SUNDAY MORNING

The sun beats mercilessly on the battered facade of the El Jardin Hotel. Beneath the spooky building municipal employees collect debris from the Levee Street concert the previous night. Plastilina Mosh, a Monterrey group, enlivened downtown Saturday with their eclectic sound. Spectators filled the VIP section, but the general admissions crowd was sparse. The promoters failed to advertise. Word of mouth is inexpensive but frequently inefficient.

Except for a few old men sitting on the post office's steps and HEB's early customers, Elizabeth Street is quiet. The Majestic Theater stands vacant, but merchants from Juarez Market in Matamoros are negotiating with the intention of moving part of their operations to this famous location. Gringos aren't crossing the bridge these days. Good deals aren't worth the risk of dodging bullets or avoiding kidnappings.

Washington Street is famous for its greasy spoons. The proprietors don't wait to open their doors until after mass. They are early risers. Arandas, Isabella's and Lucio's (Names may change, but your identity remains the same.) provide breakfast specials (eggs prepared any style, beans, coffee and a flour tortilla) for $2.99.

After a busy night, Market Square sleeps. There are more old men lounging on benches, but La Movida, Dominos and Mi Tejanita are closed. Norma Hinojosa owns and manages Norma's. She is restocking her joint after a slow night.

"No habia mucha gente anoche," she laments. "Todo esta jodido. Todo va mal en el mercado."

The Immaculate Conception Cathedral has mass at 8, 10:30 and 12:30. St. Thomas holds mass on Jefferson Street in Spanish at 9 for the residents of La Parra. Sacred Heart on Elizabeth Street attracts the old families for its English mass of the hypocrites at 11:30.

Washington Park demarcates commercial from residential downtown. The park's fountain is presently working. That could change tomorrow. The clear water in the surrounding pool beckons, but a sign prohibits swimming. Odds are that children will break the rule later in the day. Odds are that the community's sympathetic cops will look the other way.

Washington Park honors three different heroes: Miguel Hidalgo, father of Mexican Independence; Jose Marti, father of Cuban Independence; and Jefferson Davis, father of a losing cause.

The plaque--erected by the Daughters of the Confederary in 1926--commemorating Davis is a history lesson worth perusing. His admirers refer to him as a soldier, a statesman and a martyr. Brownsville, after all, was a Confederate town, one of many losing causes our city fathers have pursued.

Davis graduated from West Point in 1828 and served on the Indian frontier for the following seven years. He sat briefly in the U.S. Congress before leaving for the military in 1846. Commanding troops from Mississippi, Davis and his men landed at Point Isabel after the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma. He participated with distinction at the battles of Monterrey and Buena Vista. He was called a hero for his bravery under fire.

He refused a promotion to general. Instead, he returned to Congress as a senator. He spent four years as Secretary of War and four more once again as a senator. He resigned from the Senate when Mississippi seceded from the Union. He became president of the CSA. Unfortunately, losers don't write history and he had to perform in the shadow of Abraham Lincoln.