mines,
and all the manual labour without which the industries of the country
would be non-existent. The _peon_ is not necessarily a forced labourer.
Nevertheless, the conditions of his life are such that he is not a free
agent as the working men of other countries are. His payment is largely
received in goods which he is obliged to purchase in the general store
of the _hacienda_, belonging to the proprietor, or by some one licensed
thereby. This is a species of "truck" system. High prices and short
weight--in accordance with the business principles underlying such
systems--generally accompany these dealings. Moreover, as the _peon_
has often been granted supplies in advance, against future wages, he is
generally in debt to the store, a condition which, purposely, is not
discouraged. The law does not support the system, but as the whole area
of land surrounding the _hacienda_ belongs thereto, the proprietor may
or may not--generally the latter--permit the establishment of any
independent shop in the vicinity. Indeed, such temerity on the part of
any would-be merchant would soon call down punishment--if such it may
be termed--from the myrmidons of the landowner, to whom the hunting of
"contraband" vendors of goods or liquor is fair game.

[Illustration: A TOBACCO-PRODUCING HACIENDA: STATE OF VERA CRUZ.]

The house of the _peon_--the single-roomed adobe-built habitation, or
the wattle-built _jacal_ in which he dwells, belongs to the estate
owner; and if the dweller, through laziness or other similar cause,
fails to put in an appearance in the fields, he is soon forced to
vacate it, and, supposing him to be free from debt, to leave the
_hacienda_. He toils all day in the fields, drawing a scanty wage, and
retires at night to this primitive abode, which he shares with his
female consort and her progeny.

Yet it is not to be supposed that under this autocratic and patriarchal
rule--for the _regime_ in some respects has an atmosphere of the
pastoral scenes of the Old Testament--the _peones_ are oppressed or
unhappy. Men who know no other state are contented with their lot, and
the poor Mexican creates matters of pastime and enjoyment in his simple
life. Bull-fights, horse-racing, cock-fighting, together with dancing
and the consumption of liquor--the latter his serious and principal
vice--furnish him with distraction, whilst religious feast-days make up
the sum.

This description applies mainly to the agricultural labourer