MEXICAN WEST COAST
AND
LOWER CALIFORNIA
h COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL SURVEY
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
BUREAU OF FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC COMMERCS
FARM MUSEUM
LACASTER. PENNSYLVANIA
From the collection of the
n
z m
JPrelinger
v XJibrary
San Francisco, California
2006
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
BUREAU OF FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC COMMERCE
JULIUS KLEIN, Director
SPECIAL AGENTS SERIES No. 220
MEXICAN WEST COAST
AND
LOWER CALIFORNIA
A COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL SURVEY
BY
P. L. BELL
Trade Commissioner
and
H. BENTLEY MACKENZIE
Assistant Trade Commissioner
With the assistance of American Consuls Francis J. Dyer (Nog-ales)
Hartley F. Yost (Guaymas), and W. E. Chapman (Mazatlan)
PRICE, 85 CENTS
Sold by the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office
Washington, D. C.
WASHINGTON
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
1923
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LANCASTER. PENNS Y LV AN
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CONTENTS.
Page.
Letter of submitted xv
Parti. THE WEST COAST.
Introduction 1
Relation to Pacific coast of United States 1
Position of territory as market for American goods 2
Land development from standpoint of American investors 3
Necessity of market outlets for products 4
Conditions similar to those in southern California 5
Measures calculated to stimulate economic progress 5
Agricultural advantages of region 6
Expected increase in purchasing power 7
Need of additional banking facilities 7
Present position of American interests Opportunities for future 7
Geography, topography, and climate 9
Geographic position Confines of region 9
Routes of access and travel influences 10
Area 11
Divisions of commercial territory 12
Topography 13
Surface and relief 13
Pacific coastal plain 15
General description of coast line 16
Rivers 18
Lakes 19
Climate 19
Climatic zones 19
Seasons 20
Temperatures 21
Effect of climate on commercial activities 21
Population and living conditions 23
Factors affecting distribution of people 23
Population by States and cities 24
Population of contiguous commercial territory 25
Racial character of the people 26
Economic and social aspects 27
Effect of the revolutions 28
Living conditions 31
Foreign population 32
Chinese residents 32
Japanese colonization 34
Other foreign population 35
Distribution of Americans on West Coast 37
Attitude of natives toward foreigners 37
Indian tribes 39
44807 -23 m
IV CONTENTS.
Education 41
Popular education in State of Sonora 41
Support by Federal Government 43
Vocational schools 43
Foreign schools Religious schools 44
Education of Mexicans in the United States 44
Commercial schools 44
Transportation 45
General situation 45
History of railway development on West Coast 46
Kansas City, Mexico & Orient Railway 50
Organization, location, and construction 50
West Coast division 51
Future considerations 52
Southern Pacific Railroad of Mexico 52
Rolling stock and equipment 52
Sonora Railway 53
Towns on main line, elevations, connections, etc 53
Annual report for 1922 55
Naco-Cananea line 55
Present status of Southern Pacific claims 56
Present cost of Southern Pacific Railroad of Mexico 57
Nacozari Railroad Co 57
Tonnage movement and development of region 58
New railway construction on West Coast 58
Mayo Valley Railway (' ' Ferrocarril del Rio Mayo ") 58
Method of financing and construction 59
Progress of work 59
Port of Yavaros 59
Effect of line on ocean freights and rail competition 60
Durango-Mazatlan Railway 60
Summary of proposed railway construction in West Coast region 61
Railroad freight charges 62
Steamer lines and ports 62
European steamship service 63
List of companies serving West Coast 63
Compafifa Naviera de los Estados de Mexico 64
California-Mexican Steamship Co 66
Compania Naviera del Pacffico 66
Compania Naviera Mexicana 66
Crux of ocean-tonnage situation on West Coast 67
Japanese steamer service 67
Value and destination of exports 67
Harbors and docks 67
Port dues, tonnage dues, etc 67
Port of Guaymas, Sonora 69
Pilotage and towage 69
Harbor, anchorage, and accommodations 70
Wharves, piers, warehouses, etc 71
Stevedoring 71
Bunkers 72
Transshipment of goods 72
Repairs 72
CONTENTS. V
Transportation Continued.
Harbors and docks Continued.
Port of Guaymas, Sonora Continued. Page.
Provisions 73
Ballast 73
Water 73
Wholesale and retail dealers 73
Storage companies 73
Marine industries 73
Freight supply 73
Steamship companies 73
General information 73
Port of Topolobampo, Sinaloa 74
Pilotage and towage 74
Harbor, anchorage, and accommodations 74
Wharves, piers, and warehouses 75
Stevedoring 75
Bunkers 75
Transshipment of goods 75
Repairs 76
Water 76
Ship chandlers' and engineers' supplies 76
Steamship lines 76
General information 76
Port of Mazatlan, Sinaloa 76
Location and aids to navigation 76
Pilotage and towage 76
Harbor, anchorage, and accommodations 77
Wharves, piers, warehouses, etc 78
Stevedoring 78
Bunkers and fuel oil 79
Transshipment of goods 80
Repairs 80
Provisions 80
Ballast 80
Water 80
Crews 80
Cargoes obtainable 80
Port improvements 80
Port of San Bias, Nayarit 80
Location and aids to navigation 80
Pilotage and towage 81
Harbor, anchorage, and accommodations 81
Wharves, piers, warehouses, etc 82
Stevedoring 82
Bunkers and fuel oil 82
Transshipment of goods 82
Repairs 82
Provisions 82
Ballast 82
Water 82
Frequency of steamship connections 82
General information.. 83
VI CONTENTS.
Transportation Continued .
Harbors and docks Continued. Page.
Port of La Paz, Lower California 83
Location and aids to navigation 83
Pilotage and towage 83
Harbor, anchorage, and accommodations 83
Wharves, piers, warehouses, etc 84
Stevedoring 84
Bunkers 84
Transshipment of goods 84
Repairs 84
Water 84
Steamship service 84
General information 84
Revised Mexican customs regulations 84
Sanitary code 89
Port works and improvements 90
New port of St. George's Bay 91
Summary of West Coast shipping development 91
Roads and highways 92
Nogales and Port Lobos Highway 93
Culiacan-Badiraguato Highway 93
Mazatlan-Tepic Highway 93
Agriculture 95
Past and present position of industry 95
Hydrographic description of West Coast 97
Comparison with California 97
Fundamental considerations 98
Primary advantages of West Coast irrigable areas 98
State of Sonora 99
Area and population 99
Climatic conditions 99
Drainage system 99
Yaqui River alluvial area 100
Magdalena River Valley 105
Sonora River Valley 105
Ortiz district 107
Guaymas district 107
Colorado River delta land development 107
Mayo River Valley 107
State of Sinaloa 109
Location of agricultural lands 109
Fuerte River Valley 109
Sinaloa River Valley 116
Mocorito River Valley 116
Humaya (Culiacan) River Valley. 116
San Lorenzo River Valley 117
Elota River Valley 117
Piaxtla River Valley 117
Quelite River Valley 118
Mazatlan River Valley 118
Concordia district 118
Chamela River Valley 118
CONTENTS. VII
Agriculture Continued .
Hydrographic description of West Coast Continued. Page.
State of Nayarit 1 18
Classification of lands 118
Santiago River Valley 119
Other valleys 119
Rivers and streams 120
Waterfalls 120
Climatic conditions affecting agriculture 120
Seasons '. . 121
Rainfall tables 121
Storms Variations of rainy season 122
Temperatures 122
Soil conditions 123
Crops best adapted to West Coast conditions 124
Plant diseases and insect pests 124
Character of products and quantity of production 125
Cotton 126
Coffee 127
Tobacco 127
Rice 128
Wheat 129
Production in Sonora and Nayarit 129
Flour mills 130
Import duty on wheat 130
Milling system 131
Imports of cereals 131
Imports of flour at Mazatlan 131
Problem of marketing surplus wheat production 132
Garbanzos 132
Cultivation and marketing 132
Exports of garbanzos 134
Grading 135
Embargo against exportation 135
Growers' association 135
Sterilization plant at Guaymas 135
Labor conditions in Mayo Valley. . . 136
Cleaning machinery 136
Summary of garbanzo crop and market conditions in 1922 136
Effect of war on market 137
Sugar 138
Production figures Number of mills 138
Survey of industry 139
Almada Sugar Refineries Co 139
Production data, Navolato plantation 140
Sugar industry in Tepic, Nayarit 140
Market for alcohol 141
Protective tariff on sugar 141
Markets for West Coast sugar 141
Present condition of sugar industry 142
Tomato and winter- vegetable industry 142
Renewal of tomato industry in Guaymas Valley 143
by floods 144
vrrr CONTENTS.
Agriculture Continued.
Tomato and winter-vegetable industry Continued. Page.
Loss by frost 144
Transportation difficulties in 1920 144
Results of 1921 tomato crop 144
Results of 1922 tomato crop 145
Figures on 1923 shipping season 146
Scientific considerations in connection with West Coast tomatoes 147
History of the western Mexico tomato industry 147
Location of the industry 148
Soil... 148
Effect of climate 148
Varieties of tomatoes grown in Mexico 149
The yield 150
Causes of decreasing yield 150
Causes of heavy culling 151
Losses in transit 151
Harvesting and marketing 152
Summary and conclusions 153
Plant-quarantine regulations of United States 155
Mexican export duty on tomatoes 155
American import duties 156
Average production per acre 158
Freight-rate notes. 158
Melons, winter vegetables, etc 158
Fruits 159
Citrus fruits 159
Dates, figs, etc., from Lower California 159
Alligator pears, or ''avocados' ' 160
Bananas 161
Grapes 162
Marjoram 162
Fibers 163
Sesame seed 163
Mexican land laws 164
Lands taken under agrarian law in West Coast territory 165
Farming conditions for foreigners on West Coast 165
Colonization and investment 166
Land taxation , 168
Rental rates and conditions 168
Conclusions 169
Irrigation and power projects 171
Fuerte River storage-dam project 171
Bacubirito power site 171
Flow variations in rivers 171
San Dimas power-development project 172
Santiago River irrigation project 172
Soil conditions 173
Finances 173
Valuation of property 173
Colonization plans , 174
Canal construction 174
San Pedro River project, Nayarit 175
CONTENTS. IX
Irrigation and power projects Continued. Page.
Canal ' ' Kosales, ' ' Culiacan Valley 175
Water provision and allowances 176
Water rates and charges 176
Ownership of land in Culiacan Valley by Americans 176
Legal status of land titles in Culiacan Valley 177
Technical data on Canal "Resales' ' 178
Policy of American landowners in Culiacan Valley 179
Forest products 180
Coquito nuts 180
Coconuts 181
Hardwoods 181
Dyewoods 18.5
Fishing industry 187
Commercial fishes of West Coast 187
Mullet most abundant 188
Milkfish Four varieties of robalo 189
Five varieties of corbina (weakfish) 189
Pargos (snappers), cabrilla (sea bass), and mero (spotted jewfish) 190
Salt-water bream, pompanos, and butterfish 190
Mojarros Chiro Spanish mackerel 191
Sardines and anchovies 191
Sharks : 192
Shrimp fishing 192
Lobsters.. .-. 193
Oysters 193
Summary 195
Manufacturing 196
Cotton textile mills 196
Shoemaking 197
Soap making 198
Breweries 198
Distilleries 199
Machine shops and woodworking plants 200
Brooms, carriages, carts, and furniture 201
Clothing 201
Dye-extract factory 201
Tobacco factories , 202;
Match factories : 202
Candy factories 202
Tanneries 203
Considerations in connection with manufacturing 204
Cold-storage plants 204
Electric lighting and power plants * 204
Hermosillo, Sonora 205
Guaymas, Sonora 205
Santa Rosalia, Lower California 205
Culiacan, Sinaloa 205
Mazatlan, Sinaloa 205
Rosario, Sinaloa 206
Tepic, Nayarit 206
Ensenada, Lower California 206
Empalme, Sonora 206
Cananea, Sonora... 206
X CONTENTS.
Page.
Live stock 207
Cattle-raising 207
Hogs, sheep, and goats 208
Importation of Mexican cattle to United States impracticable 208
Exports of beef cattle 209
Future of the industry 209
Cattle-range conditions in northern Sonora 209
American import duties on live stock 210
Petroleum 211
Prospecting for oil 211
Sales methods for petroleum products 212
Mexican import duties 212
Import figures 212
Use of fuel oil 213
Mining 214
Outline of development 214
Principal mining camps and districts in Sonora 216
Cananea copper mines 217
Magdalena district 218
Geological characteristics of Las Planchas district 218
Cocospera region 219
Cerro Prieto mines 220
Providencia group 221
Ures district 221
Copete mining region 222
Minas Prietas gold mines 223
Yaqui River district , 225
Sahuaripa district 225
Alamos district 226
Guaymas district 227
Lampazos silver region 228
Moctezuma district 228
Arispe district 229
Altar district 230
Mining in Nogales district 232
Mineral deposits and mining industry in Sonora in 1921 234
Lower California mining notes: Southern half of peninsula 235
Salt deposits, Carmen Island 235
Manganese 236
La Sirena mines 236
Molybdenum 236
Tungsten 237
Sonora properties developed since 1904 Present activities 237
La Brisca placer field 237
San Geronimo mine 237
Santa Barbara mines 237
Arispe smelter scheme. 237
Lampazos mines 238
Dolores and La Palma mines 238
Cerro de Oro mines 238
Hidalgo mine 238
Washington Mines Co 238
International Mines Co. . 238
CONTENTS. XI
Mining Continued.
Sonora properties developed since 1904 Present activities Contd. Page.
Azteca mine 238
Aztec Consolidated Mining Co 239
Verde Grande mine 239
Bacoachilla mines 239
Resales mines, Moctezuma region 239
El Tramado mines , 239
Mejia mine, Altar district 240
Alamos district 240
Las Chispas mines 240
Calumet & Sonora of Cananea Mining Co., S. A 240
Nacozari mining notes 241
Lluvia de Oro mines 242
Batopilas mine 242
Mining in Mazatlan district 244
San Dimas district 245
Mining in Nayarit 245
Iron deposits 247
Gypsum deposits 247
Mica deposits 247
Antimony deposits 247
Metal export regulations 248
Mining laws and taxation notes 248
Mining taxes 248
Costs of location of claims 248
Investment in mining and other industries 249
Ore buying in Mexico: Customs and usages 250
Banks and banking 252
Credits, terms, and general business practices 256
Overextension of credit 256
Payments and collections 257
Time required for shipments and deliveries 258
Average valuations to cover charges 259
Ratio of annual turnover to capital and stocks carried 259
Selection of attorneys for collections 260
Credit peculiarities on West Coast 260
Commerce of the West Coast 262
Division of commercial regions 263
Buying seasons 264
Taxes on traveling salesmen 265
Commercial organizations 266
Expenses in connection with business establishments 266
Foreign competition 267
German competition 267
Progress of American trade on West Coast 268
Tariff, customs regulations, etc 269
Present commercial conditions 269
Traveling traders 270
Reselling methods 270
Notes on markets for specific commodities 271
Agricultural implements and machinery 271
Automobiles 271
Textiles: Dry goods 271
XH CONTENTS.
Commerce of the West Coast Continued.
Notes on markets for specific commodities Continued. Page.
Foodstuffs 272
Hardware 272
Drugs and medicines 272
Commercial relations with American firms in general 272
Future needs and prospects 273
Foreign-trade figures 274
Part 2. NORTHERN HALF OF LOWER CALIFORNIA.
Introduction 281
Geography, topography, and climate 285
Geographic features 285
Area 285
Topography 286
Surface and relief 286
Geological formations 287
Valleys and plains 287
Rivers and creeks 288
Lakes and lagoons 288
Islands 289
Climate and rainfall 289
General survey of conditions 289
Climate and rainfall of the irrigation district 290
Climate of the Ensenada and Pacific coast region 291
Population 293
Native and foreign population 293
Efforts at colonization 294
Racial characteristics 294
Government and education 296
Political organization 296
Educational matters 296
Budget and public improvements 296
Survey of industries 298
Agriculture 299
Agricultural districts 299
Mexicali Valley 299
Soil formation 300
Historical notes on irrigation 300
Improvements and drainage 301
Acreage on Mexican side of valley 302
Irrigation data: Water, weather, and crop figures 303
Percentages of crops 303
Value of crops and production 303
Cotton planting 303
Outline of development 303
Grades of cotton 304
Methods of planting 305
Wages 305
Labor conditions 305
Landholdings and methods of development 306
Development policy of Colorado River Land Co 307
Agricultural implements and machinery 309
Import duty 309
CONTENTS. XIII
Agriculture Continued.
Mexicali Valley Continued.
Agricultural implements and machinery Continued. Page.
Plows and harrows 309
Implements and tools 309
Tractors 310
Agricultural insurance 310
Financing crops Banking 310
Credit considerations with respect to Chinese planters 311
Labor notes , 312
Cotton gins and compresses 312
Cotton seasons 312
Cotton exports from Mexicali district to United States 312
Other agricultural exports of Mexicali district 313
Exports of live stock 313
Ensenada district , 313
Magdalena Bay colonization scheme 315
Uncultivated vegetable products 316
Fruits 317
Live stock. : 317
Fishing : 318
Potentialities of industry 318
San Diego cannery fleet and plant 318
Fresh-fish industry 319
Fishing methods 319
Prices 319
Canning plants in Lower California 320
General fishing statistics 320
Fishing concessions and Mexican Government regulations 321
Mining 323
Gold Copper Silver 323
Phosphates Magnesite 324
Iron deposits 325
Kaolin Cement Salt 325
Onyx and marble 325
Other mineral deposits 326
Factors affecting mining operations 326
Transportation 327
Railways 327
Roads 327
Transportation projects 329
Ocean transportation 330
Port of Ensenada 330
Customs and port regulations 330
Commerce and trade 331
Mexicali district 331
Ensenada district 332
Notes on southern half of Lower California 335
Agriculture 335
Topography and climate 335
Live stock 336
Pearl-fishing industry at La Paz 336
Roads 336
Commerce, trade, and banking ' 337
Future prospects 337
XIV CONTENTS.
APPENDIX. Page
Commodity reports 339
Trade lists available 339
Reference material 340
ILLUSTRATIONS. Facing
page.
FIG. 1. Bank of Sonora, Guaymas 16
2. Municipal Palace, Guaymas 17
3. Public market, Guaymas 17
4. Calle Serdan, Guaymas 70
5. Customhouse, Guaymas 70
6. View of main part of Guaymas, from hill above railway wharf 71
7. Calle Belisario Dominguez, principal business street in Mazatlan 71
8. The heart of Mazatlan 78
9. Customhouse at Mazatlan 78
10. Banana plantation near San Bias, Nayarit 79
11. Five underground tubes, Canal "Resales, " Culiacan Valley 176
12. Head gate and underground tubes with air vents, Canal ' ' Resales " 176
13. New Government building, Mexicali , 177
14. Main irrigation ditches near Mexicali 177
15. Plant of Compania Industrial y Explotadora de Maderas 200
16. Three units of semi-Diesel engines installed in Explotadora plant 201
Map of western Mexico 240
LETTER OF SUBMITTAL.
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE,
BUREAU OF FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC COMMERCE,
Washington, April 16, 1923.
SIR: There is submitted herewith a commercial and industrial
survey of the Mexican "West Coast " and the peninsula of Lower
California, by Trade Commissioner P. L. Bell, Assistant Trade Com-
missioner H. Bentley MacKenzie, and American Consuls Francis J.
Dyer, Bartley F. Yost, and W. E. Chapman. The monograph is
similar in plan and scope to Mr. Bell's previously published hand-
books of Colombia and Venezuela Special Agents Series Nos. 206
and 212.
Extraordinary difficulties were encountered in the collection of
proper material and in the writing of the report, because of unsettled
conditions in Mexico. Only the investigators' personal knowledge of
the coast territory enabled them to prepare as thorough a discussion
of the region as is here presented. Trade Commissioner Bell's long
residence on the West Coast of Mexico has made it possible for him
to select material judiciously, to collect and elaborate on the mass of
miscellaneous data obtained from all sources, and to bring out the
features that are fundamentally important.
Special acknowledgment is made of the services of the American
consulates, which for the past 10 or 11 years have been the only
agencies active in the collection of authentic economic and com-
mercial information on the West Coast. Without their aid and
cooperation and the use of the data gathered by them the present
work would of necessity have been relatively meager.
Mr. Bell desires to give particular credit also to the work of the
commodity divisions of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Com-
merce in collecting reports on various articles that are commercially
important on the Mexican West Coast and of interest to American
exporters. He calls attention to the fact that every important line
has been covered by questionnaires sent to the consuls by the various
commodity divisions, and that there is available, in addition, a wide
range of special reports and correspondence.
For 60 .years the people of the Pacific coast of the United States
have been keenly interested in the development of mining throughout
the West Coast region of Mexico ; and, since the construction of the
Southern Pacific Railroad of Mexico down the coast from Guaymas,
there has been a heavy investment in the agricultural development of
the potentially rich river valleys.
xv
XVI LETTER OF SUBMITTAL..
It is believed that the principal value of this report will be found
not so much in its strictly commercial aspects but rather in the
treatment of the natural resources of the region and their develop-
ment. For this reason special attention has been given to the con-
sideration of land and mines.
Respectfully,
JULIUS KLEIN, Director of Bureau.
To Hon. HERBERT HOOVER,
Secretary of Commerce.
MEXICAN WEST COAST AND LOWER CALIFORNIA.
Part 1. THE WEST COAST.
INTRODUCTION.
RELATION TO PACIFIC COAST OF UNITED STATES.
The limits of the "West Coast" of Mexico, as the term is used in
this monograph, are defined on page 9. The greater importance of
this district to Americans, as compared with other regions of Mexico,
lies in its geographic position, contiguous to the rapidly developing
southern part of the Pacific coast of the United States. It is impor-
tant not so much as a commercial market for American products
but rather as a field for investment in mining, lands, and other
enterprises. The West Coast of Mexico has the same enormous
mountain areas as the western United States, with notable mining
interests; similar valleys, with rivers carrying sufficient water
annually to irrigate all the available fertile lands of the various
watersheds; similar prolific fishing banks on its coast; and about
the same market conditions, given adequate transportation facilities.
In fact, the people of the southern half of the Pacific coast of the
United States have regarded the West Coast of Mexico, ever since
the construction of the Southern Pacific of Mexico Railroad south
from Guaymas in 1909, as " pioneer" territory, and its development
by them has been retarded and delayed only by the conditions exist-
ing in Mexico for the past 1 1 years, and latterly (since the return of
fairly peaceful conditions in Mexico during the past year and a half)
only by the present features of Mexican legislation, which precludes
development by foreigners to a very great extent, chiefly in relation
to land development and colonization enterprises, in which un-
doubtedly lies the future of the West Coast of Mexico, whatever
may be said regarding the importance of the mining industry.
However, both commercially and agriculturally, the territory, in*
question has its limitations. A large portion of the area. is eliminated i
from any agricultural development on account/ of; its- more- or -le^s-
broken topography, and by iar ( tjie greater- part qf, the remainder
of the more or less level rjBgiops-^as.nQ availably > water, for irriga-,
tion of the good lands tfoatiiiftightta^
A summary ojf ttessitu^i^>. Beating; the area of the West Coast
as a whol^r tl^t',i$;y,ffp<uaith^; n^un-tai^.- : ridge line to the coastr .
shQ.w^3JtecS^Qi^^^ area suitable for culti-
vation^ ,ajQfi icHtttyvaa ; a;ae->tentth of [this latter area are conditions right
for intensive cultivation.
44607 2ft- 2
2 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
POSITION OF TERRITORY AS MARKET FOR AMERICAN GOODS.
Commercially, the value of the West Coast of Mexico as a pros-
pective market for American goods is limited by the fact of its
sparse population, which totaled only about 760,000 people in the
three States of Sonora, Sinaloa, and Nayarit according to the census
of 1910, and this population has since been somewhat decreased by
emigration during the past 10 years. This decrease in numbers has
been caused by the same factors that have brought about the de-
crease in the average per capita wealth of the people inhabiting this
territory. However, it is a fact that certain factors of development,
principally the rapid increase in the planting of winter fruits and
vegetables for the American market and the gradual reopening of
the mining industry, will shortly make the West Coast better com-
mercial territory for export than it has been for the past few years.
As a foreign market, the West Coast must be measured by the
same standards of average purchasing power per capita as the rest
of Latin America, where the same degree of development obtains
at present, and this standard average is lower than the per capita
average in the United States. The exception to this rule on the
Mexican West Coast is in the large mining camps, such as Cananea,
etc., where industry and labor have become quite highly specialized
and the average remuneration is much higher than elsewhere in the
territory under discussion. Any large increase in the sale of mer-
chandise on the West Coast of Mexico will come only with an in-
crease in population, and this means immigration and settlement.
Settlement and development proceed along what sometimes appear
to be erratic lines, but, when thoroughly analyzed, curves of growth
in population and production are apt to have an entirely reasonable
base and to work out under certain inexorable natural laws. A
very good example may be cited in the development in the past of
the southern portion of the State of Sonora and the States of
Sinaloa and Nayarit. As long as the easiest means of communica-
tion was that from San Francisco by water to the port of Mazatlan
or of Guaymas and exploration and development had to be at
long range, with few facilities for making them really effective
development, except in mining, was slow; but the construction of
the Southern Pacific line south from Guavmas along the coast,
which was begun in 1909, changed all this, with daily trains through
from the American border at Nogales, Ariz., and through Pullmans
from Los Angeles to Tepic, in Nayarit; and the foundation was
laid for a permanent agricultural and industrial development by
Americans which has been delayed only by the political conditions
existing in Mexico for the past 11 years.
This same factor of rail transportation has brought about great
changes in the international commerce of the West Coast of Mexico,
as well as on the West Coast itself (in the way of transferring com-
mercial centers of activity) . Los Angeles, the metropolis of southern
California, was able to compete commercially with San Francisco as
an export center for the Mexican West Coast. On the coast itself,
Mazatlan has become the unrivaled commercial center, with Guay-
mas correspondingly depreciated as a port and center of business,
and with Manzanillo remaining only a port of transshipment to and
from the interior of Mexico.
INTRODUCTION. 3
LAND DEVELOPMENT FROM STANDPOINT OF AMERICAN INVESTORS.
However, most of this early development of 10 to 15 years ago
was manifested by the purchase of large tracts of good land by
wealthy American investors interested in the eventual profit from
cheap acreage. Their colonization efforts would have resulted in
an increase of the agricultural population of the West Coast, but
any such increase would not have been, and could not be, adequate
until such time as the pressure for more land becomes greater than
it is to-day in our extreme West. Observation of such development
in the past shows that it is always slow and contemporary with an
increase in population in other areas containing good lands. As an
example, the development of the Imperial Valley in southern Cali-
fornia may be cited here. Water was provided by the Colorado
River irrigation system in 1901. Since then it has taken 21 years
to put a total of 435,000 acres under intensive cultivation on the
American side of the valley and approximately 200,000 acres on
the Mexican side. With the building of the proposed Boulder
Canyon Dam up the Colorado, an additional 1,200,000 acres of good
land will come under irrigation on the American side in the Imperial
Valley alone, not to mention another million acres on the Mexican
side of the valley and the additional acreage created farther up the
Colorado River Basin. At the rate of less than half a million acres
put under cultivation in 20 years, it will take at least 50 years (and
possibly much longer, depending on general conditions) to absorb
the available lands in the United States alone. In view of the
semitropical climate of the West Coast of Mexico, its large propor-
tion of Indian population, the present property-ownership laws of
Mexico (which so directly affect foreigners), and the unstable condi-
tions in Mexico during the past 11- years, it is apparent that, even
considering the lower first cost of the land itself, any very rapid
development by settlement of the West Coast of Mexico can not be
judiciously predicted at this time the probable period to be covered
being, one may say, the next 50 years.
Colonization efforts by the owners of large tracts of irrigated lands
will help, of course. Something has already been done in this way
for the West Coast, and much more would have been done by this
time but for the interruption of the years of disturbed conditions in
Mexico. However, the problem as a whole will be of slow and gradual
solution.
The present activity on the West Coast in the production of winter
tomatoes and vegetables by Americans for the American market is
helping in this development and may prove to be a permanent
industry on a large scale; but, like California, the West Coast must
develop other products of consumption (such as the citrus fruits of
southern California), not only for the consumption of the most
thickly populated part of Mexico but also for export.
Increase in population is essential, and this increase must come
from regions other than Mexico itself. It is not generally thought,
either by native Mexicans or by foreigners, that this necessary
immigration to the West Coast can or will come from the interior
of Mexico, where 70 per cent of the population is concentrated,
because there is sufficient good land in the interior to support the
present population in normal times and under normal conditions;
because the native Mexican of the agricultural class does not possess
4 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
the pioneer spirit or landowning desire to a very great degree, being
also economically unprepared to take advantage of low-priced lands ;
because the people of the highlands of the country will not go to the
lowlands of the coast on account of the heat and fever; and because
there are several very good agricultural regions, still only partly
developed, much nearer the centers of population in Mexico. The
agrarian problem in Mexico, with the exception of a few districts
inhabited by Indians, is not one of lack of good lands for the people,
but rather one of educating the existing population in better methods
of production and also of instilling the idea of land and home owning.
Another important factor in the future development of the West
Coast of Mexico, and one which is to be taken into serious considera-
tion by the interests owning large tracts of undeveloped but easily
irrigated land there, is that of the rapid increase of the class of tenant
farmers in the Middle West of the United States, where the land has
become too valuable and high in price to allow of purchase outright;
it is reasonable to suppose that this class of farmer, knowing good
land, will be attracted by the price of $10 to $20 per acre at which he
can secure land on the West Coast of Mexico with water available,
which will insure to him a competence, with the additional prospect
of increase in land values as time goes on. From this class a fair
portion of buyers can be found as soon as conditions in Mexico itself
may warrant their being attracted to this territory through coloniza-
tion work in the United States by those interested in the development
of raw-land acreage on the West Coast.
NECESSITY OF MARKET OUTLETS FOR PRODUCTS.
To-day, the one vital and most necessary thing for the West Coast
of Mexico is the extension of the Southern Pacific Railroad line to
connect with the National Railways of Mexico at Guadalajara, and
thus afford direct communication between the West Coast and the
most populous part of Mexico, where 70 per cent of the country's
people are congregated in the central region, in and around the
capital. Lacking sufficient consumptive capacity at home on
account of the small population (with a potentially nigh agricultural
production, which can be greatly increased even with the present
population) , the West Coast lacks an adequate market outlet for its
products. Rice, wheat, corn, and "garbanzos" (chick-peas) can
not be shipped to the United States, as the first three products named
can not compete with the domestic production of this country and
the last named is not sufficiently well known in the United States
to be a staple article of diet. Overproduction and crops on hand
from harvest to harvest have been the result for the West Coast, at
the same time that the central part of Mexico has lacked a sufficient
staple food supply. In consequence, the West Coast has witnessed
the great and increasing planting of winter tomatoes and vegetables
for the American markets, where high prices and a ready demand
have been found.
The necessity is that of market outlets for products, and the ex-
tension of the Southern Pacific Railroad of Mexico to the National
Lines at Guadalajara would furnish this market outlet until such
tune as the central part of Mexico again begins to produce an ade-
quate food supply. After that, as has already been mentioned,
INTRODUCTION. 5
the West Coast must develop a product of export such as the citrus
products of southern California. This development means, of course,
highly specialized industry and competition in the world's markets
with California, Florida, Spain, Italy, Cuba, Porto Rico, etc. On
account of the lack of sufficient population, of sufficient capital, and
of experience in the production and marketing of highly specialized
products such development means one thing for the West Coast
American capital and immigration. This condition is beginning to
be fully realized by the people of education and enlightenment on
the West Coast, who will welcome and emulate such development by
Americans, as they are now doing in the new industry of winter to-
matoes and vegetables.
CONDITIONS SIMILAR TO THOSE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.
In further analysis of the West Coast of Mexico and its prospects
of future development, it is again necessary to return to the compari-
son with southern California. The State of California possesses ap-
proximately the same area as the territory called the "West Coast,"
California having 155,980 square miles as compared with 154,000
square miles in Sonora, Sinaloa, Nayarit, and a small part of Du-
rango all within the zone of influence of the Southern Pacific of
Mexico Railroad down the West Coast. In California 12 per cent
of the total area is more or less thoroughly cultivated and irrigated.
Southern California, with its wonderful production of citrus fruits,
vegetables, nuts, dried fruits, dairy products, olives, dates, etc., had
an area of only slightly more than 200,000 acres in use in 1909, ex-
clusive of the Imperial Valley.
As regards topography, climate, native races, and history, the de-
velopment of the West Coast of Mexico presents almost an exact
parallel to that of California. The similarity is explained in detail
on page 97.
MEASURES CALCULATED TO STIMULATE ECONOMIC PROGRESS.
In 1908 the Mexican Government began to pay particular atten-
tion to development. Meteorological stations were established and
bureaus created. Experts were sent to the United States to study
American methods of weather reporting, agricultural development
by Government aid, etc. Concessions were granted on the West
Coast conveying the rights to the use of 123,280 liters per second of
water for power purposes and 40,000,000 liters for irrigation. The
Yaqui Valley irrigation project was carried out. A number of pri-
vate canals were constructed in the Mayo Valley. The irrigation
svstem of the Fuerte Valley was constructed by the United Sugar
Co. A number of private and small-company irrigation canals were
put in operation in the Sinaloa River Valley. A large irrigation
scheme was carried out in the Santiago Valley in Nayarit. Latterly
the Canal Rosales was constructed by Gen. Angel Flores in the
Culiacan Valley. In addition, there has been the development of
new lands under irrigation by the various sugar companies. Men-
tion should also be made of the Canal Caneoo, constructed in the
Culiacan Valley by the Sinaloa Land & Water Co. for their lands of
the Yevavito hacienda.
6 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
It is doubtful whether any equal amount of money has produced
greater results in civilization and modern progress than the 40 to 50
millions of dollars spent by the Southern Pacific Co. in the construc-
tion of its West Coast Line. Isolated communities, in which the
results of intermarriage, want of spirit, disease, and lack of outside
contact were only too apparent, were awakened and began to get
into step with modern progress until this influence was thwarted to
a great extent by the revolutions, when the benefit of improved ma-
terial conditions (which go hand in hand with education, sanitation,
and development of the moral qualities) diminished for a time.
AGRICULTURAL ADVANTAGES OF REGION.
It has been said that the future of the West Coast territory of
Mexico lies in agricultural development. It is a fact that the world's
available supply of arable lands is being so rapidly absorbed that 10
years more will see the limit in the North American Continent, with
the exception of such lands as can be developed by such projects as
that of the proposed Boulder Canyon Dam on the Colorado. When
the Southern Pacific was engaged in extending its line down the
West Coast, a land boom was started from California, which, if it
had not been stopped by revolution and adverse legislation in Mexico,
would probably have equaled in 10 years the settlement and develop-
ment of southern California.
The great advantage that the irrigable areas of the West Coast
of Mexico possess over other agricultural districts is that the rivers
during their flood periods carry large amounts of silt, which con-
stantly renews the soil. Many other previously fine producing areas
are annually dropping off in their production on account of gradual
soil depletion, while on the West Coast the opposite is true, because
soil improvement goes on as cultivation progresses.
The Panama Canal has greatly shortened the distance by water
to the markets of the world, so that shipments of sugar, fruits, cereals,
fibers, metals, etc., can compete with California and the Pacific
Coast States of the United States in eastern and European markets.
The distance from Mazatlan to the canal is 1,810 miles and from
Colon to New York 1,989 miles. California is now shipping its
citrus fruits, dried fruits, and other products to the eastern sea-
board of the United States by water and has been forced to take
full advantage of the cheaper water rates in order to be able to
compete in our eastern markets with Italian shipments of similar
products.
The West Coast of Mexico has a number of fairly good harbors,
such as Guaymas, Topolobampo, Mazatlan, San Bias, and Manza-
nillo. Topolobampo is a fine natural " fjord " harbor, and the settlers
in the Fuerte Valley possess the great additional advantage of both
rail and water transportation.
Commercially the West Coast of Mexico represents a unit of that
country worth, by comparison, one-twentieth of the rest of the
country as a market at the present time for American products.
Its great importance lies in its lands situated in its river valleys
and subject to irrigation, as has been pointed out. Its importance
as a commercial territory will increase only in direct ratio to its
agricultural development, and this development must come with the
INTRODUCTION. 7
investment of American capital and by means of immigration and
settlement from the United States, carried out with the same spirit
and made necessary by the same economic fundamentals as in the
case of southern California.
EXPECTED INCREASE IN PURCHASING POWER.
With mining relatively stagnant, cattle resources depleted, and
only the recent development of the tomato and winter-vegetable
industry for the American market holding out hopes for a renewed
influx of circulating medium, in face of the limited market for such
West Coast staples as corn, beans, and "garbanzos," the West Coast
of Mexico does not present an attractive field for immediate com-
mercial sales work on the part of American houses new to the terri-
tory or with limited capital or foreign-trade experience. It is true,
however, that the West Coast will take, during the fall, winter, and
spring months of 1922-23 approximately three times the total
amount of imported merchandise taken during the preceding year,
or year and a half, because of a combination of circumstances such
as the final disposal of the previous year's " garbanzo" crop, the good
wheat crop in Sonora, the corn and bean crop to be harvested in
December in Sinaloa, and the large increase in tomato and winter-
vegetable acreage, which may be said to be three times that of the
preceding year in Nayarit and four times that of the preceding year
in Sinaloa and Sonora. Much of this expected increase in purchasing
power must go to taking care of a considerable volume of old accounts
long overdue, which were held over on account of the partial crop
failures in Sinaloa in corn and beans during the seasons of 1920 and
1921 and the general economic depression that has been felt all over
Mexico since the middle of 1921.
NEED OF ADDITIONAL BANKING FACILITIES.
The greatest need, next to the extension of the railway to Guadala-
jara, is adequate commercial and agricultural banking facilities, and
nothing would do more to forward American commercial and invest-
ment interests on the West Coast than the establishment of a branch
American bank at Mazatlan, with branches and agencies up and down
the coast, but, inview of the recent past history of banking in Mexico,
the present unfavorable legislation, the lack of adequate regulations
relating to financial institutions in the country, and other factors
involved more or less in the present political and financial condition
of the Government itself, it is difficult to see just how such a bank
could be established at the present time despite the urgent need for
its services and the undoubtedly favorable prospect of profit to the
capital so invested.
PRESENT POSITION OF AMERICAN INTERESTS OPPORTUNITIES FOR
FUTURE.
A careful survey of the commerce and trade of the West Coast
under present conditions shows that American firms already have
secured what amounts to practical monopolies of the existing demand
in their lines. Germany has not succeeded recently in doing anything
worth while in a commercial way in this market notwithstanding
S MEXICAN WEST COAST.
all reports of German competition, and it may be easily predicted
that the San Francisco and Los Angeles firms already well estab-
lished with the trade will continue to enjoy their share of the bmi-
mess and reap the benefit of the coming better conditions.
Immediate opportunities in the extension of trade with the West
oast of Mexico lie in the introduction there of a number of special-
ties now manufactured in California for the Pacific <eoast (trade, which
Jiave been developed in consequence of the similar coi&ditaons exist-
ing in California.
American mining companies are endeavoring to take advantage of
the existing conditions to secure likely new and old properties, and
the entire coast and adjacent mountain territory is being carefully
" prospected" by competent engineers. It may be predicted, so far
as the future of the mining industry on the West Coast is concerned,
that on account of its lesser development in the past the State of
Nayarit will be the scene of the greatest mining activity in. the near
future. This territory is now attracting greater attention, and more
surveying work is being done there.
Immediate opportunity also exists in the cedar and pine lumber
industry on the West Coast. Cedar from Nayarit is now being man-
ufactured at Nogales, Ariz., by an American company, and accessible
tracts of merchantable pine exist, as well as of a species of black oak
in a restricted area. .
Possibly the greatest opportunity lies in the development of banana
plantations along the coast south of San Bias, Nayarit. It has been
demonstrated since 1912, when the first Costa Kican plants were
imported, that the banana of commerce will grow successfully in
the frostless belt along that part of the littoral, although production
is not so rapid as in Central America and Colombia on account of
the drop in temperature during the three winter months, retarding
the development of the fruit. The market exists on the Pacific sea-
board of the United States. However, as regards this industry it is
universally believed by experienced people and by those who have
had the opportunity of observing the banana industry elsewhere that
such an undertaking is not practical on a small scale or by inexpe-
rienced people. Ships equipped with refrigeration are necessary;
production on an adequate scale is also necessary; and there remains
the very important factor of market and distribution organization in
the United States or that part of the American territory to be cov-
ered. Attempts on a small scale are now being organized.
In conclusion it may be said that the West Coast of Mexico is very
well known by a large number of American agriculturists, land men,
mining engineers, merchants, and business men on the Pacific coast
of the United States; that a great deal has been written in descrip-
tion of the resources, industries, and possibilities of the West Coast
region served by the Southern Pacific Railroad of Mexico; and that
there is a great interest in the development of that territory on the
part of the American people of our Pacific coast. Reciprocally, the
Mexican people of all classes on the West Coast have had a very con-
siderable contact with southern California during the past 10 years
or so, and it is undoubtedly true that relations have been formed
and cemented which will lead to a better understanding and increas-
ingly beneficial mutual relations in the near future.
GEOGRAPHY, TOPOGRAPHY, AND CLIMATE.
GEOGRAPHIC POSITION-CONFINES OF REGION.
The West Coast occupies, in the Republic of Mexico, a geographic
position similar to that of the Pacific Coast States in the United States.
Washington, Oregon, and California may be compared geographi-
cally with the Mexican States of Spnora, Sinaloa, and Nayarit
(formerly the Federal Territory of Tepic).
There is also a remarkable similarity, in position and effect, be-
tween the Sierra Madre Range of mountains in Mexico and the Rocky
Mountain Range in the United States. Both cut off the Pacific
States from the interior central districts by their natural barriers,
causing the respective Pacific coast territories to be well denned as
distinctive regions.
The part of Mexico commonly known as the West Coast extends
from the international boundary, where it divides the American
State of Arizona from the Mexican State of Spnora, south for a dis-
tance of some 1,200 miles in a southeasterly direction. The average
width, from the high line of the Sierra Madre Range on the east
(which is the dividing line) to the Pacific Ocean on the west, is about
130 miles. The international boundary begins at a point on the
Colorado River about 16 miles south of Yuma, Ariz., whence it runs
in a straight line directly southeast to Nogales between parallels 31
and 33 north, and from Nogales due east to the point where the
dividing line between New Mexico and Arizona almost joins the
boundary of the Mexican State of Chihuahua, which point may also
be taken as the approximate northern termination of the Sierra Madre
Range. From this latter point the eastern boundary of the West
Coast territory proper follows the summit line of the Sierra Madre
Range, which is the largest and most important mountain range of
Mexico the western watershed being considered as West Coast ter-
ritory, even though a portion of the area is found within the bound-
aries of the States of Chihuahua and Durango.
The southern confines of the West Coast may be said to be deter-
mined by the southern boundary line of the State of Nayarit, with
part of the boundary of the State of Jalisco completing the eastern
line of the territory under discussion; although commercially the
West Coast territory may also be said to extend into Jalisco and
Colima, with the city of Guadalajara as the southern trade center.
However, for the purposes of this survey, the territory of Guada-
lajara is regarded as a separate commercial unit, since it takes in
two other important trade areas of Mexico besides that of its imme-
diate surrounding territory. With the extension of the Southern
Pacific Railway from Tepic to Guadalajara the two commercial dis-
tricts will rapidly become better unified; for the purposes of trade-
territory definition, American exporters would then regard the
Guadalajara district as included in then- " West Coast " sales terri-
tory, and it should be borne in mind, for future consideration, that the
trade territory of Guadalajara is second only to that of the Capital
district in importance. The Gulf of California and the Pacific Ocean
form the western boundary of the West Coast district. The southern
end of this territory is, approximately, parallel 21.
10 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
ROUTES OF ACCESS AND TRAVEL INFLUENCES.
The summit of the watershed of the Sierra Madres being the divid-
ing line between the West Coast territory and the rest of Mexico,
routes of access are determined by the lines of least resistance and
the factor of transportation facilities. The routes were greatly
changed by the construction of the railway down the coast from
Guaymas in 1908 and 1909 contemporaneously with the building of
the unfinished Kansas City, Mexico & Orient Railway from the port
of Topolobampo to Fuerte. Before the building of the coast line
of railway by the Southern Pacific Co. the principal activity and
interest on the part of foreigners in the West "Coast of Mexico
with the exception of the commerce by water to and from San Fran-
cisco, Calif. was in mining, and the movement was extended from
the mining centers of Chihuahua to the west across the range, coming
from Parral, Durango, etc. From the Pacific coast of the United
States the easiest means of communication was from San Francisco
by steamer to either Mazatlan or Guaymas, and exploration and
development were of necessity carried on at long range and with
few facilities for making them effective, except in the unusual cases
of a few rich mine properties.
The construction of the coast line changed this. Passenger and
freight trains now operate directly from the border at Nogales to
Tepic, near the southern end of the territory of the West Coast, and
penetration into the mountains is from west to east from the railway
at given points. Through Pullmans are operated out of Los Angeles
to Mazatlan now, and Los Angeles has oecome the leading West
Coast trade city and the place of greatest contact for activities
affecting the development of the West Coast districts, the trade being
shared with San Francisco despite the long-established commercial
relations of the latter city. San Francisco and Los Angeles are now
close rivals for the trade of the Mexican West Coast, with the latter
center making rapid strides, though San Francisco still retains its
control of imports from Mexico and, through its brokers who know
foreign markets, continues to handle a large volume of southern
California export products.
As has been indicated, the continuation of the railway from its
present terminus at Tepic to Guadalajara will bring about still
further great changes in the West Coast trade and traffic. Travel
now going around by way of the Mexican Central Railway from
Guadalajara to reach the United States, or by water, via Manzanillo,
to Los Angeles and San Francisco, will come directly by rail to Los
Angeles first an important trade consideration in itself. At the
same time a wider market will be attracted by the very ease and
rapidity of travel thus afforded to the Pacific coast of the United
States, which will then have its trade territory in Mexico increased
to two or three times its present extent. The exporters of the
Pacific coast will then be able to compete with the Middle West and
East (New York) in the commercial districts of which Guadalajara
is the center, extending their activities still farther eastward into
the interior of Mexico, where the population is more densely con-
centrated.
In this connection it should again be emphasized that the present
economic problem of the West Coast is one of marketing its products
GEOGRAPHY, TOPOGRAPHY, AND CLIMATE. 11
and that the present consuming capacity of this region, until such
time as new products are developed, is necessarily limited to the
needs of a too small population which has not as yet reached the
stage of average production prevailing anywhere in the United States.
However, it has been demonstrated in actual practice that firms of
the Pacific coast (Los Angeles and San Francisco) can successfully
enter this market and secure, by careful and industrious develop-
ment of the sales territory, what amounts to a monopoly in their
respective lines. With ocean transportation from both California
ports, export houses are already entering the Guadalajara district,
and this extension of their activities is of the utmost importance, as
it is preparing and cementing the relations which will become in-
finitely more valuable after the completion of the railway from Tepic
to Guadalajara.
Although the subject of transportation will be dealt with in more
detail under that special heading later, it is thought necessary to
point out at this point the present situation with respect to rail and
water transportation and its effect on trade relations and selling
territory.
The West Coast Line of the Southern Pacific Railway, now reach-
ing as far south as Tepic, is still in effect a local line without trunk
connections with the interior lines of Mexico, and it is therefore
deprived of the " through tonnage haul." This condition, combined
with the present high freight rates in the United States, make all-
rail shipments in less than carload lots, say from San Francisco to
Mazatlan or Tepic, prohibitive when compared with the prevailing
water rates. Therefore firms in Los Angeles or San Francisco selling
goods to a buyer south of Culiacan should be careful to compare
freight costs and to follow the purchaser's instructions as to ship-
ments by water to Mazatlan to be sent from there either north or
south along the railway to point of final destination. All the larger
houses north and south of Mazatlan in Sinaloa and Nayarit have
their arrangements made for forwarding from Mazatlan all ship-
ments received by water from the Pacific coast of the United States.
In this connection there have been in the past too many cases
where the shippers in San Francsico and Los Angeles, lacking definite
and particular instructions from the buyer to ship by water, made
shipment by rail, with the result that freight charges cost the buyer
more than the goods were worth and a claim resulted against the
seller in the United States, who should at least have investigated the
matter of rates. It is a fact that the extra port charges for stevedor-
ing, transfer-to-rail charges, etc., caused oy shipments coming in
to Mazatlan for transshipment into the interior by rail, just about
balance the customs brokerage and other extra charges involved
at the border port of Nogales. The difference in favor of water ship-
ment lies in the lower steamer rates. There is no element of time
involved except possibly on certain classes of parcel-post ship-
ments in view of the present excellent and competitive steamer
service to the west-coast ports of Mexico from tne Pacific coast
ports of the United States.
AREA.
According to the hydrographic report on the west coas^ of Mexico
made by Frank H. Olmstead in 1909, the " impetus zone" of the
Southern Pacific Railway of Mexico, then under construction south-
12 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
ward from Guaymas, included 154,000 square miles of territory,
reaching from the summit of the Sierra Madre Range at the American
border at the junction point of the States of Sonora and Chihuahua,
and extending down to the southern border of the State of Jalisco
on the east, and to the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Lower California
on the west, as far south as the State of Colima including the Mexi-
can States of Sonora, Sinaloa, Nayarit, and a part of Jalisco. The
total surface area of the Mexican Republic being stated as 767,325
square miles, the area of the West Coast proper may be said to
represent, for the purpose of a rapid comparison, about one-fifth of
Mexico's total area.
DIVISIONS OF COMMERCIAL TERRITORY.
If one considered the term "West Coast" when viewing Mexico
as a whole, all of the Pacific littoral would ordinarily be included,
taking in the States of Sonora, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima,
Guerrero, Michoacan, Oaxaca, and Chiapas, although parts of the
areas of the three last named properly belong, commercially speaking,
to the central part of the country, being more accessible (on account
of topographical factors) to Mexico City and Guadalajara. The total
coast line on the Pacific is 3,883 miles, as compared with less than
2,500 miles on the Pacific coast of the United States. Including all
the above-mentioned .States in the term "West Coast," the total
population would be about 5,165,500 (including Lower California)
and the total area approximately one-half that of the Republic
the population being greater than that of Australia (5,030,479,
census of 1918) or of the Pacific coast of the United States (California,
2,377,549; Washington, 1,141,990; Oregon, 672,765; total, 4,192,-
304) . However, for the purpose of this report, and on account of the
limitations of topography and the lack of transportation facilities,
the West Coast territory proper is limited to the States of Sonora,
Sinaloa, and Nayarit, together with a small mountainous portion of
western Durango and Jalisco, reached from Mazatlan and Tepic.
Until ^railway connections are established between Tepic and
Guadalajara, the latter city and its great commercial territory will
have to oe considered as a separate commercial unit which includes
the western part of Michoacan and all of Jalisco and Colima. The
parts of Guerrero and Oaxaca which can be reached from the port
of Acapulco are of very small commercial importance on account of
the great mountain barrier along the coast and far inland; but there
is no reason why American Pacific coast exporters and manufacturers
can not compete with New York and with Europe for the business
of Chiapas and the entire isthmus of Tehuantepec.
Another factor which limits the importance of the West Coast
trade territory south of Nayarit for the exporters of the American
Pacific coast is the fact that the greater proportion of the population
of Michoacan, Guerrero, and Oaxaca is found in the eastern parts of
those States and is therefore nearer and more easily accessible to
Mexico City, the great trading, commercial, and financial center of
the country. These territories riave to be considered as separate sales
areas for the time being, distribution being different, although the
same sales force and traveling salesmen cover the West Coast district
included in this survey, the Guadalajara region, then Acapulco and
GEOGRAPHY, TOPOGRAPHY, AND CLIMATE. 13
Salina Cruz, continuing down the west coast of Central and South
America.
Because of (1) the development in the past of railway lines from
Mexico City to points in aft directions from the capital (reaching
Zacatecas, Guadalajara, Morelia (Michoacan), Oaxaca, etc.), (2)
the fact that trade channels from the capital to New York and
Europe have been through Vera Cruz, and (3) the existence of the
long and firmly established wholesale houses in the capital, exporters
of the Pacific coast of the United States have not, as yet, secured
what may be considered their proper share of the business of the
great Guadalajara region; and, given cheap and rapid water service
to the Pacific port of Manzanillo (shipment by water is preferred by
the importers even to Mazatlan) from the Pacific coast ports of the
United States, with through bills of lading issued right in San Fran-
cisco or Los Angeles for interior points in Mexico, via Manzanillo,
there is no reason why their greatest export business opportunity
should not lie in the development by increased effort of their sales in
this region, the second in commercial importance in Mexico. Jalisco
has a population of 1,202,802; Michoacan, 991,649; Colima, 77,704
a total of 2,272,155 people, those of Jalisco possessing the highest
purchasing power per capita of any people in Mexico. Operations
in the Guadalajara district would quite naturally lead, in time, to an
extension of effort in Zacatecas, Guanajuato, and San Luis Potosi.
The State of Sonora has an area of approximately 76,900 square
miles, being second only to Chihuahua, in surface area, among the
Mexican States. Sinaloa has an area of about 27,000 square miles.
The new State of Nayarit, formerly the Federal Territory of Tepic,
has a total area of 10,954 square miles. The surface areas given do
not include the various islands and island groups which lie off the
coasts of the three States mentioned. The rest of the area included
in the West Coast territory proper namely, 154,000 square miles
includes the parts of Durango, Jalisco, etc., reached commercially
from Mazatlan and Tepic, or from rail points to the north.
Mexico itself is some 1,900 miles long by an average width of 750
miles, while the territory or region of the West Coast is 1,200 miles
long by some 130 miles in average width.
TOPOGRAPHY.
SURFACE AND RELIEF.
The outstanding physical features of the West Coast territory of
Mexico are the high dividing range of the Sierra Madre Mountains,
which forms the barrier separating the West Coast from the rest of
Mexico, and the narrow coastal plain extending from north to south
and of varying widths, crossed by numerous rivers which cut it into
valleys running east and west. The general relief has been likened
to that of the Pacific Coast States of the United States, the Sierra
Madre Range corresponding to the Rocky Mountains of the western
part of the United States so far as the main division from the rest
of the respective countries is concerned, but with considerable
differences in the minor formations. Throughout the West Coast of
Mexico, with the exception of the extreme southern part of the
State of Nayarit, such ranges as are found on the immediate Pacific
coast in the United States are either absent or consist merely of groups
14 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
of hills here and there. The river valleys all run straight from the
sources in the mountains to the ocean, from east to west, in contrast to
the important interior longitudinal valleys that one finds throughout
the Pacific coast of the United States.
In several places along the West Coast, the foothills of the main
mountain range come down to the sea and cut down the width of the
plain, to the north and south of these formations. This is most
noticeable at and just to the south of Guaymas, just to the south of
Topolobampo, at Mazatlan, and south of the port of San Bias in
Nayarit. Heavy spurs of the main range, extending toward the
coast between the various river valleys and the main body of the
mountains, cut off the coastal plain entirely at Cape Corrientes north
of Manzanillo, and this plain does not again become important until
the great delta of the Rio Balsas is reached, far to the south in
Guerrero, lying north of the port of Acapulco, and excluded from
the territory covered by this survey. The relief map of the West
Coast of Mexico shows the widest areas of level land in Sonora,
extending inland up the Yaqui and Fuerte River Valleys, then
growing gradually narrower until they are almost nil at Mazatlan,
and then again gradually widening out to a maximum width in the
Santiago River Valley in Nayarit.
The Sierra Madre Occidental to distinguish it from the Sierra
Madre Oriental of the. eastern part of Mexico is the most formidable
mountain mass in Mexico, and consists of a fairly continuous chain
of narrow and steep, high ridges. Its width increases from about 100
miles at its northern extremity near the American border in Sonora
and Chihuahua to about 300 miles farther south, where it becomes
lost in the volcanic belt of the southern and central part of the country.
Its average elevation is about 5,000 feet above sea level on the north,
increasing to about 10,500 feet at about latitude 26 north, opposite
the mouth of the Fuerte River. In several places there are peaks and
mountain masses of notable elevation, snow clad all the year round,
such as La Cumbre, 10,426 feet above sea level, in Durango near the
Sinaloa line; "El Final," 11,316 feet above sea level, in western
Jalisco; and farther south the famous volcano of Colima, 14,104 feet
high. From the central plateau the ascent to this mountainous
region is fairly easy, but from the coastal plains the ascent is steep
and difficult except in the north in Sonora where the range is lower
and where desert conditions prevail except in the higher reaches
of the range itself in the southern part of that State. The few
rivers such as the Choix (an affluent of the Rio Fuerte) and the Rio
Verde, in Chihuahua that breach this range from east to west afford
no practical route, as their courses in the mountains are deeply cut
canyons, hindering, rather than facilitating, travel.
Prior to the construction of the railway down the coast from Guay-
mas, and on account of the influence of the mining development by
Americans and British on the eastern side of the Sierra Madre Range,
most of the travel was by mining men from Chihuahua and Parral
seeking prospects and mines by crossing the range to the west and
coming out at the coast towns, such as San Bias, Culiacan, Mazatlan,
etc. There are, however, certain mineralized regions, such as that
of the San Dimas district inland from Mazatlan, that have always
been more accessible from the coast.
GEOGRAPHY, TOPOGRAPHY, AND CLIMATE. 15
The Sierra Madres have always acted as a formidable hindrance to
the east-and-west trade of Mexico and have isolated the region of the
West Coast from the interior of the country, causing the traffic and
contact of the former district to be chiefly with the United States.
Nowhere in Mexico have the people had more intimate contact
with those of the United States, and the importance of the close
geographic relation to our Pacific Coast States has already been
pointed out.
On account of the broken nature of the mountains, the consequent
difficulty of transportation, and the development of mineral resources
since Spanish colonial times, mining has oeen the one development
of the highlands contiguous to the West Coast region.
PACIFIC COASTAL PLAIN.
The Pacific coastal plain of Mexico is varied and irregular and can
be divided into three main regions. The first division -that of the
territory covered by this report reaches from the American border
at Yuma down to Cape Corrientes, just north of parallel 20 north.
The second division lies north of the port of Acapulco and takes in
the delta valley of the Rio Balsas. The third division is called the
Costa Grande and reaches from Acapulco south to the isthmus of
Tehuan tepee, that part north of Acapulco being called the " Costa
Chica." The total length of the first division is, roughly, 1,200
miles, and its river valleys constitute the real wealth of tne West
Coast and afford the greatest opportunity for development.
Fifteen rivers cut the plain into a series of large and small valleys,
between which lie bench land areas, with here and there spurs of the
mountain foothills reaching down to the sea some of them terminat-
ing in prominent points. The largest area of level land extending
inland is found in Sonora in the desert region north of Guaymas,
this region gradually ascending to the flat interior plateau of the
northern central part of the State, a condition that continues to the
American border near Nogales. The coast line runs northwest-
southeast in general direction, and the rivers come down from the
mountains at right angles, there being slight variation to this general
rule. The flat interior plateau of Sonora is divided into two parts.
The first extends along the Arizona-Sonora boundary line west from
Nogales, with a smaller division up toward the extreme western part
of the State near the Colorado River; the elevation being between
2,000 and 3,500 feet above sea level. A large circular basin occurs
west of Magdalena where the San Ignacio and Altar Rivers have
formed an inland " delta.' 7 Neither of these rivers reaches the sea
(except in the rainy season of certain years of extraordinary rainfall) ;
they disappear in the desert toward the coast north of Guaymas.
Between Magdalena and Hermosillo there is another interior table-
land, south of which the Sonora River (Hermosillo) forms another
interior sink, or basin, which has two divisions one running with the
river westward toward the gulf, and the other south toward (and
reaching) Guaymas. The next level area is that of the great delta
of the i aqui River, a fan-shaped level valley starting at the point on
the railway where the Yaqui emerges from the last of the mountain
spurs. Then follow the other rivers to the south, with the inter-
vening mesas and hills, which reach far back inland to the higher
mountains.
16 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF COAST LINE.
The coast for a distance of 90 to 100 miles south of the mouth of
the Colorado River is low and sandy, relatively even, with few
indentations, and with deep water close inshore. The only anchor-
is that of George's Bay. where a small 10-mile railway reaches
/ / TT T- , 1 1
From Guaymas to the head of the Gulf of California is a distance
of about 320 miles, and the greater part of the Sonora coast line
is sandy and little indented. The sand dunes, in places, extend
inland for as much as 15 or even 20 miles. A little north of Guaymas
there are two coves affording anchorage for small boats engaged in
fishing. Tiburon Island has an area of about 400 square miles and
a maximum elevation above sea level of 3,990 feet. It is inhabited
by a few Indians of the Seri Tribe. Desert conditions prevail all
along the coast and inland north of Guaymas. South of this port
the coast becomes more irregular, having more or less prominent
points between the river valleys at the coast, and between these the
shore is fringed with small and narrow islands lying close inshore and
forming large lagoons of brackish water. (For a more detailed
description of the coast south of Guaymas, see " Hydrographic
description of West Coast," beginning on p. 97.)
In the northern Sonora part of the West Coast the plain is about
200 miles in width, of which some 60 or 70 miles consist of low, level
coast lands having an average elevation of not more than 200 feet
above sea level, the rest being a region of foothills and level plateau
of about 2,000 feet average elevation, with here and there peaks of
5,000 feet or more. South of Guaymas and the Yaqui Valley, which
is a formation in itself, the coastal plain proper gradually narrows
after each succeeding river delta, until at Mazatlan it disappears
entirely, to open up again to the south with variations until the Rio
Santiago is reached, alter which it again narrows to nothing at Cape
Corrientes, with only two intervening valleys of any importance.
The " width" of the coastal plain is dependent upon the length of the
various river valleys, the average being some 30 miles from the sea,
although the Yaqui, Fuerte, and Santiago River Valleys extend much
farther inland.
Guaymas Bay is an almost landlocked harbor, said to be formed
by the crater of an extinct volcano and certainly having that appear-
ance. The surrounding hills have a height of 1,500 feet, and outside
of the inner bay there is a shallow bay which extends inland for 5
miles to the rail point of Empalme, where are located the shops of
the Southern Pacific Railroad of Mexico. Vessels of 18 to 20 feet
draft can lie in the outer harbor, which is protected on all sides
except from the south and southwest, but only vessels of -10 to 12
feet draft can enter the inner harbor in front of the town. There are
proposals to make Empalme the port for large ocean tonnage, but
the building of the railway to the south along the coast has caused
Guaymas to diminish in importance, and it is doubtful whether such
plans will be carried out. (See also " The port of Guaymas.")
The next port of any importance is that of Topolobampo, the bay
being a long inlet from the sea and having a dangerous bar at its
entrance, which is only practical for very small steamers in the coast-
wise trade. Between here and Guaymas the coast is low and sandy,
Special Agents Series No. 220.
FIG. 1. BANK OF SONORA, GUAYMAS.
Special Agents Series No. 220.
FIG. 2. MUNICIPAL PALACE, GUAYMAS.
FIG. 3. PUBLIC MARKET, GUAYMAS.
GEOGRAPHY, TOPOGRAPHY, AND CLIMATE. 17
with many lagoons fringing the river delta formations. There are
three ports, the first being Medano Blanco, at the mouth of the
Yaqui River in a large shallow bay and of small commercial import-
ance. Then there is the new port of Yavaros, situated at the mouth
of the Mayo River, south of the Yaqui, and formerly called Santa
Barbara. Yavaros is the objective of the new Mayo River Valley
Railway, now under construction from the rail point of Navojpa,
and will become, upon the completion of this new railway being
built by the Mexican Government, the principal "garbanzo" shipping
point of the West Coast. Deep water can be secured by extending
the railwav to a pier projected on the end of the island lying in the
large shallow bay. The next port is that of Agiabampo, a large
shallow bay situated just north of the mouth of the Fuerte River.
It is also a port of call for the small coasting schooners and launches
and handles some beef cattle frpm the valley for Guaymas and Lower
California mining camps like Santa Rosalia.
Just south of the mouth of the Fuerte River is the port of Topo-
lobampo, the largest bay on the West Coast and a very good protected
harbor when once vessels have negotiated the shallow and dangerous
bar lying offshore. Only 2J fathoms of water are reported on the
bar at mean low tides. The inner anchorage lies about 9 miles
inland up a narrow and twisting channel of deep water, which is
easily navigable. The wharf has plenty of deep water alongside and
is the terminus of the Kansas City, Mexico & Orient Railway, which
was built inland as far as the town of Fuerte at the head of the
valley of the Fuerte River, whence the line is surveyed to cross the
range to connect with the extension from the American border at
Presidio del Norte in Texas. (See p. 50.)
Perihuete, or Play a Colorado, is another small bay formed by the
offshore alluvial islands, just north of the mouth of the Mocorito
River. It is like Agiabampo and Medano Blanco, and is of small
importance. Vessels of any considerable size have to anchor 4 miles
offshore, but are protected from the sweep of the sea.
The next port is that of Altata, similar to the other shallow ports
mentioned above. It was of some importance as the port for Culiacan
and the Quliacan River Valley up to the time that a great storm
partially closed the entrance to the bay, which is formed by a series
of long, narrow islands lying about 4 miles offshore. The old
entrance was on the north, and the new entrance to the south is
opposite the mouth of the Culiacan River over Tonina Bar, which is
reported to have 4^ fathoms of water, but with only 2 fathoms at
the anchorage at the town which is the terminus of the Occidental
Railway, an old narrow-gauge line built by British capital many
years ago for the traffic of Culiacan.
There is a small harbor at the mouth of the San Lorenzo River that
has been used by the El Dorado sugar properties of Redo y Cia.,
but only when the railway down the coast was out of service during
the revolutions in Mexico.
Mazatlan is not a protected natural harbor, but is formed by rocky
projections of the foothills which here come down to the seacoast.
There is a large but too shallow inland bay only used by small craft.
From Mazatlan south, the coast is much indented by large, shallow
lagoons, especially in the neighborhood of the various river mouths.
44807 23 3
18 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
San Bias is an old harbor used by the colonial Spaniards in the days
of the son of Hernan Cortes, but its natural facilities are very poor
and there are no improvements. Farther south are Banderas Bay
and the small port of Las Penas. Manzanillo is a good port on
Manzanillo Bay, where the anchorage is protected by a breakwater,
and further improvements are projected. This is the rail point for
the interior of Mexico from the west coast via Guadalajara. Another
small bay and port is that of Chamela, about 70 miles north of Man-
zanillo, once the chosen terminus of a proposed railway from
Gauadalajara to the coast via Colima.
The Tres Marias are a group of islands lying just south of parallel
22 and opposite the mouth of the Santiago River in the State of
Nayarit. The distance from the nearest port, San Bias, is from 60
to 100 miles offshore. The islands are lofty and rugged, and only
on Maria Madre, the largest, is there an anchorage. They lack
sufficient water supply, but have been used in times past as a penal
colony by the Mexican Government. Some guano is produced at
times. Another group of islands, called the Tres Marietas, lie off
Mita Point, the northern headland of Banderas Bay. Guano is
shipped from them at times.
As has been said, 15 rivers cut the West Coast plains into level
delta valleys. These rivers, from north to south, are mentioned
below. In Sonora there are, first, the Altar and the San Ignacio,
the former rising near Nogales, Ariz., and the latter east of Magda-
lena the two joining near the town of Altar, from which point the
river, now called the Asuncion, flows directly west toward the Gulf,
which its waters do not reach, being absorbed in the desert. Then
comes the Sonora River, which forms the Hermosillo Valley at the
town of that name in central Sonora. This river rises near the
American line north of the old town of Arispe (once the capital of
the royal provinces of Sonora and Sinaloa in Spanish colonial times),
the course being south and then west at Hermosillo. It does not
reach the ocean except in years of exceptionally heavy rainfall.
Next, in Sonora, comes the great Yaqui River, heading far up in
the Sierra Madres and, next to the Fuerte and the Santiago, the
largest river on the West Coast of Mexico. South of the Yac[ui
Valley the extreme desert conditions begin to give way to increasing
rainfall toward the south along the coast, and the Mayo River Valley
shows the change in vegetation. Then follows the great Fuerte
River, which has its source farthest up in the range, above the 40-
inch rainfall line; it carries a greater volume of water, later in the
dry season, than any other of the West Coast rivers.
Next come the less important valleys of the Sinaloa and Mocorito
Rivers, between the Fuerte River and the Culiacan River Valley.
Between Culiacan and Mazatlan there are four other rivers the San
Lorenzo, the Elota, the Piaxtla, and the Quelite. South of Mazatlan,
and before the great Santiago (the largest of them all) is reached,
there are the Mazatlan, the Rosario, the Acaponeta, the San Pedro,
and the Guasameta (affluent of the Santiago) . South of the Santiago
are the lesser rivers, the Compostela and the Ameca, the latter the
only important stream south of the Santiago un.til the mouth of the
great Rio Balsas is reached, far to the south of Manzanillo and
outside of the West Coast region under consideration.
GEOGKAPHY, TOPOGRAPHY, AND CLIMATE. 19
(For detailed description of the rivers of the West Coast of Mexico,
see " Hydrographic description," under "Agriculture," beginning on
p. 97 01 this report.)
LAKES.
With the exception of the large lagoons, or "esteros," along the
coast, there are no lakes of importance in all the West Coast region;
only in Nayarit are lakes found at all inland, and the two existing
are small and unimportant.
The rivers of the West Coast form the potential wealth of the
region by reason of their alluvial formations, and it is only in these
river valleys and their deltas that good agricultural land is found
anywhere on the West Coast in any considerable extent. In the
chapter on " Agriculture " will be found the detailed description of
the formation, extent, and hydrography of each river valley.
CLIMATE.
CLIMATIC ZONES.
In Mexico, as in all other Latin American countries within the
Tropic Zone, climatic conditions are a matter of elevation above sea
level, and this rule applies to the West Coast. There are three
divisions, or zones. The first is that of the coast and the territory
extending inland to an elevation of some 3,000 feet above sea level,
called the "tierra caliente"; this includes, on the West Coast, the
seaports and all the towns along the railway, south of Guaymas, with
the exception of Tepic in Nayarit, which has a sufficient elevation to
make its climate much cooler than the immediate coast.
The next division is that of the "tierra templada," from 3,000 to
6,500 feet above sea level. Unlike the rest of Mexico, there are no
towns of importance at these elevations on the West Coast, the country
being too broken and difficult of access from the coast. All agri-
culture of any importance flourishes in the hot valleys of the rivers
near the coast.
The third division is that of the high sierras, from 6,500 feet to
the snow line, taking in the most rugged and inaccessible part of the
mountain range of the Sierras.
It has been said that topographically and climatically the West
Coast of Mexico very much resembles the Pacific coast region of the
United States. Climatically, however, conditions are reversed in
direction, and the modification of climatic conditions farther to the
south should also be taken into consideration. The heaviest rain-
fall on the Pacific coast of the United States is found in the northern
part, this precipitation diminishing gradually toward the south
until desert conditions are encountered in the extreme southern
part of California where, in the Imperial Valley, the average annual
rainfall is only 2.4 inches. Inversely, the lowest rainfall of the
West Coast of Mexico is in the region just south of the American
border, across from Arizona, where, in northwestern Sonora, extreme
desert conditions obtain. The rainfall increases slightly toward
the south Guaymas, 320 miles south of Arizona, having an annual
rainfall of about 5 inches. Also, inland, the rainfall increases to-
ward the mountains until an annual average of 15 inches is reached,
but this does not provide to the rivers north of Guaymas sufficient
water for the extensive irrigation development needed in connection
with the available land in the river valleys.
20 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
South of the Yaqui Valley the rainfall increases gradually. The
Culiacan Valley has an annual precipitation of about 20 inches (but
not constant each year); Mazatlan gets nearly 30 inches of rainfall
and Tepic has nearly 40 inches. In certain places in the southern
part of the State of Nayarit nearly 60 inches of rainfall have been
registered in some years.
With the exception of the mining activities of the more moun-
tainous part of the West Coast territory, all the development on the
coast has been in the hot river valleys where tropical, or at least
semitrppical, conditions obtain, the humidity and moisture increas-
ing with the increasing rainfall toward the south. Only in the
"tierra fria" of the high mountains does the temperature fall below
freezing point, although the entire coast is subject to damaging frosts
during the winter months, except in the extreme southern end of the
West Coast proper, south of the port of Mazatlan.
SEASONS.
There are only two seasons, the dry and the rainy, the former
lasting from October through the winter, spring, and summer months
to the end of June, when the rainy season usually begins. However,
the rainy season may vary as much as a month in some years. The
dry season is warm, very hot, in fact, during March, April, May, and
June until the rains begin. During December, January, and Feb-
ruary there is a great variation between the day and night tempera-
tures, sudden drops of from 15 to 20 being common. This is one
of the peculiarities of the West Coast climate that is not well under-
stood by persons interested in prospective agricultural development
there. The region of the coast north of Mazatlan is called " frost-
less," but this is not true, as frosts occur which occasionally damage
the whiter tomato and vegetable plantings. No absolutely frostless
region is found until one reaches the valley of the Rio Santiago, in
Nayarit, and the region south of there along the coast, where bananas
do very well. However, on account of the sudden and heavy drop
in temperatures even in this region of heavier rainfall and no frost,
the growth of such tropical products as bananas is retarded to a very
appreciable extent. For example, in Costa Rica and Colombia
bananas produce every seven months (on an average) from the time
of planting, while in Nayarit, south of San Bias, 11 months is the
average, the delay in maturity of the fruit occurring from December
to March each year on account of the low temperatures at night.
On the coast the rainy season is very hot and humid and generally
unhealthful to Americans and Europeans. Malaria is prevalent to
a considerable degree, along with other minor tropical diseases to
which foreigners are more subject than the natives, but which also
affect the natives in a latent manner.
The high desert plateaus of northern and central Sonora are sub-
ject to the same winter conditions as the country along the American
border in the neighborhood of Nogales. High and cold winds, called
"northers," which sweep down from the north and northeast, bring
intense cold spells lasting for about one week at a time. Farther
south there is little effect from these cold winds and the sea air
currents are felt.
GEOGRAPHY, TOPOGRAPHY, AND CLIMATE. 21
In eight-year cycles heavy storms, called " chubazcos," occur along
the coast and in the Gulf of Lower California, at times doing consid-
erable damage to shipping and seaport cities and towns. The worst
of these sudden and heavy storms occur during the season of the fall
equinox at the end of the rainy season in September or October.
Storms of less violence also can be expected in the spring equinoctial
season February or March. These atmospheric disturbances come
every year during the periods mentioned, but only once in every
eight years is their intensity sufficient to cause heavy loss. These
storms carry far inland and have even caused serious damage to the
railway line between Guaymas and Hermosillo in times past. The
general meteorological condition would appear to be very much the
same for the entire west coast of Mexico, Central and South America.
Some years the spring equinoctial storms bring too heavy rains,
which cause real floods in the river valleys and damage to crops and
property. As a usual thing, light but steady rains occur throughout
the West Coast during the latter part of February or early in March,
according to the equinoctial season. These light spring rams usually
last for two weeks and are depended upon throughout the southern
half of the West Coast to mature winter crops of corn and beans
planted only in bottom lands along the rivers. However, even in
Nayarit in the Santiago Valley, these winter rains are very variable
in quantity and can not always be depended upon to be sufficient to
make a good crop.
TEMPERATURES.
During the summer months, days of 100 F. and over are not
uncommon on the West Coast from Hermosillo south. In the
extreme northwestern part of Sonora the annual average mean low
temperature is 54 F., and the maximum mean temperature around
90.5 F. In the region of Mazatlan the mean low temperature is
around 67 F. with sudden drops to just above freezing, or at times
a little below that mark. The maximum mean average during the
summer months is 93.3 F. There are many variations in these
figures between the points mentioned. On account of the impor-
tance of climatic conditions affecting agriculture on the West Coast,
more detailed data of rainfall, temperatures, etc., will be given later
under " Agriculture."
As of general information to the traveler, it may be said that the
summer climate of the West Coast is hot, humid, and unhealthful,
and that the winter climate is almost icjeal, surpassing that of
southern California in equality of temperature and uniformity of
days.
EFFECT OF CLIMATE ON COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES.
The effect of these climatic conditions on trade activities should
be thoroughly understood and taken into account by the exporter
interested in the trade of the West Coast of Mexico, both import and
export. During the rainy season (June to October) roads and trails
are almost impassable even for the pack mule and the two-wheeled
oxcart of the country, and even the railway is hampered by a series
of washouts, landslides, etc. At the beginning of the rainy season
the cattle are moved from the fields in the valleys to the foothills
and higher mesas inland. The population being instinctively agri-
cultural, except in the few and scattered mining towns of the moun-
22 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
tains where crops can not be planted, the men leave other work and
prepare for the corn-planting season in the foothills and in the river
valleys of the coastal plain. The transport of mine products and
supplies to and from the railway along the coast stops, as does also
the production of hardwoods and other minor products of export.
Business in the stores in the towns and cities becomes practically
suspended after the brisk buying season just before the rainy season
is to start (which is always the busiest commercial time of the year) ,
and nearly all activity centers around planting. Trade does not
again become at all active until after the harvest in November and
December. This is true of the regions yielding all the various
products wheat in Sonora, the "garbanzo" of the Mayo and
Sinaloa River Valleys, and the corn and beans of the rest of the
coast and foothill country.
Even the sugar people employ a minimum of labor during the
rainy season, which is also the growing season for the sugar cane,
the cutting and grinding seasons beginning in December. In the
past few years winter tomato planting has developed into a great
industry throughout the West Coast from the Fuerte Valley south
to the Santiago Valley, and even this new industry takes its maximum
supply of labor toward the end of the corn-harvesting season a con-
dition that is very fortunate for the growers of tomatoes and winter
vegetables, since otherwise their efforts would be seriously curtailed
by the lack of sufficient labor when they most need it.
Commercial activity increases rapidly at the time of the disposal
of the wheat, corn, and bean harvest in December; and importers buy
accordingly, placing their heaviest orders toward the last of the year
in preparation for this demand, and again in May for the preplanting
outfitting demand. Local accounts are usually settled from one
planting season to another at the time of the crop delivery after the
harvest. Delivery takes place all the way from the first of December
to March. Tomato shipments to the American market centers begin
in February and last until the Florida and California crops start to
move early in April. This influx of money is now helping the mer-
chants to extend the buying season after March of each year.
The mining industry buys heavily of all sorts of supplies just
before the rainy season, because supplies, machinery, etc., can not
be moved into the hills and mountains after the heavy rains begin,
and there is also a scarcity of labor, as all the men who are not
professional miners take to the hills and valleys for the corn-
planting season.
Many of the West Coast merchants are spending most of the slow
summer months in the United States with their families, using this
time for their season's buying trips to the commercial supply centers.
On account of the proximity and climatic conditions, California is
getting " first call" as regards most of these visitors, and this con-
dition nas helped California manufacturers and exporters to increase
their trade relations with the West Coast of Mexico.
POPULATION AND LIVING CONDITIONS.
FACTORS AFFECTING DISTRIBUTION OF PEOPLE.
The West Coast zone of Mexico comprises about one-fifth of the
total surface area of the country, or approximately 154,000 square
miles, including the States of Sonora, Sinaloa, and Nayarit, and
portions of the States of Durango and Jalisco that lie on the western
watershed of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range and that are more
easily accessible from the West Coast trade centers.
According to the census of 1921, the three States first named
had a total population of approximately 760,000, representing
about one-twentieth of Mexico's total number of inhabitants. The
mountainous areas along the extreme eastern boundary of the
development zone of the West Coast (in Durango and Jalisco) are
yery sparsely populated, there being, at present, only a yery few
isolated mining camps, so that the grand total can not be greatly
increased, and the proportions mentioned above for comparative pur-
poses are not materially altered.
It is also a fact that the rather high average birth rate of the
country has been counteracted by the heavy emigration from Mexico
to the United States during the past 11 years of disturbed condi-
tions in the former country. Southern California alone, according
to the figures compiled by the Mexican consulate at Los Angeles,
has a population of nearly 200,000 Mexicans, and Mexican work-
men are seen all along the transcontinental railway lines as far east
as Kansas City and even Chicago. The largest percentage of these
men comes from the West Coast States.
In the year 1876, Mexico's total population was estimated at
9,380,439; by the year 1910, the inhabitants numbered, roughly,
15,000,000, giving a total of 19.55 persons per square mile. Imports
into the country during the 10-year period ending in 1910 increased
from $21,490,604 (United States currency) to $146,376,587. This
great increase in population and enormous increase in imports into
the country was brought about and made effective by the 30 years
of peace under the Diaz regime; it was more apparent in the more
densely populated central part of the country than on the West
Coast, which was isolated by its mountain barrier, effectively shut-
ting it off from easy contact with the rest of the country. The
Southern Pacific Railway had not been built down the West Coast;
and new blood and the stimulus of new contact and education were,
for the most part, lacking. In many of the communities here 10
generations had intermarried, with unfortunate results, and then
came the series of revolutions to thwart development just at the
time when the influence of the railway was beginning to make itself
felt in the way of general economic and social improvement.
The West Coast has always lacked a suffbien't population, and it is
to-day fully realized by the people themselves that immigration is
necessary ii the rich alluvial valleys of the coast are to be opened
and developed as they should be. In Mexico, as elsewhere, the
23
MEXICAN WEST COAST.
combination of level lands with adequate rainfall for crops tends to
attract the largest population, and the bulk of the population of
Mexico is essentially rural; but, like the east coast of the country,
the West Coast is hot and fairly tropical, and the bulk of the popula-
tion of the country is found in the regions of the south-central
plateaus where the high altitude, adequate rainfall, and level forma-
tion furnish all the elements of easy transportation, rainfall, and
good climate.
The native Indians of Mexico, in their various tribes and nations,
were distributed along the above lines, and the invading Spaniards
followed the same natural tendency, establishing their cities and
towns on the same sites as those of the Aztecs and other native
tribes in the country. The West Coast had no large Indian popula-
tion at the time of the conquest of Mexico, and the centers of largest
Indian habitation were determined bv the river valleys, as, for exam-
ple, Hermosillo in Sonora, Culiacan in Sinaloa, etc. The native of
the highlands of the ulterior will not leave the cool climate for the
hot lands of the coast, even if rich land with irrigation is provided
for him, and, therefore, an adequate population for the West Coast
is a matter of immigration and settlement.
The development of the dry, hot lands of the Imperial Valley in
southern California, and also the arid and hot desert lands of Arizona,
given water for irrigation, is an example of what the white man can
do in the heat of the Tropics when attracted by cheap land with
water, and an example has been set for the ultimate development
of the West Coast by American settlement, as such settlement is
impracticable from any other source.
As has been said, the present centers of population of the West
Coast are determined by the river valleys, with the exception of the
dry and arid northern part of the State of Sonora, where the
existence of large and rich mining camps, such as Cananea, Naco-
zari, etc., attract most of the people in that region.
POPULATION BY STATES AND CITIES.
In the following tables the population of the three States of
Sonora, Sinaloa, and Nayarit are given, with comparative figures
of the census of 1910 and that of 1921, together with the population
of the various political subdivisions of the States. The Mexican
census returns do not give the exact population of each city or
town, but that of the "municipio," or district, which corresponds
to the county in the United States
SUMMARY BY STATES.
States.
Total population.
Area.
Population per
square mile.
1910
1921
1910
1921
Sonora
265.383
323,642
171, 173
267,474
343,247
147,048
Sa. miles.
76,922
33.681
11,279
3.5
9.6
15.2
3.5
10.2
13.0
Sinaloa .
Nayarit
POPULATION AND LIVING CONDITIONS.
POPULATION BY DISTRICTS.
25
Districts.
Popu-
lation.
Districts.
Popu-
lation.
Districts.
Popu-
lation.
SONORA. 1
Agua Prieta.
5.126
SINALOA. 2
Mazatlan (seaport and
NAYARIT. 8
Tepic (capital; railway) .
16,800
18 751
railway)
25,231
Acaponeta (railway)
5 000
Altar
2 148
Culiacan (railway)
13 500
Jala
3 400
Arispe
5 175
Rosario (railway)
6,100
Tecuala
2 200
Bacum
4.412
Escuinapa (railway)
4,400
San Bias (port)
2,000
Cananea
11 269
Guadelupe de los Reyes
Ahuacatlan . . .
2,000
Guaymas
14 246
(mining camp)
2 700
Jalisco
2 000
TTflrmnsillo
19.237
Concordia (railway).. ..
2,500
Compostela
2,700
La Colorada
3 158
Cosala
2 100
San Pedro Lagunillas
1 900
Magdalena
6,155
Mocorito (railway) . . ..
2,000
Amatlan de Canas
1,800
Moctezuma
3 074
San Jose de Gracia (min-
Jomulco ...
1 800
Garcia
4,943
ing camp)
2,000
Santa Maria del Oro
Navojoa
18 849
Sinaloa (railway)
2,000
(mining)
1 500
Nogales
14,753
Navolato (railway)
700
Santiago Ixquintla
7,600
Oputo
5 758
La Noria (railway)..
,500
Huajicori .
4)
Nacozari
3,137
Panuco (mining camp).
500
Ixtlan del Rio
)
Quiriego
3,523
Villa Union (railway)
'500
La Yesca (mining)
4)
Sahuaripa
4,171
San Ignacio (mining
Rosa Morada (mining) . .
4)
TTornHSitfts
3,480
camp). . .
,300
Tuxpam
(4)
Santa Ana
4,974
Los Mochis (railway)...
,200
Choix (mining town)...
Topolobampo (seaport
and railway)
ilOO
500
B ad i riguato.
4,500
1 On account of the closing of most of the large mining camps in Sonora during the last 10 years, towns
like Cananea and Alamos dwindled in population to a great degree. Before the great Cananea mines
were reopened in August. 1922, the town did not have more than 2,500 people, as compared with 18,000
in the district in 1910. A similar condition prevailed in Altar, La Colorada, Nacozari, Arispe, etc., all
formerly mining centers. The fastest-growing population in the State is that of the Mayo Valley at
Navojoa, the "garbanzo" center. The town has possibly 3,000 people, the figure given being that of the
total population of the county or municipality. The population of the port of Guaymas has also greatly
diminished and is now estimated at about 5,000.
2 The port of Mazatlan has attracted an increasing population, while the mining towns in the interior
of the State have suffered accordingly. The completion of the Canal "Resales " at Culiacan should increase
the population in the near future. Outside of Mazatlan the population is increasing by drawing from the
mining regions and the towns of the immediate interior at such agricultural centers as San Bias, on the
Fuerte River, at the crossing of the Kansas City, Mexico & Orient Ry. and the Southern Pacific.
3 The official State map gives the total surface area as 28,371 square kilometers, or 10,954 square miles,
and, including the areas of the Tres Marias and Tres Marietas Islands, 29,378 square kilometers, equaling
the figures given in the table above. The decrease in the population in the State of Nayarit has been
due to the disturbed conditions obtaining for the past 10 or 11 years, causing the curtailment of industries
and a consequent emigration of the people to either Mazatlan or Guadalajara, and even to the cotton
fields of Arizona and the Imperial Valley region.
< No figures available.
Complete returns from the Mexican national census of November,
1921, are still lacking, and it should be borne in mind that the 1921
figures are incomplete and the official statistics inaccurate, because
of the difficulties of collecting the data and the general disinclination
of many of the rural inhabitants to give the required information on
account of their fear of obligatory military service, taxation, etc.
POPULATION OF CONTIGUOUS COMMERCIAL TERRITORY.
The Mexican States to the south and east of the West Coast proper
that is, the States of Jalisco, Colima, and Michoacan have a total
population of 2,272,155, or three times that of the three West Coast
States treated in the present report. Pacific coast firms of the
United States can now reach this important commercial territory
through the center, Guadalajara, via the port of Manzanillo, and
efforts at trade extension in this direction have already proved
successful, although Guadalajara still buys heavily from the large
wholesaling importers located in Mexico City, and also directly from
New York or Europe to some extent. Commercial success in this
territory is a question of sales work along the same lines that have
26 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
brought results to the firms of Los Angeles in extending their trade
down the West Coast during the past three years. The completion
of the railway from Tepic to Guadalajara will greatly enhance the
personal contact with the Pacific coast of the United States, but the
cheaper water transportation via Manzanillo will carry the bulk of
the shipments, just as it does now.
RACIAL CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE.
To-day less than 8 per cent of the population of the West Coast of
Mexico can be said to be of pure Spanish blood, descended from the
original Spanish settlers of colonial times. Even in the higher social
class, which forms about 10 per cent of the total population, there is
seen the admixture of Indian blood, and this proportion is rapidly
increasing, being materially augmented through the effects 01 the
social upheavals of the last 11 years by reason of the problems of
economic necessity and social readjustment involved. There are
relatively few people of pure Indian blood left anywhere on the West
Coast, and the only tribes existing are those of the Yaquis in Sonora
and the Mayos in the Mayo and Fuerte River Valleys. The great
bulk of the population is composed of persons of predominating
Indian blood, among whom there is a great variation in the proportion
of Spanish blood. Since colonial times the racial fusion has been
going on, the result being a half-blood whose social status' has been
that of the "peon" (lowest class), but who, in turn, has carried on the
admixture of the Spanish white blood among the lower class. Again,
numbers of these half-bloods attained high social recognition after
rising to wealth or political prominence.
Taking the country as a whole, the proportions, prior to 1910, were
generally estimated at 10 per cent for pure white Spanish blood, the
highest class of society; 4 per cent for the " middle class" (so called),
composed of the artisans and small trades people; with the remainder
consisting of the "peon" or "Indian" class, who were the workers in
the fields, mines, etc. To-day the once small "middle class" is
rapidly increasing, for various reasons, and is now estimated at about
25 per cent, being composed of members of the formerly land-wealthy
class who have had to seek employment other than that of the
administration of their estates, and also of members of the former
lower class in whose veins runs a greater percentage of white blood
and who have risen to be artisans and small shopmen. This latter
class has also been considerably augmented by the members of the
new political regimes, as many government positions are now filled
by former members of the "peon" class. Another factor in the
increase of the "middle class" has been the effect of "peons'" emi-
gration to the United States. There they have been brought in
contact with modern conditions and have been shown how to work to
greater advantage. Many Mexicans in the United States have
learned trades and better methods for the application of their energy,
with the result that, returning to their homes, they have been able
to better their condition and that of their families.
Commercially, this increase in numbers of the "middle class" has
been, and is, a good thing. These people now consume foodstuffs
and use wearing apparel, household goods, etc., that they would
not have been able to buy before the new order of things in Mexico,
POPULATION AND LIVING CONDITIONS. 27
and it is this class that will soon form the largest portion of the
consuming public in the country.
The mixture of the races has brought about the evolution of a type,
or race, commonly called " Mexican" darker in complexion than
the Spanish or southern Italian peoples, but not so dark as the native
Indian, and showing the characteristics of both the Spanish and the
native Indian races, in both mentality and physique.
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL ASPECTS.
The characteristics of the Mexican people vary, of course, in the
different parts of the country, climatic and economic conditions
changing the mode of life to some extent. There is, however, a gen-
eral willingness to accept a low standard of living, combined with a
poorly developed sense of responsibility and lack of interest in mod-
ern methods and appliances. The semitropical climate of the coast
region causes malaria, hookworm (tropical anemia), dysentery, and
other tropical diseases to be prevalent, and this condition tends
further to lower the energy and stamina of the people, more espe-
cially those of the rural districts.
Of importance, in this connection, is also the unrestricted use of
alcoholic drinks, such as the "mescal" of the country, a powerful
intoxicant, and the general lack of education, 70 per cent of the
people being classed as illiterate. Malnutrition and disease are com-
mon throughout the coast region under discussion, and this is also
true of the greater part of the country in general. It is a common
occurrence to have to feed a gang of new men, engaged for heavy
labor, for a few days before they can stand hard work in the sun, and
Americans engaged in tomato growing have found great difficulty in
securing the proper cultivation and care of the plants, proper selec-
tion, etc., in picking and packing, on account of the universal unre-
sponsiveness of the people engaged in this work.
There is no lack of good land on the West Coast; the real lack is
that of people to go on the land and produce on a large scale. There
is no agrarian problem in any of the three Pacific Coast States con-
sidered in this report.
Many of the younger men of the wealthy class (including many
" mestizos ") of the West Coast have been educated in the United States,
and thousands of young Mexicans have been forced to seek a liveli-
hood in this country during the various disturbances in Mexico during
the past 1 1 years. This has done much to spread modern ideas and
methods in Mexico, and the effect is being seen in the increasing use
of better tools, agricultural implements and machinery, etc., on the
West Coast. There is also an increasing number of engineers, archi-
tects, and members of the other professions.
The men of the upper class engage in the professions, politics, and
trade; the middle class is composed of the teachers and of the masons,
carpenters, and other artisans, while the lower, or "peon," class com-
prises the manual workers of the country and also the rural popula-
tion. As has been pointed out, the greatest economic, social, and
commercial factor is the rapidly increasing middle class, despite the
demoralizing effect of the years of revolution and political upheaval.
The most important factors contributing to the advancement and
development of the people of the West Coast have been (1) the con-
struction of the Southern Pacific Railway south along the coast from
28 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
Guaymas and (2) the influx of American settlers in the river valleys,
where modern agricultural colonies have been successfully estab-
lished.
EFFECT OF THE REVOLUTIONS.
Possibly on account of the relatively sparse population, the lack
of large capital for development within the country, and the lack of
initiative on the part of the upper, or landowning class, sufficient
community lands remained to the people of the West Coast for the
production of enough food for their maintenance, except in the
mountain region where the broken nature of the country caused
level plow land to be scarce, forcing the scant population to take to
mining as the only means of livelihood. It is true that in the river
valleys where large tracts of level land existed, most of this good
land, subject to irrigation, was acquired by the original Spanish
colonials not by taking it from the Indians, who were few in num-
bers, but by means of grants from the Spanish Crown, subject to
its development, the Indians being left sufficient lands for their
needs around their " pueblos " (also called " ejidos ")> m which they en-
joyed community rights. From the Spanish colonial times there was
"built up a system of share planting on the large haciendas of the val-
leys, most of the peons preferring this method, or customary system,
because they themselves lacked the individual initiative to organize
and work their own lands on anything like a fair scale, and the large
landowners furnished, during the crop season, seed, equipment, and,
still more important, a ration of food and clothing, which the indi-
vidual had failed to provide for himself. By this system only were
the largest crops produced, as the native, left to himself, would
plant only for his immediate family needs for the season. He also
preferred the easier way of planting by the "rosa" method that is,
merely chopping down the trees and brush on a hillside, burning it
off during the dry season, and then planting with a stick. By this
method there was no plowing and few weeds to take care of by
, cultivation, as the fire Killed the weed-seed germination in the top
soil. It was the easiest way, and also the ancient system of
The bulk of the Indian, or more modern " mestizo," population is,
as has been said, essentially agricultural in instinct, but lacking in
vision and ambition to do anything on a large scale.
In the foothills and mountains there are many tiny villages where
small crops are grown but not in sufficient quantity to support the
entire population, small as it is, and numbers 01 the people are
forced either to work in the mines or to come down to the coast for
wages with which to obtain the things they need. It is also true
that their small planting, when successful, only furnishes enough
corn for bare necessity, and that they depend upon work in the mines
or on the coast lands to obtain extra money for clothing, etc.
Prior to 1911 it was almost impossible to secure sufficient labor
for field work on anything like a large scale, as American landowners
found to their cost after the seed was in the ground, even when they
offered to pay double wages. The sugar people had difficulty every
year in securing sufficient labor.
The exception to this rule is the population of the dry region of
northern and central Sonora, a region devoted to cattle raising and
mining, the latter employing by far the greatest amount of labor.
POPULATION AND LIVING CONDITIONS. 29
By reason of the arid nature of this region, the people were forced
to meet the demands of modern organization in the mines and
became fair workers, for the most part.
Prior to 1911, foreign land investors, attracted by the mistaken
theory of the advantages of cheap labor, found to their cost that the
general inefficiency and seasonal lack of labor supply, combined
with the inherent fundamental characteristics 01 the people
themselves, made organization, development, and crop planting
on an adequate and efficient scale impossible and a costly experi-
ment in the end. It remained for one or two progressive Amer-
icans, who knew the country and the people, to demonstrate
that the so-called cheap labor of the country was, in the end,
more costly than the high-priced labor of the United States,
worked in combination with modern methods and machinery,
such as tractors, etc. What was not understood by the newcomers
to the West Coast was the fact that the element of tune was the
essential factor, because of the regularity and shortness of the rainy,
or crop-making, season during the summer from the end of June to
the middle of September, and that the problem was one of dry
plowing and seeding in a sufficient area before cultivating had to
start, so as to insure an adequate return on the year's crop invest-
ment.
The effect of the various revolutions since 1911 has been to accentu-
ate the lack of organization and method on the West Coast and make
the people more vaguely independent, without giving them any
practical basis of economic betterment. On the West Coast only a
small element of the population even joined the various rebel organi-
zations, if they can be called such, although the bulk of the "peon"
population had some vague idea that the new governments were
going to make them independent and rich without any effort on
their part. The general effect has been almost completely disastrous
economically for the entire West Coast. The cattle supply has been
seriously depleted, mines have been shut down all over the country,
and many thousands of people have been forced to abandon their
homes to seek a living in the United States. In the potentially
rich Culiacan Valley the entire population of the district was only
saved from partial starvation after two years of crop failures by
the expenditure there of some 2,000,000 pesos by the Government
in the construction of the Canal " Resales." When the great Cananea
copper mines opened up in August, 1922, after a year and a half of
inactivity, the rush of people from all parts of Sonora to Cananea
in search of work amounted to a stampede, the number being esti-
mated at about 12,000 people, many of the men being accompanied
by their families.
The general destruction of sources of wealth during the past 10
or 11 years has created a temporary surplus of labor throughout
the West Coast. The sugar plantations and mills, tomato planters,
etc., have enough labor for the time being at 1.50 pesos ($0.75 United
States currency) per day, and the men are doing better work and
averaging more days a week on the job than ever before from
sheer necessity. In the old days the only effect of better wages
for farm labor was that the men worked fewer days per week. The
people are poorer to-day than ever before.
30 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
A result still worse than those already mentioned is the fact that
the revolutions stopped the influx of American capital and energy
on the rich lands of the river valleys, and on account of the inability
of the West Coast to ship to the interior of the country production
has languished, except that of sugar, which was stimulated by the
high prices obtained during the war in Europe.
The ultimate solution of the problems presented by conditions on
the West Coast is involved in the national political and educational
problem, and it also goes deeper into the fundamental characteristics
of the people themselves. The prospect of evolution by means of
education is viewed with marked skepticism among even the better-
informed Mexicans themselves.
It is true that the younger men of the better class on the West
Coast are manifesting much more of the spirit of initiative than
ever before. Many of them are now going in for tomato and winter-
vegetable planting and other agricultural development, but their
efforts are handicapped by inexperience, lack of local and national
means of scientific assistance, lack of sufficient local capital and
banking facilities, and the ever-present labor problem, arising now
not so much from actual lack of workmen as from the general ineffi-
ciency of the men themselves. The rehabilitation of the West Coast
of Mexico ^depends, first, upon the ability of the present national
political regime to consolidate the country under a new and funda-
mentally sound system of government (thus doing away with the
ever-present fear and general lack of confidence and bringing in its
wake new investment and financial assistance), and second, the
return of the American investors and settlement of the land in the
various valleys by producing foreigners.
Another factor that has also been pointed out previously is the
necessity for the development of standard products for export. It
is still a question whether the new industry of winter tomatoes and
vegetables for the American market, which has been increasing so
rapidly during the past few years from the Fuerte Valley south to
that of the Santiago in Nayarit, can be developed into a permanent
industry. The market certainly exists and would increase in demand
volume in the United States if better selection, packing, and ship-
ping methods were applied. The Mexican tomatoes and winter vege-
tables do not compete with those of the United States (from California
and Florida) ; the former come onto the market about two months
earlier. The main difficulties are (1) the fact that almost 90 per
cent of the tomato investment is purely promotion money from the
United States (California) and (2) the problem of securing anything
like adequate measures to combat insect pests and plant disease in
the tomato region, necessitating organization and teamwork among
the growers, something to which the Mexican people are entirely
foreign by nature and through lack of experience. 1
(On account of the importance of the labor factor in mining and
agricultural development in the West Coast territory of Mexico,
1 For more detailed analysis of the racial characteristics, tendencies, and fundamental social conditions
of the Mexican people, reference is made to The People of Mexico, by Wallace Thompson, pp. 33&-341, etc.
For an analysis of the general economic-political-financial situation in Mexico of the present day, reference
is made to Mexico: Its Reconstruction, by Chester Lloyd Jones, D. Appleton & Co.. 1921. For a treatise
on labor and sociological conditions of Mexico which also applies very aptly to the West Coast section of
that country, reference is also made to the work of Percy Alvin Martin. Ph. D., of Stanford University,
appearing under the title of "Labor conditions; Educational system" in Section VII, Mexican Year Book,
1920-21, by Robert Glass Cleland.
POPULATION AND LIVING CONDITIONS. 31
more details will be given under those headings farther along in
this survey.)
LIVING CONDITIONS.
The same great contrasts in the living conditions of the various
classes of society that are seen throughout Latin America obtain in
the Mexican West Coast region. The people of the wealthy class
live in well-built Spanish-style houses constructed of brick and
stucco, with modern plumbing installations made possible by the
facilities of the cities where they reside. Nearly all the towns of
5,000 or more inhabitants have electric-lighting and ice-making
plants. Nogales, Hermosillo, Guaymas, Ctdiacan, Mazatlan, and
Tepic have clubs for social gatherings and recreation. The people
jof this class are also well traveled and usually spend several months
*of the year during the hot rainy season in California. In their
dress, styles, etc., they are like the people of the United States, and
their demands are about the same.
The middle class also lives in the cities and towns in houses like
those of the upper class, but not so large or well appointed.
The lower classes are congregated in dwellings 01 a poorer sort on
the edges of the towns and cities, or live in palm-thatched mud-
wattled huts called "jacales" around the larger houses of the owners
of the " haciendas." On the community lands there are numerous
small villages comprising houses of this class. In these dwellings
the doors and windows are merely openings in the walls; there are
no floors, and the furniture is limited to a wooden-frame cot, laced
with rope or rawhide, and an open-air cooking arrangement with
the inevitable "metate" stone for grinding the corn used for the
" tortillas," the universal food. The clothing of the men is made
by hand from cotton cloth of the country, and the blanket is at once
overcoat, raincoat, and bed at night, and is made sufficient for all
needs of cover. Numerically, this class constitutes the bulk of the
population, possibly 70 per cent of the total, and its per capita
purchasing power as regards imported goods is very low, being
limited to drugs in small quantities, articles of cheap ornament for
the women, and a few tools, mostly machetes. These people do
not wear shoes, while persons of the upper class either wear the
finest imported American shoes or patronize the many small shops
of the cities for their specially made footwear. People of the middle
class are all wearing shoes now, but of the cheaper domestic kind
which sells for about one-half the price of imported footwear, which
is high priced on account of the import duty designed to protect the
native industry.
Even with the coming of the railway the "peon" has not changed
much, if at all, in any respect, but the educated class is becoming
rapidly more modern in many ways. The style of furniture in the
houses, the decorations, etc., have always been those of the Continent,
more Latin than American, but this order of things is beginning to
give way to American styles. The metal bed is now universally used,
and one sees standard lamps, mission-style furniture, tapestry furni-
ture, etc., in increasing numbers.
The people of this class are also very much interested in new
things new electrical appliances, new styles, new inventions and
their contact is with California. In every city home where they can
be afforded electric fans are found now, and this article has become
32 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
one of first necessity to this class of the people during the hot months
of the year. The demand for clothing and merchandise of all sorts
is the same as that hi the United States, modified only by the limi-
tations of the market itself and the climatic conditions.
FOREIGN POPULATION.
CHINESE RESIDENTS.
The Chinese have long been, numerically, the largest foreign element
on the West Coast of Mexico, and their numbers have considerably
increased, instead of diminishing, during the past 11 years of dis-
turbances in Mexico, and more of them are still coming. Even prior
to 1910 there were more than 1,200 Chinese on the West Coast, the
largest colony being located at Guaymas, where they practically con-
trolled the grocery trade and were branching out into dry goods,
shoes, etc. The Chinese also engaged in truck gardening and gave
the people of the West Coast towns and cities their first adequate
supply of green vegetables.
When cotton became "king" in Arizona and the Imperial Valley
of California and the adjoining Mexicali Valley a few years ago (see
p. 303), about 5,000 Chinese were imported to work the cotton fields
on the Mexican side of the line on the leasing system. When the
bottom dropped out of the cotton market in 1920, many of the Chinese
drifted farther down into Mexico, not being able to enter the United
States, and numbers of them have joined the Chinese colonies at
various points and located more or less permanently the West Coast
of Mexico, on account of its proximity and the already established
colonies, receiving the greater number of the newly arriving Chinese.
The number of Chinese on the West Coast to-day that is, in the
States of Sonora, Sinaloa, and Nayarit is not accurately known and
is not shown in the rather incomplete census returns of November,
1921, but estimates show, in round numbers, something like 3,500 of
them, the largest colonies being located at Guaymas and Mazatlan,
with others scattered in all towns of the West Coast.
The Chinese are laundrymen, truck gardeners, etc., and engage in
nearly every possible line of business endeavor, such as grocery stores,
soft-drink places, general stores (handling principally dry goods), and
they have a large tannery and shoe factory at both Guaymas and
Culiacan and another small one at Mazatlan. The largest grocery
and food store in Culiacan is owned and managed by Chinese, repre-
senting one of the largest commercial investments in that city
to-day. In August, 1922, a shipload of Chinese immigrants to
Mexico were refused entry into the country at the port of Manzanillo
by the National Government of Mexico. In Sonora "tong" war
disturbances among the Chinese, due to political factions and sym-
pathy with the revolutionary Chinese governments, caused the
deportation of more than 200 of them by the State government, the
men being held at Mazatlan for a steamer to China.
While many of the Chinese marry native women and raise families
in Mexico, they live very much to themselves, being clannish in the
extreme and very uncommunicative to Mexicans and to other foreign-
ers. Most of these Chinese work to acquire sufficient wealth to return
to China to pass their remaining days in comfort hi the homeland.
POPULATION AND LIVING CONDITIONS. 33
It is a growing custom among the Chinese of the West Coast to
take Spanish names for business reasons and also for greater facility
in communication with the natives.
Most of the Chinese of the West Coast retain their "tong" and
" association" relations San Francisco, Calif., being their head-
quarters in the United States, their center for financial capital, to a
great extent, and also a clearing house for their business activities.
They also engage in the exportation of certain Mexican products,
such as dried shrimp, sharks^ fins, etc., to China. By far the greater
portion of their merchandise is purchased in the United States, the
largest volume of their business in this line being handled through
the main offices of their mutual associations in San Francisco. A
great many of the Chinese stores of the West Coast are, in reality,
branches of an association with headquarters in San Francisco.
There are, of course, a number of independent merchants who im-
port direct for their own account, but not all of this class can be listed
as good credit risks, and Chinese merchants' accounts, unless their
actual affiliation in the United States is known, should be carefully
investigated before shipment of merchandise in case the order is
from a customer previously unknown to the exporting firm. Long-
established Chinese firms are equal to the best native credit risks,
if the usual business rules are applied.
In trade the Chinese are now a very important factor throughout
the West Coast, the volume of their aggregate business being almost
equal to that of all the native Mexican merchants, and it is therefore
important that American exporters interested in increasing then*
sales to the West Coast territory of Mexico should cultivate relations
with them in every possible way, preferably first through direct con-
tact with their head offices in San Francisco, which control most of
the commercial activities (of any considerable volume) of the Chinese
in this region. The American people and nation have the reputation
among them of being champions of the Chinese race the world over,
and they are very appreciative of good treatment and become excel-
lent, steady customers of export houses when they are convinced
that they are being accorded just and honorable treatment on an
equality with the other importers of their community.
The Chinese storekeepers buy very few, if any, goods from the local
wholesale importing houses such as the larger and long-established
German firms of Mazatlan, preferring to buy direct, or through their
association in the United States. They extend credit to the retail
buyers locally.
The main difficulty encountered by American firms desirous of
selling on the West Coast to the Chinese is their inherent character-
istic of secretiveness and lack of understanding of the real value of a
credit statement to serve as a basis for credit extension and com-
mercial operations to the satisfaction of both parties. They fear
local excessive taxation and can be persuaded to give out a statement
only after becoming well acquainted with the representative of the
house that is trying to sell them goods. It is therefore better and
easier for American houses to make direct arrangements with the
central Chinese association offices in San Francisco. However, they
are very shrewd and careful buyers, and it takes some time and care-
ful effort to develop business through these channels.
44807 23 4
34 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
In order to facilitate their business affairs in the United States it is
usual for these associations to have some trusted American repre-
sentative who acts for them and whose introduction is worth a great
deal. A fact not very well known is that the central " associations "
actually force members and branches to take care of delinquent
accounts and to do a uniformly legitimate and clean business
the effect of the associations being very beneficial and of far-reaching
influence. The affairs of these mutual cooperative associations are
handled by a regular board of directors who dictate the general policy
and pass upon the acts of the various branches and members, their
American adviser being frequently consulted and his advice taken.
In the port of Guaymas, and also in Hermosillo and Nogales, the
Chinese have dominated in the retail trade, having branched out into
general dry-goods lines during the past 10 years, and this is becoming
true also of such centers as Culiacan and Mazatlan; so that the
Chinese, despite their difficulties arising from racial feeling, inade-
quate protection, etc., are increasingly important commercial factors
on the West Coast of Mexico to-day on account of their ability to
survive in business during the frequent political disturbances through
which the country has passed during the past 10 or 11 years, This
is due to a very great extent to their system of cooperative business
among themselves, and also to their extreme economy and frugality,
which enables them to conduct a business with less overhead expense
than any other people.
The future status of the Chinese in Mexico is very doubtful. The
present administration in Mexico is known not to look with favor
on Asiatic immigration. The Chinese have not proved very success-
ful at heavy agricultural work on a large scale such as is required
for the opening and planting of cotton land in the Imperial Valley
on the Mexican side 01 the line, and the latest and most successful
development there has been accomplished by large American cotton-
growing syndicates employing native Mexicans under American
supervision, the work proving much more satisfactory than under
the first-tried Chinese leasing system. More Chinese in the Mexicali
region would eventually mean more of them down the West Coast
of Mexico and also in the United States.
JAPANESE COLONIZATION.
The first Japanese to locate on the West Coast of Mexico was a
Japanese doctor, who established himself 13 years ago in Culiacan,
where he has remained and has been followed by a Japanese dentist,
another Japanese doctor, and one Japanese civil engineer, who has
purchased land in the Culiacan Valley and is now engaged in agricul-
ture. There are also one or two Japanese professional men in
Mazatlan, and one engaged in mining farther down the coast.
Two efforts at colonization on the West Coast by Japanese have
failed for various reasons, and the Japanese Government until
recently would not issue passports to its nationals for Mexico on
account of the disturbed conditions in the country.
There is under way at present an effort to bring large numbers of
Japanese into the Mexicali Valley in Lower California for land
development and colonization there. It may be supposed that
interests owning large areas of the Mexicali Valley lands are inter-
ested, since their great problem is that of securing sufficient labor on
POPULATION AND LIVING CONDITIONS. 35
some practical basis for working the now undeveloped land on a large
scale, and this labor can not come from the United States under present
conditions, nor can the land be cut up and sold to American investors or
farmers on account of the existing Mexican land law affecting foreign
ownership of land so near to the border of Mexico. Inasmuch as a
well-conducted and carefully selected and planned Japanese land colo-
nization scheme failed in the Santiago Valley (the best part of the entire
West Coast) because of the advent of the period of revolution and
the inability of the promoters to attract either immigrants or capital
from Japan, it is very doubtful (in view of Japan's interest in the
development and colonization of Korea and certain regions of China,
so much nearer home, and the lack of adequate capital in Japan)
whether any colonization scheme for Japanese on the West Coast
of Mexico will be possible for some time to come.
In view of the inability of the American investors in large tracts
of fine valley lands in the river valleys of the West Coast to realize
anything on their investment for the past 11 years on account of
the disturbances in Mexico and the present very unfavorable legis-
lation affecting their titles and properties, they would probably
be very glad to sell their land holdings to the Japanese or any others
who might be induced to purchase under present conditions, but
such buyers are lacking.
(For a report on the Japanese colonization efforts on the West
Coast of Mexico, see p. 167.)
OTHER FOREIGN POPULATION.
Prior to 1910 there were many Americans scattered throughout
the West Coast, the mining men having come first, making the coast
towns their headquarters for their prospecting and mining operations
in the interior districts. With the construction of the railway down
the coast from Guaymas in 1909 several thousand Americans came
into the coast country and many of them purchased land, principally
in large tracts from the Mexican owners, with the object of sub-
dividing and reselling it to American farmers. Large irrigation
schemes were planned and several were started on a great scale,
attracting agricultural colonies of Americans whose inducement was
that of cheaper land than could be secured in the United States.
At the beginning of the revolutions in Mexico there were estimated
to be more than 1,000 Americans .on the West Coast of Mexico,
engaged in mining and land enterprises, as well as the numerous
employees of the Southern Pacific Kailroad of Mexico (West Coast
Line). During the first, or Madero, revolt, the property and lives
of foreigners were fairly well respected by the revolutionists through-
out the country, but, with the succeeding revolutions, many Ameri-
cans were killed, others were forced to leave the country, and
properties were stolen or destroyed. A few of the hardier ones
stayed, and many of them returned to the West Coast during each
short era of peace in Mexico, hoping that a new stable government
would be established. Numbers of these Americans had spent the
greater part of their lives in Mexico, and it meant hardship and
ruin to abandon their holdings and hopes for the future.
With only a few exceptions mines were shut down all over the
West Coast zone, and the only agricultural colonies of foreigners
(Americans) that continued to exist were those of the Yaqui and
36 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
Fuerte (Los Mochis) Valleys, with some 40 families each, and even
these were forced to abandon their lands several times. With the
growth of the winter tomato and vegetable industry on the West
Coast during the past few years, and, with fairly peaceful conditions
obtaining during the Obregon regime", many Americans, attracted by
the opportunities for profit, are again going down the coast. Large
mining companies are sending out engineers to look up likely mining
properties, and it is estimated that aoout 90 per cent of the money
being devoted to the production of winter tomatoes and green
vegetables on the West Coast is American monev, directly or indi-
rectly invested. There are many projects in mines, hydroelectric
plants, irrigation of valley lands, etc., under consideration by Ameri-
cans who know the conditions of the West Coast territory very well,
and only favorable legislation and peaceful conditions in Mexico are
needed to bring about the resumption of the development of the
West Coast by Americans. However, this development will neces-
sarily be slow. 2
The Germans and Spaniards have long been established in trade
on the West Coast, with their headquarters at Mazatlan, where they
have continued to do a large business despite the conditions brought
about by the World War and the revolutions in Mexico. Few
Americans have engaged in trade activities on the West Coast or
in Mexico in the past, but latterly several American commercial
enterprises have entered the field with stores and agencies and have
been doing fairly well despite their handicap of small .capital. The
greatest commercial influence is, of course, that of the large German
and Spanish houses located at Mazatlan. These firms have the
very great advantages of having been long established in the country
and of possessing adequate commercial capital and credit, a thorough
knowledge of the standing of local people, and the ability to handle
products of export in the most profitable manner. Since the begin-
ning of the World War the largest volume of their business has been
with San Francisco, Calif., and they now maintain branches as far
north as Navojoa, Sonora, and as far south as Acaponeta, Nayarit,
controlling the largest volume of trade as far as the radius reached by
the border houses at Nogales.
- Several of the large French dry-goods firms of Mexico City maintain
branches under their own name, or through affiliated concerns, in
Guaymas and Mazatlan. There are a few Syrian merchants esta-
blished in the various trade centers of the West Coast, but none of
them are very large.
British interests have the small narrow-gauge railway which
connects Culiacan with Altata, the water supply of Mazatlan, and
one or two land interests. The number of the British on the West
Coast is very small, possibly not more than 10 persons in all.
The Germans have invested in breweries at Mazatlan, and one old
German house has coquito-nut plantations and coffee plantations in
Nayarit, as well as a soap factory there, near the coast. The Germans
number about 45 individuals on the entire coast.
The Spaniards have about the same number, their largest group
being located on the Aguirre properties in Nayarit, with their com-
2 The aspects and effect of the existing iand laws and! oreign ownership, etc., are more definitely treated
on pp. 164 and 167 of this report.
POPULATION AND LIVING CONDITIONS. . 37
mercial men at Mazatlan, and a few others scattered up and down
the coast, with only a few isolated individuals in the interior.
By far the largest number of Americans are located at the various
large mining camps such as Cananea and Nacozari and on the valley
lands of the rivers, principally at Los Mochis, in the Fuerte Valley,
and in the Yaqui Valley. There are not half a dozen permanent
American residents to-day in Hermosillo, and about the same number
at Guaymas, aside from the employees of the Southern Pacific
there and at Empalme, the railway shops and repair center for the
West Coast Line. At Culiacan about a dozen Americans are living
principally men interested in mining and agricultural enterprises
and there are about twice as many located in Mazatlan. Tepic has
only two or three as residents, although more American mining
men are now visiting that section of the coast than ever before.
The Americans engaged in agricultural work on the West Coast,
including the newcomers interested in the tomato and winter-
vegetable industry, may be estimated, for the entire coast territory,
from the Yaqui Valley to Tepic, at about 300, in all, at the present
time.
DISTRIBUTION OF AMERICANS ON WEST COAST.
In order to convey some idea of the distribution of Americans
hi Sonora, there is given below a condensed copy of the register on
file at the American consulate at Guaymas for the year 1921, this
being the only available record:
Location.
Industry.
Number
of men.
Alamos
Mining. .
23
Cajeme (Yaqui Valley)
Cocorit (Yaqui Valley)
Agriculture
. . do
53
6
Empalme
Railway shops
1 100
Esperanza (Yaqui Valley)
Agriculture
10
Guaymas
Commerce, etc
14
Hermosillo
Mining and commerce
2 40
La Colorada
Mining.
3
San Javier. .
do
10
Navojoa (Mayo Valley)
Agriculture
15
Total
274
1 35 with families. 2 Includes persons in interior.
The railway shops are now employing about 150 men. The above
table covers the district from north of Hermosillo to the Sinaloa line
on the south.
ATTITUDE OF NATIVES TOWARD FOREIGNERS.
The Spaniard, of all the foreigners in Mexico, knows best how to deal
with the natives. He has the most intimate understanding of their
racial and national psychology. Spaniards are accepted in the best
social circles of the country; frequently they marry into the best
Mexican families and become identified permanently with the region
where they are located in business.
The Germans are undoubtedly the best liked of all foreigners on
the West Coast. Many of the younger men brought out from Ger-
many by the large commercial houses have married native girls.
They become permanently identified with their communities and
MEXICAN WEST COAST.
are almost invariably of a high type. They adopt the continental
manner, which is pleasing to the Mexicans, and they do not mix in
politics in any way. The Germans lost something of their prestige
during the World War. Commercially, they also made too much of
the prospect of Germany's coming back as an export nation soon
after the war, and their failure to accomplish deliveries of goods has
injured them commercially to the advantage of the United States.
The United States has been more or less unfortunate on the West
Coast as regards the regrettable personal characteristics of some of
the Americans who have gone there. The Mexican people and the
resident American colonies have suffered from certain types of
" floaters" on the West Coast. It is also a fact that the average
Mexican, even of the cultured class, does not fully understand the
general American attitude.
However, this general attitude is becoming less apparent. The
better educated and more traveled of the Mexicans of the West
Coast have become acquainted with certain vital economic princi-
ples during the past 10 years through a forced recognition of the con-
ditions in their own country and a comparison with those in the United
States; they now are more willing to admit the patience and toler-
ance of the American Government and people, and are also more
frank in stating their opinion that American investment and enter-
prise is absolutely-necessary for the development of the West Coast's
natural resources in minerals, lands, and industries.
The general attitude of the Mexicans of the lower and middle
classes of the West Coast is one of marked dislike of all foreigners.
However, foreigners (Americans) are tolerated by the people because
they have the reputation among them of paying better wages than
Mexicans for the same service and of paying higher prices for nearly
everything needed by them in the countrv. Many Americans have
been able to build up very loyal organizations among the natives in
mines, etc., by their policy of fair and just treatment of the working
class.
As American firms now have what amounts to a monopoly of the
trade of the West Coast, the future status of Americans there de-
pends upon a change in the attitude toward foreigners in general and
Americans in particular by the Mexican Government and the enact-
ment of favorable legislation affecting ownership of land by foreigners
in Mexico. Nearly every tract of land on the West Coast is for sale
at a price to Americans; the native owners, as a general rule, lack
the energy, knowledge, ambition, and vision, as well as the capital,
with which to develop their properties, and with few exceptions they
would greatly prefer to turn their holdings into cash and retire to live
in either California or Mexico City.
Most of the land of the Yaqui and Fuerte River Valleys and 75
per cent of the irrigable land of the Culiacan Valley is already con-
trolled by Americans. The native owners can find purchasers for
their lands only among Americans or other foreigners. The future
of the West Coast lies in the development of its potential agricul-
tural resources, and rapid development can be brought about only
by foreign investment and resource. If left to themselves the
people of the West Coast will probably make no substantial progress
in developing the natural resources of the territory for many years
to come.
POPULATION AND LIVING CONDITIONS. 39
The landowning class, which includes also the professional men,
controlled the Government during the Diaz regime, but this is no
longer true, the Government, both National and State, having passed
into the hands of the more aggressive element of the middle and
lower classes, among whom there are many extreme socialists; but
the West Coast (fortunately under a strong and conservative local
governor) has not yet suffered from the dominance of this element.
INDIAN TRIBES.
The various aboriginal Indian tribes of the West Coast territory
are scattered over a wide area, and their numbers are much smaller
than is popularly believed. The tribes are different in appearance
and characteristics, but all are dark brown, not the " red Indians
of North America the famous Yaqui Indian of Sonora being a
cousin of the Apaches of Arizona and New Mexico, who were not like
the Indians farther north and east in the United States.
The Tahumares and Tepeguanes Tribes inhabit the high moun-
tains in central and southwestern Chihuahua on the Pacific-watershed
side of the range. Their headquarters towns are Barborigame (west
of Guadalupe y Calvo) and La.Colorada. These Indians plant
some corn and wheat in the stream bottoms in season, have a breed
of small cattle, and work about the mines cutting timbers, etc., at
times, but not as a usual thing. Their actual numbers are not
known, and their economic value is extremely small.
Remnants of other tribes exist in Sonora, but the most famous
and numerically important tribe is that of the Yaqui Indians, noted
for their guerilla warfare against the Mexican Government for many
years. Tnese Indians have now been allotted lands on the north
side of the Yaqui River west of the railway, where they have formed
five or six pueblos for agricultural pursuits. Some 4,000 of them
have been gathered into these pueblo villages, about 700 are still
on the warpath to-day, and several thousand more are in the Mexican
Federal Army, stationed in and about Mexico City, where they
constitute the nucleus of the military organization as it exists at
present. Although they have been given good river bottom land
wifti water for irrigation, tools and implements, and a food ration
by the Mexican Government, they have not developed their new
lands to any extent, and fresh depredations in the interior are com-
mon again. It is the consensus in Sonora that only by the removal
of these warlike Indians will life and property be at all safe in the
State, except under the guns of garrisoned towns and more important
railway points. Several Americans have been driven on their
improved lands by the Yaquis lately in the Yaqui Valley. (See
11 Agriculture.")
Trie Mayo Indians inhabit the Mayo Valley in southern Sonora
and the valley of the Fuerte River in northern Sinaloa. There are
few full-blooded Mayos left. They are an agricultural people and
peacefully inclined. Their lands have long been held under the
ancient colonial community land system. They are the chief workers
in the "garbanzo" fields and also plant small fields of this chick-pea
themselves, independently. Their actual numbers are not known,
as they have merged into the Mexican population by intermarriage.
No vestige, in pure blood, of the once strong Culiche Tribe remains
in the neighborhood of Culiacan, in Sinaloa, these Indians (a power-
40 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
fill tribe at the time of the conquest of Mexico) having undergone
the process of racial fusion.
In Nayarit full-blooded Indians are found in several places, and
their numbers cause them to dominate entire regions of that State.
A numerically small but united tribe inhabits the Berberia Range of
mountains in the extreme eastern part of the State. These people
hold their intercourse with the towns lower down, maintain their
old aboriginal customs, and have never been Christianized. The
Indians of Esquinapa in the northwestern part, near the coast,
engage in fishing almost exclusively and are the largest producers
of dried scrimp for export. Other Indians inhabit the coast region
north and south of the port of San Bias in Nayarit. These people
gather the "coquito" oil nut for sale to the soap factories locally
and for export and trade in the city of Tepic, where hundreds of
them are always seen on the Sunday market day. Under the new
agrarian laws of Mexico they have claimed the coquito-nut natural
plantations as then- property and have recently burned off large
areas of this valuable export product in retaliation for not being
given full possession of these lands, which have long been under
title from old Spanish Crown land grants. In the State of Nayarit,
while exact figures are lacking, pure-blooded Indians probably
constitute at least one-fifth of the total population of the State.
These people understand little or nothing of government, have no
education, are not progressive, and are economically of small value
to the community at large. In the towns and on the ranches they
are being slowly absorbed into the mass of the Mexican population
by intermarriage.
EDUCATION.
There are many conflicting opinions regarding the relation of the
lower classes of the Mexican people to modern education referring,
of course, to the bulk of the population, which is of predominating
Indian blood. These people have retained the characteristics of
their ancestors, the Indians of the country, and any advance in
popular education must be a slow process. The Diaz Government
was universally accused of paying too little attention to this important
part of the national welfare and development, but it is a question
whether the inherent indifference, apathy, and dislike for change
among the people themselves, together with their well-known racial
characteristic of passive resistance, were not more responsible for the
lack of educational advancement.
The various revolutionary governments since that of Diaz have
laid great and far-reaching plans for the education of the masses;
efforts have been made to put a school in every ranch and village of
the interior, however remote; and increasing appropriations have
been made by the National and State Governments to finance these
efforts. It is regrettable that the present economic depression of
the country will force this program to be amended, for the time being,
on account of the lack of funds.
POPULAR EDUCATION IN STATE OF SONORA.
Educational statistics are lacking for Sinaloa and Nayarit, but those
of the State of Sonora give a very fair idea of what has been accom-
glished since 1907, and about the same proportions apply to the other
tates mentioned. In Sonora it was even proposea to send an
ambulant school into the country districts, "a, school on wheels,"
but this was found impractical on account of the nature of the
country and the lack of roads.
The greatest educational factor for the West Coast has been the
railway, which has brought formerly isolated communities into
touch with the rest of the territory, up and down the coast; and
there is also the general effect of the example to the people afforded
by the foreigners (Americans) who have introduced modern agri-
cultural methods.
Following are figures relating to popular education hi Sonora:
Items.
1907
1912
1917
Primary schools:
Boys' schools
92
102
133
Girls' schools
61
62
100
Coeducational schools . .
25
103
108
Total
178
267
341
Professional schools:
Normal school
o
1
Agricultural school .
o
o
1
Normal academies
1
1
3
Special schools:
Academy of arts
o
o
1
Industrial arts and trades
o
o
1
Number of pupils r
10,804
13, 211
24,187
41
42
MEXICAN WEST COAST.
Items.
1907
1912
1917
Employees:
Inspectors
1
3
9
Directors (teachers)
178
267
341
Assistant teachers
147
145
427
Professors, special class
14
68
Total
340
415
845
School budgets of Sonora:
By State government
Pesos.
102 638
Pesos.
270 000
Pesos.
1 408 336
By municipalities (counties)
128. 686-
323' 985
' 75' ooo
Private sources
16,630
Total
247,954
593 985
1 483 336
In 1920, the school appropriation of the State of Sonora was
1,600,000 pesos 15 times larger than the State educational appro-
priation prior to 1910, showing an average expenditure of 6 pesos
per capita, based on the total population of the State, and amounting
to approximately one-fourth of the total annual appropriation of the
State. The school budgets of Sinaloa and Nayarit have carried out
about the same average proportion of expenditure for popular
education. It should be understood, however, that the various
revolutionary activities during the past years have seriously inter-
fered with this program and necessitated that the money set aside
for the schools be used for military purposes from time to time, with
resulting nonpayment of teachers' salaries and general disorganiza-
tion. For example, during the summer of 1922 education in Sinaloa
and Nayarit was at a low ebb because all available funds were being
taken for the military operations against the rebel, Juan Carrasco,
then operating in the southern part of Sinaloa.
The State University, Colegio Resales, at Culiacan, Sinaloa, was
closed definitely in August, 1922, on account of the lack of funds.
This old and excellent institution had been the pride of Sinaloa and
had turned out some good engineers, doctors, etc., in its time. Such
little money as remained in the State treasury after meeting military
demands at the time went toward the completion of the Resales
Canal in the Culiacan River Valley. From time to time the State
Government, assisted by the Federal Government, has sent missions
to the United States to study higher educational methods with the
idea of improving the Colegio Resales, but these efforts, on account
of local conditions and lack of funds, have always come to nothing
in the past. Such a condition of affairs is also due to the general
lack of cohesion and support of such an institution on the part of the
educated and well-to-do people of the community, who seem to
think that this is a matter for the Government to solve in its own
way and who prefer, as a rule, to send their young men to Mexico
City, Guadalajara, or the United States for higher education.
From the above table it is seen that the State of Sonora included,
in its budget for 1917, 1,493,335 pesos as its total expenditure for
education in the State that year.
For the fiscal year ended June 30, 1922, the total disbursements of
the State amounted to 2,770,710 pesos, or 230,892 pesos per month,
and the total income from all possible sources was only 130,000 pesos
per month, giving a deficit of more than 100,000 pesos per month,
or nearly 50 per cent. All possible sources of income by taxation
are already overburdened with taxes, ordinary and specially created
for emergency purposes of the State administration, and it is not
possible to create new sources of revenue at this time. The result
EDUCATION. 43
is that popular education in Sonora must languish for the time
being on account of the general lack of sufficient funds, and this
same condition also applies to both Sinaloa and Nayarit, where
State finances are in much the same condition. The same remarks
are applicable to the national educational program. Large orders
for equipment for schools, contracted for in accordance with the
new and far-reaching program of 1922 under the new minister of
education, can not be paid for on account of the lack of funds; and
in view of the general economic condition of the country after more
than 10 years of destruction of the means of production and wealth,
it may be concluded that real improvement in Mexico's educational
system will be a matter of slow development for some time to come.
SUPPORT BY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
Under the new popular educational program of 1922 a corps of
educational missionaries was formed, its purpose being to travel
throughout the country and instill into the minds of the lower classes,
by means of propaganda, the idea of education for their children.
One such lecturer toured the West Coast in the summer of 1922.
VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS.
Several of the revolutionary leaders have founded industrial
schools for the orphans of the revolutions. By popular subscrip-
tion, the Governor of Sonora raised a total of $211,752 by the end
of July, 1919, with which the "Cruz Galvez" school system was
started at the State capital, Hermosillo. Eight separate buildings
were erected on a tract of 5 hectares (1 hectare = 2. 47 acres) on the
outskirts of Hermosillo, for the following departments : Classrooms,
service department, dormitories, baths, infirmary, machine shop,
shoe shop, graphic- arts shop. The total present capacity is 500
pupils. Besides elementary and superior education, the children
receive instruction in stenography, languages, music, printing,
joinery, cabinetmaking, shoemaking, tanning, and machine-shop
work.
The shoe factory has a capacity of 400 pairs daily and is self-
sustaining. The machinery equipment is modern in every respect
and of well-known standard American make. The printing estab-
lishment was discontinued in the summer of 1922, the plant being
leased to the newspaper, Diario de Sonora, of Hermosillo. It was
planned to extend this system throughout the State as rapidly as
possible, but the present general economic condition of the State
precludes this being done for some time to come, and it is feared
that the present institution will deteriorate for lack of sustained
popular interest in its development.
The Mexican people of the lower class are usually clever hand-
workers and make excellent factory operatives on work where
patience and manual dexterity are required. They become pro-
ficient in cotton mills, shoe shops, furniture factories, and the like,
and many of them show natural mechanical talent and inclination.
Nowhere in all Latin America do the people of the country show
such skill as the Mexicans in the output of a variety of articles made
in the household. It is generally thought that the immediate need
is for industrial education in Mexico in order to develop and make
economically effective this inclination of the Deople.
44 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
FOREIGN SCHOOLS RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS.
In the territory covered by this handbook, three schools at Her-
mosillo, El Fuerte, and Mazatlan are now being conducted by mis-
sionaries of the American Board (Congregational) and its affiliated
women's boards. The school in Hermosillo, the Institute Corona,
has recently erected a $12,000 building. It has an enrollment of
about 98 pupils, boys and girls, with two American and five Mexican
teachers. The school at El Fuerte, Escuela El Progreso, has two
American and five Mexican teachers and enrolls about 130 pupils of
both sexes. Escuela El Pacifico, at Mazatlan, gives instruction in
Spanish and English to children and adults in day and night classes.
It has one American and two Mexican teachers and enrolled 72 pupils
in the school year 1922-23.
The southern Baptists of the United States maintain a boarding
school in Guaymas, with four American and a number of Mexican
teachers.
One German school is operating at Mazatlan and has 132 boarding
pupils from the surrounding country. A branch of this institution
is planned in the near future for Cuhacan.
At Empalme a school is maintained for children of employees of
the Southern Pacific Railroad of Mexico. At El Tigre, Sonora, there
is a school taught by an American woman and supported by the
mining interests. 'At Los Mochis two schools with American teachers
are maintained, respectively, by the United Sugar Co. and the ranch-
ers in the Fuerte Valley. A similar school is maintained on the
Richardson Construction Co. project in the Yaqui Valley.
Religious schools, formerly numerous and teaching possibly 25
per cent of the children, are now discountenanced by the policy of
the National Government.
EDUCATION OF MEXICANS IN THE UNITED STATES.
The religious schools of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and St. Louis,
Mo., have always attracted a considerable number of Mexicans.
During the past 10 years of internal strife in Mexico, great numbers
of West Coast and Chihuahua families have resided in the United
States, the largest numbers being located in southern California,
especially in Los Angeles, with the result that the schools there are
educating an increasing number of Mexican children each year.
The private schools of Los Angeles are also receiving many more
young Mexicans than ever before. Because of the much larger per
capita expenditure for education in the United States, it may be
advanced, as an opinion, that more money is being expended on the
education of Mexicans in the United States (that is, in Arizona and
California) than in the three States that form the Mexican West
Coast territory.
COMMERCIAL SCHOOLS.
There is one private commercial school in Hermosillo (La Escuela
Comercial H. Aja) and another in Mazatlan (Colegio Comercial),
each having approximately 30 pupils and teaching all commercial
lines, such as accounting, bookkeeping, stenography, etc. The
H. Aja school in Hermosillo has a moving-picture projection machine
for educational use and has opened a polytechnic department in
addition to its old branches.
TRANSPORTATION.
GENERAL SITUATION.
The transportation facilities, both rail and water, of the West
Coast of Mexico are entirely adequate, consistent with the popu-
lation and the present stage of development of the territory as a
whole, except for the connection lacking between the city of Tepic,
capital of the State of Nayarit, and Guadalajara, by means of which
the West Coast would have direct rail communication with the
central part of Mexico, This rail extension is vital to the economic
interests of the entire "West Coast'' because it would afford an
easier outlet for the surplus products of export, such as the wheat
and rice of Sonora, the corn, beans, and sugar of Sinaloa, and the
corn, beans, tobacco, and sugar of Nayarit.
The West Coast of Mexico was the scene of the last great railroad
construction undertaking by the line of American transcontinental
railway builders, the' extension of the Southern Pacific Railroad
from Guaymas to Tepic, down the West Coast, being due to the
vision of men like Epes Randolph, who, with others, interested the
late E. H. Harriman in the construction of this line and the develop-
ment of this new empire, which combines so many potential oppor-
tunities for American enterprise and capital. Revolution in Mexico
stopped construction through to Guadalajara, but the West Coast
was given its first adequate transportation, and stagnant communi-
ties received their first stimulus of modern commerce and develop-
ment by contact with the rest of the territory and with the outer
world.
The entire territory, including the States of Sonora, Sinaloa, and
Nayarit, has six lines of railway. Three of these are short lines
connecting interior points with the coast (1) that of the Kansas
City, Mexico & Orient Railway now operating between the port of
Topolobampo and the town of Fuerte, at the head of the Fuerte
River Valley, and surveyed to cross the Sierra Madre Range to
Chihuahua and thence to the American border at Eagle Pass; (2) the
old British railway called the Ferrocarril Occidental, which connects
Culiacan with the seaport of Altata; and (3) the new Mexican Gov-
ernment line from Navojoa, on the Southern Pacific Coast Line, to
the new proposed gulf port of Yavaros, its object being to afford a
shorter means of outlet to the sea for the "garbanzo" crop of the
Mayo River Valley.
The longest line is that of the Southern Pacific Co., which connects
with the Southern Pacific main line at Tucson, Ariz., runs from Nogales,
at the border, to Tepic, and is surveyed to Guadalajara across the
difficult terrain between the city of Tepic, in Nayarit, and the Guada-
lajara-Manzanillo branch of the Mexican National Railways. A
Southern Pacific line connects Nogales with Cananea, via Del Rio,
from which place another border line goes to Naco and thence to the
main line again at Benson, via Fairbanks, over a link in the El
Paso & Southwestern system, which has also a connecting line from
45
46 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
Naco to Douglas. The Nacozari Railway (Phelps-Dodge) connects
Douglas, Ariz., with the rich mining district of Nacozari in north-
eastern Sonora.
A short branch line connects the La Colorada mines with the main
line south of Hermosillo, and the Southern Pacific Co. has built
branches up the Yaqui Valley (Corral to Tonichi, projected to con-
nect through to Moctezuma and Nacozari) and also from Navojoa to
Alamos. In short, wherever development in mining and agricul-
ture has demanded transportation, even based on latent possibilities,
lines have been built to take care of the present or future needs, and
the completion of the proposed systems and new construction work
is dependent only on the return of stable conditions in Mexico as a
whole, with favorable attitude and legislation covering the invest-
ment of foreign capital in that country.
HISTORY OF RAILWAY DEVELOPMENT ON WEST COAST.
In the early days of West Coast development, the territory being
isolated from the rest of Mexico, the problem was to provide ra2
connection with the nearest seaports for the inland commercial
centers of Tepic, in Nayarit, and Culiacan, capital of the State of
Sinaloa. The principal city to the north of Culiacan was Guaymas,
a seaport, ana between Culiacan and Tepic was ^lazatlan, also a
seaport. Through the George Douglass interests, of Mazatlan,
British capital constructed a line from Culiacan to its nearest port-
on the Gulf of Lower California, Altata/then a fairly good harbor
into which fair-sized coastwise steamers could enter in safety and
which in colonial times had been used by the trading vessels from
the Philippines, Acapulco, etc. This railway, the Ferrocarril Occi-
dental, now connects with the Southern Pacific at Culiacan and
serves the Culiacan Valley, the third largest sugar-producing valley
of the West Coast and now provided with an irrigation canal recently
completed by the Mexican Government. The line has been in
operation for about 40 years.
A similar project, to connect Tepic (the capital and principal
business center of the Territory of Tepic, now the State of Nayarit)
with the seaport of San Bias, was started more than 30 years ago
by the old Mexican Central Railway Co., which built the line from
Cmdad Juarez to Mexico City and from Irapuato to Guadalajara and
later to Manzanillo. Construction on the Tepic-San Bias project was
never completed. The grading and rails reached the hacienda of
Navarete, from San Bias, and then the work was abandoned. The
present Mexican Government is planning the construction of the line
between San Marcos and Tepic (now that the original Southern
Pacific concession construction period has lapsed) , with an extension
from Tepic to San Bias. Imports into Tepic formerly came either
overland from the end of the Guadalajara-San Marcos branch of
the Mexican National Railways (formerly Mexican Central) by pack
animal or by water to the port of San Bias and then overland in carts
during the dry season to Tepic, or by pack mule in the rainy season.
The Pacific Mail steamers from San Francisco, north and south
bound, called at San Bias for passengers and freight. With the con-
struction of the Southern Pacific south from Mazatlan to Tepic, pas-
senger traffic now takes the railway, and the bulk of the commodity
shipments come to Mazatlan for transshipment by rail, although
TRANSPORTATION. 47
some cargo still comes down direct by steamer from San Francisco
during the dry season of the year when delivery can be secured in
Tepic by cart or pack animal. However, the port of San Bias is a
poor one, very small, only partly protected, and vessels have to lie
at a considerable distance offshore and handle cargo by lighters over
a small bar to the mouth of the San Bias Creek, where the lighters
land near the town.
No better description of the inception, construction, and history
of the Southern Pacific West Coast Lines can be secured than that
written for the Southern Pacific Bulletin, of October, 1921, by V. W.
Bennett, long identified with the work and latterly division superin-
tendent, Mazatlan to Tepic. Mr. Bennett's article follows:
With the construction of the Nacozari Railroad by the Phelps-Dodge interests in
the late nineties, between Douglas, Ariz., and Nacozari, Sonora, Mexico (for the pur-
pose of developing their large copper holdings at the latter point), with the successful
organization or the Cananea Consolidated Copper Co., at Cananea, Sonora, and with
the building of the railway from N-aco, Ariz., to Cananea a year or two later, atten-
tion was drawn tcunorthwestern Mexico. The old tales of the wonderful resources of
the West Coast were again revived.
Under instruction from E. H. Harriman, early in 1904, J. A. Naugle, at that time
assistant general manager of the Sonora Railway (Nogales to Guaymas), accompanied
by Frank Kranz, a prominent mining man of Nogales, Ariz., made a trip by team
from Guaymas, Sonora, to Guadalajara, Jalisco. The report made by them on their
return was so glowing and so thoroughly corroborated previous reports of the latent
resources of this region, that an organization was immediately formed, headed by
Col. Epes Randolph, Southern Pacific Co. engineer, and the various concessions
were secured under which those portions of the Southern Pacific Railroad of Mexico
built subsequent to 1904 were constructed.
It might be well to state here that W. C. Green, whose organization of the Cananea
Consolidated Copper Co. placed him unmistakably among the big men of the country,
was one of the staunchest supporters of Messrs. Harriman and Randolph in their dream
of a West Coast railway through to Guadalajara, the second largest city of the Republic,
and of making connection, either by construction or trackage arrangements, from
that point into Mexico City.
Let us at this point briefly analyze what the lure was which determined the spend-
ing of millions on millions of dollars on this dream, which is as yet not fully realized,
but which surely will be. There is a coastal plain, averaging 30 miles wide and
roughly 700 miles long, watered by 15 large rivers and various small streams, furnish-
ing an abundance of water for irrigation. The climate compares favorably with that
of California, and all crops (including fruits) that California will produce, and some
that can not be produced in California, can be successfully cultivated. There is an
estimated area of 3,150,000 acres of river-bottom soil and an additional tillable and
irrigable area of 5,250,000 acres. This indicates only land most available for irriga-
tion land that can be readily brought under cultivation. A large percentage of
this land will raise one crop a year without irrigation, and some of it two crops. The
average richness of soil is not exceeded anywhere. Practically all of the principal
rivers have suitable dam sites for controlling flood waters. The mountain range is
very highly mineralized, with a number of producing mines from which millions
have been taken and are still being taken. It is recalled that John Hays Hammond
once pronounced the territory tapped by the Tonichi Branch as being one of the most
heavily mineralized regions of the globe.
In Sinaloa three large sugar plants are in operation, each with an immense acreage
still undeveloped and with an abundance of water available.
This country was served only by a daily stage line, frequently tied up for from 60
to 90 days during the rainy season, when the only means 01 travel by land was horse-
back or mule back, mail being carried in this manner. A stage trip from Guadalajara
to Guaymas, under the very best conditions, was made in 11 days, the only other
means of travel being by steamer, which touched only at a few points on the coast,
it being necessary to land passengers and cargo by means of lighters, as there were no
improved harbors between Guaymas and Manzanillo. In the face of these handicaps
the country was peaceful and prosperous, as was the entire Republic of Mexico at that
time. No one could foresee what was to follow.
The West Coast of Mexico route follows, in a general way, the old Camino Real,
which extended from Guadalajara to Tucson at one time, and is marked by the ruins
48 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
of missions 'hundreds of years old. The part of the line which turns away from the
coastal plain to reach the high central plateau at Tepic lies in the classic country well
known to locating engineers through the description given in A. M. Wellington's
Economic Theory of Railway Location, in use in many engineering schools in the
country (pp. 675 to 679). Incidentally, a better line was located than the route indi-
cated by Mr. Wellington, with a maximum grade of 2.4 per cent for a distance of 26
miles.
The first portion of the later construction now comprising the holdings of the South-
ern Pacific Railroad of Mexico was the line connecting the El Paso & Southwestern
Railway at Naco, Ariz., with the mines of the Cananea Consolidated Copper Co. at
Cananea, Sonora, Mexico, which was constructed under the direction of the Santa Fe
System in the year 1901, having been taken over shortly thereafter by the Southern
Pacific System interests.
The construction of the Southern Pacific of Mexico lines south of Guaymas probably
marks the end of the active period of rapid and dramatic pioneer railway building in
America. To recount its history would be, in a measure, to tell anew many of the
instances of pioneer days of the first Southern Pacific lines, nor was there lacking the
inevitable American frontiersman, nor even the hostile Indian. Four of the finest
Missouri mules ever eaten and they were undoubtedly eaten were taken from the
first surveying party on the preliminary lines on the Yaqui River by Indians who
also killed two soldiers, members of the guard of 20 provided for this party. This
was within a short distance of the camp.
Ground was broken in August, 1905, at a point now known as Empalme, just north
of Guaymas on the Sonora Railway, which was originally also constructed by the Santa
Fe System and taken over by the Southern Pacific, on the Cananea, Rio Yaqui y
Pacifico concession under which the line from Empalme to Navojoa, the Tonichi and
Alamos Branches, and the Nogales-Del Rio Line were built. By the first months of
1906 a full-fledged construction organization was in the field and rapid progress made.
Construction was started out of Mazatlan and also Guadalajara in 1907 under the
Southern Pacific of Mexico concession from the Diaz Government of Mexico. 3
The line between Nogales and Del Rio (see Cananea), Sonora, was built in 1907 and
1908, the Tonichi Branch was built in 1907-1910, the Alamos Branch in 1907, and the
line was completed through to Navojoa from Guaymas in May, 1907 a distance of
117 miles.
Construction was pushed in both directions out of Mazatlan, locomotives and cars
being shipped in by eteamer; a fleet of lighters was constructed, and two tugs for their
operations were brought down from the United States. Ties, redwood and Oregon
pine, were shipped in by the steamer load from California and Oregon, as well as steel
from Europe. At Mazatlan all material was lightered a distance of a mile and a half
from alongside steamer lying in the outer roadstead to the wharf at the railway con-
struction headquarters near Mazatlan, there being no harbor facilities, in the proper
sense of the word, at Mazatlan. Connection was made with the forces working north
from Mazatlan and those coming south from Culiacan, about 46 miles north of the port
early in 1909. The line had been completed to the south by that time as far as the
Presidio River, south of Mazatlan, thus giving a through line for operation from
Empalme to Presidio, a distance of 484 miles. The line was opened through to Yago,
at the Santiago River, 146 miles south of Mazatlan, May 1, 1910, and to Tepic, 196
miles south of Mazatlan, February 5, 1912.
A steamer was operated regularly between Mazatlan, Manzanillo, and Guaymas
by the Southern Pacific Co. in connection with its construction work from 1908 until
the destruction of the boat at her moorings alongside the wharf at Manzanillo in 1914,
coincidentally with the occupation of Vera Cruz by American forces.
Taking into consideration the portion of the old Sonora Railway from Magdalena
south, the line is continuous to the south for a distance of 900 miles with a maximum
grade of 0.5 per cent. This probably equals, if it does not exceed, any other piece of
original construction with such a low maximum grade average on this continent, and
it is also worth while mentioning that there have been very few bad washouts on the
line south of Navojoa at least nothing to indicate the desirability of any relocation-of-
line changes.
Construction on the West Coast Line was carried out by modern methods and appli-
ances and excellent progress made. As much as 39 miles of grade was completed in
one month and track laid on it, full tied, in the same length of time.
8 Concession from Federal Government of Mexico carrying subsidy of from 12,000 to 20,000 pesos per kilo-
meter of line constructed, with 99-year operating lease. The time for construction between Tepic and Oran-
dain (near Guadalajara) under this concession has now lapsed on account of interference with the work by
the revolutions in Mexico during the past 10 or 11 years. (See also, beginning on p. 5fi, the account of the
claims of the Southern Pacific Co. against the Mexican Government for damages, losses, services, etc.,
during the revolutions.)
TRANSPORTATION. 49
On the Guadalajara portion the earthwork was done entirely by basket men on the
piecework basis, dirt being carried in a basket on the men's backs with a head strap
running up over the shoulders and over the forehead. About 120 pounds was a load
and 4 cubic meters a day's work.
The Southern Pacific of Mexico is operating to-day (September, 1922) with lines
from Nogales, Sonora, to Tepic, capital of the new State of Nayarit, a distance of 931
miles; from Nogales, Sonora, to the junction with the Cananea-Naco line at Del Rio,
Sonora, a distance of 78 miles; and from Orendain to La Quemada, north of Guada-
lajara, a distance of 42 miles. That portion of the system from the city of Tepic to
La Quemada, a distance of about 100 miles by rail, remains to be constructed in order
to connect through to Guadalajara, which will give direct rail communication to
Mexico City.
In addition to this there is a branch line from Corral to Tonichi, up the Yaqui
River Valley, a distance of 97 miles (the objective being to connect with the Nacozari-
Douglas Railway, via Moctezuma); one from Navojoa to Alamos, a distance of 39
miles; and another branch from Quila, on the San Lorenzo River, south of Culiacan,
to El Dorado, a distance of 14 miles. Neither of the first two mentioned branch lines
are, at present, in operation, for the reason that the repairs made necessary by the
depredations during the revolutions and by deterioration have not been made as yet.
That portion of the line from Ruiz to Tepic, out of operation^ for a number of years
from the same causes, was put back into temporary condition in late 1921 and is now
in operation.
The oldest portion of the West Coast system, known as the Sonora Railway, extend-
ing from Nogales to Guaymas, might be classed as the nucleus of the present system.
This line, as well as the New Mexico & Arizona line, which extended from Nogales,
Ariz., to Benson in the same State (a Territory at that time), was built between the
years 1880 and 1883 by the Santa Fe System and operated by^them until 1897, when
a reciprocal lease was executed between the Southern Pacific Co. and the Santa
Fe System covering the Sonora Railroad, the New Mexico & Arizona, and the Mojave-
Needles lines. Under this lease the Southern Pacific Co. took over the operation of
the Sonora and New Mexico- Arizona Railways and the Santa Fe took over the
Mojave-Needles line, the New Mexico & Arizona being operated as a part of the
Tucson Division of the Southern Pacific, and the Sonora Railway being operated as
a separate unit until 1912, or after the completion of the Southern Pacific Railroad
of Mexico as it now stands. Complete transfer of titles was made for the respective
properties under lease by the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific, and the Sonora Rail-
way was merged into the Southern Pacific Railroad of Mexico.
Although the Mexican revolution broke out before the line was completed through
to Tepic, and there have been repeated interruptions of traffic and loss of crops, this
section of the country has gone steadily forward.
The property has suffered greatly during the years of the revolutions in Mexico,
as stated elsewhere, traffic having been interrupted frequently and for long periods.
Hundreds of trestles have been burned, some of them having been rebuilt and de-
stroyed many times. Cars and locomotives have been destroyed. There were at
one 'time, on the Sinaloa Division, 6 miles of burned bridges. In the year 1915 there
was an average of a trestle a day burned from January 1 to July 31, ranging in length
from one span to 260 feet. As a matter of necessity, many of these openings have
been "shooflied," there having been times when there were over 150 "shooflies"
on the operated portion of the track. These have been gradually eliminated, but
there still remained in October, 1921, upward of 75. Regardless of these circumstances
and conditions, track and equipment are in fair condition.
Throughout all of the revolutionary periods there has been very little change in
personnel, even among train and enginemen. Among the officials there has been
but one case of a man resigning during this time, and in this case it was not from any
sense of fear or wishing to avoid the necessary hardships.
Empalme, the field operating headquarters and repair-shop site of the Southern
Pacific Railroad of Mexico, located about 2 miles from the port of Guaymas and
near the ocean, is a modern city of some 4,000 people, consisting almost entirely of
railway employees and their families. The water plant, sewerage, lighting system,
all of the houses, the hotel, and the club are owned t>y the railway company.
The principal cities along the route are Nogales, Cananea, Hermosillo, ^ Guaymas,
and Navojoa, all in Sonora; San Bias, Culiacan, Mazatlan, and Rosario, all in Sinaloa;
and Acaponeta and Tepic, in Nayarit.
44807 23 5
50 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
KANSAS CITY, MEXICO & ORIENT RAIL WAY!
ORGANIZATION, LOCATION, AND CONSTRUCTION.
This railway was also an American railroad-building enterprise.
The Kansas City, Mexico & Orient Railway Co., with headquarters
in Kansas City, Mo., was incorporated under the laws of Kansas on
April 30, 1900, and its lines in Mexico are operated under the " Kan-
sas charter, " which was legalized by the Diaz Government of Mexico.
The company was reorganized and reincorporated in Kansas as the
Kansas City, Mexico & Orient Railroad Co. on July 6, 1914. Its
line in the United States was taken over by the American Govern-
ment Railroad Administration during the war, in 1918, and that
same year the Mexican Government took over the operation of the
line in Mexico from the American border at Eagle Pass to the city
of Chihuahua under a contract for a term of years. 4
This railway, when completed, will extend from Kansas City,
Mo., to Topolobampo, Sinaloa, a port on the Gulf of California
a distance of approximately 1,659 miles. The distance from Kansas
City to San Francisco by the shortest route is 2,016 miles, and this
new line was promoted on the premise of triangling down through a
wide area of only partly developed country in the United States,
of tapping a rich undeveloped territory on both sides of the Sierra
Madre Ran^e in Mexico, and of providing a shorter rail haul to tide-
water on the Pacific than is afforded by any present transconti-
nental route in the United States.
No great difficulties of construction presented themselves over
the route selected until the heavy and abrupt range of the Sierra
Madres was encountered in Mexico, where seven years were spent
in preliminary location work. The original plan involved a section
of 40 miles of cog-railway on a grade of 14 per cent; but after two
years of relocation work a more practicable route with a grade of
5 per cent was found, and finally three possible routes, lying close
together, which involved grades of 2J per cent, compensated for
curves. It is probable that even this grade can be materially modi-
fied by extensive tunneling. The mountain division in Chihuahua
and Sinaloa takes in timberlands and extensive mining areas where
there are a number of rich mines and where mining would be greatly
stimulated by the advent of railway transportation, as there are
known to exist many deposits of low-grade gold ores, as well as
silver-lead ores, that can not be worked at the margin of profit
possible with pack-mule transportation.
In December, 1917, 737 miles of track were in operation in the
United States and 234 miles in Mexico, of which 62 miles reach
from the port of Topolobampo to El Fuerte, crossing the Southern
Pacific West Coast Line at the town of San Bias, Sinaloa.
At present the section from Kansas City to Wichita, Kans.,
has been graded in portions, but trains run over another system to
this point, from which Kansas City, Mexico & Orient trains operate
over their own line to Alpine, Tex., where it connects with the
Southern Pacific System east of El Paso. From Alpine the line
The following data on the Kansas City, Mexico & Orient Railway have been compiled from the Hand-
book on Mexico issued by the British Admiralty in 1919, with corrections and alterations to date based
on observations and information secured by research and in the field by P. L. Bell and H. Bentley Mao-
Kenzie.
TRANSPORTATION. 51
has been graded as far as the present end of construction in Mexico,
at Marcjuez, crossing the border and the Rio Grande at El Oro, east
of Presidio del Norte, and following the Balsas River via Rancho
Mula and Puerto Monier. From Marquez to Chihuahua trains
are in operation under the management of the Mexican National
Railways, and also from the city of Chihuahua to Sanchez, present
terminal of train operation, trains running over the Mexico North-
western from Chihuahua to La Junta. Grading has been done
from Sanchez to Los Trigos and thence to Los Hornillos. On the
Pacific side of the range the line has been graded in spots and sur-
veyed in others east of Fuerte, this being the really heavy mountain
division.
The line as at present constructed is on a ruling grade of 2 per
cent, which occurs in the section to Sanchez, the present end of the
line west of Chihuahua. East of Chihuahua, to the Rio Conchos,
the grade is 1 per cent. Over the West Coast section the grade is 1
per cent to El Fuerte.
The gauge is standard American (4 feet 8-J inches), and the line
is laid with 70-pound steel over 630 miles and 75-pound steel over
86 miles. Sidings are laid with 60-pound rails. Ties are mostly of
white oak, although replacements are being made on the West
Coast section with native hardwoods found in that region. In
Mexico all important bridges are of steel with concrete or masonry
abutments.
WEST COAST DIVISION.
The rolling stock of the West Coast division consists of 8 loco-
motives of the consolidated type, 10 passenger cars, 2 of first class,
and 247 freight cars of American standard make on both sides of the
range in Mexico, of 60,000 and 80,000 pounds capacity.
From Chihuahua east the West Coast Line runs 91 miles to Mar-
quez, toward the American border at Presidio. From Chihuahua
west the line, including the Mexican Northwestern division, is 194
miles long, the Mexican Northwestern section used being 114 miles
long and, from La Junta to Sanchez, 80 miles long. Chihuahua City
has an elevation above sea level of 4,605 feet, and Sanchez (the end
of steel) 8,045 feet where the Continental Divide is reached for the
third time. Sanchez is about 75 miles from Chinipas, the center of
the rich Arteaga mining district, for which it forms one of the outlets,
the other being Alamos. Beyond Sanchez the line will proceed
through Los Trigos to Mesa (elevation 7,350 feet), near which is the
famous Barranca de Cobre (a gigantic rift, or canyon, leading to the
western watershed of the range) , and will continue on a down grade,
dropping to 656 feet at La Junta, 126 miles from Mesa, and thence to
Los Hornillos, where it will connect with present construction from the
seacoast at Topolobampo. From Los Hornillos the grade has been
constructed to El Fuerte, a distance of 11 miles, but trains only reach
Fuerte at the present time from the port of Topolobampo. Fuerte
has an elevation of 328 feet above sea level, and from there to San
Bias, the point of crossing with the Southern Pacific West Coast
Line (elevation, 121 feet, 24 miles distant), the line has a 1 percent
grade to the coast. The distance from San Bias to Topolobampo is
38 miles, and this part of the line runs through the heart of the rich
Fuerte River Valley, collecting a considerable tonnage of sugar and
winter vegetables for transfer to the Southern Pacific at San Bias.
52 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
With the renewal of mining activities in the mountains north and
south and inland from Fuerte and in the Alamos and Batopilas
regions of the range, the Fuerte section will again carry a better
tonnage than is now the case.
FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS.
A great deal of money has been expended on this railway, which
can not be a paying venture until it is connected through the moun-
tains and can rely upon the " through-tonnage haul." The terminus
on the Pacific, Topolobampo, can not be considered a very good
harbor on account of the great bar which obstructs its entrance out
at sea and which will require enormous dredging operations to make
the excellent protected inland bay available for heavy ocean ton-
nage. (See p. 17.) Enormous capital is required to construct the
line over the range to connect with the West Coast section, and this
capital depends upon conditions in Mexico in general. In the United
States, and in Mexico until the city of Chihuahua is reached, the
line runs through a partly desert country supporting a very meager
population. Its tonnage in the mountain section of Chihuahua de-
pends upon the development of lumbering and mining activities,
and it is a serious question whether this line, if completed through
to Topolobampo, could hope to compete with other transcontinental
lines for tonnage for export from the United States to Pacific ports and
the Orient, in view of the present condition of commercial develop-
ment in both the United States and Mexico. At present the West
Coast division is necessarily being operated as a separate unit be-
tween Topolobampo and Fuerte. Repair shops and headquarters are
located at San Bias. With the tonnage afforded by the development
of agriculture in the Fuerte Valley this part of the line is paying at
the present time a small surplus above actual operating and upkeep
expenses. Equipment and track are in very poor condition as a
result of the years of revolution in that part of Mexico, and the
property has suffered in depreciation and loss. The purchasing
agent is the Kansas City, Mexico & Orient Railroad Co., Kansas
City, Mo., where general offices are also located. American standard
equipment, signals, etc., are used throughout.
SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD OF MEXICO.
ROLLING STOCK AND EQUIPMENT.
During the revolutions the damage to rolling stock on the Southern
Pacific Railroad of Mexico has been very great; 1,200 freight cars
have been totally or partly destroyed at one time or another by the
rebels and Government troops. At present the line is using a total
of 64 locomotives of the standard American type, 1,313 freight cars of
all types, and 86 passenger coaches, of which 16 are of first-class
type. Pullman cars are carried from Los Angeles as far as Mazatlan
three tunes a week, which is the present operating schedule.
The Sonora State government encouraged a general strike of the
men employed by the company in 1917, then took over the road and
endeavored to operate it for their own account. They failed in this,
and financial difficulties forced them to ask the company to take the
line back. This was done by the company after the government
TRANSPORTATION.
53
had recognized all claims. Up to 1916, bridges totaling 75,151 feet
in length had been destroyed from time to time, some of these more
than once.
SONORA RAILWAY.
In 1909, after being taken over from the Santa Fe System, the
Sonora Railway portion of the West Coast Line was reconstructed.
This involved the raising of the track, the putting in of new ties
throughout, the replacement of old bridges and culverts, and the
substitution of heavier rails. The line is now of standard American
gauge (4 feet 8-J inches). The heaviest grade is 2 per cent (Mag-
dalena division) and the minimum curve radius 574.465 feet. This
part of the line has 1,902 bridges and culverts, having a total length
of 34,017 feet.
TOWNS ON MAIN LINE, ELEVATIONS, CONNECTIONS, ETC.
In the following table are brief descriptions of the principal places
on the main line of the Southern Pacific Railroad of Mexico :
Towns.
Eleva-
tion.
Distance
from
Nogales.
Description.
Feet.
3,869
Miles.
Terminus of line from Tucson and Benson, Ariz., where connection
Lomas
3
is made with main line of Southern Pacific. Point of departure
for Altar mining district and for West Coast Route as far south as
Tepic.
Branch line, formerly part of the Rio Yaqui, Cananea & Pacific
Encima
4,188
7
Railway, 4 foot 8| inch gauge, runs generally east to (4 miles)
Puertozuelo, 4,910 feet; along valley of Rio Santa Cruz and across
the river near Santa Cruz (36 miles), 4,439 feet; to (78 miles) Del
Rio, 4,681 feet, junction with line from Naco to Cananea. Maxi-
mum grade, 2.6 per cent; minimum curve radius, 625 feet.
A general down grade from Encima to Guaymas, at sea level
Agua Zarca
Magdalena
3,816
2,460
12i
54
Here the San Ignacio River is reached, its right bank being fol-
lowed to Magdalena.
Near point where line crosses Rio San Ignacio. Wheat and cotton
Santa Ana
2,252
66
section; also mining'to the south. Prospects of dry farming and
irrigation works.
Shipping point for Altar mining district, reached by auto truck
Carbo
1,523
130
etc. Line proceeds due south across level plain.
Lunch station. Border line between Nogales and Guaymas Ameri-
Pesqueira
1,075
151
can consular districts in Sonora.
Point of departure for Horcasitas mining district to the south.
Hermosillo
693
175
Line crosses Sonora River by iron bridge 309 feet long in three
Torres
538
201
spans. Between Hermosillo and Torres line crosses two branches
of Sonora River. (Hermosillo is capital of Sonora.
Branch line, Mexican Union Railway Co., 3-foot gauge to Minas
Ortiz
347
235J
Prietas (12.5 miles), also called La Colorada Mines, from which
line was completed in 1918 for distance of 38 miles in direction of
old mining district of Ures, 65 miles distant, which was the objec-
tive for mining development. Ruling gradient about 1.5 per
cent. Rails: 13 miles, 25-pound; 6J miles, 30-pound; 18f miles,
50-pound. Rolling stock (now almost destroyed and worthless):
4 locomotives, 3 passenger coaches, 12 box cars, and 15 flat cars
for ore, etc. From Minas Prietas there is a branch line built to
El Represo, a mine not now in operation. From Minas Prietas
a wagon road starts for San Jose de Punas, Tecoripa (point for
Santa Barbara), San Javier (for the coal fields of Los Bronces),
La Barranca, and Toledo, a station on the Tonichi branch all
mining centers, but at present closed down because of existing
conditions. From Minas Prietas another wagon road leads to
Lapiz, 20 miles to the south, to the Santa Maria graphite mines,
now being worked on a small scale.
Ejnpalme
5
260
properties, runs to Cumuripa. (See below.)
owned by the company. Modern equipment. General railway
repair and erecting shops. Coal storage of railway; capacity,
10,000 tons (coal used, New Mexico "Gallup" coal). A spur
track runs across an arm of a shallow lagoon on an embankment 1
mile long and then follows the shore to Mile 265, to Guaymas, a
seaport. From Empalme line continues south to Corral.
54
MEXICAN WEST COAST.
Towns.
Eleva-
tion.
Distance
from
Nogales.
Description.
Corral
Feet.
122
125
167
166
115
152
154
138
143
139
192
114
119
172
55
46
81
89
106
187
2.249
Miles.
323
376J
403
429
460
491
493
504
513
526
549
565
597
628
734
774
789
828
879
882
898
917
Branch line runs northeast along right bank of Rio Yaqui to
Tonichi, via Buena Vista, 16^ miles, 19 1 feet elevation; Cumuripa,
41J miles. 285 feet- Toledo, 93 miles, 590 feet; and Tonichi,
96 miles, 600 feet. From Tonichi the survey runs along the San
Bernardino and Bavispe Rivers to join the line to Nacozari from
Douglas. The line beyond Tonichi was under construction as
far as the mining camp of Cienegita, 20 miles southeast of Sahua-
ripa, in 1909. The section from Corral to Navojoa, main line, has
a maximum grade of 0.5 per cent and a minimum curve radius
of 1,650 feet. South of Corral the line runs southeast in general
direction, crossing the Rio Yaqui on a large bridge which has
escaped destruction.
Here the Rio Mayo is crossed by large steel bridge. Branch line to
Alamos, 1,282 feet elevation. Maximum grade, 2.8 per cent;
minimum curve radius of branch line, 625 feet. Alamos is a
mining center and is the nearest outlet point for the Chinipas
(Arteaga) mining district in Chihuahua, about 60 miles distant.
A narrow-gauge steam railway connects, the Palmarejo mine with
the Chinipas River, 20 miles distant. A new branch line is being
built now by the Mexican Government to connect Navojoa with
the port of Y avaros ? approximately 60 miles distant down the
Mayo Valley, which is the largest producing section for the chick-
pea, or "gafbanzo," of the "west-coast "region. The section from
Navojoa to Culiacan has a maximum grade of 0.5 per cent and a
minimum curve radius of 925 -feet. The line crosses a more or
less rolling country with numerous rivers and creeks.
Between Don and Francisco the line crosses the Rio Alamos, not
an important stream.
Crossing of Fuerte River. River varies from 2 feet in depth by 250
feet in width at extreme low water to 1 mile wide, 25 feet in depth,
and a current of 7 to 10 miles per hour during flood season. Junc-
tion with Kansas City, Mexico & Orient Railway to Topolo-
bampo.
Between Naranjo and Toruno line crosses the Ocoroni arroyo.
Between Toruno and Bamoa line crosses the Smaloa River.
Principal point for the Ocoroni and Sinaloa River Valleys, where
there is considerable new planting of tomatoes, winter vegetables,
garbanzos, etc.
Between Capomas and Guamucnil line crosses the Mocorito River.
Point on railway nearest to Pericos, plantation of sugar cane and
(principally) ''mescal'' distillery.
Line crosses Culiacan River just below junction of Tamazula and
Navojoa . . .
Masiaca
Don
San Bias . .
Naranjo
Toruno
Bamoa
Capomas
Guamuchil
PalosBlancos
Retes. . .
Culiacan
Quila
Humaya Rivers over steel bridge of 14 spans of 70-foot deck-
plate girders and 2 spans of 200 feet through Pratt trusses. Branch
line: Ferrocarril Occidental, to Altata, 38 miles, down the Culia-
can Valley.
San Lorenzo River is crossed by bridge of 72 spans of 70-foot deck-
plate girders. Between Quila and Mazatlan, line crosses the large
rivers Elota and Piaxtla and the smaller Quelite. Branch line
to El Dorado (sugar plantation and mill of Redo y Cia.) and
small port, distance 14 miles.
Seaport. From Mazatlan to the Santiago River the maximum
grade is 0.4 per cent and the minimum curve radius 625 feet.
Between Mazatlan and Rosario the Rosario River is crossed on a
wooden bridge, recently burned out for the sixth or seventh time.
Mining town for the famous "Rosario" mine of Mr. Bradbury, of
Los Angeles.
Center of the shrimp-fishing industry.
Between Acaponeta and Yago the line crosses the San Pedro River,
in the valley of which is a new winter tomato and melon growing
center.
Between Yago and Nanchi the Santiago River is crossed on large
steel bridge, six spans of 70-foot steel girders and three 200-foot
spans of Pratt trusses. From the Santiago to Tepic the maximum
grade is about 2 per cent. The present condition of this line,
long out of operation on account of the revolutions and recently
put into condition, is very poor. The running time for mixed
passenger and freight trains between the port and Tepic is from
16 to 20 hours. Yago is also the point for Santiago Ixquintla, the
largest town in the Santiago River Valley, some 14 miles distant
from the railway and in the heart of a very rich agricultural sec-
tion of the great alluvial valley of the river.
Between this point and Aguirre there is a rise of 2,062 feet.
Sugar mill and plantation of the Aguirre estate, of Tepic.
Mazatlan .
Rosario
Esquinapa .
Acaponeta
Yaeo
Nanchi.
Roseta
Aeruirre...
TRANSPORTATION.
55
Towns.
Eleva-
tion.
Distance
from
Nogales.
Description.
Feet.
Miles.
Tepic
3,186
931
Present terminus of the line. The section from Tepic to Guadala-
j ara is not completed. The time allowed for this construction by
the Government under the original concession has now lapsed
and a new survey is being carried out by the Mexican Government
engineersfrom the end of the Guadalajara-San Marcos Branch to
Tepic and from t here t o the port of S an Bias, according t o present
plans of the Government. The distance between Tepic and the
present end of the line out of Orendain, where the Southern Pacific
leaves the Mexican National Railways near Guadalajara, is
given, according to the Southern Pacific survey, as 91 miles,
which includes some 17 miles of bridges and tunnels, with an
estimated cost of $11,000,000.
La Quemada
4,268
1,022
Magdalena
4 461
Tequila
3.997
Center of mescal liquor industry.
Amatitlan
4 903
There is an elevation of 906 feet between this point and Tequila in 8
miles of track.
Quiteria
4,024
Difference of 879 feet in 5 miles of track.
Orendain
4,730
1,064
Change to Guadalajara. The distance from Orendain to La Que-
mada is given as 68 miles, but the right .figure is 42 miles.
ANNUAL REPORT FOR 1922.
The annual report of the Southern Pacific Railroad Co. of Mexico as
of December 31, 1922, shows the following claims against the Mexican
Government up to that date:
Total damage from 1910 to December 31, 1921 $5, 767, 630
Equivalent in Mexican pesos 11, 535, 260
Claims against Mexican Government
Subvention and unpaid interest
pesos. . 27, 875, 427
do ---- 4, 964, 845
Total claims ................................ do
32, 840, 272
Claims already filed ................................ do ____ 26, 268, 121
The average mileage operated in 1921 was 1,054.7, as against
1,001.47 for 1920. Only such maintenance was carried on as was
necessary for operation of trains over lines open to traffic.
The system never paid a profit in excess of operating costs until
late in 1921 when, for the first time, tonnage handled paid for line
conditioning (on a f temporary scale) and operating costs, and this
condition continued during 1922.
NACO-CANANEA LINE.
The line from Naco to Cananea, formerly a part of the Rio Yaqui,
Cananea & Pacific Railroad, which was absorbed and consolidated by
the Southern Pacific Railroad of Mexico, is an extension of the railway
from Douglas, Ariz., forming a part of the El Paso & Southwestern
System, and is also connected with Benson. The maximum grade
is 2.45 per cent and the minimum curve radius 715 feet. The line is
MEXICAN WEST COAST.
of standard American gauge. Following are notes concerning the
towns on the line:
Town.
Eleva-
tion.
Distance
from
Naco.
Description.
Feet.
Miles.
Naco
4 607
Frontier station. Line runs in a southwestern direction to
Cananea.
Del Rio
4.681
29
Junction with line from Nogales.
Cananea
5,270
38
Mines of the Cananea Consolidated Copper Co., which are con-
nected by standard-gauge track with smelters, reduction
plants, etc. Mines have recently resumed operations August,
1922 after being shut down for one and a half years as a result of
revolution in Mexico and copper market conditions. Cananea is
one of the largest copper camps in the world and produces enor-
mous tonnage of this metal when working with full force.
PRESENT STATUS OF SOUTHERN PACIFIC CLAIMS.
The Southern Pacific Co. has made repeated attempts to reach an
agreement with the Mexican Government (Obregon regime) for the
adjustment and at least partial payment of the claims of the company
against the Government for damages to the property, destruction of
rolling stock and material, and services rendered in the transporta-
tion of troops and supplies during the various revolutions in Mexico,
without result to date the Government alleging lack of sufficient
funds to meet these claims at this time, though a large proportion of
the claims have been allowed by the various commissions appointed
to pass on them in detail. The new president of the Southern Pacific
of Mexico has made an offer to the Government stated as the new
policy of his company to the effect that whatever sums, however
small, paid on account by the Government would be immediately
expended by the company in the new construction work necessary
to connect the line with Guadalajara and the Mexican National
Railways at that point, instead of this money being applied on ac-
count of past claims for damages, etc. It should be borne in mind
that it is very vital to the best economic interests of the entire West
Coast region, and also to the central part of the Republic, that direct
rail communication be established as soon as possible in order that
the West Coast may have a direct, easy, rapid outlet for its surplus
food products to the markets of the interior, where these have been
badly needed during the past few years in the thickly inhabited part
of Mexico.
The Mexican Government, in February, 1922, through the Min-
istry of Hacienda (Treasury) , announced that Mexican Government
engineers were to be placed at once at the task of relocating a prac-
tical route from San Marcos (Jalisco) to Tepic, and from there to
the port of San Bias. In August the chief engineer of the Mexican
National Railways, who had completed the survey and location of
the new Rio Mayo Railway in southern Sonora, was ordered to
proceed to San Marcos, Jalisco, to take charge of this work, and it
was later claimed that a better route had been found than the one
selected by the Southern Pacific engineers between Tepic and La
Quemada, which includes the canyon of the Rio Santiago and some
TRANSPORTATION. 57
of the most difficult terrain in the entire country, being very broken
in character in this section of more than 90 miles.
It should be recalled further that the time allowance contained in
the original Diaz Government concession for the Southern Pacific to
Guadalajara from Tepic (the line having been built in sections under
a subsidy) has, in the meantime, lapsed on account of the inability
of the company to continue this work while the country was torn by
warring political factions and desolated by bandits. On account
of the general lack of funds in the Mexican Government's Treasury,
it is very doubtful whether the Government will be able to proceed
with the actual construction of this line. The attitude of the Southern
Pacific, in view of the enormous expense involved in the construction
of this part of the system as originally planned some $11,000,000
United States currency was that they were willing to have the
Government construct this connecting link, which would auto-
matically afford the Southern Pacific West Coast Line direct rail
communication and provide it with the much-desired and necessary
long tonnage haul without the expense of constructing this difficult
part of the line. 40
PRESENT COST OF SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD OF MEXICO.
According to an article appearing in the Bulletin, official organ
of the Southern Pacific Co., published in October, 1921, the total
cost of the West Coast Line, since 1905, has been about $125,000,000,
over and above subsidies paid by the Mexican Government $44,-
704,526 having been charged off to profit and loss, due principally to
losses sustained by the property in various ways during the periods of
revolutionary activity in Mexico. The property in Mexico is valued,
in round numbers, at $22,000,000.
NACOZARI RAILROAD CO.
This line runs 75 miles from the American border at Douglas, Ariz.,
to Nacozari, the center of a rich copper-mining district where the
Phelps-Dodge interests have large properties, as well as several other
companies. The property is controlled by the Phelps-Dodge in-
terests, with headquarters in New York City. The line crosses the
Mexican border from Douglas to the Mexican town of Agua Prieta.
The maximum grade is 1.5 per cent, and the minimum curve
radius is 310 feet. The line is of standard American gauge. The
equipment comprises 7 locomotives, 6 coaches, 117 freight cars.
< In March, 1923, it was announced, through official Mexican Government sources, that a definite
arrangement had been reached between the Mexican Government and the Southern Pacific Railroad Co.
of Mexico for the reconstruction of the Tonichi Branch, running 96 miles up the Yaqui River Valley from
,Corral, on the main line south of Guaymas; and also for the reconstruction of the Alamos Branch from
Navojoa, on the main line, 38 miles to the town of Alamos. It was stated that the agreement also covers
the construction of the extension of the main line from Tepic, in the State of Nayarit, to La Quemada, near
Guadalajara. It was also reported that, in all probability, the Tonichi Branch would be extended to
connect with the Nacozari Railway (Phelps-Dodge Co.), giving easy access to the United States for this
region through Douglas, Ariz.
The Alamos and Tonichi Branches were abandoned in 1912, and it was thought that nearly all bridges,
culverts, etc., would have to be replaced and that a number of small tunnels would need to be reconditioned.
In April, 1923, it was reported that active work was in progress on new construction from Tepic and also
out from La Quemada, it being hoped to cross the lowlands before the beginning of the rainy season in July.
58
MEXICAN WEST COAST.
Following are brief comments on the principal towns touched by this
line:
Towns.
Distance
from
Agua
Prieta.
Description.
Agua Prieta..
Miles.
33
44
75
Between the border and Mile 20, line crosses three branches of the Agua
Prieta River.
From here to Vigia line follows left bank of Rio de Fronteras and crosses
three branches of that river.
Rail point for El Tigre Mine and Pilares de Teras, the latter containing the
largest deposit of low-grade sulphides of copper in the world.
In center of rich mining district. Rail point for Cumpas region, Moctezuma
region, etc. Objective of Tonichi Branch (up Yaqui River) of the
Southern Pacific of Mexico from Corral, south of Guaymas. Branch line,
3-foot gauge, private company, to mines of Los Pilares, 7 miles.
Fronteras
Esqueda
Nacozari
TONNAGE MOVEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF REGION.
In spite of the revolutions (which began before the line reached
Tepic), partial crop failures, and frequent interruptions in traffic, the
region has continued to progress. In 1920 the total exports from
Mexico registered in the Arizona customs district were valued at
$31,379,497, with imports into Mexico from the United States valued
at $17,004,853.
During the 1920 season 900 carloads of West Coast tomatoes passed
through Nogales into the United States from Sinaloa and Nayarit.
The 1921 crop was estimated at 3,000 carloads, but only 1,113
resulted because of loss from insect pests, plant disease, and bad
handling and packing methods. If the total estimated 1921 yield had
materialized it would have meant a shipment to the United States
of 2,400,000 "lugs" (crates) of winter tomatoes, or about two and
one-half tomatoes for every person in the United States. During
1920 a total of 1,279 carloads of "garbanzos" and 28 cars of minerals
were exported to the United States through Nogales, and imports of
general merchandise into Mexico througn the same port of entry
amounted to 1,279 carloads.
The estimated winter-tomato and winter- vegetable acreage for
the 1922-23 season is calculated to be at least four times as great as
that of the 1921-22 season, although, on account of the danger from
frosts, floods, insect pests, and prevalent plant diseases peculiar to the
region, the actual yield for shipment is very problematical at this
time. The railway is preparing to handle about 3,000 cars of toma-
toes, etc., between the Santiago Valley in Nayarit and the Fuerte
Valley in northern Sinaloa.
NEW RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION ON WEST COAST.
MAYO VALLEY RAILWAY (" FERROCARRIL DEL RIO MAYO").
This new railway, which is being built by the Government of
Mexico in conjunction with the landowners of the Mayo Valley
(which is the largest area of production of the chick-pea called
"garbanzo"), starts at the town of Navojoa on the Southern Pacific
of Mexico, near the apex of the Mayo River Valley, 376 miles south
of Nogales and 116 miles south of the port of Guaymas (Empalme),
and is surveyed to the gulf port of Yavaros, located on the Bay of
TRANSPORT ATION. 59
Santa Barbara at the mouth of the Mayo River, where a protected
but shallow harbor is formed by the alluvial island of Santa Barbara.
The annual crop of "garbanzos" has always been shipped by rail to
Guaymas and then loaded on steamer for Spain and the West Indies,
although recent shipments have been going by rail to New Orleans
for export to the West Indies from there by an agent of the Comision
Monetaria of the Mexican Government.
The line follows down the Mayo Valley south of the river, passing
through the important agricultural towns of Echacoa, San Pedro,
and Huatabampo, the rail distance, as surveyed, being 74 kilometers,
or 45.98 miles, approximately. The line is of standard gauge and
connects with the Southern racific main coast line at the town of
Navojoa.
METHOD OF FINANCING AND CONSTRUCTION.
The Mexican Government contracted with the landowners of the
valley on a partnership basis the landowners to do the grading and
furnish the ties from the heavy growths of native mesquite that are
found along the right of way the Government to pay the current
prices for the work of grading and for the ties furnished on a basis of
33 J per cent in cash and 66 per cent in stock in the railway company
formed. The estimated cost of the grading was placed at 16 centavos
($0.08) per cubic meter, but the work actually cost more, in spite of
the level ground covered by the line, because water had to be hauled
considerable distances for the men and stock on the work in the field.
PROGRESS OF WORK.
At the beginning of the rainy season (June, 1922) it was reported
that 10 kilometers of line had been graded and steel laid, and one
locomotive and a few flat cars were brought in to facilitate the work
of construction. By the end of September, 1922, it was reported that
onlv 10 kilometers remained to be graded, the line being in operation
to ^Etchojoa, Kilometer 57, and that the survey of the proposed
harbor, docks, etc., was well under way. New rolling stock, including
2 locomotives and 14 box cars, was brought down from the United
States, and it was hoped that the line would be ready to move the
bulk of the season's "garbanzo" crop, the Government supplying
the rails, rolling stock, and operating equipment. The actual work
of survey and construction was in charge of the Director General of
the National Railways of Mexico and of a personal representative
of General Obregon, whose family has large land holdings in the
Mayo Valley in the neighborhood of Huatabampo, which is also the
name of the Obregon family's hacienda. The Government's grant was
originally 150,000 pesos (nominally $75,000 United States currency).
PORT OF YAVAROS.
Surveys of this shallow port and harbor showed that there was 27
feet of water inside the bar off the mouth of the Mayo River at the
entrance off Santa Barbara Island, but onlv 13 feet of water at mean
low tide around the island of Viejas, which it is proposed to use as the
terminal and wharf site for the new railway. The bar itself has only
12 feet of water at low water and will have to be dredged. The Mayo,
like all other rivers of the West Coast, carries an enormous amount
60 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
of alluvial material in its waters at flood season, and alluvial for-
mations are always changing near its outlet at the sea.
Late in November, 1922, the President of Mexico, in view of the
lack of funds for the completion of this railway and the seaport ter-
minal facilities, requested the mining companies (mostly American)
of the Alamos district to send representatives to Mexico City to
confer with the Government regarding plans for raising additional
funds for the completion of the work, it having been found in the
meantime that the dredging of the channel and other port works at
Yavaros would prove to be more costly than at first contemplated.
The "garbanzo growers of the Mayo Valley have had several bad
years j on account of the inadequate market demand from Spain, low
prices, and an estimated damage to the crop in 1922 of 25 per cent of
the estimated total yield, and they can not be expected to furnish
any great amount of additional funds for this project at this time.
EFFECT OF LINE ON OCEAN FREIGHTS AND RAIL COMPETITION.
The completion of the Rio Mayo Railway would give the "gar-
banzo" growers a much shorter haul to tidewater for their product
46 miles (as compared with 116 miles to Guaymas) or even less as
the line passes right through the cultivated region which extends
down to the coast from the railway at Navojoa, through the main
part of the valley. In September, 1922, agents of the Mexican Navi-
gation Co. (owned by the Mexican Government), which operates
three steamers between Mexican West Coast ports and the Pacific
ports of the United States, were in the Yaqui, Mayo, and Sinaloa
River Valleys offering reduced freight rates with through bills of
lading to shippers of wheat, "garbanzos," and other products from
the West Coast to the interior of Mexico via Manzanillo and the
National Railways of Mexico, or for export via the Tehuantepec
Railway. (See p. 65.)
DURANGO-MAZATLAN RAILWAY.
This much-talked-of rail connection for the West Coast port of
Mazatlan with the interior across the Sierra Madre Range has been
variously surveyed in years past, and in 1919 the Mexican Government
resumed construction on the line west of Durango City in the State
of Durango, on the eastern side of the range. On account of the lack
of funds, the work has been recently discontinued by the Government.
An attempt at a location was made in 1919 east from Mazatlan to
connect with the line projected from the present end of steel on the
eastern side of the abrupt mountains which divide Durango from
Sinaloa in this section of the range. Any crossing by a railway of this
portion of the Sierra Madres would mean many difficulties of steep
elevations and heavy grades. Fairly good pine timber exists in mer-
chantable quantities on the eastern side of the mountains, and the
region is potentially rich from a mining standpoint, there being
several large camps that have been producing for many years.
The original line was called the Mexican International Railway,
which was built by the C. P. Huntington interests from San Antonio
Tex., via the border at Eagle Pass, Tex. (Piedras Negras, Coahuila,
Mexico), to Durango City, via Torreon, where it connected with the
old Mexican Central line between Ciudad Juarez (El Paso) and
TRANSPORTATION. 61
Mexico City. The original idea of Mr. Huntington was to connect
the southwest of the United States with a Pacific port in Mexico,
Mazatlan being the objective. This line was taken over by the
Mexican Government under the National Railways of Mexico plan in
1907, the control of the Mexican Central being secured in 1909. A
branch line runs north from Durango City to Tepeguanes, tapping
a rich pine, timber, wheat, cattle, and mining section. Plans have been
made for extensions northwest to Guanecevi and west to the mining
town of Topia. Another branch connects Durango City with
Zacatecas to the south, via Sombrerete, the main line of the Central
again being reached at Zacatecas.
The Mazatlan Branch runs west from Durango and there are now a
total of 100 kilometers (1 kilometer = 0.621 mile) completed to a
point called Llano Grande, from which place an additional 40 kilo-
meters are graded to a point called El Salto. To reach Mazatlan
there remain approximately 265 kilometers to be constructed, about
200 kilometers of which are very heavy mountain construction work
through an unproductive country. The cost would be very great,
equaling the cost of the heaviest railway construction on the Amer-
ican Continent.
Prior to 1910 an American company owning large mining and
timber land interests in Durango spent considerable money in a
survey and preliminary location of a proposed line of railway from
Durango to Mazatlan, via Topia and Canelas, Chacala, etc.
The ultimate construction of this line to Mazatlan seems to be a
question of Mexican Government finances, although the line from
Mazatlan to the edge of the high mountains on the Pacific side, where
there are several large producing mining camps, would not be a too
costly undertaking. Immediate tonnage, however, would not support
operation unless the line was connected through with Durango and
thence with the interior of the country to the east.
SUMMARY OF PROPOSED RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION IN WEST COAST REGION.
Summarizing the proposed railway construction on the "West
Coast" and starting in the north, in Sonora, one must mention first
the connection with the Nacozari-Douglas line by the Southern
Pacific's branch up the Yaqui River Valley from the main Coast
Line at Corral, now in operation as far as Tonichi. This extension
would develop what has been characterized as one of the most richly
mineralized regions in the world. Next comes the connection of the
Kansas City, Mexico & Orient Railway across the heavy mountain
range between Chihuahua and Topolobampo. Then there is the new
Navojoa-Yavaros Mayo River Railway nearing completion and
connecting the Southern Pacific West Coast Line with the Gulf of
California. After this comes the Duran^o-Mazatlan extension of
the National Railways of Mexico, which also, like the Kansas City,
Mexico & Orient Railroad, will have to cross the high range of the
Sierra Madres. Most important of all is the extension of the Southern
Pacific from Tepic to Guadalajara, which will afford a direct rail out-
let for the surplus agricultural products of the West Coast to the
markets of the central and most inhabited part of Mexico. Exclusive
of the harbor work necessary at the new port of Yavaros at the mouth
of the Mayo River, it may be roughly estimated that the total cost of
62 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
the three major railway connections with the interior of the country
across the range will amount to approximately $54,000,000 United
States currency.
RAILROAD FREIGHT CHARGES.
Railway freight charges are fixed by the Ministry of Communica-
tions. (See Tarif as de Metes, Ministerio de Comunicaciones y Obras
Publicas.)
The important point for the consideration of the exporter interested
in the development of trade with the West Coast of Mexico is that
water rates are cheaper and that all-rail shipments from either San
Francisco or Los Angeles to, say, Mazatlan, can not compete with
shipments made by steamer from either point, and Mazatlan is now
the chief distributing point for the West Coast of Mexico.
STEAMER LINES AND PORTS.
Steamer service covering all the principal ports of the West Coast
of Mexico may be said to be more than adequate at the present time,
in view of the amount of available tonnage in and out, there being 10
lines of vessels, large and small, operating on the West Coast and to
and from American Pacific coast ports. Following the discontinuance of
the old Compania Naviera del Pacifico (Luis A. Martinez y Cia.) during
the first years of revolutionary activity in Mexico, and also during
the Great War on account of the scarcity of ocean tonnage, the West
Coast suffered from the lack of water transportation to a very great
extent, especially as the railway was frequently put of commission as
a result of revolutionary activities. Exporters in California went so
far as to form small navigation companies to furnish tonnage for the
transportation of goods to the West Coast points. The Pacific Mail
Steamship Co. has again renewed its service out of San Francisco to
Mexican and Central American West Coast ports and to the canal,
with three steamers Mazatlan, Manzanillo, Acapulco, and Salina
Cruz being the ports of call in Mexico. Two new companies, one con-
trolled by the Mexican Government, with three steamers, and the
other of British origin and control but also under the Mexican flag,
are competing for the trade between American Pacific coast ports and
the ports of the Mexican west coast as far down as Salina Cruz, and
several small companies with one or two smaller vessels compete in
the way-port trade out of Guaymas and Mazatlan, covering the Gulf
of California, the service now also including water transport in
shallow-draft vessels to the mouth of the Colorado River, where
motor transport connects with Yuma and the cotton-growing lands
of the Mexicali Valley at Calexico (Mexicali). Up to September,
1921, there was only one steamer line operating a freight and pas-
senger service on the West Coast, with two motor vessels in service
between West Coast ports and San Pedro (Los Angeles) . There are
now five lines competing, and rates are one-half of what they were at
that time. The present situation is that these vessels usually secure a
good tonnage of general merchandise from the United States, but have
difficulty in securing a sufficient return cargo tonnage of Mexican
exports on account of the fact that the West Coast does not produce
much that is exportable at the present time except the "garbanzo"
crops of northern Sinaloa and southern Sonora.
TRANSPORTATION.
63
EUROPEAN STEAMSHIP SERVICE.
In August, 1922, the French Compagnie General e Transatlantique
announced that, beginning in October, 1922, a monthly freight service
would be inaugurated in connection with the company's Pacific coast
service for loading "garbanzos" out of Guaymas for European ship-
ment, a total of 3,000 tons of space being reserved on each monthly
steamer for loading at Guaymas of this product of export, the bulk of
which goes to Spain, with large shipments also to the West Indies,
principally to Cuba and Porto Rico. Shippers were required to
reserve their space through the San Francisco (Calif.) agency of the
company, making a deposit in advance to hold space reserved and to
insure the vessel calling at Guaymas for loading, a minimum total of
3,000 tons being required. The same company also offered to insure
cargo at a reasonable ocean-risk rate. Direct delivery, without trans-
shipment, was scheduled for Bilboa, Spain, in 30 days' time. The
vessels in this service are the steamships Arkansas, Nevada, Iowa,
Indiana, all classed A-l and with a speed of more than 11 knots per
hour. Heretofore, shipments of "garbanzos" have been made prin r
cipally in Spanish steamers specially chartered for the purpose of
shipment to Spain of this staple Spanish food product. (See p. 132).
The same French company also sends monthly boats to Mazatlan,
Manzanillo, and Salina Cruz, with transshipment service at the Canal,
the fleet consisting of five vessels (see list) in connection with its
Pacific coast service to the United States.
In this same connection it is also interesting to note that steamer
service will soon be inaugurated between American Pacific coast
ports, including Los Angeles harbor (San Pedro), and the countries
of the east coast of South America, via the canal. This new service
of ocean freight will greatly increase the scope of direct markets for
American Pacific coast products in Latin America.
LIST OF COMPANIES SERVING WEST COAST.
The following table gives the names of the steamship and navi-
gation companies serving the West Coast, the names and tonnage
of vessels owned or operated, and information regarding the itin-
eraries, frequency of sailings, etc.:
Name of
company.
Nationality
of registry.
Names of
vessels.
Tonnage.
Itinerary of service.
Gross.
Net.
Pacific Mail Steam-
ship.
Cia. Naviera de los
Estados de Mexico.
S.A.
Cfa. Naviera Mexi-
cana.
American
Mexican (Brit-
ish control).
Mexican (Gov-
ernment).
Cuba
San Juan
3,169
2,152
2,643
.404
,404
,404
,404
,404
,404
2,568
1,669
1,669
571
1,862
1,308
1,653
849
849
849
849
849
849
1.662
893
893
San Francisco, Los Angeles,
Mazatlan, Manzanillo, Aca-
pulco, Salina Cruz, Central
American ports, Panama
Canal.
San Francisco, Los Angeles,
and all Mexican West Coast
ports of call; boats alter-
nating, in circle; one
steamer weekly at all prin-
cipal ports.
San Francisco, Los Angeles,
Gulf of California, and West
Coast ports; 10-day service
at DrinciDal oorts.
Newport
Chihuahua
Sinaloa
Oaxaca
Colima
Chiapas
Guerrero .
Mexico
Washington
Bolivar
Bonita...
64
MEXICAN WEST COAST.
Name of
company.
Nationality
of registry.
Names of
vessels.
Tonnage.
Itinerary of service.
Gross.
Net.
Fairhaven Steam-
ship Co.
Cie. Generate Trans-
atlantique.
Agenda Navaro
California-M e x i c an
Navigation Co.
Guerena Hnos
American
Fairhaven .
1,078
5.796
6,686
5 922
16,000
16,000
74
i 175
UOO
1100
175
1100
175
1175
767
3.688
4,236
3,763
14,000
14,000
55
125
75
175
150
175
150
i 125
San Francisco, Los Angeles,
West Coast ports; no regu-
lar schedule.
San Francisco, Mazatlan,
Manzanillo, Salina Cruz,
and Canal; monthly service.
Gulf ports.
Los Angeles and Gulf of Cali-
fornia ports.
Two-masted schooners, en-
gaged in trading and cargo
service in Gulf and along
coast, serving principally
. shallow ports of Gulf and
Lower California.
Gulf ports, with these and
other small sailing craft.
Old West Coast Co., now
discontinued except for
steamship Union operating
to Lower California ports
from Guaymas, which is
home port, with offices of
company; steamship Gen-
eral Pesqueira is laid up
and out of repair at present,
lying at Guaymas.
No regular service; boats
operate between Guaymas
and Santa Rosalia, Lower
California, for mining com-
pany and its copper smelt-
ers at Santa Rosalia.
French. .
Saint Joseph
Mississippi
Mexican. .
Honduras
Montana
Texas
San Carlos
Alejandro
American .
Mexican (schoon-
ers).
Mexican
Lurline
Jose" de Soto
Vallarta
Maria Cristina...
Josefina
Estrella
Belisario
Cfa. Naviera del Pa-
ciflco (Luis A. Mar-
tinez yCia).
El Boleo Mining Co.,
Santa Rosalia,
Lower California.
do
Mexican ( French
ownership).
Dominguez
Union...
1500
2,568
345
1345
General Pesque-
ira.
Jim Butler
Korregan II
i Approximate.
COMPAfifA NAVIERA DE LOS ESTADOS DE MEXICO.
The Compania Naviera de los Estados de Mexico operates under
a special concession from the Mexican Government obtained in 1920,
service having been inaugurated on the West Coast of Mexico in
October, 1921. The company is a subsidiary of the Clyde Line, of
Liverpool, and the fleet of six steamers now in service comprises
the remodeled " mystery" ships of the British Admiralty which did
such good service against German submarines during the last year
of the Great War. Their engines gave them fast cruiser speed when
needed. The vessels are very long for their beam and now draw
12 feet of water forward and 16 feet aft at normal load line. One
boiler has been taken out, two remaining, and the reciprocating
engines have been cut down to a maximum speed of 15 knots, the
economical cargo speed now being about 12.5 knots per hour. The
ships are not very economical cargo carriers, as their lines are too fine
for hold capacity in conformity with their length and draft, the latter
being too great for several of the West Coast ports. The maximum
cargo capacity is only from 850 to 900 tons dead weight. Fuel oil is
burned, the supply being secured at San Francisco and Salina Cruz.
The company being a Mexican company and the ships under the
Mexican flag, they can engage in the Mexican coastwise traffic,
TRANSPORTATION. 65
handling cargo between coastwise ports, as well as to and from the
Pacific ports of the United States. The original head office was lo-
cated in Los Angeles, Calif., but has been recently changed to San
Francisco because of the question of return cargoes, etc. Service has
also been extended recently to the Pacific ports of Central America,
also provided for in the concession. Since the ships are under Mex-
ican registry, the crews carried are Mexicans, except that reservation
is made for British supervision in the engine rooms. Preferential
rights are granted for customs treatment in order to facilitate the
rapid dispatch of the vessels of the company in and out of port
among other features being that of the right to discharge and load
cargo from fore and aft hatches on either side simultaneously, etc.
This privilege, applying to either domestic or import or export cargo,
is not granted to foreign vessels calling at Mexican ports. The ves-
sels of the company carry the Mexican mails free of charge, post
office and navigation inspectors and their employees free, and mili-
tary personnel at reduced rates. The steamers also carry free of
charge, for the Government, an allotment of Mexican merchant-
marine cadets for ocean-service training.
The concession is not, however, an exclusive one, and the boats
of the Compania Naviera Mexicana, controlled by the Mexican
Government, which also operates steamers on the Atlantic coast
of the country, are now competing for West Coast traffic with this
line; they run also to American Pacific coast ports, from which
points, according to a recent arrangement with the Mexican National
.Railways and the ministries of communications and finance (Haci-
enda), the Mexican Government's line can issue direct ocean bills
of lading to any interior rail point in Mexico, via the Pacific port
of Manzanillo, which is the only one south of Guaymas having rail
connection with the interior except the Tehuantepec Isthmus line,
which is a transshipment line between the two oceans and over which
the interior part of the country south of Mexico City is also reached.
This new feature, together with material freight-rate reductions
on cargo covered by interior-ocean bills of lading handled by the
Mexican Government's line, gives it a very considerable advantage
over both the Mexican States Line and the Pacific Mail Steamship
Co., of San Francisco, which, being a foreign company (American),
can not handle coastwise tonnage between Mexican ports or issue
through bills of lading for interior shipment into Mexico by rail over
the lines of the Mexican National Railways.
Another important feature of the concession obtained by the
Compania Naviera de los Estados de Mexico, S. A. (Mexican States
Navigation Co.), is a subsidy from the Mexican Government paid on
the basis of 0.40 peso per gross register ton per 1,000 miles run on
coastwise traffic and 1 peso per gross register ton per 1,000 miles run
on high-seas traffic, payment being based on ships' log reports to the
Ministry of Communications. (1 peso = $0.50 nominally.)
The Compania Naviera de los Estados de Mexico can not issue
through bills of lading to interior points in Mexico, and its represen-
tative is at present negotiating with the Mexican Railways for this
privilege in order to be able to compete with the Compania Naviera
Mexicana controlled by the Mexican Government.
44807 _23 (j
66 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
The issuance of through bills of lading to interior rail points in
Mexico via Manzanillo will greatly assist American Pacific coast
exporters in increasing their commercial operations in Mexico, at
least in the States of Jalisco, Michoacan, Zacatecas, Chiapas, Oaxaca,
etc. ; the lower freight rates by water and rail will also enable them to
compete with exports from the Atlantic seaboard of the United
States and from European ports.
CALIFORNIA-MEXICAN STEAMSHIP CO.
The California-Mexican Steamship Co. was organized in southern
California for the purpose of furnishing means of transportation on
the West Coast and to and from American Pacific ports during the
period of lack of ocean tonnage on the West Coast. Many of the
export firms of Los Angeles took a financial interest in the company,
being desirous of securing space and transportation for their export
goods to the West Coast. Two motor ships were operated the
Mazatlan (wooden hull), of 589 tons gross register, and the Casco,
of 172 tons gross register both vessels being now discontinued and
the company in liquidation, according to latest reports.
COMPASf A NAVIERA DEL PACfFICO.
For many years under the Diaz regime, the Compania Naviera
del Pacifico (Luis A. Martinez y Cia., Guaymas), with Spanish and
Mexican capital, operated a fleet of small steamers in the West Coast
trade from Guaymas to Salina Cruz with one steamer to San Diego,
Calif. under exclusive concession from the Mexican Government.
The company now operates only one small steamer, the Union, of less
than 500 tons, between Guaymas and the smaller ports of the Gulf
of California. Several of the company's old steamers have been taken
over by the Compania Naviera Mexicana, controlled by the Mexican
Government. The largest steamer, the General Pesqueira, of 2,568
tons gross register, is now laid up at Guaymas in the inner bay.
COMPAflfA NAVIERA MEXICANA.
The Compania Naviera Mexicana also has in operation steamers
on the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic ports of the country. There are
at present four steamers in operation on the Pacific coast of Mexico,
one of which runs to San Francisco and San Pedro (Los Angeles
Harbor) , touching at all principal Mexican West Coast ports once a
month. The other three steamers alternate between the following
West Coast ports: Guaymas, Topolobampo, Mazatlan, San Bias
(Nayarit), Puerto Vallarte, Manzanillo, Zihuatanejp, Acapulco,
Puerto Angel, and Salina Cruz on the trip south; Minizo and the
gulf ports of San Jose del Cabo, Mulege, La Paz, Santa Rosalia, and
Guaymas on the trip north. The average service schedule for ports
visited provides that a ship shall call about every 10 days.
As has been stated, this company, through recent arrangement
with the Mexican National Railways and the Ministry of Communi-
cations, has announced the issuance of through bills of lading to all
Mexican National Railway points from the Pacific ports of the United
States via Manzanillo, thus giving it a greater advantage over com-
Eeting steamship lines and at the same time affording increased
icilities to the exporters of the Pacific coast of the United States
TRANSPORTATION.
67
for the extension of their commercial operations in Mexico; more-
over, reduced rail freights are announced in connection with cargo
billed to points in the interior of the country and shipped on vessels
of this company.
CRUX OF OCEAN-TONNAGE SITUATION ON WEST COAST.
The crux of the tonnage situation for the West Coast appears to be
the matter of sufficient return tonnage in order that the lines engaged
in this traffic may operate at a profit. Coffee and chicle are obtained
at Salina Cruz for San Francisco, but the northern part of the West
Coast does not, at present, produce a sufficient amount of ex-
portable products to provide cargo for the boats sailing to American
Pacific ports. Not enough oil nuts, hardwood timber, or mine prod-
ucts are produced under present conditions to insure sufficient return,
or export, cargo for the number of steamers now plying in the West
Coast trade.
JAPANESE STEAMER SERVICE.
One of the large Japanese steamship companies is operating
monthly steamers touching at Manzanillo, Salina Cruz, and the
Panama Canal.
VALUE AND DESTINATION OF EXPORTS.
In order to convey some idea of the value and destination of
exports from the West Coast of Mexico north of Manzanillo, the
following table is given, showing the declared exports to the United
States from Mazatlan during the first half of 1922:
According to carriers.
According to ports of destination.
Carriers.
Value of
exports.
Value of
returned
American
goods.
Total.
Ports.
Value of
exports.
Value of
returned
American
goods.
Total.
American vessels. .
Mexican vessels . . .
Norwegian vessels.
Southern Pacific
Railway.
Wells-Fargo Ex-
press.
Total
$709, 516
710, 995
154, 601
140,610
7,961
$1,971
6,512
$711, 487
717, 507
154,601
140, 702
7,961
Nogales, Ariz
San Francisco,
Calif.
San Pedro, Calif...
New York, N.Y..
Total
$148,571
1,569,344
1,513
4*255
$92
8,033
""456"
$148,663
1,577,377
1,513
4,705
92
1,723,683
8,575
1, 732, 258
1,723,683
8,575
1,732,258
HARBORS AND DOCKS.
PORT DUES, TONNAGE DUES, ETC.
A presidential decree, under date of October 14, 1922, modifies all
dues to which ships entering Mexican ports were subject. Charges
for pilotage, clearance, bills of health, mooring, and for all extraor-
dinary services have been suppressed. Hereafter ships in the foreign
trade will pay a charge based on the gross tonnage for entering a
Mexican port and the same charge for clearing a Mexican port.
The new decree, which became effective November 18, 1922, estab-
lishes four different scales for ships entering or leaving a Mexican
port. The first scale is for ships of foreign registry engaged in foreign
68 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
trade when they unload merchandise of foreign origin at a Mexican
port, or when they load merchandise in a Mexican port destined for
a foreign port. In such case the new traffic dues, payable both on
entering and on leaving the port, are as follows:
For each 10 tons or fraction thereof, up to 500 gross tons registry, 1 peso.
For each 10 tons or fraction thereof, in excess of 500 tons and up to 1,000 tons, 0.80
peso.
For each 10 tons, in excess of 1,000 tons, up to 5,000 tons, 0.60 peso.
For each 10 tons or fraction thereof, in excess of 5,000 tons, up to 10,000 tons, 0.40
peso.
For each 10 tons or fraction thereof, in excess of 10,000 gross tons, 0.20 peso.
Foreign vessels engaged in coastwise trade that is, when they
handle merchandise between Mexican ports shall pay, both on enter-
ing and on leaving, the following traffic dues:
For each 10 tons or fraction thereof, up to 500 gross tons registry, 0.80 peso.
For each 10 tons or fraction thereof, in excess 01 500 tons, up to 1,000 tons, 0.60 peso.
For each 10 tons or fraction thereof, in excess of 1,000 tons, up to 5,000 tons, 0.40
peso.
For each 10 tons or fraction thereof, in excess of 5,000 tons, up to 10,000 tons, 0.20
peso.
For each 10 tons or fraction thereof, in excess of 10,000 tons, 0.20 peso.
Ships of Mexican registry engaged in the coastwise traffic shall pay
one-half of the dues payable by foreign ships.
Ships entering or leaving a Mexican port without discharging or
loading cargo are understood to visit the port in ballast, and they
pay one-half of the dues payable for vessels in the foreign trade when
they come from or sail to a foreign port, and one-half of the dues
payable for boats engaged in coastwise traffic if they come from or
sail to a Mexican port.
Ships making a forced call at Mexican ports, without engaging in
commercial operations, Mexican vessels engaged in fishing operations,
Mexican ships of not more than 100 tons gross register, and Mexican
or foreign warships, or boats engaged in official business for the
Mexican Government or any foreign government, are exempt from
the payment of all traffic dues.
Boats engaged in harbor service shall pay traffic dues yearly, in
advance, at the following rates :
If not more than 10 tons register, exempt.
Of more than 10 tons, for each ton up to 100 tons, 1 peso.
For each ton in excess of 100 tons, 2 pesos.
Every vessel of Mexican registry must be supplied with a naviga-
tion license. Licensed boats must pay an annual license fee, in
advance, of 80 pesos for boats of less than 40 tons; 100 pesos for boats
of more than 40 tons registry and less than 100 tons; and 2 pesos
for each 100 tons or fraction thereof in excess of 100 gross tons
registry. Boats of less than 40 tons registry, not requiring a naviga-
tion license, must pay an annual fee of 20 pesos upon being registered.
Both license and navigation registration shall be revalidated each
year upon payment of the said fees.
When the tonnage of a ship is measured, a fee must be paid for this
operation at the rate of 0.20 peso per gross ton. The measurement
must be made by the office of the port authorities, and payment is
made at the customhouse. The same dues are payable by vessels
in river and lake traffic.
TRANSPORTATION. 69
Ships engaged in both foreign and coastwise trade pay only under
the foreign-trade schedule. The decree just outlined abrogates all
previous regulations that may contain features in opposition to the
new decree.
Pleasure yachts pay at the same rate as vessels in ballast.
By virtue of this new decree governing taxes on port and tonnage
dues in Mexico vessels now pay a uniform " traffic" tax calculated
on the register of the vessel, instead of the many different taxes for-
merly levied. There has been considerable objection to the new
regulation, it being claimed that it increases the rates formerly in
force and also covers both arrival and departure of vessels, thereby
doubling the expense of a vessel at any one port of call. Where the
ship touches three ports in Mexico, the expense is now 525 per cent
over the old rates. Also, when the ship arrives and departs in bal-
last, the expense is 80 per cent in excess of the old charges. When
the ship comes in and goes out with cargo, the increase over the total
charges by the old rates is 125 per cent, and it can readily be seen
that coastwise vessels, on account of the heavy expense involved,
will be forced to refuse to carry small cargo lots out of ports.
The following are the old laws annulled by this new decree :
1. Those relative to pilotage, anchorage, and change of anchorage, referred to in
the Organic Law for Pilots, of July, 1916.
2. Those relative to "taxes of dispatch" referred to in decree of July 10, 1916, which
established the office of captains of ports.
3. Those relative to duties on tonnage and additional tonnage referred to in decree
of June ], 1896.
4. Those relative to sanitary documents and health inspection, established by
decree of July, 1894.
5. Decree of January 5, 1857, and decree of July 5 of the same year.
6. Decree of May 17, 1922 and all other regulations opposed to the fulfillment of
the new decree.
For a general description of the harbors, see " Coastline" under
"Topography."
The following reports give a detailed description of the principal
seaports of the West Coast of Mexico from Guaymas to San Bias
(Navarit), including La Paz, Lower California, the data contained
having been prepared for the use of masters of vessels, steamship
companies, and shippers and their agents. The other ports are
small and are usually served by schooners and small power craft.
(See Handbook of Mexico, I. D. 1205, prepared by the geographical
section, Naval Intelligence Section, British Admiralty " Pacific
coast," pp. 195 to 203, inclusive; also, pp. 209 to 212 for light-
houses, etc.)
PORT OF GUAYMAS, SONORA.
PILOTAGE AND TOWAGE.
The use of pilot is optional with the master of vessel, but payment is compulsory.
There is an outer and inner harbor, the latter being shallow, and the use of pilot is
advisable if the master of vessel is not familiar with the port. Vessels of foreign
registry can not enter the harbor after sunset. Vessels under the Mexican flag can
enter and depart at night, but only by special arrangement with the ministry of
hacienda. Signal for pilot is made off Cape Haro and pilot comes out from inner
harbor.
No heavy tugs are available. There is only one steam tug (60 indicated horsepower)
used for handling lighters to and from vessels lying in harbor, and this tug is at present
out of operation for lack of repairs. There is also one gas tug (40 brake horsepower)
for handling lighters. (See p. 71.) Towage is used only in cases of emergency,
and regular rates are not in force. The harbor is not equipped with mooring buoys.
70 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
All vessels use own anchors in bay. (For special pilotage regulations, see Reglamento
para Pilotes Practices, a Mexican Government publication.)
HARBOR, ANCHORAGE, AND ACCOMMODATIONS.
The approach to the harbor is fairly accessible, but the only aids to navigation are
the light at Point Haro and the channel "turn " buoy at approach to entrance of inner
bay. The outer harbor has an area of about 4 square miles and the inner bay at the
town about 2 square miles. The inner harbor is entirely protected from the sea by
surrounding mountains and hills and presents a fairly regular circular basin. The
outer harbor is protected, except for the immediate entrance and from the land side
to the east, where the land is low and flat. The prevailing high winds come from the
southeast as a rule. Deep-draft vessels lying at anchor in the outer harbor are exposed
to winds from the southeast and southwest.
Both harbors are natural harbors (bays) the outer harbor having an anchorage
depth of from 30 to 50 feet at mean low tide and the inner harbor a depth of from 15
to 30 feet on the anchorage ground, where lighters are taken alongside. The holding
ground is good, the bottom being very muddy. Vessels anchor from one-fourth to
one-half mile off shore in the inner bay, depending upon draft and nature of cargo.
Tides. The maximum rise of the tide is 4 feet, and the average mean fall of the
tide 2 feet.
Buoys. The harbor is not equipped with fixed buoys, swinging buoys, or other
mooring conveniences. All vessels use own anchors in bay.
Permissible draft for steamers. The outer harbor can be navigated by the largest
steamers, but not up to the railway wharf, where there is a depth alongside of only
21 feet at the end of the wharf and 18 feet on the side. It is usual for vessels bringing
in coal or lumber to lighter part of their cargo before coming alongside this wharf,
which is the only one in the port.
Only vessels of medium and light draft (9 to 16 feet) navigate the inner harbor,
although large 8,000-ton vessels can enter and lie over near the hills opposite the town.
The prevailing winds are from the northwest and from the southeast. Sudden wind
and rain squalls are usual during the rainy season, from the beginning of July until
the end of September, and at times the fall equinoctial storms" are very severe and
cause damage to shipping.
The rainy season lasts from the end of June to about the middle of September of
each year. At times, some rain can be expected in October. The total annual average
precipitation does not exceed 5.6 inches. The climate may be described as semi-
tropical.
Zone for explosives. No definite area is set aside for handling explosives, but the
port captain directs where vessels so loaded must lie to discharge into lighters. Reg-
ulations in this regard are not strict.
System of harbor control. By port captain unider the direction of the Secretaria de
Comunicaciones y Obras Publicas, Secci6n de Puertos y Faros (Ports and Lighthouse
Section). The handling of cargo in and out is controlled by the collector of customs,
who enforces his authority and control by use of the marine service assigned to the port.
A combination revenue cutter and coast-guard vessel is stationed at Guaymas (a
J 10-foot wooden former United States Navy submarine " chaser," powered with
triple-screw eastern standard gasoline motors of 250 brake horsepower each, the maxi-
mum speed being 19 knots per hour, if the boat is in good repair).
Quarantine regulations. Same as for all maritime nations. Bills of health are not
obligatory. All incoming vessels are inspected by port doctor, and the ship's doctor
fills out the usual required questionnaire.
Measurement or weight tonnage. Draft is measured in meters or fractions thereof.
Cargo weights are always in metric tons. Tonnage dues are calculated on the registry
of the vessel.
Sick mariners' fund. None is collected here.
Cartage. Two-wheeled one-mule carts and also wagons are used to transport mer-
chandise from customs warehouses to railway for shipment into the interior. The
charge is 2 pesos ($1 United States currency) per metric ton.
Vessels landing to take or discharge pilot. Pilot can be taken or discharged off Point
Haro without any port or tonnage charges.
Steamers calling to bunker only. Only emergency coaling is done here, as the supply
is limited and the facilities very poor. (See "Bunkers.")
Agents' charges for dispatching ships. The usual rate in Guaymas is 100 pesos ($50
United States currency), this charge including every detail of taking care of the vessel
while in port and proper dispatch upon sailing, including making out all necessary
papers, contact with customs, port captain, etc. Clearance is included, but an extra
charge of 50 per cent is made for clearance at night.
Special Agents Series No. 220.
FIG. 4. CALLE SERDAN, GUAYMAS.
FIG. 5. CUSTOMHOUSE, GUAYMAS.
Special Agents Series No. 220.
FIG. 6. VIEW OF MAIN PART OF GUAYMAS, FROM HILL ABOVE RAILWAY
WHARF.
FIG. 7. CALLE BELISARIO DOMINGUEZ, PRINCIPAL BUSINESS
STREET IN MAZATLAN.
TRANSPORTATION. 71
Agents' or brokers' commission on freight. The usual commission in Guaymas is 2
per cent, calculated on the amount of the freight charges.
Bills of health. Issued by consul of country of nationality of vessel or by consul of
country of port of destination. Charge for this service by American consular officer, $5.
"Sea protest." Consul of country of nationality of vessel required to issue certifi-
cate of damage in transit of cargo to master on arrival at port, if required.
Sealed papers and customhouse visit. Masters of vessels entering any Mexican port
are required to present the following sealed papers to customs: Manifest of cargo, con-
sular invoices of cargo, list of provisions and stores carried, crew list, passenger list.
Customs stamps on manifest. None required.
Time allowance for discharge of cargo. No special provisions, depends on nature of
cargo.
Harbor master's overtime (port captain). 50 per cent additional.
Launch hire. For gasoline open launches the customary rate is 4 pesos per hour
($2 United States currency), for 1 to 8 persons.
Boat hire. First shore zone: One passenger one way, 0.50 peso; round trip, 1 peso;
baggage per piece, large or small, 0.50 peso.
Second shore zone: One passenger one way, 1 peso; round trip, 2 pesos; baggage
per piece, 0.60 peso.
Third shore zone: One passenger one way, 2 pesos; round trip, 4 pesos; baggage
per piece, 0.75 peso.
The above rates are for week days, sunrise to sunset; after dark, 50 per cent addi-
tional. On Sundays and holidays prices are "conventional" subject to bargain and
agreement.
WHARVES, PIERS, WAREHOUSES, ETC.
The port of Guaymas has only one pier, or wharf, built by the Southern Pacific
Railroad of Mexico for its own service in handling coal, lumber, and other railway
material. This pier is in the form of a "wing" or "apron" wooden-pile structure,
having vessel accommodation on one end and at one side. The depth of water at
mean low water at the end is 21 feet, and at the side, throughout its length of 235 feet,
18 feet of water. There is no covered space, the only warehouses of the port (with
the exception of several storerooms in the town belonging to merchants, and the
"garbanzo" warehouse) being the two belonging to the customs, through which all
goods entering the port have to pass before being released to the importers or agents for
shipment into the interior.
Accommodation for ocean vessels. The wharf of the railway, as stated, has a linear
length on the side of 235 feet, where one large vessel can lie after its draft has been
reduced to not more than 18 feet. One large vessel can lie at the end of this wharf,
but only one hatch can be worked at a time with a ship in this position, unless lighters
are used on the offside from the pier. This pier is used principally for receiving
coal and lumber and for exports of "garbanzos " (chick-peas), which are loaded directly
from railway cars into hold of vessel.
Storage space for cargo. The total gross storage space for general cargo in the covered
warehouses of the customs is approximately 12,000 tons. All cargo not taken care of
at the railway pier goes by lighter to the customs warehouses.
There are no bonded warehouses at Guaymas.
A plan has been proposed by the Mexican Government to make Guaymas a free
port.
STEVEDORING.
All stevedoring rates are based on the metric ton. There is one lighterage com-
pany, Luis A. Martinez y Cia. of Guaymas, which owns 10 large wooden lighters of
75 tons each, gross capacity. The average charge for loading and discharging vessels
is 3 pesos per metric ton ($1.50 United States currency). The additional charge for
the labor of handling cargo in or out of the vessel's hold ("estiva") amounts to 1.25
pesos ($0.62 1 United States currency) per ton.
All work of handling cargo on board vessel is for the account of the vessel. Direct
lighterage charges from alongside of vessel to customs are for the account of the freight
handled, and according to terms of sale and delivery.
Labor.- All labor furnished and available is native Mexican. The men are paid
double time for all overtime work and may be said to be unionized. There is at
present a plentiful supply of labor in the port of Guaymas. Movement of shipping
is at a low ebb, resulting in a surplus of labor all over the State of Sonora.
Rent of lighters. This procedure is not usual, but special arrangement can be made
with Luis A. Martinez y Cia. for the use of lighters when needed.
72 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
Cranage and other handling facilities. With the exception of the locomotive cranes
of the railway wharf, all cargo is handled to and from lighters by ships' tackle. The
railway wharf is equipped with one 100-ton-capacity crane for which (with crew) a
charge of 100 pesos ($50 United States currency) per day of 10 hours is made. The
railway also has several smaller cranes on which the same rate is applied. The rail-
way tariff for use of wharf, cranes, etc., is soon to be changed; new charges are to be
created and others modified to some extent.
Rate of discharge and loading. At the railway wharf, bulk or sacked cargo can be
loaded at the rate of 5,000 to 6,000 sacks of "garbanzos" per day of 24 hours, each sack
weighing approximately 220 pounds.
General merchandise can not be handled by lighters from steamer lying in the
harbor as fast as can bulky or sacked cargo at the railway wharf. The rate of handling
may be estimated at, roughly, 20 tons per hatch per hour for general merchandise in
and out of vessel, depending upon stowage, etc.
BUNKERS.
There are no coal bunkers in operation in the port of Guaymas. The only available
coal supply for steamers is that of the Southern Pacific Railroad of Mexico, which
keeps on hand some 4,000 tons surplus for the use of its locomotives serving the West
Coast line of railway. The company will furnish coal to vessels only in case of emer-
gency, and it is loaded by lighters to the vessel in the bay. The main supply is held
at Empalme, the site of the railway shops, about 6 kilometers from Guaymas. Vessels
could take coal directly from railway cars alongside of railway dock at a loading cost
of $0.75 to $1 per ton, not including the cost of trimming in bunkers. The rate of
loading would be about 280 tons per working day of 10 hours.
Cost of steam coal. Good bituminous Colorado coal can be had for $4.50 to $5 United
States currency per ton at the mines, to which is added a cost of $9.38 per ton for
freight to Guaymas, plus the local transfer charges to the dock and the loading ex-
penses. At present good Australian steam coal costs $11 per ton in San Francisco, to
which an ocean freight charge of $5 has to be added. The average cost of loading into
bunkers would be $1 per ton.
Fuel-oil supply. The Companfa de Petroleo del Aguila and the Pierce Oil Co.
have fairly large warehouses for refined products in Guaymas but do not handle fuel
oil-^only gasoline, distillate, kerosene, etc., being kept in stock for shipment into
the interior of the State and down the coast near by.
TRANSSHIPMENT OF GOODS.
Goods for transshipment into the interior are handled at Guaymas and shipped
over the Southern Pacific Railroad of Mexico, goods going to Hermosillo (capital of
the State of Sonora), Esperanzas (Yaqui Valley), Navojoa (Mayo River Valley), and
several other points farther south along the line of the railway and also to the mining
towns of Alamos, Fuerte, etc. Guaymas is connected by the Southern Pacific West
Coast line with all coast points as far as Tepic, in the State of Nayarit, south of Mazatlan.
Near-by points reached by steamer. North: Colorado River, Mulege, Santa Rosalia
(El Boleo Co.'s mines), and La Paz, Lower California. South: Ports of Yavaros,
Topolobampo, Altata, Mazatlan, San Bias (Tepic), Manzanillo, Acapulco, Salina
Cruz, and points south to Balboa, Canal Zone. At Manzanillo, south of Mazatlan,
rail connection is made for points in the central part of Mexico, including Guadalajara
and Mexico City.
Only launches go as far north as the mouth of the Colorado River, where overland
stages (auto) take passengers and some freight to the Mexicali Valley in the Colorado
delta. Mazatlan, Manzanillo, Acapulco, and Salina Cruz are the only other deep-
water harbors on the West Coast of Mexico, and vessels of more than 16-foot draft can
not enter the others with safety.
REPAIRS.
With the exception of the railway shops at Empalme, facilities for even ordinary
marine steam repairs are limited. The Mexican Government maintains a shipyard
at El Varedero, on the outer bay, but the marine railway and other equipment is in
poor repair at the present time and the plant can not be recommended as safe even for
vessels of light weight. The total length of the marine railway is 650 feet over all,
with a draft on sill of 26 feet, the lifting capacity for vessels being placed at 2,000
metric tons. Most vessels engaged in the West Coast traffic go to San Francisco for
repairs, painting, etc.
TRANSPORTATION.
The Companfa Explotadora de Maderas maintains a rather large and efficient
machine shop and small foundry of 1-ton capacity in Guaymas proper. The equip-
ment includes a small steam forge hammer. The largest pipe-fitting equipment is of
6-inch diameter, both here and at the railway shops at Empalme. There is no regular
tariff of repair costs.
PROVISIONS.
While provisions are not plentiful, vessels can be freshly provisioned in Guaymas.
At least 10 hours' advance notice should be given. Fresh beef is fairly good and
plentiful, as well as certain fruits, but canned goods, hams, etc., are expensive on
account of the high import duty and the large margin of profit.
BALLAST.
No regulations are in force regarding discharge of ballast in the harbor. The dumping
area would have to be specified by the port captain. Stone for ballast can be secured
and loaded from lighters. No steamers take ballast, and sailing vessels are of rare
occurrence; so all such provisions would have to be especially made locally, under the
best agreement possible. Contracts could be made for serving ballast at so much per
ton. (See ' ' Stevedoring. ' ')
WATER.
Both drinking and steam water comes from the same supply as that for the city of
Guaymas and is taken by steamers from tank lighters in the bay, the cost of water
delivered alongside being $1 United States currency per cubic meter. Delivery on
board is by steamer's own pumps and suction. Two water lighters are available.
(This water contains considerable lime and other mineral matter and "scales' ' boilers.)
WHOLESALE AND RETAIL DEALERS.
Persons interested in lists of dealers are referred to the World Trade Directory of
Mexico, by commodities, compiled by the Commercial Intelligence Division of the
Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, Department of Commerce, Washington,
D. C. These trade lists are available in the United States through chambers of com-
merce, district offices of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, and also
directly from Washington, upon application.
STORAGE COMPANIES.
There are no regular storage companies in Guaymas. Certain facilities are afforded
by Luis A. Martinez y Cia. and the larger merchants.
MARINE INDUSTRIES.
There are no fish canneries, ropewalk or cordage factories, milk condensaries,
iron or steel manufacturers, sail lofts, or other industries in Guaymas with the excep-
tion of those noted herein.
FREIGHT SUPPLY.
The principal ocean tonnage originating at the port of Guaymas consists of "gar-
banzo" shipments to Spain, copper from the El Boleo Co. plant and mines at Santa
Rosalia, Lower California, and sugar from the plantations at Los Mochis, Sinaloa.
The bulk of the sugar and wheat production is moved by rail to the interior of
Mexico at the present time.
STEAMSHIP COMPANIES.
For an account of the steamship service at Guaymas, see the section on "Steamer
lines and ports," beginning on page 62.
GENERAL INFORMATION.
Port works and improvements. Various plans have been put forward from time
to time for extensive improvements of the harbor and port of Guaymas, calling for
the construction of moles, for dredging, etc., in both the outer and the inner harbors.
An American engineer is now on the ground to make the preliminary surveys for
74 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
this proposed work, but it is very doubtful whether actual work will be started,
at least for some time, on account of the lack of sufficient funds by the central gov-
ernment and the fact that Guaymas has ceased to be a port of first class since the
continuation of the railway along the coast to Mazatlan.
The population to-day does not exceed 5,000, among whom there are a few Americans
and other foreigners, principally German and French. There is also a rather large
Chinese group.
The principal imports are general merchandise from the United States. Guaymas
formerly supplied the interior of the State of Sonora as far north as Hermosillo and
as far south as the northern part of the State of Sinaloa, but this trade has dwindled
in recent years, the American border cities and Mazatlan taking the trade away to
a very great extent.
Customs regulations regarding ships' stores. A signed list of ship's provisions and
stores on hand must be presented to the customs on arrival. Vessels are patroled
by customs guards while in the harbor.
Crews. Crews are obtainable, but only of native Mexicans, and authorities require
that the master of vessels shipping Mexican citizens in Guaymas sign an agreement
to return the men to the port within a stipulated time, at the expense of the company.
Packing requirements. No special packing requirements obtain. The packing usual
for rail and water shipment in the United States is accepted as standard on all classes
of ocean freight.
PORT OF TOPOLOBAMPO, SINALOA.
PILOTAGE AND TOWAGE.
Pilotage. Pilotage is not compulsory, but advisable, as there is a bar lying off-
shore, on the entrance and along the coast, and there is a narrow and dangerous
channel that must be navigated to reach the inner bay.
Towage. No provisions for towage exist. Sailing vessels, except light schooners,
can not enter this port under their own sail. There are no towboats.
Mooring. The harbor is not provided with mooring buoys, and vessels tie up at
the wharf to load or discharge cargo.
Special pilotage provisions and regulations. Pilot should be notified by telegraph
as to date of arrival of vessel so that he can meet it outside the bar. The captain
of the port is the administrative official having jurisdiction over the harbor.
HARBOR, ANCHORAGE, AND ACCOMMODATIONS.
Approach to harbor. Is not easily accessible and is dangerous. Aids to navigation:
Lighthouse, and bar and channel buoys, 10 in outside channel and 7 in entrance
channel approaching inner bay.
Area of harbor. One kilometer by f kilometer in front of landing.
Protection. Entirely landlocked; surrounded by high hills on all sides. The one
drawback to this otherwise ideal natural harbor is the shifting sandbar lying along the
coast off the entrance to the bay.
Anchorage. Minimum depth anchorage ground, at mean low water, 18 fathoms.
Holding ground, good, black mud. Vessels anchor just off wharf for customs inspection
and then proceed to wharf.
Tides. Maximum rise and fall, 7 to 8 feet.
Mooring buoys. Harbor is not equipped with mooring buoys. Vessels use own
ground tackle in harbor, or tie alongside wharf.
Draft allowance. The maximum average depth at the entrance (at bar and channel)
is only 18 feet and that at high water. The deepest draft for a vessel that can safely
navigate harbor and entrance is 16 feet aft.
Prevailing winds. Southwest trades.
Storms. Sudden equinoctial storms occur in the fall and spring of the year, those
of the fall equinox being the heaviest and doing considerable damage along the coast.
Seasons. Rainy season: July, August, and September. Light rains may be ex-
pected during the spring equinox, in February or March, lasting intermittently for
about two weeks. The climate is humid and semitropical.
System of harbor control. Under the administration of the port captain.
Fines levied against ships. See "Mexican Government customs regulations" (p.
84), "Sanitary code" (p. 89), etc. At Topolobampo, additional fines may be
levied for dumping or taking ballast without permission of the port authorities or from
the wrong place.
Quarantine regulations. Bills of health are not obligatory. All incoming vessels
are inspected, before tying at wharf, by the port doctor, the ship's doctor filling out
the required report.
TRANSPORTATION. 75
Measurement or weight tonnage. Draft is measured in meters or fraction thereof.
Cargo weight is always in metric tons, gross. Tonnage dues are calculated on the gross
registry of the vessel.
Sick mariners' fund. None is collected here.
Cartage. There are no roadways in Topolobampo, and all cargo is handled over the
wharf of the railway for the interior.
Wharf charges. The only wharf at the port of Topolobampo is owned by the Kansas
City, Mexico & Orient Railway Co. There is a mooring charge of from 1 to 6 pesos
for each vessel per day, depending on the size of the vessel using the wharf.
The railway company charges 0.50 peso per metric ton, gross weight, on all cargo
handled over this wharf over and above stevedoring costs.
Customs agents^ charges for dispatching vessels. Vessels of lines operating on West
Coast pay their regular agents the usual percentage on freight charges, etc. Irregular
boats pay customary fee of 100 pesos to agent for taking charge of all customs and docu-
ment work while vessel is in port, including cargo arrangements, although this fee
(commission) is graduated by agreement according to the size of the vessel and the
nature and volume of the cargo.
Bills of health. See p. 89.
Sea protest. Damage to cargo in transit certified to upon statement of master of
vessel before nearest 4 American consular officer in this case, either Guaymas or
Mazatlan. The port of Topolobampo is in the Mazatlan consular district.
Sealed papers and customs visit. See p. 84. Masters of vessels entering all Mexican
ports of call are required to present to the customs the following sealed papers: Mani-
fest of cargo, consular invoice of cargo for port, list of provisions and stores carried,
crew and passenger lists.
Customs stamps on manifest. None required.
,Time allowance for discharging. No special provisions; depends on nature of cargo.
Harbormaster's overtime (port captain). Fifty per cent additional.
Launch hire. Boats and launches charge, as usual rate, 4 pesos ($2 United States
currency) per hour, for from one to eight persons carried, or line service, etc. No
boat hire for passengers, etc., as steamers land alongside wharf.
WHARVES, PIERS, AND WAREHOUSES.
There is only one wharf, belonging to the Kansas City, Mexico & Orient Railway Co.
and served by this line into the interior. It is 210 feet long and 36 feet wide. At
extreme low water the depth alongside is 18 feet (5 meters out, depth is 26 feet). The
pier has wooden piling and decking. It is not lighted at night. There is no equip-
ment for heavy lifts.
There are two warehouses. One has a floor space of 280 by 40 feet, and the other 110
by 78 feet. Both are constructed of wood, with corrugated iron roofs. Storage charges
are nominal. The gross capacity of the two is 3,000 tons of general cargo.
STEVEDORING.
Stevedoring charges are based on the metric ton, except for heavy lifts, which are
handled by the railway by special agreement.
Labor costs. The established rate is 50 centavos ($0.25 United States currency)
per hour on shore (dock) and 1 peso ($0.50 United States currency) per hour in hold
of vessel. Double time on Sundays and holidays and at night after 6 p. m.
Class of labor employed. Native Mexican ' ' peon' ' labor. Sufficient for present needs
of port traffic. Not unionized at present.
BUNKERS.
, There are no coal bunkers or oil docks at Topolobampo, the nearest supply being
located at Guaymas, where fuel oil for steamers is not available. The only point
where fuel oil is available on the West Coast is at Salina Cruz.
TRANSSHIPMENT OP GOODS.
Cargo is shipped into rhe interior (West Coast and Fuerte Valley) over the Kansas
City, Mexico & Orient Railway, which serves the Fuerte River Valley as far east as
the town of Fuerte at the end of the valley and also connects with the Southern Pacific
of Mexico for all West Coast points as far south as Tepic and as far north as the Ameri-
can border at Nogalos, Ariz.
General cargo is handled directly from steamer's tackle to customs shed and from
there to railway cars for shipment.
76 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
REPAIRS.
This port has no shops or other repair facilities. The nearest machine-tool equip-
ment is at the railway shops at San Bias, Sinaloa (where railway crosses Southern
Pacific of Mexico). There is no dry dock.
WATER.
The water supply of the port is brought in on the railway in tank cars and delivered
alongside vessel upon application to railway agent. Cost: 0.01 peso per gallon.
SHIP CHANDLERS' AND ENGINEERS' SUPPLIES.
No stocks kept on hand at this port. See port of Guaymas and port of Mazatlan.
STEAMSHIP LINES.
The only regular vessels touching at Topolobampo are two steamers of the Compaiiia
Naviera Mexicana, which call twice a month, north and south bound for other West
Coast ports in Mexico.
GENERAL INFORMATION.
Port improvements. When the Kansas City, Mexico & Orient Railway was planned,
the idea was to make Topolobampo the Pacific terminus of this new transcontinental,
United States-Mexico line, to compete with San Francisco for trans- Pacific shipment
and also for shipment through the Panama Canal. The railway has not been com-
pleted, and at present no improvements are contemplated.
Native population. Three hundred people.
Industries. Sugar and winter tomato and vegetable production in the Fuerte
Valley served by the railway. (See * ' Agriculture. ' ')
Principal imports. General merchandise from the United States.
Principal exports. Dried shrimp to China, via Guaymas or Mazatlan and San
Francisco, Calif. (The sugar production goes by rail to El Paso, Tex., where it is
held in storage for distribution into the interior of Mexico, principally.)
Remarks. This is not a military or naval port. There is no radio station and no
station from which signals are made to incoming vessels. Mexican standard time is
used (that is, Mexico City meridian) ; no time ball or observatory. The captain of
the port is the only official residing at the port.
The sanitation of the town is fair. A small hospital is maintained by the railway
company for its employees, with one American doctor in charge. It is advisable to
boil drinking water.
The port has no cable communications, wire communication being over the Mexican
Government lines, from which messages for foreign points are transferred to either
Western Union at Nogales, Ariz., or the All-America Cable Co. at Mexico City.
Mail is received and sent by rail every other day.
Steamers drawing 16 feet of water can come in over the bar.
Storage. Ten days free; $0.01 per 100 kilos for first 10 days thereafter; then $0.03
per 100 kilos for each 10 days thereafter until time limit of six months is exhausted,
when goods are sold for the account of the railway company, which also owns the
warehouses. (See also customs regulations of the Mexican Government governing
storage of goods held, etc.)
(The above data on Topolobampo were collected by Assistant Trade Commissioner
H. B. MacKenzie when he visited Los Mochis and Topolobampo.)
PORT OF MAZATLAN, SINALOA.
LOCATION AND AIDS TO NAVIGATION.
Location: 23 N.; 106 30 / W.
Creston Island, on west side of harbor entrance: Square white tower 36 feet high,
rising from white house, red lantern. Occulting white light 515 feet above high-
water mark. Visible 30 miles at sea.
Mazatlan Harbor: Fixed red electric light on end of customs pier on shore.
PILOTAGE AND TOWAGE.
No pilot is available, and none is necessary, as the port is an open roadstead and
no pilot is used, except for small craft wishing to enter the inner shallow bay, when
TRANSPORTATION. 77
a local man is employed, by special agreement. Vessels can enter and leave the
anchorage after sunset.
Towage. Not used by steamers except in cases of emergency. Only use of tugs
is for small sailing vessels entering the shallow inner bay, when gas launches and
one small steam tug of about 60 horsepower are available by special arrangement
with the Empresa de Lanchas del Pacifico, which has a monopoly of the lighterage
of the port. Charges are according to the tonnage of the vessel to be handled, cargo,
etc. There is no assessment by the Government on towage.
Mooring charges. No mooring buoys in harbor. All vessels use their own ground
tackle.
Special pilotage regulations. See Ley de Practices y Codigo de Farros, Puertos y
Marina Mercante, Ministry of Communications and Public Works, Mexico.
HARBOR, ANCHORAGE,. AND ACCOMMODATIONS.
Approach and entrance. Open roadstead, open from sea, with small rocky islands
lying just to north. Considered dangerous on account of rocks and sandbars.
Anchorage. Deep-draft vessels anchor from 1 to 2 miles offshore from the town,
where they are protected only from the north. Dangerous in times of storms, which
usually come from southwest and southeast.
Depth of anchorage ground. 30 to 80 feet, depending on distance from shore.
Holding ground is fairly good in sand and mud. Vessels anchor just inside of Creston
Island (which breaks swells from sea), for better handling of cargo into and out of
lighters lying alongside.
Tidal data Mean rise and fall average, 3 feet. Spring tide maximum average,
6 feet.
Prevailing winds. The southwest trades.
Seasons of heavy weather. During the rainy season, June to October, sudden squalls
at times force steamers to put out to sea. The fall equinoctial storms are violent
some years and do considerable damage. Storms signals are given 24 hours in advance,
from Creston Island.
Climate. Semitropical. Very hot and damp during the summer months. Excel-
lent winter climate.
Discharging and storing of explosives, etc. No separate zone in harbor anchorage
ground. Customs warehouse set aside for storage and handling of dynamite, gaso-
line, etc., which is lightered to inner shallow bay from alongside vessel.
System of harbor control. By captain of the port, cooperating with military and
naval authorities.
Fines levied against ships. See page 84.
Sick mariners 1 fund. None. No marine hospital here.
Cartage. All cargo is landed from lighters at customs wharf and warehouses.
Local cartage within the town, 1.50 pesos per metric ton gross weight on ton lots.
Freight cartage from customs to railway station, a distance of about 2 miles, and to
explosives warehouse, 2.50 pesos per metric ton, gross weight.
Customs agents' charge for dispatching vessels. Customs agents and ship brokers
charge 50 pesos for dispatching ships, this service including all details such as mani-
fest, billing, passenger list, etc. They all charge a commission of 5 per cent on cargo
they secure at the port for the vessel. All services of agents at night are at double
rates.
Bills of health. Issued by the port doctor. Three pesos for all Mexican ports'
and 5 pesos for all foreign ports. American consul charges $5 for bills of health for
foreign vessels to an American port. Both are required. (See Circular No. 13,
August 11, 1922, Mexican Health Office.)
Sea^protest (marine note of protest}. American consular fee, $2 for foreign ships,
covering loss or damage to cargo. < In Mazatlan loss is usually due to loss of or dam-
age to cargo in loading or discharging from lighters in the open roadstead.
Sealed papers and customs visit. Masters of vessels calling at Mazatlan are required
to present to customs officials the following sealed papers: Ship's manifest, sealed
consular invoices, crew list, provision and supply list, passenger list.
Special charges. No additional charges are made for entrance without cargo, with
passengers, etc.
Clearance at night. All charges, including that of ship brokers, customs, etc.
double rates, as above.
Time allowance for discharging. During the dry season of the year: Dawn to 6
p. m. into lighters alongside. Rainy season: Dawn to 3 p. m. into lighters. Local
port laws require that all lighters be discharged at customs pier before sundown,
especially during the rainy season.
78 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
Overtime charges. Customs guards, when employed on vessel, charge for overtime
at night and on Sundays and holidays: 3.50 pesos for each guard on duty, this extra
charge being paid by the ship to the customs through agents or broker prior special
arrangement and permit being required.
Tally clerks. Furnished by the ship's agent or stevedoring company at 5 pesos
per day of 10 hours. Double pay for night, Sundays, and holidays.
Launch and boat hire. $1.50 per trip from shore to vessel lying at anchor in road-
stead, or $0.25 per person. If vessel is farther out than the recognized limit, double
charge is made.
WHARVES, PIERS, WAREHOUSES, ETC.
There are no piers for ocean vessels which anchor in the roadstead. The only
wharf is that for lighters at the customs warehouses and the boat wharf for landing
small boats and launches.
Storage capacity. The total gross capacity of the customs warehouses at pier for
lighters is from 3J500 to 5,000 tons of general merchandise, depending upon the nature
of the cargo. No charge is made for storage for the first 15 days after goods are landed
at customs, after which rate is 0.01 peso per 100 kilos for the first month and 0.02
peso for each succeeding month. Other storage, if necessary, is obtainable in private
storerooms of principal merchants. There are no regular storage companies, and rate
would be subject to special agreement.
STEVEDORING.
Rate basis. Either short or ocean-freight tons, according to ocean bill of lading.
Cost of discharging cargo. This depends upon special arrangement and nature of
cargo. If the entire cargo is given under contract arrangement, the rate is often 0.50
peso per ton, and 1 peso per ton after 5 p. m. Otherwise rate is double the above.
This charge is for handling cargo in the- hold of the vessel.
In Mazatlan there is only one lighterage company, and the stevedores have an
association.
The ordinary lighterage tariff of the Empresa de Lanchas del Pacifico, S. A., for
1 metric ton outside of the bay is 3.50 pesos. Following are specific merchandise
rates:
Automobiles
Acids .......................................... per metric ton. . 5. 00
Baled cotton .................................... . ....... do ---- 4. 00
Boxes, knocked down ................................... do ---- 4. 00
Coal or coke:
Loose .............................................. do ____ 4. 00
Sacked ............................................. do ____ 3. 75
Dried shrimp ........................................... do ____ 3. 75
w /small.. 15.00
Wa S n8 ............................................ ilarge.. 25.00
Explosives .............................. per box, to magazine . . .40
Cigars and cigarettes ........................... per metric ton . . 4. 00
Beef hides, dry .......................................... each. . . 05
Brooms ....................................... per metric ton . . 5. 00
Matches ............................................... do ---- 5. 00
Cattle, on hoof ........................... per head (minimum) . . 10. 00
Fiber ........................................... per metric ton. . 3. 75
Corn and beans .......................................... do ---- 3. 00
Flour ................................................... do ____ 3. 00
Lumber, ordinary ........................ per 1,000 board feet . . 4. 00
Fodder in bales ................................ per metric ton . . 4. 00
Pianos and pianolas ..................................... each . . 15. 00
Metal drums, empty .................................... do ..... 50
Leaf tobacco, in bales .......................... per metric ton. . 3. 50
Drugs .................................................. do ____ 4. 50
Textiles ............................................... do. ... 4. 00
Silks ........ .................................... do.... 5.00
Special Agents Series No. 220.
FIG. 8. THE HEART OF MAZATLAN.
FIG. 9. CUSTOMHOUSE AT MAZATLAN.
Special Agents Series No. 220.
FIG. 10. BANANA PLANTATION NEAR SAN BLAS, NAYARIT.
TRANSPORTATION. 79
For heavy lifts the rates are:
500 to 1,000 kilos: Double the above rates.
1,000 to 1,500 kilos: Double and a half rates.
1,500 to 2,000 kilos: Triple above rates.
2,000 to 2,500 kilos: Quadruple above rates.
2,500 and above: Special arrangement.
Lighteragerates within the "pozo," or harbor that is, inside of anchorage for deep-
draft vessels are one-half of the above rates.
All work performed outside of working hours, or during Sundays and holidays, will
carry a surcharge of 3 pesos per ton, gross weight, outside of the inner harbor, and 50
per cent of the above rates inside.
Water delivered to vessels lying in the roadstead after hours will cost 5 pesos per
metric ton, instead of the usual 4 pesos per metric ton, delivered alongside of vessel
lor ship's pumps.
The stevedoring tariff of the Compafiia Mutua de Cargadores (January, 1919) was
as follows:
Import merchandise cargo.
Merchandise : Pesos.
City warehouse per metric ton. . 3. 50
Customs warehouse do 2. 50
Customs inspection storage warehouse do 1. 75
Special commodity rates:
Cattle and live stock, on hoof each. . 3. 00
Brick, tile, etc per 1,000. . 5. 00
Explosives, 25 kilos weight limit each piece each. . . 10
Lumber, ordinary per 1,000 board feet. . 2. 00
Coal and coke, sacked per metric ton. . 1. 50
Coal, loose do 2. 00
Coal, sacked (steam coal) do 1. 00
Pianos and pianolas each. . 10. 00
Vehicles-
Weighing less than 500 kilos do 7. 00
Weighing less than 1,000 kilos do 10. 00
Weighing more than 1,000 kilos Special rates.
Machinery
Pieces 400 to 500 kilos each per 1,000 kilos. . 2. 00
Pieces 501 to 1,000 kilos each do. ... 4. 00
Pieces over 1,000 kilos Special arrangement.
Export cargo.
Hides, dry (beef) per 1,000 kilos. . 1. 50
Dyewoods do 2. 00
Bullion of gold and silver each bar. . .25
Other merchandise for loading out per ton. . 1. 50
Overtime rates are double the above.
The service includes placing all goods from warehouse to steamer, or from steamer
to shore at customs, and then delivery, less cartage to warehouse, including handling
for customs inspection, etc. Coastwise-cargo handling rates are about 20 to 25 per
cent lower than the above.
All the above pricesvare in Mexican pesos (1 peso =$0.50 United States currency at
par).
All weights given are in metric tons, of 1,000 kilos each (2,205 pounds).
One 2-ton-capacity steam jcrane is operated and maintained by the stevedores'
association at end of customs pier to facilitate handling of freight by them. Special
arrangement for heavy lifts, made with foreman of stevedores, who is also head of the
association.
Rate of loading and discharging general cargo. From 750 to 1,000 tons of general cargo
per day of 10 hours, ship's hold to lighters alongside, to customs warehouse under most
favorable weather conditions.
BUNKERS AND FUEL OIL.
No bunkers or fuel-oil supply in Mazatlan. Nearest fuel supply for steamers is
located at either Salina Cruz or American Pacific coast ports.
80 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
TRANSSHIPMENT OF GOODS.
Cargo is shipped into the interior up and down the West Coast by rail over the
Southern Pacific Railroad of Mexico; also by pack mule into the interior to the east.
Coast points reached by steamer: North Topolobampo, Yavaros, and Guaymas.
South San Bias (Nayarit), Manzanillo (rail connection for Guadalajara and Mexico
City), Acapulco, Salina Cruz. Lower California La Paz, Santa Rosalia, Mulege, on
gulf, and Ensenada on Pacific side of peninsula.
REPAIRS.
Ordinary marine repairs, except dry-docking work, can be made in the shops of the
Fundicion de Sinaloa, at Mazatlan, which maintains a complete machine shop and
small foundry, etc. Largest pipe brazing size, 36 inches.
There are no dry-docking facilities. The nearest place is San Diego, San Pedro
(Long Beach), or San Francisco, Calif.
PROVISIONS.
Supplies of freshly killed beef, fowls, fruit, etc., can be readily obtained on short
notice, say 12 hours. Ice is also obtainable. Local merchants carry supplies of
canned goods, but prices are high on account of the heavy import duties on these
articles. Fresh fish can be obtained in fair quantities. Average prices for supplies
of fresh food are higher than in the United States, from which even flour and potatoes
are being imported at present, as well as such fruits as apples, oranges, etc.
BALLAST.
Ballast is used only by sailing vessels. Rock ballast can be obtained by special
arrangement with the stevedores and lighterage people. Ballast can be dumped only
with the permission of- the port captain, who would not allow rock ballast to be
dumped inshore.
WATER.
See tariff of lighterage company. Cost, $2 per metric ton delivered alongside in
tank lighter for ship's own suction hose and pump. Two water boats are available,
having a capacity of about 20 tons each. A total of 120 tons can be delivered in eight
hours' time alongside vessel lying in the roadstead.
CREWS.
Crews are obtainable, the men being native Mexicans who "sign on" for steamers
as oilers, coal passers, fire-room men, steward's department helpers, etc.
CARGOES OBTAINABLE.
Cargo for export is limited to hides, hardwoods, dried shrimp, and some mine prod-
ucts very limited amounts at present. Coastwise cargoes consist of sugar, wheat,
corn, and beans, but these can be carried only on vessels under the Mexican flag.
(For steamship companies and itineraries, see section beginning on p. 62.)
PORT IMPROVEMENTS.
Various plans have been made for the improvement of the port of Mazatlan, to
make it into a protected harbor and deep-sea port, but nothing has been done on
account of the lack of funds on the part of the Mexican Government. In February,
1922, a contract was made with an American engineer (the same man who carried
out the port works of Manzanillo during the Diaz regime) for the construction of a
rock causeway from the shore to the outlying island of Creston, thus forming a break-
water for the bay, but this work has not been started as yet.
PORT OF SAN BLAS, NAYARIT.
LOCATION AND AIDS TO NAVIGATION.
Location: 21 32' N.; 105 19' W.
Square wooden framework tower above dwelling (both painted white), west of
signal station on Vigia Hill.
Flashing white light, 154 feet above high-water line. Visible 18 miles at sea in
clear weather,
TRANSPORTATION. 81
(Maria Madre Island: Balleto Point; 21 36 / N.; 106 33' W. White stone pillar
13 feet high. Flashing white light, 279 feet above water line. Visible 23 miles.
Reported extinguished in 1915.)
PILOTAGE AND TOWAGE.
Small, partially open roadstead, where vessels lie at anchor off shore at a distance
of from to 1 mile, according to draft. Approach is open from the sea, except from
the north. No pilot is available, and pilotage is not used. Vessels can enter the
anchorage after sunset.
Towage. There arc no tugs, and towage is not used. Vessels anchor in roadstead,
and all cargo is handled to and from shore on small lighters, from alongside, by man
power.
Mooring charges. There are no piers or docks, and steamers use their own ground
tackle in the roadstead.
Special pilotage regulations. See Ley de Practices y Codigo de Faros, Puertos
y Marina Mercante, Ministry of Communications and Public Works, Mexican Gov-
ernment.
HARBOR, ANCHORAGE, AND ACCOMMODATIONS.
The approach is easily accessible from the sea, being an open roadstead. The
anchorage is good, with silt bottom, but swells from the sea make it rough, and the
approach to the town in lighters and small boats is bad on account of the swells over
the bar off the mouth of the creek by the town.
Area of the anchorage. About one-quarter square mile. Sufficient for two steamers
to swing at anchor at same time and handle cargo in and out by lighters.
Depth of anchorage and distance offshore. Steamers select anchorage just inside of
point to the north as best protection from the northwest swells. Depth selected is
from 6 to 8 fathoms of chain. According to draft, steamers anchor from \ to 1 mile
offshore. San Bias is a shallow harbor and is used only by small coastwise steamers
drawing not more than 16 feet of water, loaded.
Prevailing winds; storms; weather data. The climate is semitropical, with the wet
season from the end of June until October. About two weeks of wet weather can be
expected about the time of the spring equinox. During the rainy season sudden
squalls and rainstorms can usually be expected in the afternoon. The prevailing
winds are from the northwest. Bad storms occur at the fall equinox, when the wind
comes from the south and southeast.
Fines levied against ships. See page 84.
Cartage. See "Transshipment of goods."
Customs agents' charges. The only steamship agents at San Bias are Delius y Cfa., of
Tepic (branch office). Charge from 50 to 100 pesos for receiving and dispatching
vessels and attending to all customs matters, etc. Usual agent's commission on freight
and passengers secured for vessel is 5 per cent of the gross.
Bills of health. Issued by port doctor. (See " Sanitary dues.") Three pesos for all
Mexican ports and 5 pesos for foreign ports. American consuls at Mazatlan and Man-
zanillo, the ports north and south of San Bias, charge $5 for bill of health for foreign
vessels to an American port. Both are required. (See p. 89.)
Sealed papers and customs visit. All masters of vessels calling at Mexican ports are
required to present to the customs officials on board the following sealed papers: Ship's
cargo manifest, sealed consular invoices, crew list, passenger list, and the list of pro-
visions and supplies carried by the vessel.
Special charges. No additional charges are required for entrance without cargo,
passengers, etc.
Clearance at night. All charges, including those of ship's broker, customs, etc., are
double after sundown.
Time allowance for discharging cargo. During the dry seasom, dawn to 6 p. m. Dur-
'ing the rainy season, dawn to 3 p. m. Local laws require that all cargo be discharged
by lighters at customs warehouse before dark.
Overtime charges. Customs guards, when employed on vessel, charge for overtime
at the rate of 3.50 pesos after 6 p. m. and on Sundays and holidays for each guard on
duty, this charge being paid by the ship to the customs. Prior special arrangement
and customs permit are necessary to work cargo at night.
Tally clerks. Furnished by the ship's agent and stevedoring company (Delius
y Cia.) at 5 pesos per 10-hour day, with double time for overtime.
Launch and boat hire. No power launches are available. Large surf boats with
four men are furnished by Delius y Cia. at 4 pesos per round trip, shore to vessel at
anchor offshore. Independent boatmen charge 1 peso per person.
44807 23 7
82 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
WHARVES, PIERS, WAREHOUSES, ETC.
There are no wharves, piers, or warehouses other than that of the customs and one
of Delius y Cia.
Capacity. Customs warehouse can contain from 500 to 600 tons of general cargo. No
charge is made for storage of goods in customs until after the expiration of the first
15 days, when the charge is 0.01 peso per 100 kilos of gross weight for the first month
and 0.02 peso per 100 kilos thereafter. The total length of time allowed is six months,
after which goods are sold for the account of the customs at public auction.
Delius y Cia., of Tepic, maintain offices and a warehouse at San Bias, through which
they handle their own products for import and shipment and also those of the mer-
chants of Tepic. (See "Transshipment of goods.")
STEVEDORING.
Stevedoring depends upon nature of cargo and special arrangement with owners
of lighters, Delius y Cia. The total cost of handling 1 ton of freight from hold of steamer
to customs warehouse is about 7.50 pesos per metric ton.
Heavy lifts. No cranes or other facilities exist.
Rate of loading and discharging general cargo. About 500 tons can be handled in a
day of 10 hours in good weather.
Lighters. The only lighters available are those of Delius y Cia., who maintain six
boats of 10-ton capacity each.
BUNKERS AND FUEL OIL.
None. The nearest coal and oil supply for steamers is at California ports or at
Salina Cruz.
TRANSSHIPMENT OP GOODS.
San Bias is a port of call only for Mexican coastwise steamers, namely, the Con-
paiiia Naviera Mexicana and the Compania Naviera de los Estados de Mexico, both
running steamers of small tonnage to California ports and West Coast of Mexico ports.
The port is now used only during the dry season of the year, when goods can be
transported to the principal city of Tepic, about 30 miles inland over a dirt road
which will not take trucks, transport being by means of oxcarts, mule wagons, and
pack mules. During the rainy season goods for Tepic come to Mazatlan by water
and are then shipped over the railway to Tepic, through forwarding agents in
Mazatlan.
In the dry season tobacco is shipped out of Tepic and Compostela for Guadalajara,
via the rail point of San Marcos, by pack mule from Tepic and Compostela. General
merchandise also reaches Tepic from the trade center of Guadalajara by this route,
the present southern terminus of the Southern Pacific Railroad of Mexico being at
Tepic.
REPAIRS.
No repair facilities exist. See " Port of Mazatlan."
PROVISIONS.
Fresh beef can be obtained on a day's notice; also small quantities of native fruits,
principally bananas.
BALLAST.
Ballast is not used.
WATER.
There are no facilities for obtaining water. See "Port of Mazatlan." In an emer-
gency, a ship could furnish containers and have a small supply brought off in lighters.
The drinking water should be boiled.
FREQUENCY OF STEAMSHIP CONNECTIONS.
The only steamers now calling at San Bias are those of the Companfa Naviera Mexi-
cana (Mexican Government line) and the Compania Naviera de los Estados de Mexico,
the port having about one boat every 15 days.
TRANSPOKTATION. 83
\
GENERAL INFORMATION.
During- the dry season the port ships limited quantities of dried shrimp, cedar logs,
coquito oil nuts, bananas, and cattle hides, and also some tobacco, cotton goods, and
native-made soap coastwise.
The anchorage is silting up from the creek, the mud deposits being held in the shallow
bay by the rocky point on the north. Present plans of the Mexican Government call
for the extension of the National Railway from San Marcos, in Jalisco, to Tepic and
San Bias, but it may be predicted that with the railway through to the north and to
Guadalajara, the port will fall still further into decay, as there is little prospect of
an increase in the tonnage of export products under present conditions.
PORT OF LA PAZ, LOWER CALIFORNIA.
LOCATION AND AIDS TO NAVIGATION.
Point Prieta (La Paz): 24 13' N.; 110 18' W.
White wooden tower 33 feet high, with dwelling adjoining. Occulting white light
56 feet above water, visible 10 miles.
La Paz: Fixed green light at end of pier in front of town. Fixed red light 32 feet
above water on red tubular iron structure on beach near customhouse, visible 6 miles.
PILOTAGE AND TOWAGE.
Pilotage. The use of a pilot is advisable at La Paz, from Point Prieta, as the navi-
gable channel is narrow and not straight and the bay is shallow in many places. Pilots
are not used, however, by masters of the vessels already in the West Coast and Lower
California coastwise trade.
Towage. No tugs or power boats are available.
Mooring. No mooring buoys in the harbor; steamers use their own ground tackle.
Moves ivithin the harbor. No fee to harbor master, who is port captain, but his per-
mission to shift anchorage is required.
HARBOR, ANCHORAGE, AND ACCOMMODATIONS.
Approach to harbor. Shallow and twisting channel from Point Prieta. Spar and
metal buoys mark the channel from lighthouse at Point Prieta to the town and
anchorage.
Area of bay. The area is very large in a shallow bay, the limits of which are from
the mainland at La Paz across to the island of Espiritu Santo from Mechuda Head
above the town.
Protection. Practically landlocked bay.
Depth of anchorage. At low water, 15 feet, in front of town, 350 feet offshore. The
tide lift is about 3 feet.
Prevailing winds; storms; seasons. From October 15 to May the prevailing winds
are the northwest trades. The rest of the year the winds are southeast, or calms
prevail.
Some rain falls in October, as a rule, but the annual precipitation is extremely low,
and the country inland from the port is a desert.
The climate may be termed subtropical and very dry and healthful.
Bad storms can be expected in the Gulf of California during the fall equinoctial
season as a rule.
System of harbor control. Under direction of port captain.
Fines levied against ships. See page 84.
Bills of health. Issued by the port doctor. (See p. 89.)
Sealed papers and customs visit. As at all other Mexican ports of call, masters of
vessels must present to the customs officials the following sealed papers: Consular
invoices of cargo for port; cargo manifest; crew and passenger lists; provision and
ship's supply lists.
Clearance at night and on Sundays and holidays. There is no prohibition to clearing
at night, but the channel out of the bay to the gulf is dangerous then. Customs
officials will give papers before closing time in the late afternoon, and a vessel can
sail later in the night. Double charge for agents, customs guards, etc., at night.
Time allowance for discharging. No time limitations are imposed.
Boat hire. No power launches are available. Boats plying to and from steamer
with passengers and ship's people charge 0.50 peso per person. The use of boats
for lines, etc., is according to arrangement made.
84 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
WHARVES, PIERS, WAREHOUSES, ETC.
There is only one wharf or pier (that of the municipality), which is 115 meters
long and is used only for lighters and boats, none except the smallest vessels landing
alongside, though steamers drawing less than 15 feet of water can tie at the end of
this pier.
The only available public storage is that of the customs, where some 600 tons of
general cargo can be accommodated.
Storage rates. Customs allow goods imported to lie in warehouse 15 days without
charge; then charge 0.01 peso per 100 kilos gross weight for the first month and 0.02
peso per 100 kilos for each month thereafter until time limit of six months is exhausted.
STEVEDORING.
Base of rates and charges. Weight or measurement ton, as per invoice.
Cost of discharging cargo. For general-merchandise cargo, rate is 3 pesos per ton,
weight or measurement, from ship's tackle to customs warehouse. One 15-ton lighter
is available at a charge of 2 pesos per ton for handling cargo if vessel does not go
alongside pier.
Rate of handling cargo. About 250 tons in and out of vessel per day of 10 hours.
BUNKERS.
There are no bunkering facilities.
TRANSSHIPMENT OF GOODS.
La Paz has no railway into the interior, which is very sparsely populated. The
principal industries are a large tannery and pearl fishing, with some cattle in the
interior.
REPAIRS.
There are no facilities for repairs.
WATER.
The water supply is very limited. The cost is 0.25 peso per barrel, delivered in
casks on lighter alongside.
STEAMSHIP SERVICE.
Steamers of the Companfa Naviera Mexicana and the Compania Naviera de los
Estados de Mexico, both under the Mexican flag, have a steamer from San Francisco
about every three weeks and a steamer north and south in coastwise service about
every 15 days.
San Jose del Cabo, Loreto, Santa Rosalia, Mulege, Guaymas, and Mazatlan are near-
by ports reached by steamer from La Paz. All these ports with the exception of
Guaymas and the mining town and port of Santa Rosalia, which has a breakwater
are small open roadsteads.
GENERAL INFORMATION.
The population is very small and the trade purely local. The principal exports
are pearl shell, leather (to the interior of Mexico), dye plant, some ore, and small
amounts of dried figs, also shark fins to China, via San Francisco.
The principal imports are foodstuffs and general merchandise from the United States
(San Francisco). Corn, beans, lard, etc., are shipped in from the mainland of the
West Coast of Mexico.
No port works or other improvements are planned or contemplated.
The United States Government is represented by a consular agent who is under
the jurisdiction of the American consul at Mazatlan.
REVISED MEXICAN CUSTOMS REGULATIONS.
Following are extracts from the Revised Mexican Customs Laws,
of 1914, giving the articles that affect masters of vessels, fines, etc.,
and that make laws uniform for all Mexican ports of call :
ARTICLE 23. The captain of any vessel receiving cargo in foreign countries, to be
delivered in one or more ports of the Republic, will be obliged to make a general
manifest for each port for such cargo, same to conform with model No. 1, of the present
customs laws.
TRANSPORTATION. 85
II. Numbers of bills of lading in numerical order, the marks, countermarks, and
numbers of the packages; the generic designation of the merchandise in accordance
with that declared by the shippers in the bill of lading; the name of the consignee as
stated in said bills of lading, or the designation to order if it comes so consigned; the
total number of packages in numbers and letters. In manifesting cargoes or lots that
come in bulk, this circumstance will be mentioned, expressing besides the class of
merchandise and the total weight of same. All the above data should be given with
the necessary separation in order to identify each package, care being taken to state
clearly the marks, numbers, kind, and contents of packages comprised in each con-
signment on the manifest.
III. The date on which the document is completed and the signature of the captain,
or, in his stead, that of the agent or the consignee of the vessel at the port where the
merchandise is loaded. The fact that the manifest is signed by another person repre-
senting the captain does not exonerate the latter from the responsibility that may
result from the failure to comply with the provisions of the law, considering that he
assumes this responsibility from the moment in which he accepts and carries the docu-
ment issued in the above form.
ART. 24. The captains of vessels consigned to "order," or to persons who axe not
to be found in the port, or who have no representatives therein, will themselves be
considered the consignees of the vessel which they command, provided they do not
designate some persons established in or residing at the port who will accept and
discharge the duties of such.
If the party named by the captain does not accept the commission, proceedings
must be instituted as in the case of renunication of consignee. (See arts. 106 and 115.)
ART. 25. When the captain or agent errs in making the manifest, this may be
rectified before being certified by the consul, provided the correction appears the
same in all four copies of the manifest.
The customhouse at the port of arrival, on receiving a corrected manifest, will
compare this carefully with the copy in its possession and, finding them to agree, will
accept the corrected manifest without question.
Corrections made after the consul has certified the manifests will be admitted with-
out imposition of fine, provided the correction does not alter the number of packages,
whether in the total number or separate parts comprising same, but if a correction
is made affecting this data a fine of not more than 50 pesos will be imposed.
ART. 26. The captain will deliver to the Mexican consul or consular agent residing
at the port of lading four copies of the manifest and will receive one duly certified;
the captain will take this with him, to be presented to the boarding officer immediately
on arrival at the port of destination.
If the cargo of a vessel suffers any variation after the manifest has been legalized by
the consul, the captain can present to the said consul, or any other Mexican consular
agent, a declaration in quadruplicate, setting forth the facts; the declaration will be
admissible, if instead of the captain the agent presents the declaration, provided,
however, that the declaration is presented before arrival of the vessel at the first
Mexican port of call. The official receiving the declaration will return a copy to
those interested, sealed and certified, to be presented to the proper customhouse.
The existence of this certificate and its presentation to the customs will not exempt
the captain or consignee from the obligation of making the additions or rectifications
mentioned in article 123, but it will merit the remission of the penalty incurred,
provided it appears clearly that the manifest was presented before the vessel arrived
at a Mexican port.
ART. 29. If, on examination, the customs officers find any of the following errors
in the documents presented by the captain on arrival, the fines mentioned herein
will be applied.
I. The absolute failure to present a manifest, when the vessel carries cargo, will
be punished by a fine not to exceed 500 pesos, and when it arrives in ballast, by a
fine not to exceed 100 pesos. * * *
III. The failure to deliver to the boarding officer, immediately upon his call on
board, the certified manifest will be penalized by a fine not to exceed 25 pesos.
IV. Failure to present any of the documents referred to in paragraphs II, III, IV,
V, and VI of the preceding article will cause a fine not to exceed 50 pesos.
[The documents referred to above are (II) list of samples, (III) passenger list and
baggage, (IV) stores list, (V) inflammable list, and (VI) list of packages" pertaining
to the cargo of another vessel, when same does not appear on the manifest with the
necessary notation.]
All fines imposed by the customhouse for the foregoing omissions are subject to
approval by the Secretary of the Treasury.
86 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
When the documents referred to in paragraphs II, III, IV, V, and VI of article 28
are not presented in proper form, the customhouse will exact that they be replaced by
correct forms, not permitting, however, any addition or essential variation in them.
When the documents are not replaced in due form the work on the vessel will be dis-
continued pending the replacing of same.
ART. 30. When the captain presents the manifest legalized by the consul, and the
customhouse has not received the corresponding copy, the collector will exact that
the freight book, bills of lading, and other necessary documents be shown in order to
compare the date of sailing of the vessel with the date given in the customs documents.
If the dates do not correspond to each other, two copies of the manifest must be
taken, which will serve in discharging the vessel, and notice of the occurrence must
be forwarded to the Directors General of Customs, who will consult with the Secretary
of the Treasury as to what action will be taken in the matter.
ART. 33. When a vessel is dispatched from a foreign port for various ports in the
Republic without cargo for any, the captain must provide himself with a ballast
manifest for the first port he touches.
If the vessel carries merchandise for some port in Mexico and none for others, the
ballast manifest is only obligatory for the first port of call that is, provided there
is no cargo for said port.
If the vessel touches at various foreign ports and takes no cargo for Mexican ports
at any of them, a ballast manifest will be required only from the last foreign port of
call to the first Mexican port of call.
ART. 34. Captains of vessels carrying cargo for various Mexican ports and for other
foreign ports will deposit in the customhouse at each Mexican port at which they call
the manifest of the other cargoes which they have on board. The collectors of customs
en route will certify that the deposit has been effected.
In case the merchandise destined for some foreign port is not covered by manifest,
the captain of the vessel will be obliged to make a minute, detailed statement of said
goods and will deliver same to customs employees as prescribed in paragraph VII,
article 28, with the understanding that if any merchandise is found on board which
has not been manifested, the captain will be obliged to discharge same for examination,
and will be subjected to the payment of double duties on goods so found.
ART. 36. Manifests certified after the sailing of the vessels carrying the merchandise
covered by same can be accepted by the collector of customs, provided the date of
the certificate shows clearly that it was issued before the arrival of the vessel at any
port of the Republic.
ART. 71. If a manifest or invoice is presented to the consul to be certified, covering
merchandise which has already left the port, he will certify same in accordance with
article 68 [art. 68 provides that the consul must show the date of sailing and hour
when documents are presented to be legalized], giving the date of sailing of the vessel
carrying the merchandise.
The collector of customs can admit these documents provided the date of the cer-
tificate shows that it was legalized before the merchandise arrived at destination.
ART. 93. The collector of customs can authorize loading or discharging of vessels
at night or on holidays, when such permission is requested by the captain or agent
of vessels, provided he deems this necessary or convenient.
Regarding night work, the conditions of the port will be taken into consideration
in order to ascertain whether there will be any risk to persons or to merchandise, and
if the watchers can perform that function efficaciously.
In case a collector considers it advisable to deny such a request, he will telegraph
such denial immediately to the Directors of Customs, giving his reasons for such
refusal.
In performing night work the following rules must be observed :
I. It will be necessary and indispensable for the captain or consignee of the vessel,
or in their stead the company or persons to whom the vessel belongs, to file a bond to
the entire satisfaction of the collector of customs, sufficient to cover an infraction of
the law or of the special requirements of the customs, which may be committed while
said work is being performed, and to relieve the collector of customs from all responsi-
bility that might be incurred by virtue of his granting such permit, but it is under-
stood that the granting of permit by the customhouse or the filing of a bond by the
captain, consignee, or owners does not absolve them from the obligations to the
owners of the merchandise.
II. In order to obtain permission to perform night work, the captain or consignee
will present a petition stating whether the work will continue only until 12 p. m.
or after that hour.
In the first case the collector of customs in conjunction with the chief inspector
will appoint one set of watchers, and in the second case two sets one for the hours
TRANSPORTATION. 87
up to 12 p. m., and a second for the hours after that time. For this extra work the
customs will be indemnified in a sum equal to one day's pay for each man discharging
the duties of inspector. The indemnity will be received by the customhouse and
will be delivered intact to the different men aforesaid.
In case permission has been requested to work all night, and the work is com-
pleted before 12 p. m. or is stopped by order of the interested parties, the collector
has the right to collect the indemnity for the men appointed to perform the service
of inspectors during the second part of the night, and it will be distributed among
them.
III. T,he captains of vessels will also be obliged to agree to comply with and enforce
compliance with the provisions of the customs rules governing the inspection of night
work, and such agreement must be embodied in the application for permission to
perform night work.
IV. For work authorized on holidays, the customhouse will collect as indemnity
for the inspectors engaged in the work" a sum equal to the daily wages of each of such
inspectors, and the same will be distributed in the prescribed form.
V. No work will be permitted to be performed on national holidays, except in
extraordinary cases which make it imperative to discharge immediately in order to
save vessel or cargo.
ART. 99. When after the discharging of a vessel, packages are found in excess,
which belong to another Mexican port, and the discovery is made too late for them
to be reembarked on the same vessel, they may, on request of the consignee of the
vessel, be shipped by another vessel, the following regulations being observed:
I. When the customhouse at the port where the merchandise or packages are dis-
charged in error has not in its possession a certificate justifying the discharge of the
package, communication must be made with the customhouse at the proper port of
destination, to ascertain whether the packages in question figure on the manifest for
that port and whether they were "short-landed" there.
II. On receiving an affirmative reply, the packages will be loaded under the super-
vision of a customs inspector, having been previously corded and sealed, and a certifi-
cate will be issued notifying the collector at the port of destination of the shipment.
If the merchandise is of such a nature as not to admit of cording and sealing, the
collector will obtain a minute description of same in order that it may be properly
identified at the port of destination.
III. The customs at the port of destination will duly acknowledge receipt of the
merchandise without loss of time.
IV. The original entry will answer in dispatching such merchandise or, in its stead,
a copy thereof.
V. The reloading of excess cargo belonging to a foreign port will also be admitted
on presentation to the collector of a proper certificate from the customhouse at the
port of destination, showing that the shortage exists there; this certificate must, how-
ever, be certified to by the Mexican consul or a consul of a friendly nation.
ART. 101. In case the stores for the use of the vessel are, in the opinion of the col-
lector, in excess of the actual needs of the vessel, he will order them stored in a con-
venient room, under customs seals, where they can not be obtained without destroy-
ing such seal, and said seal will not be removed until the vessel is ready to leave
port. If the seal appears to be broken a minute examination will be instituted, and,
if any goods are found missing, double duties will be collected on the articles found
missing.
If the captain avers that he has no place on board in which to secure the excess
stores, they will be discharged at the expense of the captain and placed in a Govern-
ment storehouse, and will be returned on board when the vessel is ready to sail.
ART. 103. If the captain desires to sell part of his stores he will be permitted to
discharge same upon payment of customs duties thereon, having previously made
regular customs entry and paid such consular fees as would have been applied on
the merchandise had it been a regular importation. The entry for the excess of
stores will contain all the ,data required on entries of regular importations, and will
be subject to the same rules.
ART. 106. The consignee of a vessel is the person mentioned as such on the manifest.
The captain is authorized to name a consignee when the vessel is consigned to "order,"
or he may name some person other than the one named on the manifest. The docu-
ment naming a consignee must be presented in triplicate and have the stamps
affixed as provided for by the law. In order to validate the naming of a consignee,
or in appointing one in lieu of the one mentioned on the manifest, it will be necessary
to state same in writing to the collector before commencing to discharge the vessel,
and the person thus named will signify his acceptance at the foot of the document.
88 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
ART. 107. The consignee of merchandise is the person mentioned on the bill of
lading.
The customhouse will consider the parties named by the captain on the manifest
as consignees, when importers fail to present bills of lading for same.
When a bill of lading designates a person as consignee in care of another, the one
presenting the bill of lading will be considered the consignee.
Captains, or other persons named by them, will be considered as consignees of
merchandise which is landed from a vessel, and which does not appear on the manifest
or in the additions thereto, or which is not covered by the bill of lading or consular
invoice. The collector, with the consent of the captain, can deliver merchandise to
persons proving ownership to the satisfaction of the collector when no bill of lading
is presented. The same rule will apply to merchandise covered by a bill of lading
which has been erroneously indorsed.
ART. 109. If merchandise arriving by sea is indebted to the carrier thereof for any
sum, the captain or the consignee of the vessel can request the customs to refuse
delivery of same. The request will be presented in writing, and the customs will
refuse delivery of the goods for 15 days. If, in this time, no definite judicial order
for retention is received, the merchandise will be delivered in regular form.
The action of the customs will not exempt the customs from payment of storage or
guarding, nor will it exonerate the captain from any claim the consignee may have
against him.
When the captain is about to depart he must exhibit a judicial order to hold the
delivery of the goods or appoint some one to represent him in the premises.
When the consignee claims that the retention will result in loss to his interests the
collector may deliver the merchandise upon receiving satisfactory guaranty, in the
shape of a bond, that all charges will be paid thereon.
Consignees or captains of vessels have the right to add to or rectify their manifests
within 48 hours following the entrance of the vessel, excluding holidays; provided,
however, that when the vessel has been charged before the expiration of the above
time, the time allowed for additions or rectifications will be two hours after the last of
the cargo has been landed, and to that effect the time will be set in the last boat note.
No additions will be admitted to rectify the date and signature on manifests.
ART. 124. The additions and rectifications mentioned in the preceding article will
be governed by the following rules:
I. Additions which are not of importance and do not affect the number of packages
as indicated on the manifest will be admitted without penalty. If the collector
finds that there are some data on the manifest that should be rectified he will notify
the consignee in order that the necessary correction may be made within 24 hours;
failure to comply with the above notice will involve a penalty not to exceed $25.
II. An addition to the manifest that augments the number of packages, provided
they are covered by a consular invoice which covers, besides, other packages that
appear on the manifest, will also be admitted without penalty.
III. If an addition augments the number of packages on the manifest and the
packages so added are not covered by consular invoice, or are covered by a separate
invoice, the captain will be penalized in a sum not to exceed 25 pesos per package
thus added without affecting the penalties incurred on the merchandise that arrives
without a consular invoice.
IV. When a correction is made to the effect that one or more packages are short,
owing to their not haying been loaded, notwithstanding the fact that they appear
on the manifest, it will be admitted without penalty when the packages short are
found to appear on a consular invoice with other merchandise found on the manifest;
but if the said packages do not appear on a consular invoice or appear on one ex-
clusively for them, the captain will be fined in a sum not to exceed 25 pesos for each
package short.
V. Additions or changes in sample manifests will be admitted without penalty.
VI. The customs may reserve their decisions in the matter of the additions referred
to in paragraphs II, III, and IV of this article pending investigation to ascertain
whether a consular invoice exists and what is its condition.
ART. 125. If, in the discharging of a vessel, there are found to be landed packages
in excess that do not appear on the manifest and that have not been added in the time
prescribed by article 123, but that are found to appear on a consular invoice with other
merchandise which is found on the manifest, the captain will be fined not to exceed
$1 for each package in excess, but if the packages are not covered by consular invoice
exclusively for them, a fine may be imposed not to exceed $50 without affecting the
penalties incurred by the merchandise arriving without consular invoice.
ART. 127. When a captain has not availed himself of the opportunity to rectify
his manifest as provided in paragraph IV, article 124, and there are found to be
TRANSPORTATION. 89
packages short which appear on the manifest, this circumstance will be noted and
no fine will be imposed, provided the merchandise appears on a consular invoice
with other merchandise which likewise is found on the manifest, but if the packages
are not covered by consular invoice, or are exclusively comprised in one consular
invoice, the captain will be fined a sum not to exceed $50 for each package short.
ART. 128. When additions or rectifications made on manifests refer to those made
by the captain or agent of vessels before a consul or consular agent in due time or
under the prescribed form, as provided for by article 26, no fine will be imposed
provided the corresponding certificates covering the declaration are presented to
the customhouse by the parties at interest.
Corrections will not be necessary for packages thrown overboard, or otherwise
disposed of through dangers of the sea, upon satisfactory proof of the cause being
presented to the collector.
ART. 287. Transshipment of the merchandise from one vessel to another at Mexican
ports will be governed by the following rules:
I. When a vessel arrives carrying merchandise from a foreign port destined for
another Mexican port, or for a foreign port, duly accompanied by the necessary docu-
ments, and permission is solicited from the collector of customs to transship same,
the collector is authorized to grant said request notwithstanding that the manifests
do not state that the merchandise is to be transshipped. If for grave reasons the
collector sees fit not to grant the petition, he will communicate the fact immediately
to the Director General of Customs for final decision.
II. In case a vessel arrives with merchandise duly destined for the port of arrival,
and the consignees of the merchandise desire to have same transshipped to another
Mexican port, permission to do so can only be granted by the Secretary of the Treasury.
The collector of customs must communicate with the secretary by telegraph, if neces-
sary, at the expense of the consignee.
III. If a vessel arrives in distress and can not continue its voyage, having on board
goods destined for other Mexican ports, and the captain or agent applies to the custom-
house for permission to transship the cargo, the collector may grant same, subject
to the requirements of the maritime law in force, but he must figure directly in the
transshipment, discharging, and reloading of cargo.
IV. If by reason of some detention a vessel is obliged to retard its voyage or can
not proceed, and if it carries cargo for some other port duly covered by the proper
documents, the collector himself (or with previous permission from the judicial
authority, if the case has been submitted to court) can dispose the discharge or trans-
shipment of said merchandise.
V. When a captain or the agent requests permission to transfer from the stores of
another vessel those that he may require for his own use without payment of
duties, such transfer will be permitted if no great inconvenience is experienced by
the customs authorities as a result of the transaction.
VI. Always when passengers are obliged to change vessels in order to continue
their voyage, transfer of baggage will be permitted.
VII. If the vessel on which the merchandise is to be transshipped has not arrived
at the port of transshipment, the collector of customs, on request of the captain or
agent of the carrying vessel, may permit the discharge, provided a proper locality
or covered lighters are convenient for the safe storage. In this case the goods will
remain in care of the customhouse, subject to the payment of storage as provided
for in article 275. [Article 275 provides for storage to be collected as follows on mer-
chandise deposited in Government stores: First two months, 1 cent per day for 100
kilos or fraction thereof; third and fourth months, 2 cents per day for 100 kilos or
fraction thereof; fifth and sixth months, 3 cents per day for 100 kilos or fraction
thereof on the total weight from the date on which the last package is stored until
the date on which the last package has been withdrawn.]
The moment the transshipping vessel arrives the captain or consignee must present
the application for transshipment.
VIII. All transshipping operations will be subject to loading and discharging
dues in ports where such dues are established.
SANITARY CODE.
Following are the regulations of the Mexican Government in regard
to American vessels arriving at Mexican ports without Mexican oills
of health (translation of articles 16 and 17 of the Sanitary Code) :
ARTICLE 16. Bills of health issued in a foreign port are divided into "clean" and
" dirty " classes, in accordance with Article 23 of the Sanitary Code. Other bills of
90 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
health than those so mentioned, regardless of their denomination, shall be considered
as "dirty." The same consideration will be given to a clean bill of health that may
have been changed by reason of accident during the voyage and to one issued in a for-
eign port and not visaed by the Mexican consul at the port of clearance, or at a
port near the port of clearance should there not be a Mexican consul there, or by the
consul of a friendly nation, as well as a bill of health that may have been altered by
corrections or erasures not duly authorized. Vessels not having a bill of health will
be treated as having a "dirty" bill of health. The same rule applies to vessels not
having a bill of health.
ART. 17. Mexican bills of health are not valid unless obtained at the port of clearance
within the 48 hours.
In view of the above, vessels having bills of health that do not comply with the
above requirements shall be subject to thorough fumigation.
It will be seen from the above that vessels arriving in Mexican
ports from American ports, or from ports where there is no Mexican
consular officer, or a consul of a friendly nation who can issue the
Mexican bill of health, are considered as having come from a " dirty"
port and are subject to fumigation regardless of the fact of the non-
existence of quarantine diseases at the American port of departure.
This works a particular hardship on vessels clearing for Mexican
ports from ports where there is no Mexican consular official, as the
law requires that all foreign vessels entering a 'Mexican port must
carry a bill of health viseed by a Mexican consular officer.
PORT WORKS AND IMPROVEMENTS.
With each succeeding new administration in Mexico since 1911 new
plans have been presented for large port works and improvements
on the gulf and Pacific coasts of the country, and the present admin-
istration planned to use the special income tax collected during the
Centennial of 1921 for this express purpose. The breakwater at
Manzanillo was to be enlarged and extended to give the protected
area of the harbor more ocean tonnage space, and other improve-
ments were also planned. Two plans were presented for the very
necessary improvement of Mazatlan one for the dredging of the
entrance to the shallow bay back of the town, and the other, on
which a contract was finally given in February, 1922, calling for the
construction of a stone fill causeway from the shore to Creston Island,
thereby forming a breakwater and making the port a protected one.
An early decree in 1922 made Guaymas a "free port" (like Hamburg),
and the sum of 500,000 pesos (nominally $250,000) was appropriated
for the preliminary study of Guaymas and two other proposed "free
ports."
In July, 1922, an engineer arrived at Guaymas for the purpose of
making the preliminary survey and cost estimate of extensive im-
provements in connection with the plans of the Secretary of Hacienda
(Treasury) to make Guaymas a "free port." The port of Guaymas
is now spending about 30,000 pesos in filling in tide-flat lands on the
west end of the bay (inner harbor) and plans to use the new land thus
created for warehouses, etc. In January, 1922, Guaymas was visited
by the Mexican Government commission which had previously rec-
ommended that Guaymas/ Salina Cruz, and Puerto Mexico be
created as "free ports."
It is doubtful, on account of the present condition of the country
economically and the state of the Government finances, whether any
of the proposed works can be carried out for some time to come.
Adequate tonnage is lacking to provide revenue for large expenditures,
TRANSPORTATION. 91
and production can not be increased over present quantity under
prevailing conditions.
The Guaymas Chamber of Commerce reported unfavorably regard-
ing the plan of the Minister of Hacienda (Sr. de la Huerta) for mak-
ing Guaymas a "free port," the members considering that local rail
freight rates for the concentration of cargo there were too high, as
Guaymas would have to draw cargo tonnage from the valleys of the
coast to the south and from the mining districts of Sonora.
NEW PORT OF ST. GEORGE'S BAY.
In August, 1921, it was reported that American engineers, acting for
certain Arizona copper-mine interests, were surveying St. George's Bay
for a new seaport, with the object of determining the location of a safe
and convenient tidewater terminal to serve as the ocean outlet for the
products of certain Arizona copper mines. The point selected was at
Rocky Point, in the northwest part of St. George's Bay, Gulf of Cali-
fornia, about 100 miles north of Guaymas on the mainland. The sur-
vey was conducted by the engineers of the Tucson, Gila Bend & New
Cornelia Railway Co. Rocky Point is said to hold out many advan-
tages for a deep-water harbor in the way of anchorage, a good beach,
protection from storms and currents, and, above all, its nearness to
the points of production in Arizona, it being located only about 105
miles south of Ajo, to which place the railway is completed, connect-
ing with the main line of the Southern Pacific in the United States.
The extension to St. George's Bay would involve maximum grades of
less than 1 per cent. High rail rates on copper products to the eastern
markets and for export shipment have induced the Arizona copper
companies to seek a deep-water outlet on the Gulf of California, and
at Rocky Point it is reported that the construction of a pier 1,000 feet
long would afford dockage for vessels up to 15,000 gross tons register.
It is thought that the construction of this port would have a bene-
ficial effect on the copper industry of the southwestern part of the
United States and in Sonora, Mexico. As yet no concession has been
granted by the Mexican Government for this proposed new port.
SUMMARY OF WEST COAST SHIPPING DEVELOPMENT.
Under the old shipping laws of Mexico a foreign vessel could not
handle coastwise cargo between Mexican ports as long as there was a
Mexican vessel available to carry it within a reasonable time. During
the war, with the resulting scarcity of tonnage, several American ves-
sels found it profitable to operate coastwise on the West Coast, han-
dling not only export and import cargo but also coastwise tonnage
offered. With the publication on August 1, 1921, of the new decree
which prohibited foreign vessels from engaging in the coastwise traffic,
the American vessels were forced to withdraw or take Mexican registry.
Following this, a concession was given to the Compania Naviera de
los Estados de Mexico steamship line, which is under the Mexican
flag, and the Mexican Government also began to compete in the trade
with its Compania Naviera Mexicana. The West Coast, the Gulf of
California, and the peninsula of Lower California now have adequate
steamer service, consistent with the amount of tonnage and other
traffic that can be offered, and the vessels of the companies now
operating in this trade find great difficulty in securing anything like
adequate return cargoes, most of the tonnage secured being general
92 MEXICAK WEST COAST.
merchandise and foodstuffs imported from the United States, although
some cargo is secured for gulf points at Salina Cruz and Manzanillo,
originating in Europe or in the interior of Mexico: The greater bulk
of the freight carried is import cargo from the United States, as is
shown by the totals for the port of Manzanillo for 1918, when 40,889
metric tons were handled, in and out, by that port, of which 35,360
tons were imports, principally destined for the Guadalajara region of
the interior, as Mazatlan gets the shipments for points north and
south as far as Tepic.
The exclusive features of the new Mexican coastwise trade law give
vessels under the Mexican flag an enormous advantage to impose
preferential freight rates, although they have to compete with Amer-
ican vessels for export shipments to the United States. As an
example: Coffee pays about $12 per ton from Salina Cruz to San
Francisco, whereas coastwise boats charge the equivalent of $20 from
that port to Mazatlan or Manzanillo for coastwise shipment. The oil
refineries of the east coast formerly paid a flat rate of $9 per metric
ton for shipments of 500 tons of case-oil products to the West Coast
as far north as Guaymas; the present coastwise rate from Salina Cruz
is about $21 per metric ton for this commodity in lot shipments.
Salina Cruz has to offer about 1,000 tons a month for export ship-
ment, the principal amount consisting of coffee for San Francisco.
Manzanillo has only about 5,000 tons a year for export shipment, all
north bound, and Mazatlan, at present, about the same. The tonnage
offering at Guaymas is dependent upon the state of the European
demand for "garbanzos," which have not been moving freely on
account of the market stagnation, successive Government embargoes
on exportation of this product, etc.
The 1 export and import statistics accompanying this report give the
commodity and tonnage movements of the various ports of the West
Coast and show the analysis of the cargo movement.
Tonnage development on the West Coast of Mexico being involved
in the economic and industrial development of the region, this subject
is treated fully in the later chapters covering the industries of that
part of Mexico in greater detail.
Competition has cut rates recently, and the entire West Coast will
be benefited by the lower coastwise rates now in force, making water
shipment possible for products shipped to the interior of the country
where foodstuffs are especially needed.
ROADS AND HIGHWAYS.
The development of roads and highways has been neglected on
the West Coast, although each succeeding administration has made
extensive plans for highway construction throughout the territory
under discussion. The old stage road ran from the San Marcos termi-
nal of the branch railway out of Guadalajara toward Tepic, and on
up the coast to Guaymas, stages operating during the dry season of
the year the vehicles being of the old " Concord" type drawn by
the small native mules of the country. The road was seldom worked
and was a mere track, often impassable in many places and having
no bridges over streams, large or small. Automobiles have since
come into general use and are used in the valleys during the dry
season and in the towns throughout the year, although good paving
is lacking.
TRANSPORTATION. 93
The military commander of the West Coast Zone evolved an
ambitious plan of highway construction for the coast in 1921, it
being planned to construct a paved highway from the American
border at Nogales, Sonora, to Tepic, a distance of approximately
800 miles. Ten thousand men were to be put on this work, but
funds were lacking. This highway was to be built in sections by
communities and States, and a start was made at Mazatlan and
Culiacan.
The merchants and farmers fully realize the importance of good
roads for their districts and support any such movement, but the
country is poor and funds are lacking, as a general rule.
NOGALES AND PORT LOBOS HIGHWAY.
This road was projected by Sonora in February, 1922, to run from
Nogales, at the border, to Port Lobos on the gulf, 180 miles south-
west. This road would afford rapid transportation by motor to the
rich district of Altar, the trade of which amounts to about $400,000
(United States currency) per year. The route would pass through
the towns of Saric, Tubutama, Altar, Caborca, and several mining
points. The aid of the Federal Government was assured for this
project, but funds have been lacking.
CULIACAN-BADIRAGUATO HIGHWAY.
This road is being built out of Culiacan to the north through a
more or less rough foothill country to the interior town of Badira-
guato, 72 miles distant. About 7 kilometers of grading had been
completed out of Culiacan, capital of the State of Sinaloa, by an
American contractor, when the work was suspended by the rainy
season in July, 1922. This highway will greatly benefit Culiacan as
a trading center, since the country to the north has a considerable
production of minerals, cattle, and agricultural products for domestic
consumption.
The method of construction followed was that of high dirt fill,
rolled in and covered with crushed rock, the specifications being
those of a Class B highway in the United States. Two large rivers
have to be crossed, as well as numerous small streams which carry
large volumes of water in the rainy season but which are fordable
during the dry season of the year.
MAZATLAN-TEPIC HIGHWAY.
The Mazatlan-Tepic Highway was completed as far as Villa Union,
about 20 miles south of Mazatlan, by the end of February, 1922,
at a cost of about $3,000 (United States currency) per kilometer.
It is planned to extend this highway south to Tepic, touching several
Very important towns en route and crossing the Santiago River at
Santiago Ixquintla, but funds are lacking for the continuation of
construction at present. This road has an average width of 30 feet
and is built on the macadam system.
In his report on the subject, the American consul at Mazatlan,
under date of January 31, 1920, has the following to say regarding
road building in the States of Sinaloa and * epic:
Good roads are placed as a public utility of first importance in this district because
there are none of any importance in the entire length of the two States, and without
them there can be no large development of the abundant natural resources.
94 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
When it is considered that these two States cover an area of 25,755 square miles, it is
apparent that a great deal of road building is necessary.
There is a railway running parallel with the seacoast the full length of this long and
narrow district. This road crosses 11 important river valleys, up and down which
good highways should be built to facilitate the movement of crops that these valleys
are well adapted to produce.
At the very lowest estimate these valleys require an average of 30 miles of good
roads each, or about 330 miles for the 11 valleys of this district. Aside from these, at
least 1,000 miles of other roads is needed, or a total of 1,330 miles.
Working the matter out on a unit basis T find that good roads can be built in this
section at a cost of about $5,000 (United States currency) per mile. It is apparent,
therefore, that about $6,650,000 is needed.
If the Federal, State, and municipal authorities would combine in an organized
effort to develop good roads, setting aside a certain percentage of the revenue for this
purpose, and enacting good-road laws requiring men to contribute five days annually
to road work, there is no doubt that the estimated 1,330 miles of highways would be
built within two years without outside aid.
At the present time, as always in the past, the mining, ranching, and other people
requiring roads have had, for the most part, to build such roads as their private finances
would permit.
From Villa Union, a dirt road has been open as far as the rich
mining camp of Panuco, about 60 miles inland from Villa Union,
which is about 20 miles from the port. This road can be used by
automobiles during the rainy season, but only in the dry season for
heavy truck-transport operations.
AGRICULTURE.
PAST AND PRESENT POSITION OF INDUSTRY.
During Spanish colonial times mining was the primary industry,
with stock raising of secondary development, followed by the gradual
increase in agricultural production. To-day agriculture has become
of primary importance throughout the West Coast, except in the
northern and more arid portion of the State of Sonora, where mining
is still and will continue to be paramount, because this State possesses
what have been characterized in the past as several of the best
mineralized regions in the world.
Manufacturing has not developed to any extent, the greatest
progress having been made in shoemaking for the local domestic sup-
ply. The textile industry is still small and dependent upon other
sources of cotton for the few small plants now in existence on the
West Coast. Local cigarette factories take care of the demand for
the cheaper grades of cigarette peculiar to the region.
The development of industry on the West Coast is inherently
involved in the problems of Mexico as a whole, and it is recognized by
the people of the region themselves that immigration is a necessary
factor, together with the development of some product, or products,
of export to such markets as that of the United States. In other
words, further development is dependent upon stable conditions in
the country, the solution of Mexico's political and social problems,
and the creation of new communities by means of immigration. The
development of the West Coast is very much like that of the Pacific
coast States of the United States; only in the case of Mexico the
increase in population will have to come from outside the country,
and there is thus injected the problem of conflicting nationalities and
racial characteristics.
For years the West Coast of Mexico has been the principal source
of supply of the "garbanzo" (chick pea) to Spain and the West
Indies, and it also snipped last season a total of 1,113 carloads of
whiter tomatoes to the markets of the United States, the acreage
planted for the 1922-23 season being four times that of the preceding
year, with increasing interest and investment in this product of ex-
port. The real wealth of the West Coast lies in the 15 river valleys
where rich soil is found and where there is sufficient water supply for
the irrigation of all available acreage. The very successful development
of agriculture and horticulture in California increased the interest
on tne part of Americans in the development of the river valleys of
the West Coast of Mexico an interest which was brought to a
climax by the construction of the line of the Southern Pacific Railroad
down the coast in 1908 and 1909 with Mexican capital and energy
taking their part in the development of sugar, "garbanzos," and
wheat. On account of market limitations and unfavorable legisla-
tion affecting ownership by foreigners of land, this development
95
96 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
with the exception of the winter tomato and vegetable industry,
which is relatively new has now reached its limit. Population is
lacking, and further progress means the building up of agricultural
colonies by people from the outside and the expenditure of enormous
sums in the development and the application of water for irrigation
in the river valleys. Last year the Yaqui Valley in Sonora produced
a surplus rice crop; "garbanzos" have been stagnant for three years;
and this year Sonora also produced a surplus wheat crop over and
above the West Coast flour needs in competition with American
imported flour.
The need for an exportable commodity is seen in the tremendous
interest and investment in winter tomatoes and vegetables for the
American market, which affords a ready sale and quick cash payment
for these articles. They do not compete with either the Florida or the
California production, as they come on the market earlier by some
two months and can not compete after the American-grown supply
is ready for shipment to the market centers of the country. It is a
well-known fact that the West Coast of Mexico could produce citrus
fruits at one-half the cost of their production in California, climatic
and soil conditions being more nearly ideal than in California, but in
view of the inability to export these products to the markets of the
United States on account of the tariff protection of the American
industry and the lack of the technical and practical knowledge of
this highly specialized field, nothing can be done (at least for the
present) except to increase the supply for local domestic consumption,
which is rather small.
The territory of the West Coast contains 154,000 square miles,
reaching from the American border to the southern boundary of the
State of Nayarit and being divided from the rest of Mexico by the
summit line of the Sierra Madre Range. A large proportion of this
area is eliminated from any agricultural development by topo-
graphical conditions, and the greater part of the coastal plain is bench
land that has no water for irrigation, the only suitable soils lying in
the river valleys and deltas. Hardly one-tenth of the total area could
be cultivated under any circumstances, and only one-tenth of the
portion mentioned has conditions that make it right for intensive
cultivation. Wh en considering the West Coast of Mexico from an
agricultural point of view, one must think in terms of the several
river valleys and not of large expanses of level farming land of uniform
character like that found in the American States of Kansas, Iowa,
Illinois, etc. The conditions and aspects are very much like those
of California, where there is also a series of large valleys, though on
the Mexican West Coast the river valleys run from east to west right
down to the sea.
On account of the varying nature of the climate, soil conditions,
transportation, etc., a separate and detailed description of each river
valley will be given, because it is the " valley " that counts and not
the West Coast as a whole.
AGRICULTURE. 97
HYDROGRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF WEST COAST. 6
COMPARISON WITH CALIFORNIA.
In view of very similar conditions of climate, soil, irrigation, etc.,
the growth and development of California indicate the prospects for
the Mexican West Coast. Up to the year 1850 California was stagnant,
with a total population of 92,600. Since that time, and more particu-
larly since the completion of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific
Kail ways, the State has attracted a larger agricultural population than
any other State of the American Union, its greatest growth having
taken place between 1870 and 1890. It had- origin ally the same dis-
advantages as Mexico. The serious handicaps of most countries
where the land holdings continue to be held in very large units are
illustrated by the Census report for 1900, which shows that the average
size of farms in California was 397.4 acres, producing an annual aver-
age of $25.38 per acre, as against the average income of $2.20 per acre
from the 4,753 farms in the State that contained more than 1,000
acres each. The good agricultural lands of the Mexican West Coast
are, as a general rule, still held under the old Spanish Crown grants
in enormous tracts, although a number of these tracts have passed
into the hands of American purchasers who planned to cut them up
into small allotments and sell them on easy terms to farmers from the
United States after water had been developed for irrigation, following
the same plan that has been so successful in California, not only from
the standpoint of an excellent investment for capital but also from
that of the small farmer and from the public and economic point of
view.
This development had begun to proceed very rapidly with the com-
pletion of the Southern Pacific West Coast Line of railway^, and has
only been thwarted by the last 11 years of internal strife in Mexico
and latterly by adverse legislation on the part of the Mexican Govern-
ment (Constitution of 1917) which prohibits foreigners from owning
land in the country, except under certain conditions.
The State of California possesses approximately the same surface
area as the region of the West Coast of Mexico, California having
155,980 square miles, as compared with about 154,000 square miles for
the West Coast. In California 12 per cent of the total area is more or
less under thorough cultivation, aided by irrigation. Southern Cali-
fornia, with its wonderful production of citrus fruits, vegetables, nuts,
dried fruits, canned fruits, dairy products, olives, dates, etc., has an
area of only slightly more than 200,000 acres in use, exclusive of the
Imperial Valley.
In the matter of climate, topography, native races, penetration, etc.,
the- history of the West Coast of Mexico presents almost an exact
parallel to that of California. It can be only a question of time until
it becomes self-evident that the development of this new field will
proceed along the same lines and reach the same final prominence.
The greatest interest in the development of the West Coast is being
taken by the very people who developed California.
5 The following account has been taken from the report of Frank H. Olmstead, hydrographic engineer,
who reported on the West Coast for the Southern Pacific Railroad Co. of Mexico in 190& with additions
residence on the West Coast of
have been brought down to (
tember, 1922.
44807 23 8
98 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
The population of the Republic of Mexico was estimated at 15,000,-
000 in 1910, giving 19.55 persons per square mile. In 1876 there
were 9,380,439 people. Imports into Mexico during the 10-year
period ended in 1910 increased from $21,490,604 to $146,376,587.
Mexico was getting into line with the rest of the world and was an
increasingly important factor to be reckoned with in commerce.
In 1906 and 1907 Mexico sent 71 per cent of its exports to the United
States, and this ratio has steadily increased since then.
Mexico itself is 1,900 miles long by 750 miles wide, while the terri-
tory of the West Coast is 1,200 miles long by 130 miles wide, on an
average. The proportion of arable lands in this territory is hardly
more than 5 per cent, but this 5 per cent of the total surface area com-
prises some of the potentially most fertile lands, which, if easy access
to the sea is provided by a lateral line of rail transportation, possess
many advantages.
When the Panama Canal was opened to traffic in 1915, the West
Coast of Mexico, together with the Pacific coast of the United States,
should have received its share of the impetus given to development
and commerce, but, unfortunately, revolution and unstable condi-
tions in the country have precluded the realization of the full advan-
tage of the benefits that should have accrued. The growth of trade
that is logical proceeds by leaps and bounds when it starts right, and
the West Coast had every reason to expect its share with the com-
pletion of the coast-line railway and the canal.
The world's supply of available and suitable arable lands is being
so rapidly absorbed that 10 years more will see the finish in North
America. When the Southern Pacific was building down the West
Coast in 1908 and 1909 a rush for land was started which was only
stopped by revolutions and subsequent conditions in Mexico.
Development was presaged which would have rivaled the settlement
and development of southern California.
FUNDAMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS.
The difference in race and national characteristics, the necessity of
going into a foreign country where at present legislation is unfavor-
able to the ownership of the land by foreigners, and general condi-
tions growing out of the various revolutions in Mexico during the
past 10 years have stopped this development of the valleys of the
West Coast by people from the United States. The problem is a fun-
damental one, and the ultimate solution can be found only in the
slow education of the masses in Mexico itself, or in the recognition of
the necessity for a more liberal policy toward foreigners (Americans)
in order to bring about the more rapid development of this territory.
As an example, the experience of the Argentine Republic may be
cited: Argentina had in 1883 about 500,000 acres in wheat; in 1906
it had 14,000,000 acres in wheat; and the ratio has steadily increased,
stimulation of production by the native element being fostered by
the example of immigration and capital from the outside.
PRIMARY ADVANTAGES OF WEST COAST IRRIGABLE AREAS.
The great advantage possessed by the irrigable river valleys of the
West Coast of Mexico over other regions and agricultural districts is
that the rivers in flood season carry large amounts of silt, and that,
AGRICULTURE. 99
at the same time, other previously fine producing areas are dropping
off in their annual production on account of soil depletion, while on
the lands of the West Coast the opposite is true because soil improve-
ment goes on as cultivation by irrigation progresses.
The Panama Canal has greatly shortened the distance, so that
shipments of sugar, oranges, rice, beans, fiber, etc., can compete with
those from California in eastern United States and European markets.
(California is now shipping citrus products by water through the Canal
to the eastern seaboard of the United States in order to be able to-
compete successfully with the shorter rail haul of Florida to the great
centers of population in the United States and also with the cheaper
cost of production in Italy principally as regards lemons.) The
distance from the West Coast port of Mazatlan to the Canal is 1,810
miles, and from Colon to New York, 1,989 miles. The West Coast
has also a number of fairly good harbors Guaymas, Topolobampo,
Mazatlan, San Bias, and Manzanillo. Topolobampo is a fine natural
fjord harbor, and the settlers in the Fuerte Valley will some day
possess the great additional advantage of both rail and water trans-
portation to all markets.
STATE OF SONORA.
AREA AND POPULATION.
Next in area to Chihuahua, the largest of Mexican States, Sonora
has a surface area of 76,900 square miles.
The population in 1895 was 191,281, and in 1900, 220,553, a gain
of 3 per cent per year. The last census figures, those of 1921, give
the State a population of 267,474.
The State has 350 miles of ocean frontage on the Gulf of Cali-
fornia and two fairly good natural harbors, Guaymas and St. George's
Bay (farther north) , the latter undeveloped and having no improve-
ments.
CLIMATIC CONDITIONS.
The average annual rainfall for the State as a whole is 11.3 inches,
these figures being taken at the capital, Hermosillo. The highest
record was 19.9 inches and the lowest 5.84 inches. The rainy months
are July, August, and September, during which period the average is
8.12 inches. The highest average for any year's rainy season is 12.64
inches, and the lowest rainy season average 4.85 inches. The winter
rainfall is 3.24 inches, varying from 0.32 inch, and it is not to be
depended upon. Light rains may be expected during the season of
the spring equinox. The rainfall in the northern and eastern part
of the State is heavier than in the central district of Hermosillo,
diminishing toward the gulf and the delta of the Colorado River
toward the northwest.
The maximum summer temperature at Hermosillo is 115 F., and
the minimum temperature is 34 F., occurring in December.
DRAINAGE SYSTEM.
The State is traversed, in a direction approximately northeast to
southwest, by four large drainage systems the Magdalena, Sonora,
Yaqui, and Mayo Rivers, which, with their numerous tributaries,
have running water the entire year, except in the lower reaches of the
first two named, their waters disappearing in the desert wastes, near
100 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
the end of their courses toward the gulf, during the dry season of the
year.
There is known to exist an artesian belt, the limits of which have
not been determined but which starts about 40 miles north of Hermo-
sillo along the line of the railway. There are other districts where
the formation is not unfavorable to artesian water development, but
these have not been prospected by drilling as yet. Some small
interior valleys show excellent and abundant well water at depths of
20 feet or even less.
YAQUI RIVER ALLUVIAL AREA.
The Yaqui is the largest river of Sonora. Its course is of approxi-
mately 680 kilometers (422.5 miles), its source being in the State of
Chihuahua near the town of Ciudad Guerrero, where it is known by
the name of Rio Papigochic. It is joined in Chihuahua by the Rio
Gavilana and enters the State of Sonora under the name of the Rio
Aros. In Sonora it receives the waters of the rivers Mulatos, Sata-
chic, and Nacori, which rise in the district of Sahuaripa, and, later,
those of the Rio Bavispe, which crosses the district of Moctezuma.
Near San Mateo it is also joined by the Rio Sahuaripa and afterwards
by the Rio Moctezuma and Rio Chico and by several other small
streams nearer the delta, which is navigable for shallow-draft boats for
60 kilometers above its mouth at Algodones Bay.
Watershed, delta, and irrigable areas. The watershed area of the
Yaqui is estimated at about 26,000 square miles, of which 500,000
acres are river-bottom lands, of which, in turn, 75,000 are irrigable
without storage, the stream having a capacity of 850,000 acre-feet of
storage water.
Lying between the Estero Mapola, just south of Guaymas, and the
Yaqui River there is found an area of choice cultivated land totaling
12,000 acres situated between the hills and the sea along the Rio
Muerto, an old outlet channel of the Yaqui.
A narrow belt of low salt lands runs along the coast from Guaymas
to Agiabampo. The plain from Guaymas to the Rio Yaqui covers
130 square miles, but the only good agricultural lands are those at
Belem on the Rio Muerto. The salt belt totals 363 square miles
between Lobos Bay and Agiabampo, south of the mouth of the Mayo
River and at the boundary with the State of Sinaloa.
The choice alluvial lands of the Yaqui delta begin at Esperanza
and Cocorit (on the railway) and extend in a fan-shaped delta south
of the river to a line running inland from Tobari Bay, the total area
of the level delta alluvial fill being, roughly, 1,685 square miles, of
which 540 square miles are choice lands lying immediately south of
the river and 1,145 square miles are situated still farther to the
south and toward the gulf. The Rio Yaqui Canal of the Richardson
Bros. Construction Co. takes water from the river at a point above
Esperanza and carries the main supply toward the coast across the
extreme southern area of the delta proper.
Between the railway and the river lie the lands of the Yaqui
Indian pueblos, reaching from Torin to Cocorit, recently returned to
the Yaqui tribe by the Mexican Government, which is endeavoring
to form agricultural colonies for the Yaquis here.
This area of 1,685 square miles has all been platted and surveyed
and comes under the irrigation system of the Yaqui River Land &
AGRICULTURE. 101
Water Co., an American concern which secured the original concession
from the Diaz Government of Mexico.
Lying between this tract and the main valley of the Mayo River
just to the south there is an area of land that lies generally higher
than the deltas on either side and that may ultimately be irrigated in
some portion by means of storage dams on various arroyos, such as
the Coroachi, etc.
Water provision. The Yaqui River has a storage capacity of
500,000 acre-feet, at a cost of about $3,000,000 United States cur-
rency. Under the plans of the Yaqui River Land & Water Co.
there are 3,000,000 acres of land available for irrigation under their
main canal alone, and the difference between the flood volume
and the extreme dry-season volume of water in the stream is so great
that storage must be provided to irrigate all the land available.
(This same problem is faced in all the river valleys of the West Coast
except that of the great Santiago in Nayarit, where rainfall is more
adequate.)
Yaqui Valley irrigation project. In 1909 the Richardson Bros.
Construction Co. of California (Los Angeles) had completed 25 miles
of main canal, 15 miles of main laterals, 15 miles of secondary lat-
erals, 15 miles of tertiary laterals. One hundred miles of secondary
laterals and 375 miles of tertiary laterals were to be completed by
January 1, 1910. This water provision was to irrigate a total of
84,000 acres of level land, 10,000 acres of which were then under
completed laterals, \ In 1907 there were only about 750 acres in
crop in the valley, near a point called Ontagota. The river itself
runs for more than 500 miles through a more or less arid country
from its water supply in the mountain range in Chihuahua, the loss
being estimated at 250-77, proportionate ratio.
Soil conditions in Yaqui Valley. As in all the river valleys of the
West Coast of Mexico, two distinct types of soil are found, as is the
case generally on the coast, though farmers claim that there are
really three types of soil, called "red soil," " chocolate soil," and "silty
gray soil." The "chocolate" soils are found under the banks of the
present river channel. All types of soil are pronouncedly lime soils,
capable of producing for many years without fertilization.
The heaviest soils of the entire area are the "red soils," but these
are very easily tilled on account of the abundant lime content.
Analysis shows them to be at the head of the list of high-grade pro-
ducing soils. For fruit trees with deep tap roots the red soil is un-
doubtedly the best, and this is also true for sugar cane, tubers, and
vegetables. Analysis further shows the entire absence of alkali or
other harmful salts and a great richness in phosphates, lime, nitrogen,
and potash in short, all of the chemical elements so necessary to a
healthy and sustained soil production.
The base rock of the upper watershed is uniformly metamorphosed
red porphyry.
The soil surface, in places, has a tendency to bake and crack after
watering, when the land is new, but this condition soon yields by
cultivation.
The Yaqui River has a drainage area of some 26,000 square miles,
with a mean, annual rainfall of 26 inches and an assumed annual
run-off of 3 inches. The annual rainfall in the delta varies between
5 and 9 inches, and the heaviest precipitation in its watershed occurs
102 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
at the 40-inch rainfall-belt contour line at an elevation in the moun-
tains on the Pacific side of about 7,000 feet above sea level.
Development of Yaqui Valley. Prior to 1890 the Yaqui Indians, in
the eight " pueblos," cultivated a very limited area of land immedi-
ately adjacent to $e river and subject to its overflow during the rainy
season of high water. Between 1890 and 1904 several canals were
built by various interests of Sonora, but the total cultivated area
in any one year probably never exceeded 6,250 acres. At this time
the Yaqui Valley was without a railroad nearer than Guaymas, from
30 to 70 miles distant.
In 1904 the Richardson Bros. Construction Co. was organized to
build a railroad through the valley and to construct an irrigation
system for a total of 750,000 acres of land, this system to include
storage dam and reservoir, diverting dam and intake gates, and about
3,750 miles of distributing canals with 22,000 structures. The canals
will involve a total excavation of approximately 21,000,000 cubic
yards. What the company has accomplished is summarized in the
following paragraphs.
It entered into a contract with the Mexican Government to con-
struct, without subsidy or bonus, a railroad from Guaymas east
through the Yaqui Valley and up the Yaqui River to Tonichi, a dis-
tance of 154 miles. It effected an arrangement with the Southern
Pacific Co. under which the latter agreed to purchase the contract men-
tioned and to commence construction within two years. Before two
years had expired the road had been completed through the Yaqui
Valley, and the Southern Pacific Co. had arranged to extend the line
down the West Coast for a distance of 800 miles to Guadalajara, at a
cost of approximately $75,000,000 United States currency.
Irrigation system. The Richardson Construction Co. entered into a
contract with the Mexican Government (Madero administration) to
complete, within a limited tune, an irrigation system adequate to
supply perennial irrigation to all available lands in the Yaqui Valley
regardless of ownership. This contract was without subsidy, bonus,
land grant, or other consideration to the company, except the usual
exemption of import tax on materials to be used in its work, and the
exemption, for five years only, of tax on its investment in the irriga-
tion system.
The total estimated cost of the work was about $12,000,000 United
States currency to provide water for the 750,000 acres of land,
150,000 acres contained in the eight Yaqui Indian "pueblos," and
the 200,000 acres of privately owned land coming under the system.
Up to June 30, 1917, the company had constructed a temporary
diverting dam and built about 350 miles of canals, totaling in excava-
tion approximately 3,280,000 cubic yards, and it had also built 816
canal structures.
The companv has thoroughly studied and recorded the engineering
phases of storing, diverting, and distributing the waters of the
Yaqui River over the lands of the valley, and has plans prepared for
all of this work much of which, in fact, has already been done and
approved by the Mexican Government.
It has increased the cultivable area to approximately 75,000 acres,
and the completion of the tertiary canals under construction when
the work was suspended will increase this to 110,000 acres.
AGRICULTURE. 103
It has opened and maintained 400 miles of dirt roads and more
than 150 bridges. It has built telephone lines to all parts of the
valley.
For eight years an agricultural experiment station has been op-
erated at Esperanza at a total expense of $80,000 United States cur-
rency. The demonstration farm covers 2,000 acres. This work has
been of great value in the proper selection of crops and soils, as well
as in increasing production. Part of the work has included the col-
lection of meteorological data on the valley and the watershed drained
by the Yaqui River.
At the time operations were begun by the company cultivation in
the eastern portion of the valley totaled 3,750 acres. This area was
increased, by the development of water for irrigation, to more than
27,000 acres in 1913, when the company suspended operation, prin-
cipally on account of Yaqui Indian depredations and the suspension
of railway traffic through the destruction of railway facilities.
The contract rate- for the delivery of water to the land, as stipu-
lated in the Madero administration contract, is 1 peso per 1,000 cubic
meters of water (about 60 cents United States currency per acre-foot) ,
with the proviso that the Indian "pueblo" lands should receive water
at one-half of this rate. At such time as the storage reservoir is
completed, the rates may be increased 50 cents (Mexican currency)
per 1,000 cubic meters. Water continued to be supplied to the users
even during the various revolutions of the past 10 years in Mexico.
Under the terms of the present contract the company has agreed
to subdivide all lands available for cultivation under the water
system, and to sell these lands within a period of 15 years, no sale
to exceed 5,000 acres to any one individual. It has sold an average
of 100 acres each to some 300 practical irrigation farmers, who have
spent about $900,000 United States currency on improvements.
The company has always reinvested the proceeds of the sale of
lands in new development of the valley and has never paid a dividend
during the years of its operation. In 1915 the experiment station
was destroyed by the Yaqui Indians and invaluable records lost.
Twelve raids in all have been made on tHis property, resulting in the
death of some 100 persons and the destruction of about $1,000,000
worth of property.
The eastern portion of the valley is served by the temporary di-
verting dam and the main canal, and branches of the company's sys-
tem. The western portion of the valley is served by the Vicam, Vic-
toria, and Marcos Carillo flood-water canals, none of which has a
diverting dam.
The total area of land in the vallev owned by the company is
587,500 acres, 412,500 acres of which lie within the 750,000 acres of
the "Yaqui Valley that can be ultimately irrigated. The other
175,000 acres is located outside of the irrigable area, and much of
it is hilly or salt land. Of the 412,500 acres within the irrigable
area only 12,500 acres can be cultivated by the canals built thus far.
This is about 2 per cent of all the land owned by the company. In
this connection it should be borne in mind that the company has
sold its lands about as fast as water service for them could be pro-
vided. The present noncultivable area is, in parts, suitable for
grazing, but much of it can not be used for this purpose on account
of the lack of water, the heavy brush, the lack of grass, and the
presence of the Indians. *
104
MEXICAN WEST COAST.
Comparison with Imperial Valley. The Yaqui Valley, from the
standpoint of the American farmer, may be compared to the Imperial
Valley of southern California 10 or more years ago, in that " pioneer-
ing" is still necessary in the former and climatic, soil, and water
conditions are very similar, although the Yaqui Valley gets about
twice as much ram per year as the Imperial Valley and has the
benefit of sea breezes during the summer months, reducing the
average temperature somewhat.
The advantage of the Yaqui Valley lies in the cheapness of the good
land which can be obtained for a fraction of the cost of similar land with
water in the Imperial Valley but on a par, approximately, with the cost
of land on the Mexican side oi the Imperial Valley. (See p. 299.)
The disadvantages of the Yaqui Valley lie in the constant fear of
the Yac[ui Indians, the present Mexican land laws, the inherent
difficulties involved in the Mexican situation, and the problems of
operating in a foreign country not to mention present marketing
difficulties involved in the problem of colonization and development
of the entire West Coast region of Mexico, variously discussed herein.
Crop production and acreage. The irrigation district of the Yaqui
Valley is divided into eight subdivisions, of which the Yaqui pueblos
form one division, with a total of 2,500 hectares under cultivation
by irrigation in the 1921-22 season, with 160 hectares in alfalfa, 761
in beans, 887 in corn in the summer planting and 180 in corn in the
winter, or dry season, planting; 270 hectares of garbanzos, 36 of
garden vegetables, and 206 in wheat (1 hectare = 2.47 acres). The
rest of the total 1921-22 acreage of 14,081 hectares was distributed
in crops as follows: Alfalfa, 568 hectares, or 4 per cent; barley, 279
hectares, or 2 per cent; beans, 1,511 hectares, or 11.1 per cent; corn,
summer planting, 2,250 hectares, or 16 per cent; corn, winter plant-
ing, 254 hectares, or 1.8 per cent; cotton, 20 hectares, or 0.1 per
cent; garbanzos, 692 hectares, or 5 per cent; garden vegetables, 67
hectares, or 0.5 per cent; orchard fruits, 62 hectares, or 0.4 per cent;
rice, 2,861 hectares, or 20.3 per cent; sudan, 29 hectares, or 0.2 per
cent; wheat, 5,428 hectares, or 38.6 per cent.
The total number of hectares planted in the 1920-21 season was
13,026, of which rice covered a total of 4,184 hectares and wheat
2,993 hectares.
The acreage for the last season was the largest ever grown in the
valley. The wheat did very well, as it had plenty of water during
the growing season and no rust was experienced as in past years.
Heavy winds in April and May blew down a good deal of the wheat,
adding to the cost of harvesting this crop last year.
The bean crop of the Yaqui Valley in the 1921-22 season was 50
per cent less than in the preceding year because of hot winds, which
blew off the blossoms and shriveled the pods.
Expressed in acres, the 1921-22 irrigation year is reported as follows:
Acres.
Alfalfa 1, 590
Barley 717
Beans 2,425
Corn:
Summer planting 3, 335
Winter planting 1,945
Cotton 140
Acres.
Garbanzos 4, 122
Orchard products 177
Garden stuff 112
Rice 10, 4GO
Wheat 7, 482
Sudan... 55
For market conditions see "Rice" and " Garbanzos" in this report.
AGRICULTURE. 10 5
MAGDALENA RIVER VALLET.
The Magdalena River watershed, above the town of Magdalena
(which is the first important center on the railway south of Nogales) ,
has an area of about 204.5 square miles. The district has an annual
average rainfall of 15 inches; this, however, can not be depended
upon year after year, although, when uniform, the precipitation is
sufficient to mature good crops of wheat. The annual run-off can
not be more than 3 inches. Estimates show that the stream carried
sufficient water to irrigate about 1,500 acres without storage provi-
sion. There are at present more than 2,000 acres in this district in
fruit trees, wheat, "garbanzos," chiles, and garden stuff. If storage
dams were provided to impound the crest flood waters of the river,
enough water could be secured to irrigate about 20,000 acres, the
lay of the land being very favorable.
The Magdalena River is also known by the name of "Altar." It
is 384 kilometers long, having its source in the mountains of the
Magdalena district.
8ONORA RIVER VALLEY.
The watershed of the Sonora River comprises an area of 282.5
square miles and is reported to be without peculiar interest for irri-
gation development, except the pronounced artesian area located
some 40 miles north of Hermosillo, already mentioned. The stream
itself above the agricultural region just north of Hermosillo has an
annual run-off of 30,122 acre-feet, allowing for 14 inches annual
rainfall and 2 inches annual run-off. The rains are irregular from
one year to another and are not dependable.
With the Rio San Miguel, above Hermosillo, which has a water-
shed of 407 square miles with an average minimum rainfall of about
15 inches, the Sonora River has a total ^watershed of 785 square
miles, with an annual precipitation of 18 inches. The total acre-feet
available for storage above Hermosillo would be approximately
200,000. General conditions in this region of the State are very
arid, but still the district compares favorably with Syria, whose gar-
dens have for 4,000 years been one of the wonders of the world and
whose water supply from the Abana is not greater, lacking storage,
than that of Hermosillo. This same problem of storage is faced by
all the river valleys of Sonora. The stream disappears entirely
below Hermosillo in the dry season.
Following is an account of Mexican Government projects for the
Sonora River Valley. 6 Preliminary reports, in 1920 and early in 1921,
by engineers engaged upon the proposed Government irrigation
works on the Sonora River were encouraging. It is reported that
the proposed storage dam to be located at a point called Puerto del
Sol, near Ures, is entirely feasible, can be built at a relatively low
cost, and will hold for storage about 80,000 acre-feet of water. It is
estimated that this amount of water will be sufficient to irrigate
about 65,000 acres of land, or considerably more level land than
there is in the Ures Valley, so that a considerable surplus, in addition
to the regular flow of the river, can go down to the proposed sub-
merged diversion dam above Hermosillo for the irrigation of the
6 This account consists for the most part of reports from the American consulate at Nogales, dated Nor
26, 1920, and June 30, 1921.
106 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
rich alluvial fill lands of the Sonora River Valley below Hermosillo
and toward the coast.
While the surveys have not been completed, it is estimated that
the dam can be built for about $2,000,000 United States currency.
This low cost is due to several features, namely, the narrowness of
the gorge where it will be built, and the close proximity of good
materials, such as stone, sand, and good rock for the manufacture of
cement, a plant for which is also planned in connection with the dam
work. The dam, as projected, will be 180 feet high and 800 feet long
on the top, while its bottom will be only about 200 feet long. It
will be 120 feet thick at the base and will taper to about 50 feet in
width at the top. Soundings so far made in the gorge indicate that
the sand is only about 15 to 20 feet deep, so that it will be a compara-
tively easy matter to excavate down to bedrock for the foundation
of the main structure.
The reservoir, when filled, will be about 10 miles long and from
1,000 to 3,000 feet wide, having the estimated capacity indicated
above.
The amount of electric power that can be generated has not been
computed but will be very great amply sufficient for the towns in
central Sonora. The district is rich in minerals, and the provision
of cheap power and transportation will greatly stimulate the mining
industry.
This structure will be the first to be built, according to the plans of
the Government engineers, in the series that will constitute the
" Sonora River project." Another storage dam is planned for the
Sonora River and one or two for the Rio San Miguel, which joins the
Sonora River just above Hermosillo. Just below the junction of the
two rivers there is planned a large submerged storage and diversion
dam of concrete for the .purpose of bringing the large underground
flow of the rivers to the surface and making the water available for
irrigation.
The entire project, when completed, will irrigate, it is estimated,
more than 500,000 acres of the fertile delta and alluvial fill lands of
the Sonora River Valley. These lands are excellent for growing citrus
fruits, besides wheat, corn, and beans, and all products of a semi-
tropical country. According to the present plans the project will be
constructed by the State of Sonora, and contracts have been made
with the majority of the landowners whereby they are to transfer one-
half of their land holdings to the State in return for the water service
for the other half which they will retain. It is planned to sell the
lands so secured by the State in small allotments to farmers for suffi-
cient money to cover the cost of construction of the various dams and
accessories. The electric-power rights are to be retained by the State
for the use of schools and road building.
In June, 1921, it was reported that Mexican engineers had again
been active in the survey of the Ures project described above, but
the general lack of funds in the State treasury and the present eco-
nomic crisis of the country has made any new work of this nature
impossible at this time. Private capital is not available in Mexico to
carry out such a project, and, also, the present laws and the attitude
toward foreigners do not encourage such an investment from the
outside.
AGRICULTURE. 107
New surveys were again made in the spring of 1922 by engineers
acting for the Federal Government, and the Ures project was enlarged
with a view to impounding more water, the site for the dam being the
same about 12 miles above the town of Ures. It was understood
that the central Government of Mexico was pledged to carry out this
work, which was to begin July 1, 1922, but no funds are available at
present for such a large development undertaking.
ORTIZ DISTRICT.
Between the towns of Hermosillo and Guaymas, along the line of
the railway on both sides, there is a vast tract of level alluvial lands
in the form of a great natural "sink," which could be converted into
productive land by means of irrigation, either by impounding flood
waters or by wells. This land has been the object of several colo-
nization attempts in the past, but nothing has as yet resulted.
GUAYMAS DISTRICT.
A few miles to the north and east of Guaymas there are thousands
of acres of good land, which can be irrigated from wells at a depth of
from 20 to 50 feet and which have been farmed on a small scale by
Chinese, growing principally truck vegetables and tomatoes for export.
During the years of revolution (and directly on account of the Yaqui
Indian depredations) those lands have been practically abandoned.
COLORADO RIVER DELTA LAND DEVELOPMENT.
This region includes the lands bounded on the north by the inter-
national boundary between monuments 203 and 205; on the east by
the irregular line running over the sandy plain to the Puerto Isabel
trail; on the south bv the Gulf of California and the mouth of the
Colorado River; on tne west by the line following the old course of
the Colorado River, which is the boundary line with Lower California.
Most of this tract was owned by the Gen. Andrade estate, and the
present " Colorado River delta project," formed in 1922 to develop
and market these lands, contains some 200,000 acres, to water which
irrigation will have to be provided either by means of pumps or from
the Colorado River (also by means of pumping machinery).
The company is incorporated in Mexico under the new laws gov-
erning ownership of lands in the Republic, and American capital is
interested. Being so near to the American border and easily acces-
sible to Yuma, Ariz., it is thought that settlers can be attracted, since
the land is said to be excellent for grain growing. 7
MAYO RIVER VALLEY.
The Rio Mayo rises in the mountains in the district of Ocampo in
the State of Chihuahua. It crosses the district of Alamos, Sonora,
and the Southern Pacific Railroad line at the station and town of
Navojoa, coming out at the gulf at the port of Yavaros, which is now
7 See also article in La Revista Agrfcola, Mexico City, April, 1922, containing a report of a Mexican engi-
neer, Ignacio Lopoz, on the lands in Mexico coming within the new Colorado River project under the plans
of the Colorado River Commission, of which Secretary of Commerce Hoover is the Federal chairman by
presidential appointment. (See "New land for Mexico," appearing in the Journal of the American
Chamber of Commerce of Mexico, March, 1922, p. 25.) The Lopez report gives valuable data regarding
the area, location, character, and ownership of the lands in Sonora and Lower California, Mexico, which
will be directly benefited by the Colorado River project.
10$
MEXICAN WEST: COAST.
connected with Navojoa by a new railway. Its length is estimated
at 350 kilometers (1 kilometer = 0.62 mile), and its lower valley has
been the scene of the greatest development in agriculture by the
native element of the country, which has specialized, in this region,
in the production of the chick-pea, called "garbanzo," which is
a staple food product in Spain ana the West Indies.
The alluvial valley of the tyLayo begins at Navojoa, where there is a
branch of the railway to Alamos.
The watershed area of the Mayo is estimated at 7,250 square miles.
The valley contains a total of 120,000 acres of bottom lands subject
to irrigation, of which some 15,000 acres can be irrigated without
storage water provisions. It is estimated that 200,000 acre-feet of
storage water can be developed at an expense of approximately
$1,000,000 United States currency. The entire valley contains 942
square miles of soil which would be productive with water.
On both sides of the potentially productive lands of the immediate
river valley there are large areas of unproductive lands lying too
high to permit of development. On a contour line running directly
inland from the mouth of the Mayo River to Alamos, with a slight
convex curve to the north, and reaching as far south as the Sinaloa
River, there is an area of approximately 1,256 square miles of lands
that would be valuable for farming if water could be provided. This
area contains the "haciendas" of "Malacate," "Masaiva," "San
Antonio/' etc.
The Mayo Valley has also been the scene of the greatest irrigation
development by native Mexicans, a total of 16 canals, owned privately
or by associations, having been constructed by the various land-
owners and canal associations to date. Their names and facts
concerning them are given in the following table:
[1 kilometer=0.62 mile.]
Names of canals.
Length.
Water car-
ried per
second.
Total
land irri-
gated.
Los Pobres
Kilometers.
9
Cubkfeet.
35.31
A cres.
2 470
Orantia and Qiiiros
10
70.62
1 728
Rosales
11
106.00
4,446
Morales and Garcia Pena
9
141.24
1 976
Chichivo
8
106.08
988
9
106.00
988
Coffipanichica
6
53.00
617J
Compafila Agricola de la Paz
7
141. 24
494
Bacobampo
San Pedro
12
9
176. 50
353 00
4,970
2 964
Toriscahoso
8
141. 20
482
Independencia
12
197. 00
4,075
7
141. 00
500
Santa Barbara
11
48.00
741
Tres Hermanos
12
26.50
494
9
5.30
148
All the above canals are of the gravity-flow type and take the water
directly from the river planting of the "garbanzo" being by the
"bolsa" system of water conservation on the land. The canals
take the water from the river on both sides, all the way from above
Navojoa down to the town of Etchocoa. Many of these small
canals have been built by the landowners under a mutual water
agreement which divides the supply among them as it is needed.
AGRICULTURE.
109
There is not sufficient water in the river during the dry season for
irrigation by means of these canals, which only serve to impound the
water in the fields during the rainy season and for about a month
afterwards when there is a flow.
STATE OF SINALOA.
The table below shows the irrigation water supply of Sinaloa:
Streams.
Acres of
bottom
land.
Acres of
irrigable
area
without
storage.
Acre-feet
of
water.
Estimated
cost of
storage.
Fuerte
130,000
60,000
96,000
$570,000
90 000
180,000
1,000,000
M ocorito
25,000
50, 000
500,000
80,000
20, 000
167, 000
500,000
80,000
20, 000
130,000
633,000
Elota
30, 000
3,000
50,000
250,000
Piaxtla . ....
20,000
10,000
24,000
150, 000
Quelite
5 000
1,800
6,000
57,000
Total . . .
460, 000
114,800
703, 000
3,600,000
NOTK. The irrigable area referred to relates to intensive cultivation, such as sugar cane, alfalfa, etc., and
not to such crops as corn, beans, etc.
The above table was compiled by a hydrographic engineer in 1909
for the Southern Pacific Railroad of Mexico. Since then the Resales
Canal has been constructed in the Culiacan Valley at a cost of
2,200,000 pesos (with an additional 800,000 pesos needed to complete
it), furnishing water to 62,000 hectares of land (1 hectare = 2. 47
acres) .
LOCATION OF AGRICULTURAL LANDS.
The agricultural lands of the State of Sinaloa extend along the coast
throughout the entire length of the State and are in the river valleys,
of which there are eight major ones. In places heavy foothill ranges
reach to the sea and the coastal plain becomes much narrower toward
the south, disappearing at Mazatlan and continuing again farther
south. One of these formations intervenes along the Fuerte River to
the north of the stream; there is another group of hills around Sinaloa
City and still another between the railway and the sea at Palos Blancos,
with a scattered formation inland from Culiacan and also south of
the Piaxtla and Quelite Rivers, extending to Mazatlan.
FUERTE RIVER VALLEY.
The Fuerte River Valley begins at the town of San Bias, Sinaloa,
on the railway, as the apex of a triangle which ends at the mouth of
the river just north of the port of Topolobampo and merges with the
Sinaloa River delta to the south.
Watershed area, etc. The watershed area of the Fuerte River is
estimated at 15,145 square miles. The entire area of the valley is
5,240 square miles, of which the arable area is 781 square miles and
the present cultivated area about 65 square miles. Two hundred
and thirty-four square miles are irrigable, requiring, according to
estimates, 675,000 acre-feet of water. The average annual run-off
of the river is 4,480,000 acre-feet of water. Two proposed storage
dams exist one near the town of Choix, and another lower down
110 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
near the city of Fuerte at a point called Yecarati to provide a total
of 96,000 acre-feet of water at an estimated cost of 1570,000, United
States currency.
The total population of the Fuerte district is, roughly, 45, 530, -with
an agricultural population of 7,933, according to the census of 1910.
Rainfall and climate. The rainfall increases from the Yaqui Valley,
where it is 9 inches, to something like 40 inches at Mazatlan, along the
coast toward the south. The Fuerte River Valley has a decided ad-
vantage over all the other West Coast river valleys in that the river
heads so far up in the heavily timbered sections of the Sierra Madre
Mountains that its flow continues later into the summer dry season
and is more uniform.
The average annual rainfall may be said to be 17 inches, although
this varies considerably some years and the mean precipitation can
not be depended upon for agricultural purposes. The rainy season
is from July to October, during which time the temperature is often
as high as 100 F. but never higher than 104. From October to
June, which is the dry season, it rarely rains in the normal year,
although about once in every eight years there is a precipitation of
3 to 5 inches in the months of January or February, sufficient to
cause damaging floods. During this season of the year the tempera-
ture varies from 50 to 85 F., with seldom any frost. Some years,
however, in December and January, frosts occur of sufficient intensity
to damage tomato fields severely, losses being estimated at from 10
to 20 per cent. A climatic peculiarity of the West Coast, and par-
ticularly of northern Sinaloa, is the great variation in temperature
between day and night, changes from 90 F. at noon to 26 at mid-
night being frequent during December, January, and February of
some years. The prevailing winds at all seasons are from the south-
west.
' Population. The resident population of the valley is about 3,000,
in addition to which there is a floating population of as many more,
coming and going with the opening and closing of the sugar-grinding
and tomato-packing season. The only towns of any importance are
El Fuerte, San Bias, Los Mochis, and Topolobampo.
Transportation. This is furnished by the Fuerte Division of the
Kansas City, Mexico & Orient Railroad, which runs the entire length
of the valley, 100 kilometers (1 kilometer = 0.6 2 miles) from the
town of El Fuerte at the foot of the Sierra Madre range to Topolo-
bampo on the Gulf of California. Trains are run every other day
connecting with the Southern Pacific of Mexico Railroad at San Bias.
Both of these roads are of standard gauge.
The valley has a seaport at Topolobampo on the Gulf of California.
This is a large landlocked harbor and is an excellent deep-water
port inside, but a series of sand bars across the entrance to the harbor
prevent the passage of any vessel of more than 16-foot draft. The
Compania Naviera Mexicana furnishes a service of two boats a
month to Mexican West Coast ports and to California ports in the
United States.
Industries. The only industries of the valley are agriculture, a
little live-stock grazing, and the manufacture of sugar. By far the
largest crop is sugar cane, followed in importance by tomatoes,
alfalfa, garbanzos, corn, beans, chile peppers, and a small acreage in
canteloupes and other winter vegetables. All agriculture, with the
AGRICULTURE. Ill
exception of corn and beans, is, of course, carried on under irrigation,
the water being taken from the Fuerte River. The dominant in-
dustry of the valley is the production of sugar cane and the manu-
facture of sugar, principally by one American company.
Operations of United Sugar Companies at Los Mochis. Here in the
Fuerte Valley is one of the largest sugar plantations in Mexico,
containing 11,000 acres of cane already under cultivation, the pro-
duction in the 1921-22 grinding season amounting to 17,825,075
kilos (1 kilo = 2. 2046 pounds) of refined sugar. This plantation is
the property of the United Sugar Companies, S. A., an American
company incorporated under the laws of Mexico, with its mill and
office at the town of Los Mochis in the lower portion of the valley,
25 miles from San Bias and 10 miles from Topolobampo.
The lands producing cane are divided into five plantations of
about equal size, located at Ahome, Florida, Constancia, Sufragio,
and Los Mochis, the last being the largest. The soil of the valley,
away from the immediate vicinity of the river, is of a clay formation,
hard to prepare, but excellent for the production of cane and said to
be some of the best sugar land in the Republic. The average pro-
duction of the land, without fertilization, is 21.56 me trie, tons of cane
per acre, and this can be considerably increased with artifical fertili-
zation, which is now beginning to be used. Some of the best lands
of the company near San Bias produce 40 and 50 tons of cane per acre.
All the producing lands are irrigated from the Fuerte River, 75
per cent of the water of which is controlled by the sugar company
through an old concession from the Mexican Government. Four
pumping plants are operated, furnishing water to the five haciendas
previously mentioned. At Sufragio there is a 15-inch pump furnish-
ing water to 1,500 acres of land; at Constancia there are two 15-inch
centrifugal pumps; at Las Tastas there are two pumps, one 30-inch
and one 48-inch 500 horsepower steam pump, supplying water to
the Los Mochis hacienda, 11 miles away; and at Aguila there is one
48-inch pump, 500 horsepower Diesel engine, and one 30-inch, 200
horsepower pump, pumping water to the Aguila and Florida
haciendas.
Cultivation. Tractors are used for plowing, it being claimed
that the best results are obtained by the use of an English tractor
(Fowler) of a special type, the use of which follows a system whereby
two tractors are placed one at either side of a field, there being
under, and attached to, each tractor a large cable spool wound with
cable. The loose ends of these cables are attached to both end of a
double-ended plow, which is thus pulled from one side of the field
to the other by the tractor power which is all applied to the cable
spools. This is said to be a cheaper and more effective method
than the use of the ordinary tractor plow, as all the power of the
tractor is applied to pulling the plow and none to moving the tractor,
except from time to time when the tractors are moved forward for
a short distance. A cheap fuel for tractor use is found in the " Pitah-
haya" cactus, which grows in large quantities on the company's
property, the only expense involved in its use being the labor in
cutting and hauling it. Several gas tractors are in use, but the
availability of the cactus fuel makes the use of the steam tractor
much more economical for the present. Four caterpillar tractors
are owned by the company, but their use is not found very satis-
112 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
factory because of their weight and the hardening effect that they
have on the newly plowed clay soil over which they pass. The
average depth of plowing is 22 inches.
Fertilization of the land was started ahout three years ago, since
which time the company has been using a special fertilizer compound
adapted to sugar lands, the chief ingredients of which are phosphate
and nitrogen fertilizers. Some bat guano, of which considerable
quantities are found locally, is also used.
Some of the fields of the company have been under cultivation for
30 years. Planting is done every three years, with intervals of rest
from time to time over a period of years, although there is some
land in the valley that is still producing cane from a single planting
of 20 years ago. Different sections of the property are replanted
each spring and fall, so that a continuous supply of cane is available.
The cane matures and is ready for grinding a year after the first
planting the spring planting being ground in the following spring
and the fall planting the following fall. Grinding is done in the
months of December, January, February, March, April, and May.
Three species of cane are produced at present the native cane,
which is called "Pinta" or "Kayada" cane; an early maturing cane,
classified as "D-74"; and "Chrystalina" cane. Experiments are
being made with a cane imported from the Hawaiian Islands,
classified as "H-109." This is expected to acclimate itself to local
conditions and will be producing in milling quantities in two years'
time. Considerable- difficulty is being experienced at present with
the cane-bore pest, although this is being successfully combated
with a parasite imported from Cuba for the purpose. The total
cane production last year amounted to 199,950 metric tons, of which
10,000 tons were kept for planting.
Railroad connecting haciendas. The five haciendas are connected
by a standard-gauge railroad owned and operated by the company,
comprising 45 kilometers (1 kilometer = 0.62 mile) of trackage,
with more under construction. In addition, there are 7 kilometers
of narrow-gauge road operated by mule power. These roads are
used to haul the cane from the haciendas to the mill at Los Mochis.
The equipment includes 4 locomotives, 74 steel cane-hauling cars
(each of 40 tons capacity and said to be the largest type in use in the
sugar industry), 10 flat cars, and 2 box cars. Wagons are used to
haul the cane from the fields to the railroad, there being on the
company's property 114 kilometers of road, constructed at a cost
of 600 pesos per kilometer.
Description of sugar mill. A large and well-equipped steam-driven
sugar mill, valued at $2,000,000, is operated by the company at its
headquarters at the town of Los Mochis. This mill, which has a
grinding capacity of 60 metric tons of cane per hour or 1,440 metric
tons in a 24-hour grinding day, was designed and installed by a New
York iron works, extensive additions being made to the plant during
the year. The product of the mill is of the grade known as " Planta-
tion White" and is about equally divided in amount between granu-
lated and cube sugar.
The following is a brief statement of the principal components of
the mechanical equipment of the mill:
One "Meinckie" type intercarrier, for carrying the cane from the unloading pits
into the mill.
AGRICULTURE. 113
One 100-horaepower motor knife, for cutting the cane into pieces and spreading it
into an even mat preparatory to entering the crushers.
Two Fulton 18-roller mill double crushers. Independently driven, steam power.
Five 36-inch Schreiber presses.
Five Sweettland presses.
Two Connelly boilers, 500 horsepower each.
Four Sterling boilers.
Three 10-foot-diameter sugar pans.
One 7-foot-diameter sugar pan.
Quintuple effect evaporators, 18,000 square feet of heating surface.
The " bagasse," or crushed cane waste remaining after the juice
has been extracted, is used for fuel in making steam power for the
operation of the machinery of the mill. The average moisture
content of the bagasse here is found to be 45 per cent, with a heat
content of 4,000 British thermal units per pound. The average
fiber content is 10 per cent.
In connection with the sugar mill the company operates a distillery
for the manufacture of alcohol, with a capacity of 14,000 liters per
day and a production last year of 1,719,000 liters of alcohol. The
equipment of the distillery is of French manufacture and consists of
nine vats, one rectifier, and one distillery. (The two last named bear
the mark " Rectificateur Continu Systeme Guillaume Brevers, Egrot,
Paris.") A small can factory turning out 5-gallpn cans for canning
the alcohol product is also operated. In addition, the company
operates an ice plant, producing 5 tons of ice per day, some of which
is sold in near-by communities, and an electric power plant producing
light and power for the private use of the company, none being sold.
Labor and wages. Native Mexican labor is used in both the cane
fields and the sugar mill. The field laborers are paid by the task
system; that is, so many furrows constitute a day's work for a man
handling a plow, etc. The average wage is 1.50 pesos ($0.75 United
States currency) a day, or 90 centavos ($0.45 United States currency)
a day, with privileges at the company's commissary stores. Most
of the field laborers employed by the company live on the property in
little villages on each hacienda. During the grinding season 3,000
people are employed, and about half that number during the rest of
the year. With the exception of several American foremen the mill
employees are all Mexican and are said to be excellent mechanics for
this class of work. About 20 Americans are in the employ of the
company in various administrative capacities.
Sales of sugar produced. An ample market for all the output of the
company's mill is found in the interior of Mexico, none being exported.
Transportation to market is via the Fuerte Division of the Kansas
City, Mexico & Orient Railroad from Los Mochis to San Bias, the
Southern Pacific of Mexico from San Bias to Nogales, Ariz., the
Southern Pacific to El Paso, Tex., via Tucson, Ariz., and from El Paso
south into central Mexico over the Mexican National Railways. A
- little is shipped by water through the port of Topolobampo to Man-
zanillo, and from there to Mexico City by rail. By far the greater
part, however, goes by way of El Paso, and is stored there in bond
pending distribution, the reason for this being the requirement of
American banks that the sugar be stored in the United States before
it will be regarded as security for the advancement of money.
44807 23 9
114 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
Land holdings and values. The total land holdings of the United
Sugar Companies comprise approximately 400,000 acres, extending
from the town of El Fuerte at the edge of the Sierra Madre Range
down to the coast at the Bay of Topolobampo, which opens into the
Gulf of California. As previously stated, 11,000 acres are now under
cultivation in cane, the rest being devoted to cattle grazing, with a
small acreage in alfalfa and mixed vegetables. Alfalfa and cow peas
are frequently used for cover crops on the cane fields. At present
the company owns 2,150 head of cattle and 1,426 head of other live
stock, principally horses and mules.
Proved sugar land already under cultivation in cane is valued by
the company at $150 to $200 an acre, uncleared land readily available
for irrigation is valued at $100 an acre, and land farther from the
water supply at $40 and $50 an acre. The cost of clearing land is said
to be about $15 per acre and the cost of clearing, cultivating, and
bringing to the stage of cutting 1 acre of cane, $100. This includes
administration and overhead but does not include fencing, which is
not used by the sugar company except along roadways, around
experimental fields, etc. At present it has 300 kilometers of four-
strand barbed-wire fencing, constructed at an average cost of 350
pesos per kilometer.
Probable extension of "colono" system. The company at present
raises all its own cane with the exception of the production of about
800 acres, which is bought from nearby "colonos," or colonists, both
Mexican and American, although at present there are only two of the
latter producing cane for the sugar company. This cane is paid for
at the rate of $5 per ton, delivered at the company's railroad. It is
desired to have more cane raised by the colonists in the valley to
increase the supply for the company's mill, and there is now being
opened up a 1,000-acre tract, which is being sold in small plots to
some of the Mexican and American farmers in the valley. The com-
pany is giving the use of the land rent free for one year in return for
having it cleared and placed under cultivation, and if the lessee under
this arrangement desires to keep the land after the first year he will
be given 10 years in which to complete payment, the land being sold
at about $150 per acre. Experiments are being made with Japanese
colonists, six families of these being already on one of the company's
haciendas, working under a somewhat similar arrangement, and if
these are successful it is probable that more will be brought in.
Capital and investment. The United Sugar Companies has a capital
of 16,000,000 pesos ($8,000,000 United States currency) and an
estimated total investment to date in the Fuerte Valley of $12,000,000
United States currency.
In addition to the plant of the United Sugar Companies there are
near Aguila two other small mills of 200 tons per day capacity. One
of these is owned by an American concern, the Mexican-American
Sugar Co., of Los Angeles, Calif.
American colony. There is in the Fuerte Valley a small American
agricultural colony, founded 35 years ago, and now comprising about
25 families, or between 150 and 200 individuals. These colonists are
spread over almost the entire valley, although the greater number are
in the vicinity of Los Mochis. The principal crop raised is tomatoes,
of which several hundred carloads are shipped annually to the
AGRICULTURE. 115
United States. In 1921 there were 2,480 acres planted in tomatoes,
700 acres in alfalfa, 25 or 30 acres in canteloupes, and some land in
chile peppers and mixed winter vegetables. The rest of their land is
either used as grazing land or is not yet hi use. Two cooperative
marketing associations are maintained by these colonists, the Mochis
Agricultural Union and the Union Agricola del Rio Fuerte. These
associations are particularly active in packing and marketing toma-
toes, although the former expected to sell about 2,500 tons of alfalfa
hay this year. The rest of the tomato crop is handled principally
through local representatives of two American commission houses.
Import and export trade. The import trade of the valley is small and
consists entirely of American goods brought in through Nogales,
Ariz., over the Southern Pacific of Mexico Railroad. The only
importers of any size are the United Sugar Companies, bringing in
some goods for commissary stores, and a branch at San Bias (at the
head of the valley) of a wholesale house of Mazatlan. The retail
trade is in the hands of a number of small Mexican and Chinese
stores. The products imported are chiefly general merchandise,
agricultural implements, and a few automobiles.
In addition to the tomatoes, other vegetables, and hay, previously
mentioned, the only exports are dried shrimps, of which about 150
tons are shipped each year from Topolobampo, the industry being
entirely unorganized and in the hands of a number of native fisher-
men around Topolobampo. The shrimps are shipped principally to
China and Japan by way of San Francisco.
Future development of valley. Any important expansion in devel-
opment activities in the Fuerte Valley will be dependent upon further
development of the water resources of the valley. Cultivation is now
approaching the limit possible with the available water supply, but
this can be greatly increased at reasonable expense by the construc-
tion of a storage dam on the upper waters of the river or its largest
tributary in the Sierra Madre Range. Several projects of this kind
have been considered, and some action toward the construction of
such a dam will undoubtedly be taken within the next few years,
preliminary surveys of likely sites having already been made.
No great increase in the size of the American colony can be expected
under existing legislation in Mexico, as the greater part of the valley
lies within 50 kilometers from the seacoast, the zone in which for-
eigners are prohibited from owning lands under the provisions of
Article 27, of the Constitution of 1917. Practically all American
landowners now in the valley secured title to their properties prior
to the enactment of this ^Constitution.
Another factor likely to retard development in the Fuerte Valley
is the recent completion of the Resales Canal on the Culiacan River,
near the town of Culiacan, 197 miles south of San Bias. This has
brought under irrigation 150,000 acres of rich farming land, which
can be bought atva low price in some cases as low as $15 (United
States currency) per acre. This is well-located, raw land with approx-
imately the same transportation and marketing facilities as the
Fuerte Valley, and, apparently, it should tend to attract new settlers
to the Culiacan Valley in preference to the Fuerte and other river
valleys of the West Coast.
116 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
SINALOA RIVER VALLKY.
The Sinaloa River delta lands begin at the railway station and
town of Bamoa and spread in a fan-shaped area to the coast, the for-
mation being similar to that of the other river valleys of the West
Coast. The total watershed contains some 5,400 square miles, the
valley district being estimated at 3,930 square miles, of which the
arable area is 750 square miles and that under cultivation approxi-
mately 62 square miles. A total of 180 square miles are irrigable
with 51,800 acre-feet of water.
The total population of the Sinaloa district is 43,432, of which about
7,854 people, according to the census of 1910, are agricultural.
Storage projects call for 180,000 feet of water at a cost of $500,000
United States currency. The average annual run-off of the river is
2,030,293 acre-feet.
Along the lower reaches of the Sinaloa River including within this
estimate the Cabrera Arroyo and the Ocoroni Arroyo there are some
150,000 acres of prime-quality land that would be susceptible to irri-
gation in case the water supply were to be developed. Such provis-
ion is very feasible with the expenditure of a reasonable amount of
money in providing storage reservoirs near the mountains. A con-
siderably larger acreage, including lands of a rather heavy clay base
soil, could be cultivated also if it were practicable to supply water
for their irrigation. Much of the 150,000 acres mentioned lies on
the right (north) bank of the stream in the northern and western
sides of the delta; the smaller portion, some 30 per cent of the total,
lies on the- left bank on the southern side of the valley.
At the present tune about the only use of water from the river has
been confined to gravity ditches -taking the water out of the stream
at high water and flooding the lands lying along the river bottoms
during the season of flood water and also certain ditches for the
purpose of diverting the ordinary dry-season flow, their construction
being of a temporary character and only serving low lands near the
river itself. All the river delta lands of the Sinaloa could be dyked
and checked and covered with the silt-bearing waters of the flood
season each year. This system is used successfully in the valley of
the Mayo River and also in the Yaqui Valley for great crops of
"garbanzos."
MOCORITO RIVER VALLEY.
The drainage area of the Mocorito River covers 470 square miles
above the 30-inch rainfall-belt elevation. The annual run-off of the
river is 243,200 acre-feet of water. The district contains 2,485 square
miles, of which 340 square miles are arable and 47 square miles at
present under cultivation. Forty square miles are irrigable, with
the provision of 115,000 acre-feet of storage water.
The best lands of the Mocorito Valley extend in a wide triangle
with its apex at the station of Guamuchil on the railway. The total
population of the district in 1910 was 28,628, of which 5,665 people
were engaged in agricultural pursuits.
HUMAYA (CULIACAN) RIVER VALLEY.
The watershed of the Culiacan River is divided into two areas.
One lies northeast of Culiacan and directly inland from the Mocorito
AGRICULTURE. 117
region, its center being the town of Badiraguato, and consists of a
country of many hills, creeks ("arroyos")> and more or less broken
territory. The total drainage area of this section above the 30-inch
rainfall-belt contour is estimated at 6,430 square miles, of which the
upper, or Badiraguato inland district, area is estimated at 2,480
square miles, of which 300 square miles are arable in scattered lots,
having a total of 26 square miles in cultivation in various small
scattered places. Sixty square miles are irrigable below Badiraguato,
requiring 173,000 acre-feet of water. This section is far removed
from the railway and market centers and can be counted upon only
for local consumption.
The lower division is the drainage area of the Tamazula River and
the Humaya River. The valley proper of the Humaya called the
Culiacan Valley below the junction of the two rivers at Culiacan
contains something like 4,170 square miles, of which the arable area
is 700 square miles and the present cultivated area approximately
56 square miles. Two hundred square miles are irrigable, with the
provision of 550,000 acre-feet of water. Proposed storage dams on
the Tamazula at a point called Agua Caliente (near the town of
Tamazula) and at Monte Larga (near La Bajada and farther up the
stream) would provide 167,000 acre-feet of water at an estimated
cost of $1,115,000, United States currency.
The average annual run-off of the combined Humaya and Tama-
zula Rivers at the mouth of the Culiacan River (Altata) is 1,985,280
acre-feet.
The total agricultural population of the upper section is placed at
3,135 and that of the lower section at 6,783. The total population
of the upper district is 18,023 and that of the lower section 44,324.
SAN LORENZO RIVER VALLEY.
The watershed area of this river is estimated at 1,391 square miles,
with an annual average run-off of approximately 1,920,000 acre-feet
of water. A storage dam at Casa Blanca (Cosala district) would
provide 130,000 acre-feet of water for about 20,000 acres of land at
an estimated cost of $633,000, United States currency. The total
population of the San Lorenzo and Elota districts is 21,391 and the
agricultural population for both valleys 3,030.
ELOTA RIVER VALLEY.
The Elota River has a watershed of 1,610 square miles, with an
annual run-off of about 339,200 acre-feet of water. The district
proper contains 2,020 square miles of lands near the coast and lying
toward the Piaxtla Valley, the next river to the south. The arable
lands are estimated to be 111 square miles in extent, of which 25
square miles are now cultivated and 10 square miles irrigable, with
a supply of 29,000 acre-feet of water. Storage for 50,000 acre-feet of
water can be provided at an estimated cost of $250,000 for about
3,000 acres of good land.
PIAXTLA RIVER VALLEY.
This watershed contains some 2,750 square miles, and the river
has an annual run-off of 878,000 acre-feet of water. A total of
2,430 square miles constitute the district proper, of which 108 square
miles are arable. The present cultivated area is estimated at 30
118 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
square miles, and 15 square miles are irrigable, with 43,000 acre-feet
01 water. The best lands of this valley lie very near to the coast.
A storage dam at a point called Coyotitlan, near the railway, can be
constructed at an estimated cost of $150,000 to provide 24,000 acre-
feet of water for the irrigation of 10,000 acres of land. The agricul-
tural population is 3,648, and the total population of the district
18,283, according to the census of 1910.
QUELITE RIVER VALLEY.
The drainage area of this stream is included in that of the Piaxtla
River. Its annual run-off is 285,800 acre-feet. Eight square miles
of the lower valley are irrigable with 23,000 acre-feet of water.
MAZATLAN RIVER VALLEY.
On the north of Mazatlan there is an area of some 220 square miles,
of which 90 square miles are arable, with 18 square miles in cultiva-
tion at present. The total population of the district is 38,298, of
which approximately 3,650 are engaged in agriculture.
CONCORDIA DISTRICT.
This district lies just south of Mazatlan and has a drainage area of
17,817 square miles, of which 1,110 square miles are considered
" valley "lands. Forty- three square miles are arable, and 21 square
miles are now under cultivation. No irrigation has been developed
except from small arroyos. The rainfall in the region south of Mazat-
lan is sufficient to mature crops of winter tomatoes without irrigation.
CHAMELA RIVER VALLEY.
This valley has good land subject to irrigation near the coast in
conjunction with the Esquinapa district just to the south. The total
area of the valley is 2,390 square miles, of which 129 square miles are
arable, and the present cultivated area is said to be about 40 square
miles. No irrigation has been developed.
STATE OF NAYARIT.
This country is a continuation of the West Coast territory and has
several important river valleys. The most important of these
rivers and, in fact, the largest in Mexico is the Santiago, which
flows through the State of Jalisco and Nayarit, reaching the Pacific
Ocean just north of the seaport of San Bias.
CLASSIFICATION OF LANDS.
Since the rainfall increases to the south along the coast, the State
of Nayarit, in its central part, has an annual average rainfall of from
32 to 48 inches, making irrigation unnecessary for the immediate
river-bottom lands. The surface area of the State is 28,371 square
kilometers (10,954 square miles), with a coastline on the Pacific of 180
miles, along which there is a considerable area of tidal lands, 40 kilo-
meters wide, partially subject to overflow (1 kilometer = 0.62 mile).
Topographically, the State is a great table-land of an average eleva-
tion of 1,000 meters (1 meter = 3. 28 feet), with extensive plains
crossed by mountain ranges in which rise a number of unimportant
streams. There are about 979,300 hectares (1 hectare = 2. 47 acres)
of arable lands, subdivided as follows: Agricultural lands not subject
AGRICULTURE. 119
to irrigation, 750,000 hectares; moist, subirrigated river-bottom lands,
194,000 hectares; lands subject to irrigation, 35,000 hectares. Pas-
ture lands are placed at 230,000 hectares, forests at 380,000 hectares,
and waste lands a-t 1,165,000 hectares, with a total of 175,388 hectares
allowed for the overflow lands along the coast, etc.
The State of Nayarit has three mountain divisions. The western
Pacific division contains the Sierra de Vallejo and the Sierra Alta de
San Juan. The central division is composed of the Sierra de Zapotan,
the Sierra del Carreton, Juanacate, Volcan de Ceboruco, de San Pedro,
Sanganguay, Picacho, Acatan, Colorado, and San Francisco. The
eastern division is part of the Sierra Madre chain, containing the follow-
ing groups in Nayarit: Buenavista, Palmas, Berberia, and the Sierra
de Nayarit, the last named having the highest peaks in the State.
SANTIAGO RIVER VALLEY.
No hydrographic data on the annual run-off, etc., of the Santiago
River are available, but the river carries a very adequate volume of
water throughout the year, sufficient to irrigate all the lands subject
to irrigation, its flow being greater than that of the Fuerte and more
constant throughout the year. Thirty thousand hectares (74,130
acres) of the lands of the San Lorenzo hacienda alone were to be irri-
gated in 1912 by the gravity canal then under construction, and the
San Pedro Valley, just to the north, had 12,000 acres more to be
brought under water service by the canal planned and begun on that
stream about the same time. The combined San Pedro and Santiago
Valleys may be said to be fully equal to either the Yaqui or the
Fuerte valley in extent of good river-bottom lands, and the total ab-
sence of frosts and more adequate rainfall give the Nayarit country
advantages not found farther north along the West Coast. In fact,
it is the general opinion of the agriculturists and land people who
know the entire West Coast of Mexico that the Santiago Valley is the
richest of them all, and it is also the least developed, because develop-
ment by Americans has been from the north and has not as yet
reached this region. (See p. 172.)
OTHER VALLEYS.
The Ahuacatlan and Jala Valleys have a combined extent of 150
square kilometers, with an average elevation of 1,095 meters above
sea level. The Compostela Valley contains 160 square kilometers,
with an average elevation of 840 meters above sea level. The La
Labor Valley contains 100 square kilometers, with an average eleva-
tion of 980 meters. The Bander as Valley, situated on the right bank
of the Ameca River, contains 110 square kilometers. The Calabpzo
and Las Varas Valleys contain a combined area of 357 square kilo-
meters, with an average elevation of 8 meters above sea level. The
San Bias plains coyer 268 square kilometers, with an elevation of 4
meters. In Nayarit the Santiago and Tuxpan Valleys contain 1,660
square kilometers, having an average elevation of 15 meters, and are
watered by the largest rivers of the State. The Rosa Morada plains
farther to the north have an average elevation of 20 meters and con-
tain 1,070 square kilometers. The Acaponeta and Tecuala plains
contain 1,310 square kilometers and have an elevation of 22 meters
above sea level. The Valle de Matatipac, southeast of Tepic, con-
tains 120 square kilometers and has an elevation of 950 meters.
120 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
RIVERS AND STREAMS.
Nayarit has a total of 17 rivers and streams, 10 of the principal
ones flowing into the Pacific.
In their geographical order from north to south, the first is Las
Canas, which forms the boundary between Nayarit and Sinaloa.
This stream rises in the Sierra Madres in Durango, its length is 99
kilometers, its mouth the Estero de Teacapan, and its estimated
watershed area 59,500 hectares.
The Rio Acaponeta has its source north of Acaponeta near the
Durango State line, and in its course it passes the towns of Quivi-
quinta, Huajicori, Acaponeta, Tecuala, San Felipe, and Quimiches.
Its length is 147 kilometers, and its mouth the Estero de Teacapan.
The estimated area of the watershed is 214,200 hectares (1 hectare =
2.47 acres).
The Rio San Pedro also has its source in the Durango mountains
and passes the towns of Ixcatan, San Juan, Corapa, Venado, Vado
de San Pedro, and Tuxpan. West of Tuxpan this river divides,
forming the Estero of Las Corrientes, and the main channel flows
into Lake Agua Dulce. The watershed area is 437,900 hectares.
The Rio Grande de Santiago enters Nayarit at a point called
Analco in the Canton of Ahualulco, Jalisco. Its source is in the
Laguna de Lerma in the State of Mexico, and the stream is called the
Rio Lerma until it reaches Lake Chapala in the State of Jalisco. Its
course in Nayarit is 265 kilometers long. The principal tributaries
of the Santiago are the rivers Bolanos, Amatlan, Palmillas, Aguapan,
Toro Macho, Huayhamote, and Cahuipa.
The principal affluent of the Santiago is the Rio Tepic, which has a
length of 58.5 kilometers and a watershed area of 46,400 hectares.
Three kilometers north of the city of Tepic it has a waterfall over a
basalt dike.
In the rainy season the flood waters of the Santiago inundate the
land for 18 kilometers on either side of the river throughout 50 kilo-
meters of its lower course. The estimated watershed area in Nayarit
is 1,286,400 hectares.
WATERFALLS.
The largest waterfall in the State of Nayarit is that called Jumatan,
or Ingenio, on the Rio Barranca Blanca. This fall is 120 meters high
and is capable of developing 7,000 electrical horsepower during the
rainy season and a total estimated 3,000 horsepower continuously if
a dam were provided.
The waterfall of the Rio Tepic, 3 kilometers from that city, has a
fall of 26 meters.
Other waterfalls include the Salto de Jihuite on the Rio Zaponito,
near Santa Maria de Oro, and others on the Rivers Guaynamote, San
Pedro, Acaponeta, etc.
CLIMATIC CONDITIONS AFFECTING AGRICULTURE.
On the Pacific coast of the United States the rainfall increases
along the coast toward the north, reaching its maximum at the
boundary with British Columbia and its minimum in the extreme
southern part of the State of California and in Arizona. This latter
desert region continues down into Sonora and gradually gives way
to an increasing rainfall down the West Coast until the maximum is
AGRICULTURE.
121
reached at Panama. For example, the rainfall at Guaymas is only
about an average of 5 inches per year; in the Yaqui Valley 40 miles
to the south it has increased to about 9 inches per year; it is 26 inches
a year at Culiacan at the head of the Culiacan River Valley; it is
over 30 inches at Mazatlan; Tepic, in the central part of Nayarit,
has from 32 to 48 inches of rainfall; and the Acapulco district still
farther south gets, some years, a total of 60 inches of precipitation.
From the coast toward the mountains the same variations are
found, the rainfall increasing steadily with the elevation and reaching
a 40-inch belt at an average elevation of about 7,000 feet above sea
level. The rains in the mountains are more reliable and of more
constant volume every year, but throughout the coastal plain there
is a great variation, which at tunes amounts to 10 inches from one
year to another. In some years the rainfall there is insufficient to
mature even rainy-season corn crops in the Culiacan Valley.
SEASONS.
There are only two seasons, the wet and the dry. The rains begin
in the central part of the West Coast about the end of June in a
normal year and continue until about the middle of September,
when the showers become less frequent and gradually disappear
entirely. October, November, December, and January are dry
months. Light but steady rains occur during the spring equinoctial
season in February or early in March and last about two weeks,
giving a total additional precipitation of from 3 to 5 inches, although
the latter figure is abnormal. This spring rainfall is not sufficient to
make crops except those planted on subirrigated river-bottom land
called "verano" land by the natives.
Throughout the coast the heat is very great from March to Novem-
ber. Frosts occur as far south as Mazatlan in December and January.
The only frostless country on the West Coast begins toward the coast
in the Santiago Valley region, and here bananas can be grown without
damage, except that the drop in temperature during the winter
months seriously retards the growth of this plant as compared with
Costa Rica, Colombia, etc.
RAINFALL TABLES.
The tables below furnish some idea of the climatic conditions of
average temperatures, rainfall, etc., at the principal points of the
West Coast. The first table, which follows, shows the rainfall at
Culiacan, Sinaloa:
Month.
1903
1904
1905
1906
1907
1908
Average.
January
Inches.
0.68
Inches.
Inches.
43
Inches.
0.67
Inches.
53
Inches.
00
Inches.
38
February. . .
3.01
0.00
.42
1.20
.00
34
83
March...
.00
.00
.06
.03
.00
00
01
April
.00
00
00
00
00
00
00
SSy.. I:::::::::::::-::":*::::::
.00
.00
.00
.00
.00
00
00
.Turin .... .
.31
.65
1 71
54
00
1 50
78
July
5 27
5 31
5 87
3 43
6 06
7 26
5 53
August
5.30
4.87
6.58
10.70
12 70
4 62
7 46
September.
2.10
5.59
8 89
3 66
1 73
4 62
4 43
October
.39
.22
.00
2-10
3.35
00
1 01
November
.00
.52
6 48
.41
00
00
1 24
December . .
.08
00
1 31
32
00
14
31
Total
17.14
17.16
31 74
23 06
24 37
18 48
21 98
122 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
The tables below show rainfall at Mazatlan and Tepio:
RAINFALL AT MAZATLAN.
1880
1885
1890
1895
1900
1905
1910
Number of days
79
91
73
75
63
62
57
Total precipitation inches. .
34.97
43.95
26.98
42.85
33.55
38.45
42.00
RAINFALL AT TEPIC, NAYARIT.
Years.
Inches.
Years.
Inches.
1919
43
32
1921 ..
48
37
1920
1922 (up t(
) Sept. 15)
STORMS VARIATIONS OF RAINY SEASON.
During the rainy season sudden squalls may be expected, but not
of sufficient duration or violence to damage property. Heavy storms
are liable to occur during the season of the fall equinox (usually fall-
ing early in November and lasting about four days) all along the
coast and reaching far inland. Every year these storms occur, but
only in regular cycles of eight-year periods are they of sufficient vio-
lence to damage property seriously. In 1905 the rainfall registered
in November was over 6 inches; streams were flooded, roads washed
out, and losses heavy. In 1913 the railway was out of operation for
a week or more in places, and in 1921 over 5 inches of rain fell in a
few days, again in November, causing heavy loss by flood in the river
valleys all down the coast.
Some years the rains do not begin according to the regular annual
schedule but start about one month later, or at the end of July, and
rainy-season crop planting of corn and beans is delayed by this
month, especially as the native farmers do not plow the soil in a
dry condition.
TEMPERATURES.
The entire West Coast is subject to great variations in tempera-
ture in the winter months between the maximum high average during
the day and the low mean at night. It is not regarded as advisable
to give tables of average mean temperatures during periods of years,
as they tend to mislead, more especially when one is considering a
delicate product like winter tomatoes it being the minimum tem-
perature that does the damage. The following table may be taken,
however, as a good average indication of conditions in the Fuerte,
Culiacan, and Mazatlan regions, the figures given being monthly
averages :
Month.
Maximum.
Minimum.
Month.
Maximum.
Minimum.
F.
82
F.
57
July
op
100
"F.
80
85
53
94
79
March
95
53
September
93
77
April
95
63
October
93
62
Mav
97
69
November
89
61
98
75
December
82
57
AGRICULTURE. 123
A peculiarity of the West Coast winter climate is that sudden
drops in temperature occur at night, registering a decline of as much
as 68 within a few hours. Some years there are frosts of sufficient
severity either to damage seriously or to kill fruit trees, although this
is very exceptional, the winter conditions not being nearly as severe as
in southern California. Records for the Fuerte River Valley (Los
Mochis) show an annual high average temperature of 102 and 109 F.,
with the average annual minimum placed at 31 and 40 F. at two
stations, one being located about 12 miles inland from the coast and
the other about 40 miles inland at the head of the valley. The
average daily range in temperature for the winter tomato-growing
season November to May is placed at 55 F. In 1910 and 1911
frosts killed the tomato crops in the Yaqui Valley and that industry
has since been discontinued in that section of the West Coast, but
has increased in the Fuerte and other valleys farther south. South
of Mazatlan there is no danger of frosts, and even in the Culiacan
Valley sufficiently low temperatures to damage winter tomatoes
would only occur in exceptional years at long intervals. 8 Losses of
the tomato crop in the Fuerte Valley by frost have not been suffi-
cient to hamper seriously this industry, which, in the 1922-23 season,
increased to four times the acreage planted in the preceding year.
SOIL CONDITIONS.
It has been shown that the formation of the various river valleys
of the West Coast of Mexico is alluvial and very similar to the agri-
cultural lands of California. Two distinct soil conditions have to
be taken into account in considering any of the river valleys of the
West Coast. The li^ht sandy silt soils are generally found near the
river beds, while the heavier soils having a clay base are found farther
from the river beds and at slightly higher elevations. The latter soils
predominate in area.
In the Yaqui Valley the lime content is higher than in the river
valleys to the south. It has been found by experience in the Fuerte,
Culiacan, and San Lorenzo River Valleys that the heavier clay-base
soils produce, on an average, 50 metric tons of sugar cane per hectare,
as compared with 60 tons for the more porous and more easily
worked lighter soils of the immediate river bed, but that the sugar
content of the cane grown on the heavier soils is higher by 15 per
cent, making the additional cost of working the heavier soil well
worth while.
The soils of the 10 river valleys of Sinaloa are made up of river wash
from the mountains and of the low lands which are virtually tidal
plains. Along the edge of the mountains the soils are composed of
gravels, some coarse sands, and clays, while those of the western
parts of the valleys are composed of fine silts, a heavy " adobe,"
and fine sands. There is practically no humus, except in the low
places left by the rivers when they changed their courses.
The heavier soils seem to produce better " shipping-quality "
tomatoes than the silt soils, but plant disease appears to be more
rife among crops grown on the heavier soils of these valleys. There
is apparently no deficiency in nitrogen content of the soils of the
various valleys, but the application of guano fertilizer on tomato
For more detailed climatic data, especially with regard to winter tomatoes, see p. 149.
126
MEXICAN WEST COAST.
More recent estimates for the State of Nayarit show crop produc-
tion and value as follows :
Products.
Quantity.
Value.
Corn
kilos
26 600 000
Pesos.
950 000
Beans:
Wet season
do
280 000
do
360 000
| 115, 200
Sugar cane
. . .area, in hectares. .
9,000
'
Rice
kilos .
18,000 000
1 1, 701 000
1 37 per cent loss in cleaning.
COTTON.
On the West Coast of Mexico, outside of Nayarit (which was
second in the production of cotton in Mexico before the industry
was developed in the Laguna district near Torreon), there has been
no systematic attempt to cultivate cotton on a large scale. In 1905
Sinaloa produced a total of 397,300 kilos of cotton, valued at about
$22,500 United States currency. Sonora, in 1909, produced 129,700
kilos, valued at $17,575 United States currency, the total cotton
production of Mexico for that year being 147,739,535 kilos, valued
at $16,696,301 United States currency. That year the textile mills
of Mexico were credited with a total consumption of 36,000 tons of
raw cotton, which was less than the domestic production, but some
cotton was still imported from Texas, possibly on account of trans-
portation and temporary market conditions. Experiments show
that cotton does very well in the State of Sonora the first year seed
is planted, but that it becomes infested with the boll-weevil the
second year to such an extent as to curtail the industry seriously.
A recent report on the agricultural resources of the State of
Nayarit by the Department of Agriculture of the Ministry of Agricul-
ture, Commerce, and Labor contains the following with regard to
the production of cotton in Nayarit:
This fiber is produced in the region between the northern boundary of the State
and the Santiago Valley. The principal reasons why more cotton is not produced
in this State is on account of the lack of a local market and the damage caused by
the boll-weevil, the limited production going to the local mills and one in the State
of Sinaloa (which pay very low prices), there being no other outlet on account of the
absence of transportation facilities to enable Nayarit cotton to compete with pro-
duction in other parts of the country. It is thought that this product has very great
possibilities in this region if more interest were taken in it.
In March, 1922, it was reported that about 3,000 acres of land
was to be put in cotton at Las Trincheras, a valley located just
south of Altar and west of Magdalena, which latter point is the first
important one south of Negates on the border. Some half dozen
Americans and several native farmers of the region were interested
in this new development, it being planned to ship the product to
Liverpool via Guaymas, the cotton being of a texture similar to that
of the Imperial Valley and the Mexicali region of the Colorado delta
lands. A fair crop when prices are rapidly advancing would greatly
stimulate cotton planting in Sonora, especially as all of the West
Coast needs exportable products, other than minerals, to balance
imports from the United States.
AGRICULTURE. 127
Early in 1920 an effort was made to plant 1,000 acres of cotton in
Sonora south of Douglas, Ariz., it being said that sufficient water
could be secured for irrigation of this amount of land at that time
under the "bblsa" system of irrigation. Cotton-soil experts have
reported that certain of the Sonora lands will produce the famous
long-staple variety of cotton which has produced profitable results
in Arizona recently. It is understood that difficulties in the nature
of interference by the Agrarian Commission caused this experiment
in cotton growing in this part of Sonora to fail for the time being.
COFFEE.
Only the State of Nayarit grows coffee in the territory covered by
this report. Large-scale plantations number six or seven, and
there are a few small individual planters. There is one German-
owned plantation and one French-owned plantation in the State,
and both have yielded excellent returns for years. This industry
in Nayarit is thought to be capable of considerable increase. Plan-
tations are located at elevations of 600 to 1,000 meters (1 meter = 3.28
feet) above sea level. Trees are planted 2.5 meters distant one
from the other, with an average of about 1,600 trees to the hectare
(1 hectare = 2.47 acres) . The yield in Nayarit may be said to average
368 kilos of clean berry per hectare, and the entire production of the
State is placed at 500,000 kilos (1 kilo = 2.2046 pounds), valued at
an average domestic market price of 85 centavos Mexican currency
per kilo, or approximately 20 cents United States currency per
pound. In 1920 Mazatlan exported to the United States (San
Francisco) a total of 123,257 kilos of coffee from Nayarit, valued at
$33,929, and in 1921, 102,031 kilos, valued at $12,809. The Nayarit
coffee is of a very good grade and often sells in the domestic market
for as high as 1 peso per kilo, being sent principally to the towns of
the West Coast and also to the commercial center of Guadalajara,
where its grade enjoys an excellent reputation. Many of the interior
valleys and foothill areas of Nayarit are heavily impregnated with
volcanic ash, and conditions are very similar to those in the best
coffee-producing sections of Central America and Colombia. The
Pacific coast market of the United States would take a great deal
more of the Nayarit coffees if more could be had.
The "Maldonal" coffee plantation in Nayarit is owned by a
Frenchman, the property being managed by a German for the past
38 years. The German firm of Delius y Cia., of Tepic, owns two
plantations called "Cora" and "Palapita." The 1920 crop of
coffee in Nayarit was the largest ever known in that State, amounting
to an estimated 500,000 kilos, some of which sold for as high as 1
peso per kilo of cleaned berry. Since then the crop has averaged
about one-half of this amount.
TOBACCO.
Tobacco is grown more or less, in small lots, throughout the coast
territory, but only Nayarit has an exportable production of this
article. The annual average tobacco crop of Sonora may be taken
as being about 140,000 kilos, valued at 45,000 pesos; that of Sinaloa
320,000 kilos, valued at 50,000 pesos; and that of Nayarit 5,200,000
kilos, valued at 1,420,000 pesos. (1 peso=$0.50 at par.) The above
valuation is at the rate of the lowest prices paid.
126
MEXICAN WEST COAST.
More recent estimates for the State of Nayarit show crop produc-
tion and value as follows :
Products.
Quantity.
Value.
Corn... .
kilos .
26,600,000
Pesos.
950,000
Beans:
Wet season
do
280 000
do
360 000
> 115, 200
Sugar cane
. . .area, in hectares. .
9,000
" .
Rice
kilos
18,000 000
1 1, 701 000
1 37 per cent loss in cleaning.
COTTON.
On the West Coast of Mexico, outside of Nayarit (which was
second in the production of cotton in Mexico before the industry
was developed in the Laguna district near Torreon), there has been
no systematic attempt to cultivate cotton on a large scale. In 1905
Sinaloa produced a total of 397,300 kilos of cotton, valued at about
$22,500 United States currency. Sonora, in 1909, produced 129,700
kilos, valued at $17,575 United States currency, the total cotton
production of Mexico for that vear being 147,739,535 kilos, valued
at $16,696,301 United States currency. That year the textile mills
of Mexico were credited with a total consumption of 36,000 tons of
raw cotton, which was less than the domestic production, but some
cotton was still imported from Texas, possibly on account of trans-
portation and temporary market conditions. Experiments show
that cotton does very well in the State of Sonora the first year seed
is planted, but that it becomes infested with the boll-weevil the
second year to such an extent as to curtail the industry seriously.
A recent report on the agricultural resources of the State of
Nayarit by the Department of Agriculture of the Ministry of Agricul-
ture, Commerce, and Labor contains the following with regard to
the production of cotton in Nayarit:
This fiber is produced in the region between the northern boundary of the State
and the Santiago Valley. The principal reasons why more cotton is not produced
in this State is on account of the lack of a local market and the damage caused by
the boll-weevil, the limited production going to the local mills and one in the State
of Sinaloa (which pay very low prices), there being no other outlet on account of the
absence of transportation facilities to enable Nayarit cotton to compete with pro-
duction in other parts of the country. It is thought that this product has very great
possibilities in this region if more interest were taken in it.
In March, 1922, it was reported that about 3,000 acres of land
was to be put in cotton at Las Trincheras, a valley located just
south of Altar and west of Magdalena, which latter point is the first
important one south of Negates on the border. Some half dozen
Americans and several native farmers of the region were interested
in this new development, it being planned to ship the product to
Liverpool via Guaymas, the cotton being of a texture similar to that
of the Imperial Valley and the Mexicali region of the Colorado delta
lands. A fair crop when prices are rapidly advancing would greatly
stimulate cotton planting in Sonora, especially as all of the West
Coast needs exportable products, other than minerals, to balance
imports from the United States.
AGRICULTURE. 127
Early in 1920 an effort was made to plant 1,000 acres of cotton in
Sonora south of Douglas, Ariz., it being said that sufficient water
could be secured for irrigation of this amount of land at that time
under the "bblsa" system of irrigation. Cotton-soil experts have
reported that certain of the Sonora lands will produce the famous
long-staple variety of cotton which has produced profitable results
in Arizona recently. It is understood that difficulties in the nature
of interference by the Agrarian Commission caused this experiment
in cotton growing in this part of Sonora to fail for the time being.
COFFEE.
Only the State of Nayarit grows coffee in the territory covered by
this report. Large-scale plantations number six or seven, and
there are a few small individual planters. There is one German-
owned plantation and one French-owned plantation in the State,
and both have yielded excellent returns for years. This industry
in Nayarit is thought to be capable of considerable increase. Plan-
tations are located at elevations of 600 to 1,000 meters (1 meter = 3. 28
feet) above sea level. Trees are planted 2.5 meters distant one
from the other, with an average of about 1,600 trees to the hectare
(1 hectare = 2.47 acres) . The yield in Nayarit may be said to average
368 kilos of clean berry per hectare, and the entire production of the
State is placed at 500,000 kilos (1 kilo = 2.2046 pounds), valued at
an average domestic market price of 85 centavos Mexican currency
per kilo, or approximately 20 cents United States currency per
pound. In 1920 Mazatlan exported to the United States (San
Francisco) a total of 123,257 kilos of coffee from Nayarit, valued at
$33,929, and in 1921, 102,031 kilos, valued at $12,809. The Nayarit
coffee is of a very good grade and often sells in the domestic market
for as high as 1 peso per kilo, being sent principally to the towns of
the West Coast and also to the commercial center of Guadalajara,
where its grade enjoys an excellent reputation. Many of the interior
valleys and foothill areas of Nayarit are heavily impregnated with
volcanic ash, and conditions are very similar to those in the best
coffee-producing sections of Central America and Colombia. The
Pacific coast market of the United States would take a great deal
more of the Nayarit coffees if more could be had.
The "Maldonal" coffee plantation in Nayarit is owned by a
Frenchman, the property being managed by a German for the past
38 years. The German firm of Delius y Cia., of Tepic, owns two
plantations called "Cora" and "Palapita." The 1920 crop of
coffee in Nayarit was the largest ever known in that State, amounting
to an estimated 500,000 kilos, some of which sold for as high as 1
peso per kilo of cleaned berry. Since then the crop has averaged
about one-half of this amount.
TOBACCO.
Tobacco is grown more or less, hi small lots, throughout the coast
territory, but only Nayarit has an exportable production of this
article. The annual average tobacco crop of Sonora may be taken
as being about 140,000 kilos, valued at 45,000 pesos; that of Sinaloa
320,000 kilos, valued at 50,000 pesos; and that of Nayarit 5,200,000
kilos, valued at 1,420,000 pesos. (1 peso=$0.50 at par.) The above
valuation is at the rate of the lowest prices paid.
128 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
Tobacco is planted on the low-lying river bottom soils during the
dry season of the year. The 1920 crop in Nayarit was the largest
in the history of that State, and very high prices were also obtained.
It is estimated that it costs between 40 and 50 pesos to produce
and market one "carga" of 300 pounds (138 kilos) of tobacco in
Nayarit and Sinaloa, and in 1919, for a much smaller crop, 100 and
120 pesos were paid per " carga." In 1920 prices were about 70 pesos
per h carga." The production in 1920 was 10,000 "cargas" of first-
grade and 25,000 " cargas" of second-grade tobacco. The average
production per hectare for the area planted was placed at 1,800 kilos.
Sinaloa produces about one-fourth of the amount of tobacco grown
in Nayarit.
The bulk of the tobacco crop of Nayarit goes to the great cigarette
factories of Mexico City, which also take the bulk of the lower-grade
tobaccos produced in the Vera Cruz and Tuxpan regions in the
eastern part of Mexico.
Native cigarette and cigar factories are found in Mazatlan, Tepic,
Santiago Ixquintla, and Compostela. One large tobacco factory at
Mazatlan has 20 cigarette-making machines, having a capacity of
60,000 cigarettes each per day, or a total daily production of 1,200,000
cigarettes. The products of the West Coast cigarette factories are
sold up and down the coast and to Lower California.
Tobacco is not exported from Nayarit to the United States on
account of the high prices paid for the product by the Mexico City
factories and also because of the high American import tariff rate.
RICE.
Two regions of the West Coast are important rice-growing centers
the Yaqui Valley and various sections in Nayarit, principally in La
Labor, Navarette, Ixtapa, and Amatlan. Li both areas the pro-
duction is very abundant and of excellent quality, the Yaqui Valley
having had a surplus above the needs of the domestic market in the
1921-22 season.
The 1921-22 production of rice in Nayarit was estimated at
18,000,000 kilos (about 39,683,200 pounds), valued at 1,701,000
pesos. The loss in cleaning in Nayarit is 37 per cent.
Mexico is a large producer of rice. The area under cultivation in
this product in 1914 was estimated at 41,000 acres, producing
33,921,000 pounds, and the country exported that year a total of
1,451,000 pounds to Cuba and the West Indies.
In 1921 the Yaqui Valley had a total of 10,460 acres planted in
rice, the production of which exceeded the domestic demand on the
West Coast causing the acreage planted to this crop to be decreased
by 45 per cent in 1922, when the actual acreage devoted to rice was
reported to be 2,861 hectares, or 7,090 acres.
Tigures obtained on the production of a tract of 125 acres, for
which exact records were kept, are as follows: 41,970 kilos, or 92,528
pounds, of head rice, the very highest grade of rice; 11,650 kilos, or
25,684 pounds, of No. 1 rice, or second grade; 11,750 kilos, or 25,904
pounds, of broken rice, or screenings, graded as No. 3 rice the total
being 144,116 pounds for the tract of 125 acres. This gives (at the
basic rate of 1,144 pounds per acre) a total average annual produc-
tion, for the Yaqui Valley, of 6,455 tons of rice of all grades, of
AGRICULTURE. 129
which the two lower grades form about 20 per cent in volume. The
above figures do not include the by-products of " polish" and bran.
The average production in the Yaqui Valley is 1.3 long tons of
" paddy" rice per acre, and the loss in milling, cleaning, etc., is
generally estimated to be about 20 per cent of the gross paddy-rice
yield.
The "head" rice sells readily in Sonora, Chihuahua, the West
Coast, and Lower California, but the No. 1 and broken-grain grades
can not be disposed of readily in the Mexican markets, as even the
very poorest class of people seem to prefer and demand perfect-grain
rice even at a higher price. The broken-grain product formerly went
to the breweries of central Mexico, but these plants can now obtain
all the barley malt they want since the war, and the only recent
offer for the No. 3 grade was at 5^ cents, United States currency, per
kilo, delivered at Juarez, the freight and handling charges from the
Yaqui Valley to Ciudad Juarez amounting to about 2 cents per pound
alone. Sacks cost from 30 to 40 cents, United States currency, each,
and are usually not returned. In July, 1922, it was estimated that
there was a surplus in the Yaqui Valley of 1,170 tons of low-grade
rice still on hand and not disposed of, for which no outlet could be
found, thus representing a loss of 18.2 per cent of the total gross yield
of the rice fields of the Yaqui Valley, 90 per cent of which is produced
by American farmers. At the same time there was estimated to be
still on hand in the valley about 22 tons of No. 1 rice, also unsold.
Planting is done in July and the harvest is during October, Novem-
ber, and December, with the month of November the peak of the
harvest season.
The products of the West Coast, such as rice, can not compete with
similar products grown in the United States, although they can be
more cheaply produced, as a rule, on the West Coast of Mexico. The
United States produced very large crops of rice during the past two
years and also had a large surplus on hand which has only recently
been disposed of.
The Chinese merchants of Sonora are the heaviest buyers of Yaqui
Valley rice, which they send to the cotton-growing colonists in me
Mexicali Valley in Lower California. In 1919 these people handled
20,000 sacks (of 110 pounds each) of the 1919 rice crop.
In March, 1922, the Mexican Government removed its embargo
on the exportation of rice and suspended the export duty at the
solicitation of the Yaqui Valley rice growers, who expected to be
able to market their surplus crop in the United States at that time.
The American rice growers of the valley have a cooperative rice-
cleaning mill at Cajeme in the Yaqui Valley, this mill handling 75
per cent of the crop grown in 1921. The same association plans to
install a flour mill, but its erection has been suspended on account of
present conditions of general market depression throughout the
country.
WHEAT.
PRODUCTION IN SONORA AND NAYARIT.
For many years the State of Sonora has been a producer of wheat,
although in some years, because of inadequate rainfall and the
occurrence of frosts, the production has not been sufficient to meet
44807 23 10
130 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
local demands and flour has had to be imported from the United
States. According to the official records the State produced
19,607,740 kilos of wheat in 1905, the crop that year being valued at
1,133,759 pesos. Prior to 1910 the large flour mill at Hermosillo
purchased about 225,000 bushels of Sonora-grown wheat at prices
ranging from $1 to $1.25 United States currency per bushel. At that
time the industry was heavily protected by a Mexican import tariff
of 8 pesos per 100 kilos, or about $1.10, United States currency, per
bushel. The average yield was estimated to be about 20 bushels per
acre of seed planted.
Sinaloa also produced a small amount of wheat, given in 1905 as
822,700 kilos, valued at 41,649 pesos. Small quantities are still
planted in the northern part of the State.
Wheat is also grown on a very small scale in several of the higher
interior valleys of Nayarit around San Pedro Lagunillas and Santa
Maria del Oro, but only for local consumption in the form of " tor-
tillas," as there is no flour mill in the State and transportation is
lacking for an outlet to other markets.
In 1922 Sonora had the largest crop of wheat in its entire history.
Acreage in wheat had been greatly increased in the Yaqui Valley over
1921 on account of the surplus of the rice production the preceding
year (a considerable quantity of which still remained unsold), growers
being consequently attracted by the possibilities of a good wheat
market in 1922. Reports show that the 1921 crop was insufficient
for the needs of the State and that American flour had to be imported
during April and May, 1922, 18 carloads of flour being sent to
Hermosillo, as well as 40 carloads of American wheat for the mill
there to help out the local shortage. According to the figures
obtained by "La Hermosillense " mill at Hermosillo the largest
flour mill on the West Coast of Mexico the crop harvested in June
and July of 1922 would amount to approximately 300,000 sacks of
100 kilos each (1 kilo = 2. 2046 pounds), distributed in the following
manner:
Sacks.
Yaqiii River Valley, canal irrigation 140, 000
Rio Sonora, "bolsa" system of irrigation 40, 000
Hermosillo region, " bolsa " system of irrigation 50, 000
Mayo Valley, canal and ' ' bolsa " system of irrigation 75, 000
The mill in question had on hand in August, 1922, a total of
130,000 sacks, with 30,000 more sacks expected 50,000 in excess of
the storage capacity of this plant. This mill has a milling capacity of
200 u cargas ;; (of 300 pounds each) of flour per 24 hours of operation.
FLOUR MILLS.
There are some 60 small hand mills in Sonora. The only large
custom mills other than "La Hermosillense" are "La Palma" mill
at Villa Seris, near Hermosillo, with a capacity of 40 "cargas" of flour
per day; the new 30-"carga" mill recently erected at Magdalena, to
the north; and the mill at Navojoa, with a capacity of 30 "cargas"
of flour per day, owned and operated by the Mayo Valley Farmers'
Association.
IMPORT DUTY ON WHEAT.
After being suspended, a recent decree places an import duty of
0.04 peso per kilo on wheat imported into Mexico, in protection of the
AGRICULTURE. 131
native industry. This import tariff makes competition by American-
grown wheat impossible as long as the native supply is sufficient for
the needs of the West Coast.
Other estimates of the wheat crop of Sonora in 1922 placed the
total at only 127,000 sacks of 100 kilos each, as in August most of the
Yaqui Valley crop was said to have been moved, the figures being
between 75,000 and 80,00,0 sacks, instead of the 140,000 sacks esti-
mated for that region by the Hermosillo. mill people a month earlier.
The wheat production of the Mayo Valley was also reduced to
25,000 sacks, as compared with 75,000 sacks in the previous estimate,
and the Rio Sonora and Hermosillo regions were placed as low as
22,000 sacks in the later estimate. However, there were reasons to
believe that wheat was being held in both the Mayo and Yaqui
Valleys for latter shipment to the interior of Mexico via Manzanillo
and the new port of Yavaros, now connected with Navojoa by the
new railway, and that accurate reports of actual production were not
being given out by the growers in order to influence prices in a favor-
able manner on account of the good wheat crops in other regions of
Mexico, principally in Guanajuato and Jalisco, this same year. At
the same time, the State of Arizona had on hand a large overpro-
duction of wheat, and a market for this supply was being sought
down the West Coast of Mexico, as it could not be shipped to the
Middle West or East of the United States in competition with the
wheat production of the rest of the country.
In 1922 the wheat crop of the northern part of Sonora was damaged
to the extent of 40 per cent loss by heavy late frosts, principally in
the Magdalena region and north of Hermosillo in the Sonora River
Valley. Wheat is planted in Sonora from October to December
and harvesting is done between May and the end of June.
MILLING SYSTEM.
The flour mills of Sonora are all operated on the "tercio, " or
custom-mill, system, whereby the mill receives the wheat from the
growers or dealers and mills it into flour at the rate of 211 kilos 17
grams of raw wheat for 136 kilos 140 grams (300 pounds) of flour.
The flour is then marketed by the grower or through brokers or
dealers, with the mills also acting as distributers of this product.
IMPORTS OF CEREALS.
A consular report dated in June, 1922, showed that while the
State of Sonora should be able to produce sufficient grains and
foodstuffs for its domestic needs, large amounts of American products
continued to be brought into the country, amounting to $56,943 per
month, with the principal items as follows:
Corn, average 4,306 bushels $3, 617
Wheat, average 7,815 bushels 13, 312
Wheat flour, average 4,812 barrels 38, 127
Bread, biscuits, etc., average 5,862 pounds 843
IMPORTS OF FLOUR AT MAZATLAN.
The brands of flour imported at Mazatlan are not many hi number,
and, as a rule, the cheaper grades have been the most popular in
this section, although small quantities of a better grade have been
increasing in demand during recent months, principally for mixing
132 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
with the domestic flour milled in Sonora. Five years ago flour
constituted the largest item of importation into the port of Mazatlan
by water from the United States (San Francisco), but since then the
increased production in Sonora and Jalisco has been sufficient to
meet local needs and imports of American flour have decreased.
However, there still remains a market in Mazatlan for American
flour, despite the new import duty of 0.08 peso per kilo.
PROBLEM OP MARKETING SURPLUS WHEAT PRODUCTION.
As with the rice production of Sonora, the marketing consideration
seems to be the paramount one in the case of wheat, and production
can not be consistently increased until means have been found to
provide an export market for surplus production over and above
local domestic needs of the West Coast, especially as the central
States of Mexico normally produce sufficient wheat to supply the
flour needs of the bulk of the population in the more densely in-
habited portion of the country.
GARBANZOS.
The State of Sonora is the world's largest producer of "garbanzos, "
or chick-peas, the bulk of its production going to Spain and a large
portion to the West Indies, where garbanzos have become, as in
Spain, a staple article of diet for the people. Production has in-
creased enormously since 1905, when 65,142 hectoliters were pro-
duced, valued at 550,738 pesos (1 hectoliter = 2. 83 78 bushels).
That same year northern Sinaloa produced a total of 3,588 hectoliters,
valued at 22,325 pesos. The garbanzo-growing regions are confined
to the Yaqui Valley, the Mayo Valley, and the Sinaloa River Valley,
with the Mayo Valley the chief producer. The Mexican Government
statistics for the calendar year 1918 place the total production of
garbanzos at 69,303,650 kilos (1 kilo = 2.2046 pounds).
CULTIVATION AND MARKETING.
" Garbanzos" are most successfully grown in the State of Sonora
on the alluvial plains near the mouths of the Mayo and Yaqui Rivers,
where the altitude is but little above sea level, although they are
also grown farther inland at altitudes around 300 feet, with more or
less success. The plant is very tender and subject to injury by frost.
During the growing season the temperature ranges from 70 F. to
the freezing point. At planting time in October it ranges from 50 to
90 F.
The average rainfall hi the garbanzo region in the Yaqui Valley is
9 niches and in the Mayo Valley 13 inches. No rain falls during the
growing season of this crop, and the growers depend entirely upon
irrigation, as the rains begin in July and end in October, just before
the first planting begins. The method of irrigation of the garbanzo
fields most commonly employed is the "bolsa," or " basin," system,
the fields having a border and being flooded in August and September
with water from the ditches or freshets. When the "bolsas" have
dried sufficiently, plowing, harrowing, and planting are done. In the
majority of the fields no irrigating is done during the growing season
of the plant, the moisture retained by the soil being usually sufficient
to mature the crop. In the Yaqui Valley where abundant water is
AGRICULTURE, 133
always available, some irrigating is done from the supply ditches
during the growing season. The normal yield per acre is from 20 to
35 bushels.
The exact time of planting depends upon the arrival of the flood
waters in the Mayo Valley, where all the water for the irrigation
ditches is taken from the river by gravity, but most of the crop is
planted in October.
The garbanzos are harvested in May, when the plants are pulled up
by hand in the field and turned over so as to enable them to dry
thoroughly. They are then carried in bunches to central points in the
field where a threshing floor has been made on beaten ground. The
harvest workmen are paid at the rate of $1 per sack of 220 pounds.
The pre-war prices obtained by producers of garbanzos averaged
about $10 per sack of 220 pounds. The present prices range from
$11 to $14 per sack, delivered at railway cars. Part of the 1919 crop
was badly spoiled by heavy rains and sold for as low as $7 per sack.
There are no distributing markets for garbanzos in Mexico, practically
all of the crop being shipped by rail to Guaymas for export to Spain
and the West Indies, or by railway to Nogales and thence to New
Orleans for export to Europe and the West Indies. At Guaymas
and Nogales the peas are fumigated, regraded, and sacked for export.
The offices of the more important buyers and distributers are in
New York, New Orleans, Habana, Porto Rico, and Spanish ports.
The purchasing houses usually have the agents on the ground before
and during the harvest, when contracts are entered into for the sale
and delivery of the crop. In many cases advances at high rates of
interest are made on the crop to growers with limited capital.
During the war a serious scarcity of sacks prevailed in Sonora and
Sinaloa, owing to British embargoes, with the result that some peas
were shipped to the American border loose in box cars and were there
packed in any kind of sacks available. In former years the garbanzos
were graded in machines in the fields and at Guaymas before shipment
by water, but very few garbanzos are graded now, since the buyers
prefer them as they come from the fields. The grains run usually
from 40 to 60 to the ounce and sell accordingly, being graded at
destination or at transshipment points.
Following is a report submitted by American Consul B. F. Yost
under date of April 17, 1919:
Although large quantities of peas are threshed by means of hand flails or are tramped
out on the threshing floors, a few years ago threshing machinery was introduced, along
with grading and cleaning machines. As the average farmer can not afford to purchase
agricultural implements, sometimes groups of farmers club together, sharing the ex-
pense of purchasing and operating, although occasionally this is done by the buyers of
the crop. It is thought that when the political and economic conditions are more set-
tled there will be increased demands for plows, harrows, seeders, and other articles in
general use, not only on the garbanzo farms but on other farms as well. Probably the
best way to reach this market would be through implement dealers in Guaymas or
Navojoa.
It is estimated that there are at least 25 garbanzo cleaning and grading machines
in the district which have not been in use since 1913, and in which about $50,000 has
been invested. Ten of the machines are standing idle at Guaymas and another 10 in
the Mayo Valley. That they are no longer used is attributed to the fact that the pur-
chasers prefer to buy the product threshed in the old way, and under the circumstances
there are no openings here for the sale of this kind of machinery.
Ordinarily the garbanzos are packed in 100-kilo jute sacks; but owing to the British
embargo on all jute there has been a great scarcity of bagging during the past two years,
so that some of last year's crop was shipped loose in the cars, while some was packed in
134
MEXICAN WEST COAST.
any kind of sacks obtainable. Ordinarily the sacks are 44 by 26 inches in size, hold
220 pounds, weigh 2 to 3 pounds, and cost at present about 60 cents apiece wholesale.
The duty amounts to 10 to 14 cents apiece, depending on the weight and weave. The
same class of bags is also used for transporting beans, corn, wheat, and other farm prod-
ucts. Flour sacks in general use here are white cotton, 36 by 26 inches in size, and
holding 150 pounds of flour. At present very few ore sacks are used in this district, as
the products of the mines are shipped either as ore or bullion and seldom in the shape
of concentrates.
The rice sacks are of white cotton material, 38 by 18 inches, and hold 100 pounds.
The cooperative rice association in the Yaqui Valley orders its sacks directly from ex-
porters in the United States, chiefly from San Francisco. In normal times practically
all sacks for the shipment of garbanzos are furnished by the New York brokers, whose
purchasing representatives are here on the ground as the harvest approaches. Nearly
all local general merchants also deal in sacks of various kinds.
Practically the whole output of garbanzos of Sonora is purchased by firms in Porto
Rico, Cuba, and Spain, in normal times being loaded on board ship at Yavaros and
Tobari in small vessels bound for Guaymas and Topolobampo, whence they were
sMpped direct. However, since the great scarcity of cargo space caused by the war,
shipments have been chiefly by rail over the Southern Pacific of Mexico to Nogales,
thence via El Paso to New Orleans and New York, where they are loaded on board ship
and sent to their respective destinations.
Owing to the excessive freight rates across the Atlantic, the Spanish markets have
been but little depended upon, and the bulk of the crop was consumed by Cuba and
Porto Rico, with limited quantities purchased by the United States and South Amer-
ica. Prices last year (1918) were very high and the farmers obtained highly satisfactory
results.
The following are the freight rates in carload lots, per 100 pounds: From Guamuchil
(Sinaloa) to New York, $1.15; to Galveston, $1; to New Orleans, $1.03; from San Bias
(Sinaloa) and Navojoa and Esperanza (Sonora) to New York, $1.06; to Galveston,
$0.94; to New Orleans, $0.94.
The shipment and marketing of the 1918 crop was handled entirely by the Garbanzo
Growers' Association (Uni6n Garbanzera) through a well-known financier and business
man residing at Nogales, Sonora. Previously, the custom had been for buyers to come
in person or by representative to contract for the growing crops, on advance payments
of one-half the value of the estimated crop, with a provision for deducting $1 from the
current price as interest for the use of the money advanced.
The garbanzo movements, according to railway statistics, reflect the situation
brought about by the Yaqui Indian disturbances. While the farmers in the Yaqui
Valley adjacent to Esperanza and Cajeme were able to raise crops, those located farther
down the river and in the outlying districts in this section were exposed to Yaqui raids
and consequently did not endeavor to cultivate their lands or produce crops.
A report in August, 1922, stated that the 1922 crop would be 25
per cent below the average for previous years on account of frost dam-
age and the ravages of various insect pests that had recently invaded
the fields.
EXPORTS OF GARBANZOS.
According to data compiled by the Southern Pacific Railroad of
Mexico (Guaymas office) the 1920 crop of garbanzos in Sonora was
much greater than those of either 1918 or 1919. The following table
shows the movement of this product from the several railway sta-
tions for 1920, as compared with 1918 and 1919, quantities being
expressed in bags of 220 pounds each:
Railway stations.
1918
1919
1920
Navojoa
Bags.
118 710
Bags.
134 457
Bags.
168 743
Sacarachi
23 033
22 719
31 336
Cajeme
9 384
5 '793
26*457
Esperanza
15' 534
14 551
22* 706
Fundicion
608
2 948
2 825
Other stations
7 594
2*674
4 520
Total
174 863
183 142
256 587
AGRICULTURE. 135
All the above peas were shipped by rail to Nogales, with the
exception of about 8,000 bags which went to San Pedro, Calif., from
Guaymas by water and thence to Spain. Those shipped to Nogales
were later sent to New Orleans or Gulf ports for shipment to New
York and Europe.
In January and February, 1920, late frosts and extremely heavy
spring rains damaged the garbanzo crop in the Mayo Valley by 30
per cent.
In 1917, 1918, and 1919 prices for garbanzos for Spain and the
West Indies averaged as high as $14 per sack of 220 pounds, and the
industry was a very profitable one even with ocean tonnage hard
to secure for direct water shipment from Guaymas and the traffic
diverted to New Orleans with a long rail haul. In 1920 prices
slumped to $7 per sack, on account of the lack of demand from
Spain, and again in 1912 to as low as $6 per sack. In an endeavor
to stabilize the industry and come to the assistance of the growers,
the Mexican Central Government, through the Comision Monetaria,
extended loans of $5 per sack to the growers and held the grain as
security. The interest rate was at first 18 per cent per annum,
but was later reduced to 12 per cent.
GRADING.
The standard-grade size for garbanzos is 54 to the ounce. The
grading is done by means of sizers (sieves).
EMBARGO AGAINST EXPORTATION.
In August, 1921, it was reported that the embargo against the
exportation of garbanzos which the Mexican Government had main-
tained for some time in order to affect prices favorably for this prod-
uct was to be removed in October of that year. The 1921 crop was
moving in August at prices averaging 6f cents per pound, f. o. b.
cars. The freight rate from Navojoa to New York was $1.05 per
hundredweight.
In March, 1922, another embargo against the exportation of this
product was removed by the Mexican Government, the remainder
of the 1920-21 crop having been disposed of, the final shipment
being made by water direct to Spain in a Spanish steamer from
Guaymas in August, 1922. One hundred and five thousand sacks
were sold to a Cuban firm by the Comision Monetaria, holding most
of the old crop on loans made to the growers, as stated above.
GROWERS' ASSOCIATION.
In 1920 the growers in the Yaqui and Mayo Valleys formed an
association, with headquarters at Navojoa, for the purpose of co-
operative marketing of their crops, it being hoped to pool the crops
and influence prices as much as an additional $5 per sack. On
account of the market depression and heavy loans made by the
Comision Monetaria on the crops, the efforts of this association have
not been very successful to date.
STERILIZATION PLANT AT GUAYMAS.
In July, 1921, the Mexican Central Government completed a
garbanzo sterilization plant at Guaymas, Sonora, for the heat treat-
ment of this product. About 100,000 sacks were treated by this
136 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
method that year, it being necessary to protect the grain from weevils
and other insects that damage it in storage. The consensus among
the growers was to the effect that while the heat process was as
effective as fumigation, the cost made it impractical on account of
the extra charges for additional handling, the cost reaching 24 cents
United States currency per sack, whereas fumigation in a large ware-
house does not exceed 8 cents per sack.
This plant was erected by the Government at a cost of about
$50,000 United States currency and has a capacity of 30,000 to 40,000
sacks per day. The plant was erected by an American firm which
specializes in this type of equipment. It is not now in operation.
LABOR CONDITIONS IN MAYO VALLEY.
The labor situation in the Mayo Valley is very favorable to agri-
culturists. About 75 per cent of the farm workers are Mayo Indians,
and the rest are Mexicans of the "peon" type. As a rule all work is
carried put under the ancient "tarea" or task system, called " piece-
work" in the United States, the average daily wage amounting to
about $1 per day at the present time. When on the piecework basis
the men start at about 7 a. m. and finish about 3 p. m. Most of the
men in the Mayo Valley own small farms of their own on which they
grow small amounts of corn and beans for their staple foods.
CLEANING MACHINERY.
American manufacturers have spent a great deal of time and money
in the development of a garbanzo cleaning and sorting machine
which they have been trying to sell to the growers for the past two
years, but the growers do not seem to be interested and prefer to
dispose of their product ungraded.
SUMMARY OF GARBANZO CROP AND MARKET CONDITIONS IN 1922.
The marketing of the garbanzo crops of Sonora and Sinaloa is now
practically controlled by the Sindicato de Cosecheros de Garbanzos
de Sonora y Sinaloa, a growers' union formed in January, 1922. At
the beginning of 1922 the whole of the 1921 crop was still being held
in storage because of low prices and the continuation of the export
embargo by the Mexican Government. The 1920 crop was nearly
all sold by the beginning of 1922.
The Comision Monetaria, the financial agency of the Government,
holds considerable quantities of garbanzos in warehouse at Navojoa
and Nogales, on which it has advanced loans of $5 per sack to the
growers. It is believed that many of these loans will never be paid,
because of the insolvency of the growers in many cases. There were
about 100,000 sacks stored in warehouses at the port of Guaymas in
January, 1922, many of which belonged to the Comisi6n Monetaria,
ancl which it was planned to ship direct by steamer through the Canal
to Spain. A Dutch line made an offer of $12 per metric ton as an
ocean freight rate from Guaymas to Spanish ports early in the year,
the lowest previous offer having been from the Compagnie Francaise
of $15 per ton. Water rates to New Orleans had not been quoted
at that date.
It was the desire of the growers to place from 100,000 to 125,000
sacks with Spanish dealers, the remainder consisting of 100,000
AGRICULTURE. 137
sacks to go to Cuba, Porto Rico, and other markets. An arrangement
was being sought with an American firm to handle the market in the
United States. The growers' union was then holding out for a flat
price of $10 per sack, f. o. b. shipping point on the West Coast.
Freight rates per hundredweight over the Southern Pacific of Mexico
to New Orleans were quoted as follows:
From
Guaymas, Sonora $0. 85
Navojoa, Sonora 1. 05
San Bias, Sinaloa 1. 05
Naranjo, Sinaloa 1. 075
Bamoa, Sinaloa 1. 085
Guamuchil, Sinaloa 1. 085
Caimanero, Sinaloa 1. 14
Culiacan, Sinaloa 1. 16
It is understood that garbanzos stored at Guaymas are entitled
to the through rate from points of origin that is, they will not be
charged for local freight to Guaymas.
In March, -1922, the Southern Pacific reported a movement of
152,819 sacks, with 6,800 sacks still in storage in the Government
(Comision Monetaria) warehouse at Navojoa. The crop of 1921
amounted to about 230,000 sacks.
In August, 1922, the embargo was removed on the exportation of
the 1921 crop but was still in force on the 1922 crop, for the purpose
of holding up prices by creating an artificial shortage in the European
and West Indian market centers, and also to enable the growers to
dispose of the old stocks still held from the previous year.
The firm of E. Fernandez, Alonzo, y Cia. (Spaniards) controls the
stocks held by the Comision Monetaria, and also controls the selling
agency in the American and West Indian markets through its New
Orleans office. In April, 1922, this firm took a total of 115,000 sacks
on a 75-day delivery contract. Forty thousand sacks were sold to a
Spanish firm of Bilbao, Spain, at a price of $8.85 f. o. b. Guaymas.
It is not thought that more than 10,000 sacks are still being held by
independent growers.
The crop for 1922 was estimated at 30,000 sacks less than for 1921
on account of heavy frosts in early spring; 175,000 sacks was esti-
mated as the total crop for the 1922 harvest.
Prices in New Orleans were said to be $18.75 per sack, duty un-
paid, with sizes running from 48 to 54 to the ounce. This same offer
was reported as having been made to Cuban and Porto Rican im-
porters. In June, 1922, a Spanish steamer loaded 65,000 sacks at
Guaymas for Bilbao, Spain (6,000 tons load). Thirty thousand
sacks moved by rail to New Orleans in May, 1922, being the last of
the 1921 crop.
EFFECT OF WAR ON MARKET.
The war presented obstacles to the garbanzo trade in the way of
scarcity of ocean tonnage and lower prices following the market
slump all over the world in 1920.
The production of garbanzos in Spain in 1920 amounted to 1,399,351
metric " quintals" on an area of 226,940 hectares. The total ship-
ments from Sonora to Spain during the same year reached approxi-
mately 431,000 sacks of 220 pounds each.
138
MEXICAN WEST COAST.
According to the report of the Mexican consul general at Barce-
lona, imports of garbanzos from Mexico at that port since 1913 have
been as follows:
Years.
Kilos.
Value in
pesetas.
Years.
Kilos.
Value in
pesetas.
1913
8 941 049
4 828 166
1917
1 292 148
649 159
1914
10 114,044
5,461,593
1918
205, 543
111,127
1915
4 097 496
2 212 547
1919
7,361,200
3, 975, 070
1916
4,574,943
2,470,469
19201
7,420,467
4,007,852
i Up to the month of September, 1920.
SUGAR.
Sugar has been characterized as the preeminent industry of the
West Coast of Mexico. The production exceeds in value that of any
other one industry of this region, the sugar-cane lands of Sinaloa and
Nayarit being classed among the best in Mexico, Cuba, or South
America.
PRODUCTION FIGURES NUMBER OF MILLS.
The production of sugar in Mexico during 1908 was approximately
125,000 tons. The output, by record, from July 1, 1907, to July 1,
1908, was 123,285 metric tons, 70,947 metric tons of molasses, and
50,000 metric tons of the brown sugar of the country, called "pano-
cha." In the past 90 years the world's consumption of sugar has
increased by 900 per cent. Mexico's production of sugar between
1900 and 1908 increased by 60 per cent, and the consumption of
refined sugar within the Republic increased faster than the world's
consumption.
Sugar experts and engineers specializing in this industry estimate
that sugar can be produced on the West Coast of Mexico for a gross
cost of $0.01 per pound. Egyptian sugar costs $0.02^ to produce.
In 1904 and 1905 Mexico sold in foreign markets sugar to the value of
$6,000,000 United States currency. In 1905 the State of Sonora
produced brown sugar ("panocha") to the value of 80,892 pesos, the
quantity being given in official statistics for that year as 552,566
kilos, while the cane grown was valued at 1,047,065 pesos. In the
same year the figures given for the State of Sinaloa were 10,039,000
kilos of sugar, valued at 1,260,750 pesos.
More recent official figures on the sugar production of Mexico,
reproduced in the Revista de Hacienda, Mexico City, August 14, 1922,
show the 1921-22 sugar crop of the country and details of production
by States, as follows :
States.
Number
of mills.
Production
in metric
tons.
States.
Number
of mills.
Production
in metric
tons.
Vera Cruz
21
50 000
Tabasco
11
4 000
Sinaloa
7
24,000
Colima
3
1*700
Puebla
6
10,000
San Luis Potosi . ...
1
1 500
15
10 000
Yucatan
1
500
Jalisco
16
7 000
2
6,000
Total.
92
119 800
Oaxaca ..........
9
5,000
Some of the mills ground only part of the season, and four were shut
down the entire season. The above figures were arranged by the
Camara de Productores de Azucar, of Mexico, the central national
organization of sugar producers in Mexico. The mills cited above
are those turning out refined sugar, and the figures do not take into
AGRICULTURE. 139
account the enormous production of native brown sugar, called
"panocha," by many thousands of small plants all over the country.
SURVEY OF INDUSTRY.
The "Aurora" plant of Redo y Cia. at Culiacan is the oldest sugar
mill on the West Coast of Mexico. The cane is grown entirely on the
light silt soil of the river bottom and produces 40 to 50 tons of cane to
the hectare, with a mill production of about 100 kilos of white, refined
sugar per metric ton of cane (1 hectare = 2. 47 acres; 1 kilo = 2.2046
pounds) .
The "El Dorado" plantation, also of Redo y Cia., on the San
Lorenzo River just below Culiacan, produces from 60 to 80 tons of
cane to the hectare and from 65 to 75 kilos of refined sugar per metric
ton of cane. Soil conditions are somewhat similar, but there is more
clay content in the soil of the sugar lands of the San Lorenzo Valley.
At the Los Mochis plantation of the United Sugar Co. the clay base
soil produces 50 tons of cane to the hectare, as against 60 tons pro-
duced by the sandy, alluvial soils around the " Aguila" division of the
lands of this company in the Fuerte River Valley. In comparing the
two plantations of this company in the Fuerte Valley it may be noted
that the cane from the clay soils produces 15 per cent more sucrose
than the cane from the light, sandy soils at "Aguila." (For details
of the Los Mochis plant of the United Sugar Co. in the Fuerte Valley,
see p. 111.)
ALMADA SUGAR REFINERIES CO.
The sugar lands of the Almada Sugar Refineries Co., S. A., which
is entirely owned by Mexicans of Culiacan, Sinaloa, is located on the
Culiacan River halfway between the capital and the coast at Altata,
on the Occidental Railway, which now connects with the Southern
Pacific of Mexico at Culiacan. This company was incorporated in
New York in March, 1902. In 1908 more machinery was installed at
a cost of $360,000 United States currency, doubling the capacity of the
mill. Twice as much cane was also planted, giving the new plant a
total capacity of 8,000,000 to 9,000,000 kilos of sugar and 1,200,000
liters of alcohol per annum. That year the plant and holdings were
offered for sale to Americans at 5,000,000 pesos. An inventory of
the property in 1909 showed values as follows:
Mexican
Items - pesos.
Sugar factory; old valuation, 856,000 pesos, increased to
Alcohol and liquor factories
General offices, warehouses, etc
5,860 acres planted, part to cane, all fenced and irrigated
63,785 acres north of Navolato; valuation increased from 1,017,079 pesos to.
Irrigation canal, with structures
Centrifugal pumps, three 24 inches and two 18 inches
Garden and orchard lands
Lumber for buildings
Implements
600 horses and mules, and equipment .
90 cane wagons
Portable railway (10,000 meters)
Portable railway
Water rights from State
Pilot boat Navolato
Lots and houses in town of Navolato.
Telephone lines
1. 216, 000
400,000
25,000
3, 842, 370
6,306,500
350,000
100,000
10,000
35,000
25,000
36,000
11,000
11,000
11,000
300,000
14,948
125,000
2,500
Total.
12, 821, 318
NOTE. It will be noticed that the value of the fend held was increased in 1908 and 1909 from 1,017,279 to
6,306,500 pesos. This increase in the valuation placed on these land holdings was due to the influx of Ameri-
can land buyers following the construction of the railroad down the coast that year, when an era of land
speculation was induced by their activities.
140 MEXICAN WEST COAST.
PRODUCTION DATA, NAVOLATO PLANTATION.
The following data on production and costs of cane products on
the Navolato plantation of Almada y Cia. may be taken as average
figures for the Fuerte, Culiacan, and San Lorenzo Valleys and the
sugar lands in the State of Nayarit (values given are for a pre-war
normal year) :
Cane grown: 38,000 tons for the year.
Refined sugar: 2,200 metric tons.
Yield: 5.73 per cent, or 1 ton of sugar per each 17.45 tons of cane, metric measure-
ment.
Cost of producing sugar, 4.55 centavos per pound.
Selling price of sugar, 9.15 centavos per pound.
Cost of producing alcohol, 11.38 centavos per liter.
Selling price of alcohol, 25.43 centavos per liter.
The high-grade white sugar is put up in loaves and cubes. The gray
centrifugal sugar is of 96 to 97 polarization. The alcohol is 96
per cent.
The cane cutting and grinding season lasts from December to May.
The mill operated an average of 140 days and nights for the season
that year. Two thousand one hundred acres of cane were cut in
1909, and the property showed an annual interest return, net, of 11
per cent on a capital investment of 5,000,000 pesos. It was thought
that production of refined sugar could be increased, with the same
amount of cane, from 5.75 per cent to 8.5 per cent by means of a
more modern plant, and methods. Although no new mill has been
installed since then, various improvements have been added to this
plant during the prosperous years of high prices for sugar during
the Great War, and cane acreage has also been materially increased.
SUGAR INDUSTRY IN TEPIC, NAYARIT.
One of the industries in the State of Nayarit that has received the
greatest impulse is that of sugar cane, the cultivation of which has
been extended to the plantations (" haciendas ") of Puga and La
Esvondida (belonging to the Spanish house of Aguirre y Cia.), La
Labor, Mojarres, La Fortuna, San Jose del Conde, and La Cofradia,
and to various outlying municipalities where the native brown sugar
called "panocha" is made.
There are three modern sugar factories turning out white refined
sugar for local consumption, two of the largest belonging to the
Spanish house of D. G. Aguirre, Sues., of Tepic. The plant at Puga
on the railway below Tepic has a total of 1,000 hectares in sugar cane,
and that of La Escondida has 500 hectares in cane. Both plants
turn out an annual production of 4,000,000 kilos of refined sugar
and 15,000 cases of refined alcohol of 10 gallons each. The machinery
of these two plants is very old and principally of French manufac-
ture, although recent additions and replacements have been ordered
from England.
The new modern plant of Manchaca y Cia., of Tepic, was erected
early in 1922 to take the place of an old native "panocha" plant on
the property, which is located about 15 miles south of the city of
Tepic. Four hundred hectares are planted in cane. Two hundred
thousand kilos of refined white cube sugar were produced in the 1922
season, and the plant is expected to produce 500,000 kilos in 1923.
From 3,000 to 4,000 cases (of 10 gallons each) of refined alcohol are
AGRICULTURE. 141
produced with the present equipment, which is most modern and
up to date.
"La Labor" Hacienda, 25 miles east of Tepic, contains 170,000
hectares of lands, with a large area in sugar cane, which is all turned
into alcohol, some 20,000 cases (of 10 gallons each) being produced
annually. This hacienda is owned by Sr. Gongoita, a Spaniard.
MARKET FOR ALCOHOL.
In the State of Jalisco there are very large plantations of the blue
mescal plant, a species of the agave, from which the native liquor,
called "mescal 7 ' or "tequila," is made, being distilled from the head
of the plant at its maturity every seven years. The largest of these
mescal plantations is located at the town of Tequila, in Jalisco, near
the line with the State of Nayarit and on the San Marcos Branch
of railway from Guadalajara. Investigation in Tepic in September,
1922, showed that these mescal plants were the principal consumers
of Nayarit and Sinaloa alcohol production, the product being used
for the making of certain brands of "tequila" (or "mescal") for con-
sumption in all parts of Mexico, this being the common native drink
and very intoxicating. The use of raw alcohol for the adulteration
of the "mescal" liquor has been increasing enormously in Mexico
during the past few years, as alcohol can be produced more cheaply
and rapidly in the modern sugar plants from the cane refuse and
molasses than the liquor itself can be produced from the slow-growing
species of agave plant (which also yields the "ixtle" fiber, similar
to the henequen fiber of Yucatan) . All the sugar plants are equipped
with alcohol-distilling plants and also have their own can-making
machinery where they make the standard 5-gallon tins such as are
used for shipments of case oil products.
The two plantations of Aguirre Sues, in Nayarit are located in
rough, hilly lands, where plowing is done on hillsides, but they have
abundant water for irrigation of the cane. All the other plantations
of the West Coast are located nearer the mouths of the river valleys
and are on level alluvial lands.
PROTECTIVE TARIFF ON SUGAR.
In February, 1922, the Mexican Government placed a protective
tariff on imports of sugar into Mexico, in protection of the native
industry. The rate is 15 centavos (0.15 peso) per kilo on refined sugar
imported into Mexico. The rate is sufficiently high to exclude Cuban
and other sugars from the Mexican market, having been increased
from 0.10 peso.
MARKETS FOR WEST COAST SUGAR.
The planters of the West Coast have formed a marketing associa-
tion and sell most of their product above local d 
