Reports and messages were generally transmitted in picture-writing. It was in this manner that Montezuma learned of the arrival of Cortes and his warriors.
The various lines of steamers now carry the mail along the coast, and the railways, diligences, and special couriers, transport it into the interior.
In 1881 the number of post-offices in the Republic was 873, and the proceeds from the sale of stamps amounted to $500,000 annually.
In addressing letters, Sr., Don, stand for “Mr.," and Señora is used as the title for “Mrs." Strangers should omit such affixes as "esquire," in directing letters, on account of the difficulty the Mexican clerks have in deciphering foreign names.
On the arrival of the mail at the post-office, the names on the letters are written on lists, and placed on bulletin-boards near the door. There are separate lists for letters coming from foreign countries, from the interior, and from the city or county in which the post-office is situated. Sometimes a local letter is put on the foreign list by mistake. It will be advisable, therefore, for the stranger to look at all the bulletins. If the traveler sees his name on the list, he should write it down just as it appears on the board, and hand it to the clerk at the window.
Post-offices are generally open from 8 to 12 a.m., and from 3 to 9 p.m., throughout the country. In the City of Mexico the office hours are from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and from 3 to 5 p.m.
Tourists are recommended to go to the post-office in person, in depositing or receiving their letters, in order to guard against mistakes.
Public letter-writers do a considerable business on the plazas of all the principal cities. Many of the natives can not write. In times of revolutions the post-office is of
