Old Mexico and her lost provinces : A journey in Mexico, southern California, and Arizona by way of Cuba

A vivid travelogue unfolds as the narrator sets out from New York’s bustling Wall Street in March 1881, opting for a sea‑leg to Havana before the route turns inland. The opening captures the excitement of boarding the Alexandre Line, the clatter of steamers, and the promise of an “old Mexico” that still clings to its Spanish past. Along the way, the author sketches a panorama of bustling harbors, towering castles, and the gentle toll of church bells that guide the journey toward the Mexican frontier.

The early chapters blend striking illustrations with keen observations of colonial architecture, bustling markets, and the everyday rhythms of towns such as Veracruz and Puebla. Readers are invited to wander through cobbled streets lined with plazas, modest tenements, and grand cathedrals, while the narrative hints at the diverse landscapes awaiting further south—deserts, ranches, and the nascent railways that begin to stitch the region together. The tone remains that of an eager explorer, keen to record both the monumental and the modest in a continent on the cusp of change.