Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 226, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 September 1914 — HABIT TRACED TO AZTECS [ARTICLE]

HABIT TRACED TO AZTECS

Americans Not the Original Gum Chewere, as the World Seems to Have Believed. The Aztecs of Mexico are said to have been the first gum chewers Renown in this, or, for that matter, any other, continent. The followers of Coytez reported that the Indians chewed a gum to quench thirst and relieve exhaustion. They obtained it from the sapote tree by tapping, and today the manner of gathering the sap is in close analogy to the process of gathering maple sugar in New England. The tree is indigenous to the northern countries of South America, Central America and especially in Mexico, the last named furnishing about six-sevenths of the entire supply consumed annually in the Unite States. The sapote tree is usually found in groups, frequently gnfWs to a height of 40 to 60 feet, is generally very straight, and has a long, clear length which makes it most desirable for timber. The wood is of a reddish mar hogany color, is quite hard, heavy, compact in texture and fine grained. Door sills and frames of this remark* able wood have been unearthed in the prehistoric ruins of Uxmal and found to be in an excellent state of preservation. The wood is in demand today by cabinet makers, who employ it in the manufacture of high grade furniture and household ■fittings. The fruit, the sapodilla pear, was once very popular in Latin-American markets, but the constant demand for the gUm and the consequent tapping so reduced the size and quality of the fruit that it has become almost a negligible product. Throughout the rainy season, while the sap is up, the tapping is done by the “chicleros,” whose only implements are a machete and a piece of rope. The rope is fastened about the waist and slipped around a tree, leaving the chiclero’s hands free to make the V-shaped incisions spirally all around the tree. The sap runs along the incisions and is collected in cups at the base. It ..looks like milk at first, but soon turns to a yellowish color and thickens to the consistency of treacle. It is collected and boiled in a rather primitive manner in large kettles, and when it has reached the proper consistency it is kneaded and the surplus moisture expressed. It is then molded into large loaves and is ready for shipment. —Argonaut.