
and has a wide veranda running around it.
Mosquito curtains are used to keep out the swarms of sand flies and
mosquitoes that make the night uncomfortable.
All doors and windows are closed before sunset and not opened until the
moon is well up. Then large fires are lighted around the house to drive
the mosquitoes away. This is for our benefit, for the natives do not
mind these insects as much as we do. But we have other midnight
visitors.
Large fireflies fly in at the open windows and light up the room with
their fairy lamps. And such wonderful fireflies, over an inch long!
The people, the children especially, are very fond of these fireflies
and frequently keep little cages of them for pets. They feed them on
sugar-cane juice and bathe them as if they were birds.
[Illustration: COUNTRY HOME OF THE BETTER CLASS.]
Little crabs rattle gaily over the floor and sometimes crawl into our
shoes, where we find them in the morning; friendly but ugly lizards
croak from the walls and roof, where they pass the night hours in
catching insects.
These lizards are found in and about most of the houses and are
harmless, useful little fellows. They are six or seven inches long, of a
pale, yellowish color, mottled with brown.
Instead of taking a morning bath in our rooms, we take a dip in the warm
sea water. We find it hot, even very early in the morning; and as we
walk to the shore in our bathing suits, we make a large palm leaf do
duty as a sunshade.
When we dress for breakfast we examine our clothes very closely, for the
centipedes have a disagreeable way of taking strolls over one's clothing
and the bedding.
Our breakfast consists of turtle eggs, bread fruit, plantain and
cocoanut milk. Our meals are served on the veranda, and there we spend
the most of the day. Hammocks are swung from the beams, and, lying in
them, we drink in the cool sea air and feast our eyes upon the beautiful
surroundings.
In the shallow water near the shore we find great pink conch shells. The
fish in them we have made into soup for our dinner, and very good soup
we find it.
Sometimes we go out in the mountains with our host hunting for game, or
for mountain cabbage for our dinner. Perhaps others would like to know
what this mountain cabbage is, and we will tell them. It is the bud of a
palm tree, a part of the trunk of which, when young, is edible. When
cooked, it looks like very white cabbage; but the flavor is finer and
more delicate. It is sometimes eaten raw, as a salad.
The meat for our dinner consists of fish, and the flesh of the
armadillo, the agouti and the iguana.
These animals are queer looking creatures. As we wish to see them in
their haunts in the woods and fields, we will accompany our host on some
long walks and drives, in order to find out more about them.
* * * * *
ANIMAL LIFE.
When Columbus visited the West Indies, he was delighted by the beauty in
and about them. "I know not," he said, "where first to go; nor are my
eyes ever weary with gazing on the wonderful verdure. The singing of the
birds is such as to make one wish never to depart."
The wonderful beauty of the country of which he spoke is unchanged; but
we listen and look in vain for the singing birds. The hunter's gun has
caused the disappearance of large numbers of the birds. Those remaining
are found only in the forests.
Columbus spoke also of the flocks of parrots "whose bright wings
obscured the sun"; but we seldom see the brilliant plumage of these
birds on our excursions.
BIRDS.
There are said to be about one hundred and fifty kinds of birds on the
island of Puerto Rico. Among these are the mocking bird, the wild
canary, the sugar bird, the thrush, the humming bird, the owl, the hawk,
the dove, the cuckoo, the oriole, the nightingale, and the Guinea bird.
During the migrating season, many other birds fly over from other
islands.
Flamingoes and other water birds are numerous on the coast.
There is a parrot market in every port, however, and this is a popular
place of resort. Here are cool trees and drinking stands, or booths,
where cocoanut milk and cool drinks are sold.
The birds are not usually confined to cages, but are left to climb
about the booths. The natives love these birds and make great pets of
them. The birds are tame and quite accomplished in the art of begging.
When the passer-by extends his hand, they walk into it for the sake of
the gifts which they know will come.
But the bird which is oftenest seen is the fighting or game-cock. The
streets and market places are full of these. They are the pets and often
the most valued possessions of their owners.
OTHER ANIMAL LIFE.
[Illustration: THE ARMADILLO]
The scorpions, centipedes, wasps, sand flies, fleas and mosquitoes
manage to make things lively for us much of the time.
One enterprising and annoying insect, the chigoe, or "jigger," is able
to bore a hole through the sole of a shoe and attack the foot.
There are no poisonous serpents or dangerous wild animals in the
country; so we travel about through field and forest without fear.
The boa, which is occasionally seen, is huge and alarming in
appearance; but it is looked upon as a friend rather than an enemy. It
is of great service to the farmer in clearing his place of rats.
The largest native animals we find to be the armadillo, the agouti, and
the iguana.
The agouti is a little animal resembling a rabbit. It lives on vegetable
food, and finds a home in the rocky hillsides and on the borders of the
woods. As game is not plentiful, it is sometimes used for food.
The armadillo and iguana are preferred for food, however. It is not an
easy matter to catch an armadillo. It has a shell on its back, and into
this it promptly retreats at the first sign of danger. It has a long,
pointed snout and strong, sharp claws. It can dig a hole in the ground
almost as fast as a man can dig with a pick and spade; so, when an enemy
appears, it digs a hole and buries itself from sight. It is not a
troublesome animal. It lives chiefly upon beetles, grubs and worms,
which it hunts by night.
The iguana is a lizard which feeds on fruits and vegetables. It grows to
three or four feet in length, and is an ugly looking creature. It will
not fight unless you compel it to do so. It does not live in the water,
but in trees, bushes, and in the cracks and fissures of rocks. Sometimes
hunters build fires at the entrance of their hiding places and smoke
them out. The flesh, when cooked, resembles chicken or veal, and is a
popular dish with the natives.
But the most delicious meat of all comes from the land crabs and the
crayfish. These are caught in great numbers when the crabs migrate from
the mountains to the coast. Once a year they make this journey, for the
purpose of depositing their eggs in the sand.