The international photographer (Jan-Dec 1934)

February, 1934 The INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER Twenty-five UNDER THREE FLAGS (Continued from Page 3) The San Antonio Chamber of Commerce told us the weather would be tine, just like California — and just like California it was — very unusual. Whenever we set up the camera the sun would disappear and usually it started to rain. Here flares were used as a last resort, and the results were surprising, so good. When we finally started for Laredo, there to cross the Rio Grande, everyone was in high spirits in anticipation of the good times awaiting us in Mexico. Of the huge delegation that met us on the other side the most popular man was the agent of the Bartega Rum, who freely distributed large samples of his wares. He was well photographed and not with blanks, either. The bars did a huge business but after Kansas "corn" a real drink tasted like a chaser, but the same effect was there. Yet we managed to stay in focus sufficiently to shoot the official welcoming delegation. It was a great event for them and secured their good will which followed us on our entire trip. 1 must say that a more friendly people I have never met. Here we were joined by a Mexican censor and an escort of the Federal Highway patrol, both of which became permanent fixtures to the expedition for the balance of the trip. Our run to Monterey (King of the mountains) was over the first link of the new Pan-American highway — a paved road and very fine, considering the barrenness of the country and the fact that there was no visible means of support for such a highway except for an occasional tourist. But it has been built for the future. Old Monterrey has all the charm that the song suggests, and here we spent a pleasant day. It is both beautiful and historic, and should before long be the mecca of tourists who want the unusual. It was our last sight of good roads, good food, good beds and toilets until we reached Mexico City, for here we started on a six hundred mile stretch of road that was seldom traveled. We went over mountains and rivers, through gorges and jungles, an ever-changing vista so beautiful that the drivers found it hard to keep their eyes on the road which is an absolute necessity along parts of this road. There were Indian villages where Spanish was not spoken or even understood and old Spanish towns that still bore the marks of the conquistadors and revolutions. Ill luck was again with us for it was cloudy most of the way and for two days it rained. Part of this road is in the process of construction and only the preliminary work of grading was being done. It was in no place impassable, yet sometimes the road for miles was nothing more than a ten-foot shelf chisled out of the side of the mountains where a false move would have meant a drop of thousands of feet. Tourists were not yet numerous enough to have changed the services or accommodations at the old hotels, the food was purely native, and we ate three times a day of goat meat, beans, rice, tortillas and chicory with hot milk. Some of the boys lost weight and some preferred to sleep in the cars. The route of the caravan can be traced on the map of Mexico by a southerly course from Monterrey, through the towns of Ciudad Victoria, Valles, Tomazunchale, Ixmiquilpan, Pachuca and Mexico City. I have heard of the "Old Spanish Custom" but never really knew what it means until we saw the senoritas promenade around the plazas, the caballeros (gentlemen to you) doing likewise, only in the opposite direction, to the accompaniment of the town band. 'Thus are introductions consummated ; that's the old Spanish custom. The gas tank of the camera car was punctured crossing a rocky river bed and there was no means of fixing it until we reached Mexico City. "This was three hundred miles away, and we proceeding using a five-gallon gas can on the running board and a piece of hose. But a five-gallon can of gas doesn't last long on those roads, so about every hour we had to hook up a new one. Tomazunchale proved to be one of the most picturesque towns on the entire trip, and here we were welcomed by the town band. The surrounding country was desert and the roads were lined with cactus fences so thick as to make them impassable for humans. One has to be extremely careful in photographing in Mexico, and it was only due to the fact that we had a censor that our negative did not have to be developed there. Mexico City gave us a grand welcome in true Latin style. It is a beautiful and cosmopolitan city but has not the charm of the rural districts — yet it was very interesting, and from here we visited some of the wonders of the trip. There was a day spent at the pyramids, older than those of Egypt, and at the citadel and temple with its many different kinds of architecture which gave evidence that more than one civilization had used it as a place of refuge and worship. We visited Mt. Toluca, a now extinct volcano crater, and on this trip reached an altitude of 14,700 feet. Very little work was done as everyone suffered at this great height. At the floating gardens at Xochimilco we were ban(Tum to Page 31) ARTREEVES PRESENTS NEW SOUND RECORDING and LABORATORY EQUIPMENTS WRITE FOR 1934 CATALOGS Motion PicTure/^mjipmemT (q |Td 64 5 NORTH MARTEL AVE CABLE ADDRESS ARTREEVES Cables: ArtReeves HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA, US A Phone: WYoming 4501 French-Spanish Please mention The International Photographer when corresponding with advertisers.