MEXICO: Adios, Siesta?

Mexico City last week took the hardest blow of the war. A Government decree to save tires and buses struck at the cherished two-to-three-hour siesta.

Mexicans are accustomed to go home for a big lunch, take a nap, return to work. The decree, when it takes effect, will allow them one hour only; most will have to lunch downtown. The siesta is not a proof of laziness; office hours average about as long as in the U.S. But it requires four commuting trips a day instead of the U.S. two. In small cities the custom is efficient, pleasant. In crowded Mexico City, with 1,750,000 people and few downtown restaurants, the siesta puts a tremendous strain on transportation.