Identifier: mexicoitsancient01enoc (find matches)
Title: Mexico, its ancient and modern civilisation, history and political conditions, topography and natural resources, industries and general development;
Year: 1910 (1910s)
Authors: Enock, C. Reginald (Charles Reginald), 1868-1970
Subjects:
Publisher: New York, Scribner
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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neral it may beconsidered high. Even native produce is not cheapnecessarily, whilst imported goods are very expensive.Correspondingly high is the rent of houses or flats. Thehouses of Mexico City are very generally constructed andlet as viviendas, or flats, usually of about six rooms toeach floor, a time-honoured arrangement among allclasses. Such a flat, according to its position, costs from£S to ;;^i5 per month; and a private house, such as inEngland would rent at, say, ;^200 per annum, or, say,;^3ooin the United States, brings £^0 per month in MexicoCity, whilst the rents in the suburbs, and those ofbusiness establishments are scarcely less. Such propertyis always expected to yield 12 to 15 per cent, per annumupon the investment. The values of landed property orreal estate in the city have risen in an unprecedentedmanner of late years, from a few cents per square yard afew years ago to 30s. or 503. per square yard at present,and they are still rising. The cost of building is also
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CITIES AND INSTITUTIONS 203 exceedingly high. These conditions refer, of course, tothe capital. Elsewhere values are often exceedingly low. The capital and the Federal District, which is that con-taining the city and its suburban towns, are administeredby Ayuntamientos, or Municipal Councils, with Boards ofHealth and Department of Public Works. The city ispoliced by mounted and unmounted gendarmes, a total ofsome 2,300, and travellers may bear witness to the vigilanceand courtesy of these officials. Whilst the ordinary gen-darmes are recruited from the Indian class largely, they areefficient. The British traveller finds them as obliging asLondon police, in their more humble sphere, and theAmerican is startled at the possibilities of official courtesyafter the rude and aggressive policemen of the UnitedStates. The water-supply of the city belongs to the Federalauthorities, and is being augmented from the springs ofXochimilco, as the present amount per capita of 137 litresis not suffici

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