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[Illustration: IN THE HOT VALLEY; CUICATLAN]

CHAPTER XV

CUICATLAN

(1899)

Between Tehuacan and Oaxaca the railroad passes through a low, deep
valley which is ever hot. Few people on the train pass through this
valley without feeling its depressing influence. It would seem that
travelers would hardly stop at stations within its limits, unless
impelled by actual necessity. The most important of the towns in this
valley is Cuicatlan. Little of it is to be seen from the railroad, but
in reality it is a notably picturesque village.

It is the _cabecera_ of a district in which dwell three most interesting
tribes--the Cuicatecs, Chinantecs, and Mazatecs. We had time to visit
only the nearest of the Cuicatec towns. Cuicatlan itself is situated
near one side of a valley, through which runs a considerable stream. The
distant bank rises in two magnificent mountain masses. The nearer bank,
at the very base of which the town nestles on a series of little hills,
rises into almost sheer precipices of purple conglomerate. These cliffs
are hundreds of feet high, and are, apparently, due to a gigantic
landslide. The mass which fell must have measured fully two miles in
length, and still lies, broken and heaped up, at the base of the cliffs.
The face of the cliffs, and the fallen masses of rock at its base, are
cut into narrow gullies and gaps by water. The town consists of several
clusters of houses, scaled along the slopes of little hillocks and
settled into the spaces between them. Gigantic cactuses surround the
town, and cocoa palms rise to great heights within it.

It is customary for travelers to emphasize the slowness of the Mexicans.
Either we have been exceptionally fortunate, or the reputation is
largely undeserved. We have been rarely delayed by sluggish action.
Here, however, we found a _jefe_ who would surely satisfy the most
complaining. He was mild in manner, gentle in speech, fond of brilliant
plans and schemes, all of which, however, were to be put in operation
to-morrow and not to-day. It was with difficulty that we impressed upon
him our necessity. We told him that we wanted animals to carry us to
Papalo. In reply, he told us that Papalo was but a poor town, and he
outlined a journey the traveling alone in which would occupy some
eight or ten days. When we assured him that we had no time for such an
enterprise, he said that it would be much better for the towns to come
to us in Cuicatlan. He propo